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Yum Thai
The measure of a good Thai restaurant is not necessarily from their Pad Thai… but for some reason it’s the first thing I order when trying a place out. And, when I say “That Thai restaurant is great” it’s usually because I liked their Pad Thai. It’s sort of silly, but it’s something people do all the time. You recommend a place, based on what you like (and always order)- not necessarily taking into account what the person you’re telling, likes to order.
For some it’s the curries, or spring rolls, for me, it’s usually the Pad Thai. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good green curry or Pad Si Ew, just as much as the next guy. But Pad Thai is what I start with. The go to guy. If you can’t do Pad Thai… I’m probably not going back.
When I started this blog, I got a lot of comments urging me to go to Yum Thai, and I have to say I was not disappointed. A small, hole in the wall place- it’s the kind of place you walk by 100 times, not sure if you want to try it out. It looks sort of dirty from the outside, and they’ve got pictures of food in the window (never a good sign). All you need is that one recommendation to get you to try it out. Well, consider this your recommendation.
You order at a counter, and then can sit down at one of their 10 or so tables or you can take it to go. They cook the food right behind the counter, just a few feet from the tables, so it can get kind of hot in there- especially during the summer. So, taking the food to go might be the way to do it.
The +/- and a picture of my Pad Thai, after the jump…
Despite some pretty good looking other options, I went for the Pad Thai on my first visit. Cooked fresh to order, it came out really quick- and piping hot, with everything I like to see on a good plate of Pad Thai. Scallions sauteed in it, bean sprouts on top, and a wedge of lime to tie the whole thing together.
Pad Thai can come in various different ways (dry vs wet, sweet vs less sweet, and sometimes spicy). This Pad Thai was a little on the wet and sticky side (although there was a woman eating a Pad Thai next to me that looked a little dryer then mine- so it might be different every time). It wasn’t too sweet, but it was defintely on the sweet side- and no spicyness. But it came with a little cup of Nam Prik Kiga (Thai spicy red chili sauce) if you like your dish spicy. All in all it was good, and not too expensive for $7.50.
I will definetely be back… and hopefully I’ll be able to bring myself to order something other then the Pad Thai. Pad Si Ew… I’m looking in your general direction! (If you’ve eaten here, and want to recommend a dish for my second visit- feel free to comment below)
THE +
- Good, cheap and quick Thai Food
- Good Pad Thai.
- You can take out… but it also has tables if you want to eat in. No waiters, so you don’t have to tip, keeping the price down.
- Made to order, so it’s real fresh.
THE -
- There are tables, but this is not a sit down meal kind of place. It’s small, and bare bones. The atmosphere leaves alot to be desired
- Like most places in Midtown- this is not the best Thai food you are ever going to have in NYC… but it’s pretty darn good for the area, price and convenience.
Yum Thai, 129 44th St. (btw. 6th Ave. & B’way), 212-819-0554
Posted: July 19th, 2006 under 44th btw. 6+B'way, Thai.
Comments: 30
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Comments
Comment from Red
Time: July 19, 2006, 10:45 am
I have been eating at Yum for a while now, and I can also heartily recommend their basil chicken and Tom Kha Gai.
Comment from Yossi
Time: July 19, 2006, 1:56 pm
If you had a quick wait, you were lucky. I try to go before 12:30 - I’ve had very, very long waits at peak lunch time.
They sometimes have an excellent spicy ground pork dish written on a paper plate as a special. Recommended.
Comment from M. Bouche
Time: July 19, 2006, 2:08 pm
The chicken with green paste is the best dish. The Tom Gun Yung is a little funky.
Comment from JP
Time: July 19, 2006, 2:15 pm
The best item is the chicken with paste, which is NOT the green curry chicken — they are NOT the same thing.
Watch out for the fumes from the kitchen and smile at the nice cooks in the back.
I also like the free candies.
Comment from Joe
Time: July 19, 2006, 2:33 pm
Went there today on your recommendation and had the Massaman curry. It was a little sweeter than how they make it in Thailand, but definitely a place I will keep going to!
Comment from Austin
Time: July 20, 2006, 12:12 pm
If you like bad, bland, watered down, Chinese Style, greasy Thai food then Yum Thai is perfect !!
I’ve tried pretty much everything off the menu in a vain attempt to find some Thai dish that actually resembles the food I’ve had in Thailand. It truely sucks that something as simple and flavourful as Thai food can be so badly butchered.
Head to 9th ave if you have a bit of time to one of the many Thai places there as you can find far better.
