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Short review: Stick with the Larb. Mieng Pla Pow is fine also. I went to this restaurant with a bit of hesitation as I didn't have the best experience at their original location. I honestly think it's a bit better here partially because there aren't better northern Thai/Isan style food around here but it's not that good either. Anyway, I went here with a group a while back and the space here is nice and much larger than their other location. Service was friendly. It has a nice seafood motif on the walls. I don't remember the drink I had outside of I think it having Thai rum, cucumber, and a few other things and it was refreshing. The best dish here as per the other spot is the Larb Ped U-don for $24.95. Listed as, "a specialty of chef Aniwat's hometown. Duck breast with charred galangal, fried liver, and fried duck skin. An Isan classic of minced meat seasoned with roasted rice, fried kaffir lime leaves, roasted chili, mint, fish sauce, fried garlic, and lime juice. Served with house greens," this is a flavor bomb with plenty of heat, sourness, and fishiness which I associate heavily with food from that region. There was I think a bit less of the duck skin so there was a bit less crunch here but it was probably just that portion or something that I got. Another larb we got but fish based was the Larb Pla Duk Yang for $22. Listed as, "a house specialty roasted charcoal grilled cat fish. An Isan classic of minced meat seasoned with roasted rice, fried kaffir lime leaves, roasted chili, mint, fish sauce, fried garlic, and lime juice. Served with house greens," this was also good though I would say less texturally complex compared to the duck version. I preferred the latter for this reasoning but this is solid also. The Som Tum Thai for $17.95 listed as, "Classic Thai-style with roasted peanuts, snake beans, tomato, and dried shrimp. A sour spicy specialty of shredded green papaya lime juice and bird's eye chilies hand pound in our clay krok," this was fine. It was a bit less fishy then some of the other Isan spots I've been to but the flavors were still there with plenty of heat. I'd recommend the larb in general much more. Small and alright was the Catfish Hor Mok for $19.95 listed as a steam curry custard in banana leaf. The catfish had a very lightly flavored curry outside of some nice earthiness and the portion size was tiny for the price. Wouldn't really recommend much and there's plenty of better hor mok/amok both better priced and better flavored. Slightly bigger and just fine was the Khoa Pad Poo or Crab Fried Rice for $28. Not enough crab for my liking and slightly oily. Just not worth it and not a particularly good fried rice either. The last was the Mieng Pla Pow for $42. Listed as, "Chef Aniwat's salt-encrusted signature. Marinated in cumin garlic and white pepper, stuffed with pandan and lemongrass then charcoal roasted served with kanom jeen noodle, tamarind peanut sauce, and nam jim," this was good. The fish was very tender and came off the large bone nicely though you can't have the skin of course as it's salt encrusted. The sauce added some sweetness and a bit of heat. Pretty solid dish and a lot better than the stuffed catfish we had at their other location. If the rest of the food here was as good as the larb, I would recommend this spot. However, the rest was overpriced and not that tasty outside of the Mieng Pla Pow to an extent. OK as per the other one. Low 3
A venue sporting a giant blue lobster hanging from the ceiling might not immediately appeal to most vegetarians. Indeed, this is one of the few Thai establishments I've been to where they refuse to make most of the noodle offerings with tofu or without meat/fish, which was somewhat disappointing. That being said, we loved the vegan kra pao, which appeared to be made with seitan or some similar soy product. Vegan versions of the dish, which is prepared with a heavy dose of tulsi, are quickly appearing on more dishes and becoming my go to order at Thai restaurants in the city. It had an excellent crunchy texture, and the red chilis gave the dish just the right amount of heat.
