It’s rare that a restaurant can transport you into a different plane of existence, as though you’re dining in a different city or a different country. At Street To Kitchen, a Thai restaurant in the East End, you could be anywhere in the world, or nowhere at all. It’s some kind of momentary temporal displacement, but with some of the best Thai food imaginable.

The dining room of Street To Kitchen may be tiny, but that’s what makes it fun. Tables are crammed into every available corner, as are more people than you would think possible, with servers effortlessly skirting around the maze of chairs. The curtained walls, bright colors, and tangle of hanging tropical plants starkly contrast the gas station parking lot you just walked in from. Various wine-fueled conversations mix with undercurrents of Asian pop music and the faint sound of oil hitting a hot pan. Everything sizzles and softens around the edges, until all that matters is whoever you’re dining with, and the food as it rhythmically arrives at your table.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Here, every dish, regardless of what spice level you order is spicy—mild, medium, or Thai spicy are your only options. Basically, if removing any trace of chili fundamentally alters the dish, then it’s just going to remain spicy. Accept it, or order a bottle of wine to soothe the heat. Brace for the acidic and aromatic papaya salad, the spice of which re-atomizes with every breath. Drunken noodles arrive with thick slices of red hot chilis and mounds of thai basil. Tom Yum sometimes offers momentary taste bud reprieve, but this one doesn’t. The tangy, sour, sweet broth keeps the spice simmering. And for dessert (when available) we cannot get enough of the sumptuous and warm mango sticky rice, which beautifully melts away whatever spice is still stinging your tongue.

Street To Kitchen is masterfully controlled chaos, from the size of the dining room, to the effect of the food, to the way you feel cocooned from the outside world. Even when the slap of reality arrives with the check, you still momentarily consider restarting the entire experience, despite how full you feel. Go to dinner with a special group of friends, or on a date, and let yourself melt into Street To Kitchen’s world. Just be sure to make a reservation—this place is always busy.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Food Rundown

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Som Tam (ส้มตำ)

Spicy green papaya salad is a Thai restaurant staple, but this one is crisp, bright, and slaps you in the face with spice. Every acidic, crunchy bite is spicier than the next, in a way that makes you want to cry, but, like, happy tears.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Tom Yum Soup

Tom Yum may be the official soup of Thailand, but this Tom Yum is the official soup of what we crave for dinner every night. Thick slices of mushrooms and perfectly pink shrimp bob in a tangy spicy broth layered with lemongrass and stewed tomato. Catch us sipping broth straight from the bowl.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Thai Basil Beef (ข้าวผัดกระเพา ไข่ดาว)

There’s a process to follow here. First, dump the sauce on the rice. Then break the egg yolk. Then mix the tender yet crispy beef, stir fried with whole bouquets of thai basil and sliced chiles, and watch this dish disappear.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Drunken Noodle (ผัดขี้เมา)

Do not neglect the ramekin of pickled serranos and sauce. Pour it all over your drunken noodles, because, as the owner will tell you, it makes the entire dish “bang.” You will fight for every last spicy, oil-slick bite.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Green Curry (แกงเขียวหวาน)

This green curry, made from scratch with coconut milk, is intensely comforting, and spicy as hell. Stewed eggplant and white rice sop up ever more spice curry broth, giving you a renewable gut punch in every bite.