Yum Yum Offers A Trinity Of Happy Hours

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every week our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

In addition to possessing a bounty of great bars with free snacks, 9th avenue is also home to the endlessly expanding Thai empire known as Yum Yum. What was once a single eatery has expanded to become Yum Yum 1, 2 and 3 –it’s tentacles spreading like an octopus between 45th Street to 46th Street (not that there is anything wrong with that…mmmm grilled octopus.) When I learned that along with tasty Thai they had food and drink specials I had to check them out.

Each Yum Yum has a slightly different happy hour special. Most are offered all day or in the case of Yum Yum 2 from 12:00 – 6.30 pm & 10.00 pm – 12.00 am.

All locations have outdoor patios and open storefronts that are inviting for a casual drink.

Inside you’ll find a stylish décor with fun wine-glass chandeliers and the de rigueur Edison-style light bulbs.

Happy hour consists of $3 beer, $5 cocktail, and $5 house wine. $3 for a Singha or Stella beer is a good deal, but house rules stipulate that one must order a $7-8 cocktail to qualify for the free grub. I asked if I could just order a few drinks to meet their quota for one free appetizer, but no luck. Undeterred, I got a drink and choose the spring rolls as my freebie.

I was expecting a steamed rice wrapper filled with veggies, instead what I got was an egg roll the size of a Vienna sausage and fully deep fried. The only identifiable filling was some carrot and cabbage. I was a bit surprised to find a sweet carrot dipping sauce instead of the usual peanut sauce.

For all your sweet cocktail needs...

Tasty enough I suppose and a few orders of these would make a satisfying end to a late night when you are in need of some empty calories, but at the cost of a $7 signature cocktail I think I’ll pass. Stick to the cheap beers and well drinks.

The Plus + (what someone who likes this place would say)

  • $3 beers is nothing to scoff at!
  • Comfortable seating and outdoor options
  • If one Yum is packed, you can always hit the one next door

The Minus – (what someone who dislikes this place would say)

  • In order to get the free prize you need to pony up for the high-end drinks
  • If you are jonesing for Thai food this fits the bill, but there are better bars in the area
  • They don’t know the difference between an egg roll and a spring roll

Yum Yum, 650 9th ave, (212) 956-0639
Yum Yum 2, 622 9th avenue (At 46th St), (212) 247-2228
Yum Yum 3, 658 9th Avenue Corner (at 46th Street), (212) 956-0639

7 Comments

  • Meh. 3 dollar beers till 6:30…

  • The drinks here are terrible. If you like liquid sugar with little to no alcohol, this is your place. Otherwise, stick with beer. Oh and the food isn’t good either. Pass.

    • I seem to recall having lunch there long ago, and it wasn’t good or bad (seeing I can barely remember it) I may have to do an official lunch review to find out!

  • $3 for those beers isn’t bad. But I agree the food special is pretty weak. (Is ‘Sappolo’ supposed to be Sapporo?) Better than paying $6-7 for bottles of generic beer like bud, corona, etc.

  • $3 beers is good and more than just shitty bud light or coors.

    Their food isn’t horrible. Just not anything apecial. Not too authentic for Thai food either perhaps.

  • I had lunch @ 1 a couple of times a couple of years ago & have no reason to ever go back…. “Their food isn’t horrible.” is about the best one can say.

    Their tentacles also reach into Queens now…..

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