I was excited to finally try Zaab Zaab after hearing about their well rated Elmhurst location. Fortunately, their success allowed them to open a Brooklyn outpost, saving me a trip to Queens. Getting a table for two on a Saturday night was easy as a walk-in. Right off the bat, our server's aggressive upselling was annoying. I know restaurants need to make money, but constantly pushing extra dishes and drinks when I'm confident in my order is a turn off. A good server should ensure I don't over-order, not pressure me into it. Being seated next to the door, we were blasted with cold air in every time it opened which also dampened the experience. On to the food - it really delivered on the promise of intense spice. I loved that they offer catfish as a larb protein option. The larb packed a good amount of heat and I even popped extra peppers into my mouth for even more of a kick. The charcoal chicken, however, was disappointing - dry and difficult to cut. The pad thai was better in flavor, but like all the dishes, the portion felt small for the price point. Our modest three savory plates, plus a wine and beer, still ran us $140. Zaab Zaab's food brings the heat and I'd totally go back for more of that catfish larb!
Unfortunately, not the biggest fan. The appetizer (nam khoa tod) had sausages and rice croquettes. Sausages were wildly salty. I did enjoy the rice croquettes, but the rest of the dish was just underwhelming in my opinion. And the price was a bit much for what it is. Stripe bass dish was ok. It had a nice light crunchy exterior, but I just felt like it did not have much flavor. Pad see ewe broad noodles were a bit hard/dry than ones I've had before, so I did not like it that much, but the flavor was fine. Chicken lemongrass dish was a bit too dry for my liking. I think my favorite was the pad thai. Solid dish with good flavor throughout. Overall, I thought this place was overpriced for dishes you can get at many regular Thai places and it did not exactly fit my taste palette either.
Have you ever tried a Khao Jee burger?! Me either till now and when I tell you it was sooooo freaking good. Very flavorful. The rice bun wasn't dry at all, the meat was made like. Smash burger. I'm honestly not even sure what all was on it, but I know it was good. The wasn't much service to be had since it was a food hall, but the guys behind the counter were nice. The food hall had a lot of different food options. Most of the stuff seemed fresh from the garden or butcher.
Great and unique food! The hot pot was crazyyy. Lots of lime taste to it but it was great I've never had something like that. The green curry was phenomenal as well. Great spice to it and not too sweet as some other green curry is. Also, thai tea's we're suuuper good. The drunken noodles were my least favorite - i thought not enough flavor in them, but still okay. Overall, with solid service & really unique tastes from the green curry & hot pot, id come back here. The inside is super cool too, with a lot of colors, fun hanging decorations, great service who helped us order and decent amount of room. Come try it!
The food took a pretty long time to arrive and every dish came with fifteen minutes at least in between. The crab curry was great and I liked that it came with rice noodles and a bunch of toppings! The som tum Thai is solid, but the Tom yum noodle soup was really sour in an odd way (and didn't really taste like Tom yum).
I've heard this is one of the most authentic Thai spots in New York. Overall I enjoyed the flavors, but it was way too pricey for what it was ($110 for 3 dishes + tip). The tables are cramped, but the ambiance is great for a date night. There was a performer playing acoustic covers -- he was really good! Service is also very attentive here. The larb ped udon medium spicy was VERY SPICY. I was dying and immediately had to order a thai iced tea. It was good until my tongue couldn't bear it anymore. The soft shell crab curry noodles didn't have enough flavor to my liking, but definitely reminded me of a home-cooked meal my parents would make. The hor mok with pork belly had really home-y flavor as well. It's pretty similar to a Chinese steamed pickled veggies dish. However, I would have liked the pork belly to be more fall-apart tender. It's also monotonous throughout so I got a little tired of the flavor towards the end.
