The key of a delicious authentic Thai dish is a lot of herbs and Ugly Baby serves just that! Everything on the menu is special and delectable, you cannot go wrong. However, I have to call out "the beef stew soup", I felt like I were in BKK after eating it up. Last but not least, the service was warm, attentive and just perfect.
1. Exceptionally good, authentic Thai food.
2. Interesting dishes not commonly found in NY area Thai restaurants.
enough said
Amazing spice profiles. Easy to see why they won #3 best new by bon appetite.
Fun space, really authentic flavors. The Spicy duck salad was spot on. And SPICY. #hungrysingaporegirl
Reminds us so much of Thailand! What a happy place!
Truly special food -- feels like I was plopped down in the middle of Bangkok and given the royal treatment. Original and authentic all at once. Feels like a find.
Seriously delicious Thai food, in a really fun environment. Aroi Mak!
Is this place packed in tight? Yes. Are the service workers busy running around constantly? Yes. Is the food worth the wait? YES!
To the other reviewers who claimed the wait staff were rude...I'm pointing the finger at you. The wait staff were so nice, and ran us through the menu and what was going to be extremely spicy vs not spicy etc. The food was incredible. We tried three dishes: not spicy, spicy, and extra spicy. Granted there were a few dishes that were spicier but I'm glad we didn't get those as an option because the chicken was just right. Anything more and I'd be dying. Although I did try two chili peppers and that was fun..
You should note that there is a time limit. They move you in and out. There is quite a large list of beers and wines (I was quite surprised) to choose from.
10/10 would go back!!
Excellent Thai food that is quite spicy for people who can't take spice like myself. The Hung Le (5/5) was super flavorful: tangy, floral, hearty, and bright. It has the perfect balance of flavor.
The coconut sticky rice (5/5) was also delicious - gooey and sticky with strong coconut and floral flavors from the rice.
While the person said it wasn't spicy it definitely was for me. If you can't take spice that well like me be careful, but the flavor makes it all worth it.
Ugly Baby is one of the most authentic Thai restaurants in NYC. Don't expect to get Pad Thai here. While I am not sure which region of Thailand their food is from, everything is exceptionally spicy. Highly recommend it, especially if you're a spice lover. If you can't handle spice, definitely proceed with caution.
Wow. I mean wow. Let me start by saying that I literally cried tears of spicy joy. Mid-meal I stopped eating, tears of pain and pleasure rolling down my face, and I looked around the table. No one could talk, but everyone just had the stupid stoned grin on their face. Ugly Baby pulls no punches. It doesn’t cater to the notoriously bland white palette. And I’ve never been happier to get punched.
Logistically - I’d recommend going with a big group (4-8) and split as many things as you can on the menu. Order everything spicy, and prepare for some degree of spice trauma bonding with everyone at the table. You’ll leave the restaurant closer than when you walked in. Need to spice up your marriage? Ugly Baby.
Honestly one of my favorite meals in NYC.
As other reviews mention, the spice here is not joking around. I got a “not spicy dish” and to be fair, my tolerance is low, but I was sweating my way through my beef curry!
Cleared my sinuses up 🙈 A very unique experience from the food to the atmosphere.
We did not split dishes which was a mistake—definitely do because portions are large. The curry I got was definitely good but not particularly memorable for me. Probably would give this place 5 stars if I came back and split stuff, because I imagine other stuff on the menu would be more of a hit!
Definitely recommend ❤️💖🧡
honestly, this is more of a vibe than a restaurant. The owners are aiming for something very unique to themselves and call all the shots, and the food is pretty authentic to themselves, but I wouldn't say you really have to have the off- the- beaten path Thai food. I had the braised beef curry and the tiger shrimp, and I really like the nutty sauce of the beef dish. however, if you get the shrimp dish, be prepared, cuz you ain't going to drink that soup lol
I was told by someone that this Thai restaurant is the best in Brooklyn. I was quite skeptical just because I am Thai and not easy to be pleased with the food in Thai restaurants in NYC in general. But I thought I should give it a try. I was surprised when saw the menu. The dishes are not the typical ones you usually see in Thai restaurants here. It is a small menu but has interesting dishes; some from the north and some from the south of Thailand. I ordered a northern pork curry called Hung Le. It was absolutely delicious and the picked garlic gave it an interesting flavor and texture. So I will go back and try other dishes for sure. Aroi Mak Mak ka!
top tier thai restaurant not afraid to put in the spice. dishes felt authentic and comforting with complex flavor profiles. walk-in only but only waited 20mins on sat 530pm. overall, highly recommend and would bring others here! really spicy though!!
ma hor: tasty and unique appetizer. loved the juiciness of the citrus with the creamy peanut rolls. would recommend.
hung le: top tier dish. protein was incredibly tender and the curry had great flavor.
gai toon prik: large portions and loved the sharp flavor on the chicken. extremely spicy though!
som: loved the tom yum soup base but the tiger shrimp and veggies were too tough. would get again with different protein. spicy.
durian dessert: don’t remember the actual name but reminds me of ginataang with durian. the warm dessert was delicious and helped digest
Always hits the spot when I visit. The spice level leaves us sweating, but doesn’t overwhelm. The dishes still sing with the rich flavors of the other ingredients. I recommend the prawn and omelette curry, and the non-spicy tumeric fried fish is a helpful relief when your taste buds are recovering from the other spices.
