The Nuaa
“I had purple blossom dumplings, duck buns, pad sew and massaman curry , so far, and they are quite good.”
“The purple blossoms are a work of art, great chicken sate, yummy ribs, and delicious noodle dishes!”
“The woman's bathroom has the coolest sink I have ever seen.”
The Nuaa
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Ranked as one of the top notch Thai restaurants in NYC, Nuaa definitely did not let me down. Had a casual dinner with my middle school classmates and were seated promptly once arrived. Nuaa provided a very extensive yet exotic items – quail egg on a small piece of bread, duck meat bun.
My personal favorite was the 40-day marinated chicken – while the meat was very juicy and tender, the skin outside was crispy and absorbed the sauce perfectly well. Strongly recommend.
Only disappointment came with the dessert. We ordered the white chocolate mousse and apparently underestimated the size. Two bites at most! Please don't hesitate to skip…
One of my favorite Thai spots in the city. Ambiance is great. Kind of reminds me of Spacie Market/Tao Uptown/Buddakhan but smaller of course. Went when it just opened so service was quick and the place was nice and quiet. They even hace couch seating in the front for larger parties if you're into that too. Food was really good and presentation was on point. I would expect to pay double the price for the same food at the restaurants I just mentioned but Nuaa is honestly a great deal (for NYC). Definitely check this place out, especially since there are barely any other good places in that area.
I ordered food via Seamless through the Nuaa Express based on fellow Yelpers's feedback regarding the Thai food at Nuaa. However, I was not impressed with their food at all. In looking through more reviews, a lot of the high ratings are also based on the decor and ambience of the restaurant, not the food.
I ordered a pad Thai with chicken, the rice noodles actually tasted stale and it was undercooked (noodles were hard rather than chewy). The food also tasted very bland. The only pro is the chicken did not taste as frozen as the meats offered at most Thai restaurant. I was very disappointed.
My friend had the red curry, he also said that it was not good. We both would never order from Nuaa again.
I had first heard of The Nuaa because of the Purple Blossom Dumplings from a friend. Running a food blog, I'm always on the look out for chefs who take artistic liberties with food. I came to the Nuaa on a Saturday evening to catch up with some friends who were visiting from Boston. We had a group of 9 and had made reservations. The restaurant is pretty spacious, but not as many tables as you would think. We lounged on a gold sequin couch while we waited for our entire party to arrive.
Our table was right next to the door and even with the curtains, the cold air came through whenever anybody entered or exited and my back was facing the entrance, so it got chilly throughout the night. The waiters were very patient with us, although the service with the food was pretty slow (it took a long time to get the check).
As a Thai restaurant, the entrees and appetizers are pretty expensive. You could find a ton of restaurants throughout Manhattan that serve the typical curries and pad thais for $10. Most of the entrees here are $20+ and the typical dishes (the noodles) are ~$16. I ordered the Pork Shank ($24) because my friend who had been here before said it was huge (I'm a quantity over quality kind of eater). The food took a long time to arrive, but when it did, it did not disappoint. The pork shank was pretty big, although a large chunk of it was bone. The meat was very tender and the sauce that it sat on top of was delicious! A bit spicy, but packing tons of flavor, I enjoyed scooping it on top of my jasmine rice. The pork belly appetizer looked good (didn't try it) and the other dishes my friends ordered from the Jumbo Prawns to the Braised Short Ribs all looked good.
The manager was super friendly and when we were leaving, she stood by the curtains while we talked, getting ready to leave, and when we headed for the exit, she held them open for us. I liked my experience here aside from the long wait. I will come back with a smaller party and hopefully I can give them the 5 stars!
3.5 star, rounding up. My fiance used to live in this neighborhood, and 3-4 years ago, NOTHING was here. It was all barren. I don't recall the Nuaa being around back then. Today, I have a good girlfriend living in the East 60s, who frequents Nuaa a lot and so we came here for a quick dinner Wed around 7pm. We were able to get seated quickly- the restaurant is pretty big. It was definitely more crowded as we were leaving.
For once, the happy hour is really a great deal here. Until 7, cocktails are only about $5 and the appetizers are only about $3/4 a piece (so that's one roast duck bun for instance). That's pretty hard to beat. We were able catch the tail-end for my friend to have a refreshing Lime Gimlet cocktail, and we shared the:
-Tuna Tartare Tacos – tasting, a bit small and too dry/flaky but tartare was tasty.
– Roast Chicken Bun -eh, the worst sampler. It was dry-ish chicken satay, curried in a bao bun. This chicken is better kept for satay.
-Roast Massaman Beef Bun – This was the best thing, well flavored, a bit crispy.
I had the Spicy Minced Pork/Thai Basil for dinner, which was under the "Classic" section where things are mid teens, with a side of brown rice. The flavors were good, it wasn't too spicy though I'm definitely sure I don't like minced anything so I don't think I'll get this again (unless it's Larb, because there's no fat)
They first brought out white – not brown… so I had to wait a bit. All in all, the service was actually pretty slow (food took forever). My friend had the Jumbo Prawn with Pad Thai Noodles, essentially. Other dishes she recommends are the Cornish Hen, and she said the duck/whole fish was ok. Most of these mains are well above your average Thai joint- in terms of unique offering, and price point (expensive, some dishes like the duck being $29 which is steep for a neighborhood Thai spot).
Food was overall good. Service was a bit slow, prices are a little much, but the decor is very nice and artsy. They also give you an amuse bouche of veggie green soup.
(Written Aug 2016).
Excellent Lunch Special, $15, 2 courses–appetizer & entree, very fresh, delicious ingredients.
I had the crisp veggie rolls in a beautiful looking & delicious sweet & spicy hot sauce–GREAT!!!
My lunch entree was the short rib in massaman sauce–also great! Served with jasmine rice.
I tasted my friend's Pad Thai & it was really delicious-great!
Service was attentive and timely. How nice to have my water glass refilled, and not have to ask. I appreciate it when staff asks how everything is BEFORE the end of the meal.
I highly recommend this restaurant. I will be back; I have to try those gorgeous, work of art, purple flower dumplings that I have seen in other YELPER'S photos. Please enjoy my photos.
Last, but not least, I had no idea until I left the restaurant & saw the sign in the window that THE NUAA WAS VOTED BEST THAI RESTAURANT IN 2015, by the Best Asian NYC Restaurants Contest.
Lovely atmosphere & of course, in case you have not viewed the photos of the very creative sink in the ladies room, you must see it in person. Great lunch & cool design!! It's all quite nice!! Enjoy!
I look forward to enjoying more meals here, both lunch & dinner!!
Overall: I highly recommend!!
Amazing restaurant and I can see why it was voted the best! The food was amazing and very delicious. I came in for dinner after work, and as I entered the restaurant was completely surprised by how beautiful it was. The decor is amazing! It kind of saddens me that I never discovered this place sooner considering how close I used to work here.
Nice place in general, menu is innovative, flavor is mediocre or a bit above. I ordered the short ribs lunch set with quail eggs, nice plate presentation, which was recommended, the amount of food being served is considered as relatively small than other places, so for $15 lunch set, this is not cheap, maybe you can get something better in another Thai restaurant in UES.