There was so much buzz around Zaab Zaab last year that I was quite surprised that I could walk in with a party of 6 on a Saturday night without a reservation or even a wait. Either way I'm not complaining, as we were seated immediately and brought menus that I sadly forgot to take a picture of. The restaurant was so pretty and colorful inside, with hanging crustacean sculptures and seafoody murals. We ordered so much food that we barely had any room on our table. Dishes came out at a rapid pace so for a while it felt like we were playing Tetris with the table's available surface area. We started with two orders of their pork skewers ($15 each) which were juicy and delectable and came with 3 skewers per plate and their Som Tom Talay ($36) which was a hand-pounded Isaan-style papaya salad recommended by our server. It had a special fermented fish sauce called pla ra and a medley of all the seafood including shrimp, black crab, and oysters-- truly a textural overload. The crab did smell a little funky and the shrimp was raw which I did not expect (but cooked due to all the lime juice in the salad, much like ceviche). For the entrées, we ordered the two big classics that came highly recommended by the staff and Yelpers: the Mieng Pla Plow ($36) which was a salt-encrusted tilapia that was stuffed with pandan and lemongrass and roasted with charcoal and the Larb Ped Udon ($25) which was a duck laab that featured duck breast, crunchy fried duck skin, and chewy fried liver tossed in a sweet and smoky medley of charred galangal, toasted rice powder, and fried kaffir lime leaves. We also had the chicken Pad See Ewe ($25) which was quite sweet and tart, heavy with the tamarind and not at all spicy, and the beef Kra Pow ($23) that came with a fried egg on the side and a healthy heap of Thai chili peppers. Some of the highlights from this delicious feast included the tilapia that was so soft and tender. I loved spooning some of the flesh into a lettuce wrap filled with rice noodles and various herbs like Thai basil and cilantro and dipping it all into their spicy nam jin jaew dipping sauce. The sauce was so delicious and everyone was trying to figure out what was in it because it was the perfect balance of sweet and sour and spicy. The krapow was also fantastic and so so spicy. It was delicious with both regular jasmine and sticky rice. The ribeye steak is chopped, not ground which I thought was an interesting choice. Overall, it was a fantastic dinner at Zaab Zaab which is aptly named. I loved the introduction to Isaan flavors, some of which I didn't realize I was already well acquainted with. My only complaint is that I wish the accompanying greens/herbs plates were larger as we had to flag our waiter down a few times to ask for a refill. We also had a few extra orders of their sticky rice ($3 each) and some Thai Iced Tea ($6 each).
definitely agree that this place deserves more business as it was empty when i visited. i havent tried the elmhurst location despite that being much closer to me but this place tasted as authentic as i can imagine. the duck larb was amazing as was their som tum. only other comment is everything is spicy af so be prepared.
Stopped here for lunch. Pretty cool vibe inside. Colorful walls and design. Service was friendly and food came out really fast. The food was really tasty got the crab curry and the catfish larb. The catfish larb was leaves and other greens you can eat it with. You only get one soft shell crab. Not really spicy, has a mild kick. Thai tea is typical. It is a bit on the pricey side for the portion size. That's pretty much my only complaint. I would eat here again.
I finally got back to New York today. Travel was a disaster. LAX red-eye, packed flight, restless sleep, Newark airport, Northeast Corridor line, Penn station, rolling a carry-on through midtown: if these words mean anything to you, you know my pain. I didn't know it at the time, but I was on a pilgrimage. I was being challenged. At the end of that road, there sits a restaurant. It's called Zaab Zaab. Duck larb, som tum hmm?, vegan curry, "shit that's spicy": if these words mean anything to you, you know my pleasure. Airplane gives me wings To a melting pot city For the larb of god
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This place has some of the best Thai food that I've ever had that's different from the classic pad Thais and drunken noodles. The duck larb was so delicious. It's on the spicy side so if you can't handle spice I wouldn't recommend but it was so juicy and flavorful and so delicious. The fish though. I loved this and wish I had a bigger stomach. It's such a fun experience building your own wraps with all these fresh veggies. The service was so friendly and kind. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
