Tha Phraya

With gleaming doors and thrown-open shutters, Tha Phraya on the Upper East Side sticks out like a shiny new penny on 2nd Ave., with food that sparkles, too. The menu includes specialties from all over Thailand, like spring rolls with northern sai oua sausage, and a fried branzino in sour, spicy kaeng som from the south. A not-too-sweet bael mocktail and a miang kham platter are a nice way to wake your tastebuds to the range of perfectly balanced flavors you’re about to encounter. The pomelo salad, strewn with tiny little fish, is fantastic, and you can taste the smoky kiss of the wok in the crab fried rice, topped with a curry-infused omelet. Freshly ground and pounded spices—and serious downtown energy—make Tha Phraya a hot night out in a sometimes tepid neighborhood.

photo credit: Sonal Shah

photo credit: Sonal Shah

photo credit: Sonal Shah

photo credit: Sonal Shah

photo credit: Sonal Shah