Zabb PuTawn

There’s a lot of good Thai food on the UES, but the first place we send anyone who regularly utters the words “Thai spicy, please” is Zabb PuTawn. This Northern Thai restaurant opened after the head Chef’s popular Queens restaurant Zabb Elee closed, and he’s now gifted the UES with one of the best Thai restaurants in Manhattan. If you’re the sort of person who sees a bird's eye chili as an equal adversary, go for the goong chae num pla and gaeng om made with an especially lemongrass-y broth. They’ve spruced up the simple, narrow space over the years with a shiny gold ceiling and bright yellow wallpaper, but this place would still be buzzing and full of regulars without any of that. All the ambience it needs comes from the spice-induced sniffles around the room.

photo credit: Emily Schindler