Kao

I needed a place to kill time and chose this place because it looked local, cute and had a rangoon special on the board.
I always apologize for being a bit critical due to my involvement in the restaurant industry, but this place was just ok. The rangoon were so small it was mostly just dough and I got a vegetable soup, which had maybe 5 veggies in it and was mostly just hot water. I was sorely disappointed but the décor was nice, clean and fresh. I think they had just opened recently and someone was photographing inside I hope they get going and improve on the food quality!

So bland I wasn’t sure if I had accidentally ate my napkin.

Great little casual Thai place. Super clean and nice inside and the prices are really reasonable. I moved to New York from Vancouver, Canada about a year ago, and one of the (few) things I miss are the endless choices of really great noodle shops. I love Vancouver’s super casual shops that you can just pop in, get a hot bowl of Phở or Thai noodle soup for a good price, and roll. No messy take out, no wasted packaging; nothing fancy, just good, spicy food, fast. Kao is exactly what I’ve been missing!
For 7 bucks I had a huge bowl of Tom Yum noodles and soup (in a reusable, CERAMIC bowl, not some crappy foam bowl that is going in a landfill!) loaded with leeks, well cooked chicken bits, super good spices, and really tasty broth.
I’m a huge fan of Tom Kha (the coconutty one) and was a bit disappointed to learn they don’t serve that, but the place has only been open for a couple weeks, so hopefully they’ll add it to the menu.
A casual, clean, friendly restaurant serving tasty & cheap food? Sign me up. I’ll be back!