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Called to get a walk in and they were able to squeeze me and a friend for 915. Worth the wait. Beautiful eclectic setting, love the colors, the tightness, the plates.
But the food, oh my. Make sure you load up on tums for prophylaxis. Thankfully the staff recommended different levels of spice for our dishes. The fish (no spice) was so crispy, mild in a very good way. This was my favorite dish and would totally get again.
Next level up was the tiger shrimp with curry and egg. Egg was absorbed so well the curry and was a good step up in spice.
But whoa boy the beef and tripe salad, that first bite was exquisite but painful. It's good that you can't eat too much, but you want to. Cucumbers for cooling is a must. I had to go back and finish the fish while I could still taste haha. But when I finally went back for round 2, the spice was more manageable - must have burned off some taste buds.
I will definitely be back, so many dishes to try, great staff, chill environment, great selection of drinks. And definitely need to build up that spice tolerance 🤣
Food was excellent. Spice levels is not for the faint of heart but they are great about recommending dishes at varying levels. Our group’s favorite dish was the beef shank. The menu apparently rotates seasonally so try everything while you can.
Only slightly negative thing about the experience was the service - we arrived six minutes after our reservation and was informed our table was no longer available because we were “ten minutes late,” so they seated us at the counter instead.
My taste buds… they burn!!!
Super spicy, super authentic Thai food.
I’m still feeling the heat. But in pain there is also pleasure.
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The food here is out of this world although as most reviews have noted - it's not for the faint of heart. The spice here will hit you like a ton of bricks! It's a small place and while others remarked that the noise was too loud, perhaps they got the memo because we went last Saturday and it was fine. The service was friendly and helpful. They do take the time to prepare everything fresh and to perfection.
Menu Highlights:
- Panang curry - this was exceptional and our favorite dish of the night. The pork was very tender and adequately portioned. We ordered more rice just to make sure we fully soped up the sauces.
- Kao Tod Nam Klook. Super delicious and fresh with a hint of basil and cilantro. Described as medium spice but we found it EXTREMELY spicy. We took it home so we could enjoy it with yogurt
- Kang Hoh -Sticky thin glass vermicelli style noodles. Much more earthy and Indian tasting. Also very delicious and the meat was very very tender
- Dessert - durian sticky rice in coconut milk. Not advertised on the menu but asked and this was their only dessert offering. Quite sweet and pulpy but nice to cool off your tummy
Only minor drawback is there are no cocktails. But they do have a very robust beer and wine offering to make up for that. Overall truly enjoyable. We'll be back!
The food is very authentic, spicy, and delicious. Across dishes, they really know how to cook meat perfectly. My favorite was that panaang curry, savory, perfect level of spice, and the beef was so good. We got the tom yum with pig tails, which was sour, spicy and the meat was so fall-off-the-bone tender. The five-spice pork belly had amazingly well-rendered fat. The sirloin and triple salad was the spiciest dish we got but the fresh vegetables were great to tame the heat. The place is pretty small and the atmosphere is kind of loud and chaotic. They also ran out of four dishes from the winter menu when we got there at 7:45. The service is excellent.
It was really good, the turmeric sea bream was amazing, a whole fish deep fried with crispy skin and soft steamy interior. Happy I've had my fair share of whole fish dishes to know what to do & get the bones out. We also had a beef dish that I forget the name of. Gigantic beer & wine list. We went on the later side Friday, sat around 9pm and they were out of about half the menu, which was a bummer but partially our fault for not planning better. Will definitely go back on the earlier side and try more dishes.
Delicious, but way too spicy(for me)🌶️🥵
- Food 🥣
They provide free jasmine rice, which really helps to neutralize the spiciness.
Ignoring the spicy, the meat is very tender and easy to chew. Vegetables are fresh, the ones in Kang Hok are bamboo, the ones in Kiew Warn Gai are eggplants.
- Drinks🥤
They have two pages of drink menu, and 3 kinds of soft drinks: coke cola, diet coke, and Thai ice tea ($7).
- Portions size
We are a group of 4, and we ordered 5 main dishes and finished two plates of rice. I would order less next time I visit.
In general, the food was great, but I was numbed the whole time: too spicy for me! My friends all loved this place very much. Unfortunately some dishes were sold out last night. Would come back to try some other dishes.
This is the best restaurant in the neighborhood in my opinion. If I have an out of town guest, this is where I take them. Everything is amazing. They aren’t kidding about the spice it is not ⚪️ spicy it is actual spicy which is great and painful.
Outstanding Thai food - possibly the best I’ve had outside Thailand. Yes, it’s all fairly spicy but I enjoy that - also perfect for a cool fall evening. We had the Penang curry, red snapper tamarind soup, and rice noodles. The curry was my favorite but all the flavors were awesome. The also have a really great list of beers. My one complaint was that the place was quite cramped and we were seated on really tiny stools - I’m 6’4” and had to hunch over the entire meal. I’m fine with that at a Bangkok street stall - but not in NYC paying these prices.
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