Uncle Boons
“The toasted coconut added a great texture to the ice cream which was nice and refreshing after the spicy meal.”
“I loved the golden curry and the betel leaf wraps too.”
“I must say that the Khao soi was not as good as the one at my aunt's Las Vegas resto, Lotus of Siam, but the Massaman was spot on, especially with the roti.”
Uncle Boons
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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We stood in line 30 minutes before it opened because my husband swore that there would be a line. Well for his credit, by the time it opened at 5:30 there were three other parties waiting in line with us.
The inside is a total throw back. Our server didn't have any recommendations and basically said go with our heart so we did.
Apps – we got the bone marrow, which was awesome and the yellowtail collar, though I've had much better. The roti app was good, though we ended up having to order another side of roti and I would have rather just eaten it with my curry entree.
Entrees- the noodle chicken curry was delicious as was the crab fried rice. Both are musts.
Overall a yummy experience with dynamic flavors. Don't underestimate the quantity of the entrees. Next time I'll skipped the apps and just go straight for the entrees.
This place is fine, just fine. The vibe is pretty cool; the place is a lot bigger than it looks, and it's basically a dark drinking den. Staff is pretty friendly and the service was good.
As for the food itself, it was fine. I think it's just that my Thai food standards are quite high — I'm from Portland, Oregon, and lived around the corner from the original Pok Pok. Several friends of mine had recommended Uncle Boons to me because of its similarities. It wasn't bad; I appreciated the fact that their focus on more Northern Thai cuisine (no pad thai or green/yellow curry variations; instead currys with corn, pork jowl etc) and drinking snacks/Thai street food. It just seemed like all the flavors were pretty one dimensional. For instance, I had a hard time distinguishing between the spices used in the pig ear and the short ribs.
Would recommend if you're in the neighborhood, but not worth traveling for. I suggest checking out the Pok Pok in Red Hook instead.
Stepping into Uncle Boons is like going inside a basement tree house. The decor is small and cramped, loud, and lively. It's a great restaurant, good atmosphere, a little pricey, and a couple of flaws. The night we were the service was terrible but I won't fault a restaurant solely for that because the food was overall very good.
Here's what we ordered:
– Spicy Rotisserie Chicken & Banana Blossom Salad (Yum Gai Hua Pli) – The dressing was creamy and a little spicy. It wasn't overwhelming spicy like a lot of yelpers have claimed but it was very good. The dish was flavorful, sweet, tangy, and a little salty.
– Thai Blood Sausage (Khao Gun Jiin) – This was okay but I don't really like sausage in general. My friends thought this was good though.
– Grilled Baby Octopus (Pla Muuk) – These were delicious, crunchy, and crispy. Perfectly charred and sweet.
– Golden curry with chicken leg (Khao Soi Kaa Gai) – On the expensive side but the noodles were the perfect texture and the curry clinged to the noodles.
– Crab Fried Rice (Kao Pat Puu) – For $26 this was really expensive for the few pieces of crab meat in white rice. The rice didn't have those crunchy bits that good fried rice that cooked in a really hot wok has.
– Rotisserie Half Chicken with Dipping Sauces – The chicken was cooked perfectly and moist. Again on the pricey side for half a chicken. But it was good nonetheless.
– Condensed Milk Toast – I grew up eating french toast with condensed milk instead of butter or maple syrup. A bit of a Hong Kong – American fusion. This brought back childhood memories and comfort.
We also ordered a pitcher of margarita, which came out less than 4 glasses and filled to the brim with ice. They weren't strong either and watered down quickly with so much ice. I would come again but probably only for the grilled goodies and banana blossom salad.
The Thai iced tea was decent, not that sweet but nothing special.
The limeade was very lime-y and a bit fizzy.
The grilled Isan style sausage paired well with the crisp, lightly pickled cabbage layering the bottom of the dish. The outside of the sausage had a good snap but the inside was really soft and fell apart easily. It was good but I don't think I would order it again since I like a chewier texture.
The blossom salad with rotisserie chicken was a cold, spicy dish with shreds of chicken mixed with banana blossom, cilantro, some cashews, and a creamy mayonnaise-like sauce. It was a very spicy dish more reminiscent of a salad than an entree. I thought this dish was okay though the chicken had good texture.
I also tried egg noodles in yellow curry, a savory dish with the curry coating every noodle. It was garnished with fried chow mein noodle strips, some pink pickled onion strips, pickled vegetable, and chicken. This dish had a saltier, heavier, creamy feel. I thought it was ok but probably wouldn't order again.
Overall, this place has a cute, cozy, lively feel to it with a rather interesting menu (ingredients you might not see at other Thai restaurants.) I don't think it's authentic Thai, more a mix of eclectic. I didn't enjoy the food as much as on previous occasions – all the dishes ordered seemed to be heavily flavored and catered to heavier tastes. (Maybe I should have gone with crab fried rice.)
I loved Uncle Boons. The restaurant has a bar in the front as well as some tables, and additional tables in the back. It's pretty dark in here and space can get tight when they're full.
