Up Thai
“She had green curry, chicken and tofu – it was the right balance of coconut milk & curry, perfectly creamy.”
“Ordered the red snapper which was unforgettable with a crispy skin and savory curry sauce, the clay pot and pad thai were also delicious!”
“As a fairly new Upper East side resident, this restaurant has become my go to Thai spot.”
Up Thai
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Great lunch spot
With the "ease" of having basic thai restaurants, this place surpasses the rest … At least on the upper east side. I find that the food from many thai places in this area to be very bland. Up Thai is the exception.
The restaurant itself looks more like a snazzy lounge than a restaurant. However, the lunch prices do not reflect the jazzy demeanor because the lunch specials are under $15 dollars.
The lunch special includes a soup or salad, a small appetizer, and a main entree. My red curry was prepares perfectly; however, the lunch soup tasted like a salted hot bowl of water.
I will be back for lunch but maybe I will get a salad instead of the soup.
I'm in love. Lots of places have a tendency to make the food less authentic and catered to American tastes, sweeter or less flavorful with spices. I think this is some of the best Thai food in NYC. A friend and I had dinner here and as the night went on, the busier it got. Service was quick and friendly, while the ambiance is on point; you feel like maybe you left the city for a bit. We ordered the Thai iced tea and lychee Thai tea, sweet and yummy! Also got the lychee martini, not strong and the flavor was just eh.
We ordered the tom yum soup, papaya salad, Thai-herbed wings, Thai crab cakes, duck tamarind and gai yang (grilled chicken). Everything was delicious and the portions would've been just right, given you don't order too much food like we did. I'm glad I got to try everything though because whether it's flavors or textures, they got it down. Personal favorites, papaya salad and gai yang. Overall, a good option when that Thai food craving hits you.
Nice looking Thai place in the neighborhood.
Sat at the bar since that's my usual preference for quick eats. They have a really well stocked bar. I wasn't drinking but would definitely consider coming back to try some of the mixed drinks sometime.
The service at the bar was a bit lagging. It took a full 15 minutes until I was able to flag down one of the two bartenders. It wasn't a very large bar either…
Once the orders were in, the kitchen banged them out pretty quickly.
The spring rolls were just ok. The wrapping was too thick relative to the filling. Also a bit oily.
The red curry wasn't really that red. The shrimp in the pad Kraprow was overcooked. Crispy pork belly was heavily seasoned, but still pretty good. So I focused most of my attention on that.
Needless to say, wasn't overly impressed with the food and service…
3.5 stars.. I came here with a friend for a weekend dinner before going to a show and upon walking in, I loved the atmosphere here. The decor is rustic and beautiful – really pretty lanterns from the ceiling, I felt like I was in a forest.
However, the service was subpar. The food did come out quickly but our server kept asking us if we were ready to order multiple times while my friend and I were trying to figure out what to order. Not only that, our server also took away our food before I was done with it. Yes granted, there was a little left, but geez, shouldn't be rushing people especially there aren't people waiting on line to get a table. It was a little too much for me and felt rushed. I would have enjoyed my experience here much more if this didn't happen because the ambiance is actually quite relaxing here.
For drinks, we ordered the Yuzu Lemonade and the Thai Tea. Both we really good and served in mason jars (love!) but if you are looking for something refreshing, different and perfect the summer… definitely get the Yuzu Lemonade! Plus, you get Thai Tea at any Asian/Thai restaurant. To start, we ordered the Thai Herbed Wings appetizer and it was good.
For entrees, we got the Green Curry and Duck Pad See-Ew. I would order them again as both were pretty good but I thought the portion size on the Pad See-Ew was on the smaller side. Prices are also a bit higher than your average Thai restaurant.. but it is in the city after all and the ambiance makes up for it.
Up Thai completes me.
Good thai food all around, some items especially the seasonal ones may be a hit or miss though. Thai iced tea is solid, decor is super nice, dark with lanterns, would be a nice date place if you both like thai food.
A girls night out landed a group of friends at Up Thai. It's a favorite of a friend of mine, so I had high expectations. Unfortunately, I left disappointed. I arrived around 7pm on a weeknight. Having walked from close to Grand Central, with all my work gear in tow, I was hot and ready to sit down. Despite having many empty tables on this particular night, the server would not seat me until the entire party arrived. It's NYC, I get that. She said that I could take a seat at the bar to wait. I wasn't planning on drinking that evening, so I felt a bit awkward just taking up room at the bar. I went over and asked if they had unsweet tea, which they didn't. Again, the idea of getting a glass of water seemed a bit off, so I instead stood outside for 15 minutes. As soon as my party was seated, we were rushed to order. Dinner is an event, and although it involves food, you're also there to socialize. Our waitress was sweet, but again we felt very rushed. No sooner than we sat down and got to chatting that she wanted to take our order. Slow down, lady, we'd like to chat for a couple of minutes before studying the menu… When she came back, she seemed confused by some of my questions, like if the curry was made with coconut milk, or if it had other dairy products. The food came out quickly, and and soon as our plates were empty, the dish vultures swarmed. The food was delicious, no question there, but the overall experience was lacking.
I LOVE this place. I just can't get enough.
Great food. Efficient service. Adorable decor – perfect for a date.
Best part: Lunch special deals starting at $9! Weekdays AND weekends! Includes entree, soup or salad, and appetizer of your choice! SO GOOD.
Drinks are a bit overpriced but I come here for the food. Booze somewhere else if you must.
I've always gotten takeout from Up Thai and have been very satisfied with their food- their lunch specials are fantastic, $9 for an entrée with an appetizer and choice of soup or salad.
I had the pleasure of taking my mama there for dinner- she was visiting and wanted Thai, and I knew this was the place!
Reservations can be made by phone, and are very helpful- I made my reservation for 6:45pm, and the restaurant was full by 7pm.
We started off with an order of the summer rolls- very refreshing and fragrant, but our one gripe was that while they were kind and cut the rolls in half, they didn't cut through them completely and all the rice papers were stuck together! Some of the rolls came undone and that was a little sad 🙁
Mama got the pad thai (you can't go wrong!) and I got the Moo Dang (rice topped up with crispy pork belly, roast pork, some sausage, hard boiled egg and drizzled with sauce). The Moo Dang was good and filling, but it really relies on the sauce for flavor- will probably opt for something next time. May not have been the right dish for me, but I'm excited to try everything else!
Really great service and a delight for the eyes as well- the restaurant is decorated beautifully.