Tiny Thai Cafe

Finally got to eat here after Steve said he’s been there twice before; but, almost missed finding it and had to call because the CHANGED THEIR NAME to «IDEAL TAI.»
Delicious. Courteous friendly service. The Friday before X-​mas: quiet; no wait. Euro tech music not annoying. Get the mixed (veggie) appetizer $ 9.95): the endgame are amazing and the chive cakes, slim spring rolls (unlike bulky ones made by Chinese restaurants which pile in too much) and toasted tofu w/​dipping sauces are delicate with a surprise hot pepper that surprises the back of your throat. Get a Chang Tai beer to compliment your dinner. Pick an item (meat or chicken or veggie) and then choose your sauce (like green curry w/​coconut milk or peanut curry). Steve says interior is still the same — except for walls now painted with a different palate.

The paithai there is good, the beef one. But the spicy rice noodle is even better!!!

Came here for lunch. Pretty good food and the service is good as well. The tough thing is that this area is so flooded with decent Thai restaurants that it’s hard to stand out. That said, this is a solid choice. It does live up to its name though.

So blah, it’s not even worth writing about.

Everyone in my office decided to try a new thai place for delivery today because it was so cold. Menu pages suggested Tai Thai (or Tiny Thai) and with a cheap lunch special with choice of appetizer we gave it a whirl.
It was a ⁵⁄₅ person confirmed winner. I had chicken pad thai medium spicy — and it was one of the best pad thais I’ve had in NY, and maybe ever. The tom yum soup had lots of veggies which I appreciated and hadn’t seen before: brocolli, carrots — quite good. Another co-​worker ordered veggie dumplings and veggie fried rice which were reported to be «unbelievable.»
The best part was the service — we had a couple dietary concerns with shell fish alergies and peanuts. After placing our order Tiny Thai called back to say that the pad thai could not be made without fish sauce and asked if we wanted something else — how nice! Great to order from places that really will take the extra time to make sure customers are satisfied. They also quoted 30 minutes for delivery and even with the last minute dish change 15 minutes into the food prep time they still brought the food exactly when they stated they would — excellent.
The only reason they aren’t getting a ⁵⁄₅ stars yet is because they did bring us a shrimp with basil sauce when we ordered chicken with basil sauce — all things considered it was top notch and we will definitely order for there again. $ 7.95 lunch special — SOLD!

I love Tiny Thai! The food is so fresh and delicious. I walk out of there feeling healthy and satisfied every time. The edamame is so good as an app. I usually get the garlic sauce with chicken and veggies. Its amazing! I havent had the pad thai but my fiancé always gets it and says its delicious. Every person I have taken there loved it. Definitely a must try in Hells Kitchen!

The best Thai in Hell’s Kitchen but I think the bastards use frozen vegetables. The red curry is delicious and so are the spicy noodles. Why can’t I find the perfect Thai place in HK?!

I thought this place was lovely. I walked in there after Hells Kitchen up the street (which I gave a positive review to earlier, but now might have to edit) refused to seat us even though it was 30 minutes before their kitchen closed. Anyway, «Tiny» had a nice vibe, were open till midnight. I had the yellow curry, which I edited with a selection of veggies and vegetarian duck. It was so, so yummy. I’ve never had yellow curry before and this was a very tasty introduciton. I paired it with their sauvignon blanc, which was very nice — and it was only $ 6. The service was very nice. Oh, we also had the house salad with peanut dressing and it was really tasty.

I found this via Unilocal and it was a great find! My Pad Kee Mao was delightful (nice presentation too), and the red snapper is amazing– the sauce is both sweet & spicy and the way it is served is an art. The appetizer edemamme for two is a huge portion– be hungry! Try Tiny Thai! (Expect to sit close to other guests– some tables are really close).
Not the fastest service you’ll ever find, nor the most attentive, but it didn’t spoil our good time.

Above all else, I surmise the best thing going about Tiny is its décor and and atmosphere, rivaling only Breeze for local thai.
The dishes I have tried have been consistently solid. The Tofu Basil and Peanut Curries have been my favorites. One time I tried their ultimate Combination Greens vegetarian dish, which is $ 11, and unfortunately it did seem like an expensive misstep.
The presentation simply for take out orders impresses me too — you receive sealed chopsticks (although the thai don’t traditionally use chopsticks…) and a ziplock bag for your napkin and plastic cutlery (which I never use since plastic cutlery is for peasants…) BUT STILL! It’s a nice touch and the wait staff is sooo sweet and friendly whenever you pick up your orders. :)