Our order for two consisted of the following:
fried chicken hearts
crispy sweetbreads
grilled baby octopus
chopped lamb salad (lamb)
khao soi
The chicken hearts were a great start. Crispy, with lots of fresh cilantro and a chili sauce. Next came the sweetbreads – this was a pretty large plate (for a small plate), and was full of good flavors and textures with crispy noodles and peanuts. Tasted very fresh but rich at the same time. The bbq octopus was perfectly barbequed and the flavor was on point – not sure what the sauce it was served with was because I loved the octopus by itself. The chopped lamb salad was delicious – our server told us that this would be at the high end of the spice scale, but it really wasn't very spicy. Just a good kick but nowhere near overpowering. Tasted so refreshing with mint and pickled onions, and was a huge dish. Would definitely get sticky rice to pick up some of the extra sauce. The Khao soi was amazing – I love khao soi and they did it well here. The chicken was cooked so well and was so juicy. The coconut broth was perfect, and the house made noodles were good too, along with the nice crunch from the fried noodles.
The service is top notch here. Our server was extremely knowledgeable about the dishes, and guided us in our decisions. Water was refilled promptly, and plates were cleared quickly. Each dish was again explained to us when it was brought out.
R. is in the building.
and BOOM err BOON goes the dynamite bc the eats and drinks at Uncle Boon's explode with flavor.
casual cool laidback classy vibe and decor. flourishes of serious design aesthetic offset with more traditional southeast asian items and rounded off with fun playful items. while it sounds eclectic…it comes together in the low-lit low-ceilinged space. the space has a hazy almost diffused look to it when entering…and your senses slowly acclimate to the restaurant's chill dinnertime tone.
the restaurant looks deceptively small but does seat a 20-30 in the dining are and maybe about 10-12 at the bar. the bar is a tight squeeze, so be prepared. if you've been skipping those Weight Watcher meetings…time to go back….cuz Oprah and Uncle Boon's bar area be on ya. lol
PRO TIP: no reservations except for large parties (numbers not size so sit down Andre the Giant). walk-ins are the biz. pretty simple–walk in to the host and you'll get the wait time. eating at the bar will cut your wait time. do eeet!
the food? effing phenomenal. seriously. the southeast asian and Thai fare sings with spices and tradition style. you won't find pad thai and satay nonsense. the food here is the real deal. the baby octopus grilled have that charcoal char and look like baby octopus. Uncle Boon's doesn't try to hide this from you…they embrace the simplicity of ingredients and pull out incredible flavors, textures, and smells without drowning things in 8 million sauce or spices. the food tastes fresh and simple because they k.i.s.s (keep it simple stooopid) lol
other than the grilled baby octopus (in fact all grilled eats here are awesome). loved the spicy bone marrow and toast points. and the crab fried rice is super duper comfort food without being greasy yet having the right amount of fat, carbs, and chunks o' crab to keep your fork and mouth magnetized to a heap of fried rice. the egg and cilantro in the rice makes it even more savory and fragrant.
the dranks? potent but well-composed. the menu has a lot of variety from the sweet to the strong. talk to your bartending wizard and they can point you in the right direction. for those seeking refreshing booze options, i'd rec: the Papaya Pimms or the Watermelon & Campari Spritz. the Muay Thai Punch and Bolan are a bit boozier where the harder alcohols push through. you can get a large amount of the cocktails in pitchers for sharing.
the staff from hostess to bartender to servers…stellar. always friendly. they try to accommodate normal requests. and they handle the evening c/rush hour like pros. there's no 'tude here despite being a very popular downtown eatery/drinkery. staff really goes above and beyond to make sure people have a great experience.
this place is perfect for date night, or even first dates. if you have friends and family who come to town wanting authentic Thai food–this is the place to go. even for drinks and light bites after work, this place has got flex and class.
drops mic cuz there's no point in shouting in place that sings with quality.
i out.
zzz
I came here with a friend for dinner and wasn't sure what to expect – I'd heard a lot of hype about Uncle Boons since they were awarded Michelin stars. My friend and I shared a roti – crisp and buttery. Then I ordered the papaya salad and grilled baby octopus. The Papua salad was crunchy and cool, salty and sour – just how it should be. The baby octopus was charred in a salty sweet black bean marinade and grilled to perfection. The inside was soft and supple while the outside was smoky and blackened. Highly recommend for a fun meal and good service. The only thing to note is that the space is small so get there early or be ready to wait for a few minutes. It's worth the wait!
Uncle Boons has been on my list forever. Even after all these years, the line for a table can still be long. Like 2 hours long. My fiancé and I came prime time around 8pm on Sat night so we were holding our breath – but we lucked out and snagged a bar seat within minutes. The hostess and servers are great about service and getting people moving.
The food here is good but fusion oriented. Very inventive but good flavors. Not too spicy which is good for a lot of people. We drank Chang beers and had a $5 shot (peacock something?) which was pleasant to chase down. Their drinks menu is somewhat extensive for cocktail lovers.
We had:
– the pig ears (crispy and delicious like a fried potato chip)
– the issan thai sausage duo – house made, not as crunchy and fried as others but enjoyable
– khao soi – good curry flavor, very very filling
– the famous grilled chicken, I hate say but the coconut flavor was very faint and wall the chicken was definitely not dry at all I just didn't believe the hype. Though it is a lot of food and the side papaya/mango salad that came with the crunchy pig ears inside with the dish was very good
– side of pea shoots – fresh and yummy
– side of roti – yummy for dipping
For dessert – we might have had the best thing yet. The massive coconut sundae which was heavenly coconut ice cream, shavings, and candied peanuts. Yum.
Definitely recommend, Bill for two was about $100 and some change.