I don't leave reviews unless a place really stands out in my memory and Zaab Zaab is such a place. Their specialty is Larb, one of my favorite dishes, and this is the best one I've ever had (I had the vegan one, made with tofu skin). That dish is what dreams are made of. SUCH a complex flavor with many layers, it was crispy and zesty and spicy and bright. We also had the chilled shrimp appetizer which may be the spiciest thing I've ever eaten. I have a high spicy tolerance and this was right at my limit, but it was so good I kept eating. Service was prompt and thoughtful, and it has a really cute interior. read more
3 years ago
Worst Thai food I ever had, I love Thai food and was strolling around Williamsburg with some friends, when we arrived even though the place was empty they asked us if we had a reservation, after some time looking at his "reservation" iPad he assigned us a table, the ac wasn't too high because it felt warm, after ordering the food arrived, the chicken tasted like it had died last month and tasteless, actually tasted gross, the other dishes were not estable because they went crazy on the hot peppers and wasn't possible to eat it. Even though the place was empty they kept coming until finally we asked for the check, terrible experience would never go back there again and won't recommended to anyone unless they like old tasting hen. read more
3 years ago
Delicious food! Seasoned so well. Authentic Thai flavors. Will definitely be back to try other dishes as well. read more
3 years ago
Good and authenticate Thai food, serve so many special dishes, love all of them. Service was really good too, we were surprised to see live music. read more
3 years ago
The food is amazing but the logic of service is so stupid when they messed up an order. Everything was fine but ordering the Som Tum. I told waiter to upgrade to with oysters but as in picture there wasn't any. So spoke about it after paid. He questioned our protest and showing him our pictures. It gets stupid when we ask for the credit return for price difference. He call owner who only offered $5 when difference is $11. Then to change subject he says it a price difference when there is only one size. But waiter was unreasonable even though he was already tipped 20%. WTF. except for good food the service is a dumpster fire. Good but goes crappy fast. read more
Spice levels are no joke here, be prepared to order a side of their Thai iced tea to cool off! I got a medium level spicy for the soup and was practically sweating the whole time. If you're looking for a more authentic take on Thai food, I would definitely recommend trying out this place. All dishes were super flavorful, spicy, and perfect sized to share with a group. read more
3 years ago
This is the best Thai food I've ever eaten! The food, service, and decor are all wonderful! We ordered the Som Tum Thai, Kapow, and Prawn Pad Thai. The highlight for me was the really fresh tasting, thin rice noodles and the perfect flavors of the Pad Thai. Dreaming about it still. I've never had Pad Thai that good. Everything was spicy the way we asked for it and the waiter asked if we were okay because we were struggling a bit hahaha! We lived! It was worth it! We got the steak kapow and it was a tiny bit salty but it tasted really good with the coconut sticky rice we also ordered. The Som Tum Thai papaya salad was so refreshing, crunchy, and well balanced. I would order everything again. read more
4 years ago
Everyone loved the dishes. overall great flavors, beautiful herbs and a nice kick. Excellent service. Fun, modern decor and a giant shrimp sculpture hanging from the ceiling. Recommend: - Fries with thai flavored condiment (most unique we've ever had. Crunchy texture, great flavor) - Som Tum (mild was still spicy) - crab fried rice (very popular) - pad thai (The weakest dish of the night) - beautiful branzino (tender, well presented, notes of lemongrass plus some spice) - duck Larb which came with herbs and lettuce leaves to wrap meat in - lychee beer read more
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4 years ago
It's so good. I'm so happy there's an authentic thai spot in wburg. I've gotten their famous duck larb (which is best thing i've had so far) the kapow which is delicious, crab curry which is solid, pad thai and papaya salad. All of it's been great. Very friendly and pleasant staff and environment. read more
3 years ago
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3 years ago
Food taste great. The pad Thai is more on the sour side and the fries are crispy with tasty sauce which was mild spicy. Kid loves it and he usually does not eat spicy or sour food. Server is nice and checks us regularly. Food comes out fast. Will come back to try other dishes! read more
3 years ago
Fresh and pungent flavors. Love the vibes too. It's fun to dine in a vibrant Thai restaurant with flavors that is not catered to blend European taste buds read more
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