Okay, I was really surprised to see some of the reviews here — I thought this place was downright FABULOUS.
In my own not-​so-​humble opinion, authenticity of FOOD is a very relative, personal measurement. Unless you yourself are of Thai descent, grew up eating Thai food in Thailand and/​or had parents who cooked you Thai food, then your quest for finding food of a certain genre should be more about discovering something that is good to eat — regardless of this so-​called, elusive «authenticity.»
Yes, the décor is «Westernized,» whatever that means. It is modern, slick, and tastefully done. But just because an Asian food restaurant isn’t sketchy, doesn’t mean the food isn’t amazing. My family is crazy about Thai food. I love it. Literally grew up eating it. Was practically weaned on it. And I have to say this little place, this Tiny Thai, is REALLY good.
One of the people from my office took me here for lunch, and I had the Spicy Noodles with the Vegetarian duck. I know that the word «spicy» was in the title, and that it had that cute little pepper next to the name, but I didn’t really expect it to have any kick — especially because I didn’t get the typical «how spicy do you want it on a 1 – 5 and/​or 1 – 10 scale» from the waitress. However, it really did have some unexpected oomph. Not the kind that burns your mouth upon initial contact, but the kind where you’re halfway through the meal and you realize there is some HEAT radiating from your tongue.
I never, ever take leftovers with me – don’t ask me why, I have no good reason. But you better believe that I boxed my food up. Ate it for lunch the following day. And then, when asked to pick a restaurant for dinner with a friend, went BACK to Tiny Thai that night. And had the same thing. And was just as, if not MORE impressed than the first two times I had it.
While I was there for dinner, I had a glass of very nice and decently priced Chilean Merlot. Also tried the «custard» for dessert, which was unexpectedly good — sort of an Asian version of bread or rice pudding.
Did I mention I’m going to be back here? Cuz I will be. Probably a lot.

Another Thai joint with overpriced, westernized food. I’d give it 2 stars or less IF it weren’t for the disclaimer on the door — «a Different Thai.» Indeed, it’s different in the sense that you probably wouldn’t find the real Thai folks dining here.
*FOOD*
The dishes are colorful and visually appealing, and they come with decent quality meat, seafood and veggies. Not so colorful in taste, however. When ordering, ask to make the dish extra spicy (if that’s what you want)…or else you’ll end up with plain and mild food. That way, the grilled chicken salad came out very tasty! Chicken satay was mediocre. Tom yum soup w/​noodle was lacking in flavors/​spices, so I dumped a bunch of condiments for some kick. I was happy with the amount of veggies, though.
They don’t have a «krueng prung» (a set of condiments) readily available, so you’ll have to wait a while for them to prepare you one.
One star goes to the «for two» order option. You can get an appetizer, salad or soup «for two» for slightly cheaper price than ordering two sets of the same dish.
*SETTING*
Very trendy. You’ll need night vision goggles when using the restroom.
Again…you’re going in for a «Different Thai» experience.

I went to Tiny Thai before I went to go see a movie with one of my girlfirends. We were scouring the neighborhood and found this place. Actually, my girlfirend just wanted to eat their because of the name, she likes anything ‘tiny’.
We stepped in and got seated right away. It kind of reminded me of SEA. It really wasnt that tiny, like the name said. I definitely liked the décor, and they had cool music playing.
One thing that got me was that the waitress was a little pushy about us ordering drinks. It was really hot and humid that night, so we just wanted to down some nice ice cold water. We must have said no to drinks about 3 or 4 times. I’m not sure if the same waitress asked us or not.
We ordered appetizers, which were very good and reasonably priced. My girlfriend had the spicy calamari, which was pretty good, considering I don’t trust seafood at non-​seafood restaraunts. It was served with a spicy thai sauce, which was great!
My entrée was not only good, but pretty as well. The presentation of the food was aesthetically pleasing, I liked that of course! I heard alot that we eat with our eyes before we eat with our stomachs.
We were late to see our movie, so we asked to have the food packaged to go, which they were very nice and quick about.
If you are in the area, i would definitely say stop by and have some food!

I must have eaten at a different place than all the other reviewers that have posted, cause i am about to be mean. The first thoughts through my head enering this place was there had to have been a special on concreate. The entire restaurant is concreate, the floor, walls, bread. I mean you feel like you’ve been transported to a bunker in Beirut and at anytime there will be a sounding of an alarm and a ladyboy dressed as Beyonce running from the kitchen. The staff at are pretty average in friendliness… though tey only came to the table to take the order, refill water, drop the food on the table along with the check. The Thai food here is pretty bland and has no flavors, it is mostly you dabbing your rice in the sauce and a scoop of chicken in hopes of a taste. This avenue is notorious for offering asian cuisine, so i suggest you try one of the othe 6 bad options… go to Land on UWS !

We came by after some happy hour down the street as it was close. The look is modern yes, but no style points for thinking of all the design elements: when they constructed the restaurant, they forgot to do anything unique to the floor… it’s just a bland concrete «warehouse» floor.
The food was bland, not spicy at all. We had the spring rolls (bland, and not much to it), traditional chicken pad thai (nothing special here), Mummy fish (whole fish was the best dish of the night), BBQ Beef Salad (terrible «left over» tasting beef here), and the ginger wok dish which was eh…
For dinner I believe the price isn’t worth it, (Spice is comparable, but better in price and flavor), but for lunch It’s a go.
For a local spot, I recommend Pongsri. Enjoy!

