Esanation
“I had som tum, tom zaab, and grilled pork neck – all were great!”
“I ordered the L2 Lunch special: Steamed Jasmine rice w/shrimp in spicy basil sauce.”
“Scoops of coconut ice cream (with coconut flakes!), served with sweet sticky rice, jackfruit, palm seeds, and peanuts on a soft loaf of bun.”
Esanation
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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The food is decent and the service is good. Nothing to rave about though. The place itself looks really classy and cool, but it's still casual enough to allow me entrance with my workout clothes on.
I noticed our table was the only one without a pretty pink (fake) lily, so I grabbed the one off of the unoccupied table next to us. Later, the busboy came and took the lily away to make space for the food. Lol. I tried to ask him back for it, but he walked pretty quickly. I had to steal it back from the counter where he put it. It's all about ambience, people! I love the atmosphere in here.
This review is based on delivery so I'm only hoping that their in restaurant dining is on a completely different level to garner such a high star rating on Yelp! We ordered based on the high rating on seamless as well. Our order was really quite simple, steamed vegetable dumplings, they were deflated and the meager filling spilled out of all of them and they were topped with burnt garlic. The chicken paid Thai was easily the sorriest looking pad Thai I've ever seen, a few tiny pieces of chicken and one blob of scrambled egg all on top of what looked like angel hair pasta?!! I ordered the Pad Kee Mao with vegetarian duck. The flavor wasn't so bad but it was swimming in so much oil it was inedible! Easily the worst Thai food delivery yet to date in NYC.
Really impressed with the food here! Best Pad See Ew I've had in a long time!
After being left unsatisfied with today's Thai order at another restaurant I backtracked through my bank account charges, struggling to find which place I had ordered from earlier this year…it was Esanation!
I remember the perfection in my order here. I ordered the L2 Lunch special: Steamed Jasmine rice w/shrimp in spicy basil sauce. Selected mild as the spice level and it was just right. Came with the Larb (Spicy ground chicken salad) which was a new dish for me and yum! Portions were just enough to be satiated and not overstuffed.
The flavor in the entree was superb with a good amount of shrimp. Garlic-y, basil-y, sweet, yet spicy. I think I've found my fave Thai for delivery in NYC.
Thursday night and was trying to find an uncrowded Thai place in the neighborhood. When we came across this neon entrance, thought it was a club, but turned out to be a relatively empty restaurant. Easily got a table for two.
Not sure if we were just really hungry or if the food is actually this good. Ordered the E8 – Pad Ped Pla Dook ($16); a spicy catfish fry marinated in red curry and brimming with sauteed veggies. The sauce is extremely flavorful; the right amount of spice and basil with not too much salt. The catfish (even with the bone in) is served generously and you're left pretty full by the end of it. To drink, got the Jpop white peach ($5) – a sort of spritzer that was light enough to go with the meal.
Service here was certainly quick – we got our food 10ish minutes after ordering. Quality didn't suffer at all despite this. Would certainly come back here; wish they'd do away with the neon.
First impression of Esanation – Modern Thai. The blue neon light at the front entrance along with the contemporary decor and bar/lounge-like ambiance from the inside suggest modern/fusion-theme cuisine, but the menu uniquely features Street Food. So, which is it?
In comparison with other Thai restaurants along 9th Avenue, Esanation certainly spiced up its flavors, which I feel it's true to its origin. But the portions were smaller than most and pricier than others as well.
It's yet another Thai restaurant along 9th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, but Esanation is an addition to our favorite restaurants in the area since they specialize with Esan cuisine. As a matter of fact we ate here twice in less than a week.
We loved the un-Americanized spiciness of the dishes and since they do not have a liquor license yet, it's BYOB! (Tip: no corkage fee). The outside restaurant decor easily catches customers' attention while the vibe is modern and cozy. The staff are helpful and close by at all times.
Since it's a family style dinner our group of five started with a big pot of Tom Zabb soup with seafood; it's mushroom, tomatoes, Thai basil and lemongrass broth based soup. It was delicious and the portions were perfect for the group. We then tried Somtum Mua Sua as an appetizer; it's basic papaya salad with shrimp, BBQ pork, crispy pork rind and vermicelli noodles. It was the dinner's star of the night. The presentation was on point and it was delicious and well plated.
For my main entree, I chose crispy pork belly sautéed in spicy basil sauce served with Jasmine rice. It was flavorful and the spiciness was just perfect for my palate.
This place is really a good place for date nights and weekend dinner fun.
I think in New York, you get a little spoiled on what you expect from a Thai restaurant, but most specifically, we all take for granted the lunch special. Amirite? Every Thai spot I've been to (and my fat face has seen a plenty) offers a lunch special, and typically everyday.
There are no lunch specials at Esanation. Prices are a little higher than normal, with proteins, of course, driving the range in fare. I tried the crab and pork street noodle dish, which came with a side of salty soup broth. The crab was fairly plentiful (but flavorless), but the five pieces of pork were sad, shriveled, and dried beyond belief. Like whatever you believe to be dry, it's beyond that. For $14, skip this place altogether and go to Pure Thai Cookhouse (just on the next block over) and get their ratchaburi noodles.
My friend's pad thai was a sad little plate of oversauced limp noodles and sparse vegetables. Service was spotty. We should've taken the hint on the empty restaurant, and skipped it too.