In the crowded Thai food area of Hell’s Kitchen, Tiny Thai actively position themselves as «A Different Thai on 9». The difference seems to be that this place is slicker.
The place is cute and trendy — very much like Sea Thai. It’s not that tiny — probably has about 15 – 20 tables? As opposed to a Yum Yum or Pam Real, this can definitely be considered a date place or a dinner and drinks spot. Service is attentive — I had my water filled 4 times. Aesthetic considerations are also taken into account for the dishes — a flower in one dish, unnecessary shredded radish and carrots atop another — even the bowls/​plates are quite stylish.
The menu has a nice number of apps that are priced b/​w $ 5-​$ 10 depending on whether you want them for 1 or 2 people. The entrees are spread across several sections — noodle (e.g. pad thai), curry, and wok (e.g., beef with basil) dishes can be matched with a meat/​seafood/​tofu for about $ 10 (more for duck), a salad section, vegetarian/​fried rice, and a full entrée section where the dishes get up closer to $ 15.
The lunch specials are very good — in the $ 7 range for many of the noodle/​curry/​fried rice dishes.
As for the food, I found it tasty but a notch below Pam Real or Yum Yum. A green papaya salad appetizer was tasty but had a few too many elements working (peanuts, lime juice, cherry tomatoes). The beef with basil was good but the beef was a bit lacking. It’s the kind of food that you can eat during a conversation, enjoy, and not feel bad about devoting limited attention to it.
So I’d recommend Tiny Thai if you’re in the area (pre-​show?) and you’re more concerned with mood than food. Otherwise, I’d recommend Pam Real (and if you want a break from Pam, try Yum Yum).

I recently moved to the area, and this place is one of my favorite places to dine. Even when I don’t have the time to walk over there, I would order for delivery. And so far I’ve taken every single visitor of mine there for a great meal.
Overall, the food is above average, but certain dishes are just spectacular. The Sunny roll and its apricot sauce are a must for the appetizer, and my personal favorite dessert is the egg custard (I forget the exact name). For entrees, I would recommend the curries, and for vegetarians, the Vegetarian Duck Salad. The restaurant menu is built to satisfy both meat-​eaters and healthy vegetarians.
Best of all, the staff there is simply amazing. The Thai staff exemplify the sunny, friendly, and extremely polite behavior that is their cultural norm. Every time I go, they make me feel like I’m at home.
So if you want to have a great meal in a relaxed but trendy atmosphere, give this place a try.
—–
Things seemed to have changed after the management change — service is no longer tight, food tastes more bland, it just seems a lot less attractive now (edited on 10÷15÷07). I’m lowering my rating.

Whoever named this place must have been new to New York. It’s small by suburban standards, but it’s downright spacious by Manhattan standards. I could swing my arms around in my seat and almost not hit anyone.
I came in quite skeptical about the food, as it’s got a stylized yuppie targeted décor (I’m still in denial about my own identity and so I pretend to be one with the townies). However, I was pleasantly surprised; not only was the presentation of the food a facilitator of discussion, but it also was quite good. The price was quite reasonable, the 4 of us ate a hearty (vegetarian) dinner for $ 50 (which, for the area, is dirt cheap). Our food came out suspiciously fast, but we didn’t mind, since we were running late to get to Spamelot.

Very disappointing. In an area where there seems to be a Thai restaurant every few storefronts, we’d been hearing good things about Tiny Thai that seemed to make them stand out from the rest of the crowd (Yum Yum, Breeze, Pongsri, Q-​thai, etc.). This word-​of-​mouth buzz got us excited about trying Tiny Thai, and we were hoping to have a new neighborhood favourite.
We got take-​out here, and ordered some standards (Pad Thai, rice noodles, Tod Mun, satay, veggie rolls).
The appetizers we got were good, but the entrees we got were bland and mediocre. The rice noodle dish had a ‘funny’ taste, and nobody wanted to eat it. The pad thai strangely tasted like… nothing. The dish had clearly been flavoured with *something* (there was some kind of sauce), but each bite was like eating air-​flavoured noodles. I’m used to ethnic places where I’ve never been before toning down the dishes until they know you want things spicy, but this was literally as if the taste had been removed from the dish. It wasn’t *bad*, it just wasn’t anything, really.
We *really* wanted to like this place, since it is so close and had such good reviews, but I can’t warrant going back again without some compelling reason. Maybe we got a bad night for the kitchen, but — with so many other choices in the immediate area — I’m not going to spend the money to find out.

It’s Thai food. It’s good, but it’s nothing memorable. There’s enough Thai restaurants in the area now, especially this area, that Thai restaurants need to somehow draw attention to itself.
I’d eat here again out of convenience more than anything else, but to Tiny Thai’s rescue, their massamun curry is pretty stellar.