Comment from Samantha
Time: July 20, 2006, 8:36 pm
Try the beef noodle soup at Yum Thai. They have a wonderfully rich beef broth, with beef pieces, and light noodles. My coworkers down the hall always come over and ask what delicious-smelling lunch I’m having when I get the beef noodle soup.
Comment from Inane
Time: July 21, 2006, 12:14 pm
Duck Salad. It -is- summer after all.
Comment from anon
Time: July 26, 2006, 4:48 pm
Everything from Yum is a disgusting greasy mess. I love it.
Comment from corey
Time: October 9, 2006, 1:52 pm
I had the chicken basil and my coworker had the chicken garlic. we both really liked our meal and enjoyed the $7.50 price and portion size. I’ll definitely be heading back again. thanks, midtown lunch.
Comment from tyler
Time: October 17, 2006, 4:59 pm
yum thai is bland and terrible, as stated above. well, not TERRIBLE, but there are MUCH better thai options around. walk a few blocks to Yum Yum Bankok on 9th and 45th and you’ll be rewarded with a) GREAT thai food, b) nice atmosphere to sit down in, and c) the prices are actually a bit cheaper (lunch special is about $7 which includes two side items). trust me on this one.
T
Comment from Pat
Time: November 1, 2006, 1:09 pm
Service is very slow. I found the food pretty tasty, but it was
more of a Chinese style with Thai spicing (Ginger Pork).
A bit pricy for the portion size.
Comment from Eliot
Time: January 26, 2007, 2:42 pm
Closed all week… Anyone know the deal?
Comment from Alex
Time: January 31, 2007, 12:33 pm
I swung by a couple of weeks ago. The lights were out, but one of the staff was inside and said they had a power outage. Since then I try to call every few days, but no banana (or orather no chicken cashew nut).
Foul play? I hope this isn’t a roundabout way of closing the restaurant…
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Popeyes Returns to Midtown and Yum Thai set to re-open
Time: February 7, 2007, 8:35 am
[...] There’s other good news in that same area of town. I’ve gotten a few worried emails and comments about Yum Thai (44th btw. B’way & 6th) being shuttered. Fear not cheap Thai fans- they were only closed for renovations and plan on re-opening tomorrow (Thursday). Though to be safe, I may wait until Friday or Monday before trekking over there. [...]
Comment from Ben
Time: March 5, 2007, 2:59 pm
They were open today when I went. I ordered the Pad Thai, which had congealed into a large block of noodle, sprouts, and shrimp. It tasted fine, but no better or worse than any other fast food-style Thai I’ve had.
My friend, however, ordered what I believe was the Seafood Soup. It looked like a few bits of seafood and noodles in water. He noted that the broth tasted like dishwater and had a faint trace of soap or some sort of cleaning product.
It may be something I would go back to, but probably not for a while.
Comment from viv
Time: May 14, 2007, 3:48 pm
this place is awful!
greasy non-descrip bad thai food
Comment from SMDNY
Time: July 11, 2007, 11:52 am
I went last week for the first time in months. It’s gone downhill - very greasy, no flavor, definitely used old for frying up the spring rolls. Dunno if it was because it was a holiday week (July 4th) and it was slow, but I don’t think I’ll go back again. Got two noodle dishes - both below average for thai take out. In future will have to head over to 9th ave. for thai.
Comment from kate
Time: August 9, 2007, 1:57 pm
yum! i went today for the first time. got the veg duck in basil sauce. (not because i’m a vegetarian, but veggie duck can be right on if prepared well). not even close to my favorite veg duck at chai in williamsburg in terms of texture (chai cooks it really well done to give it that seared chewy meaty texture), but flavor is spot on. and healthy portion.
Comment from kate
Time: August 9, 2007, 2:18 pm
Let me amend that—I was starving when I wrote it. Yes salty, greasy, sweet, but you know what, mediocre Thai is still better than a lot of things. It’s not fake-cheese pizza, bad Chinese, or boring old sandwich. If it’s going to be mediocre, then Thai, Korean, and Japanese shall be my go-tos.
Comment from Meesy
Time: August 30, 2007, 1:43 pm
Great beef coconut curry. ample servings and no fuss service. i like the atmosphere: its is sufficiently grungy to conjure up South East Asia without actually being unhygienic. I shall return often.
Comment from SMDNY
Time: October 4, 2007, 5:17 pm
Two tasty thai places on the outer reaches of Midtown - had noodles, fish and some other things at both. Flavors were great, nothing was too greasy.
Aura
462 9th Ave Btwn 35th & 36th St
Oleng
644 10th Ave Btwn 45th & 46th St
Comment from Dirty Noodles
Time: November 1, 2007, 2:11 pm
Yum Thai closed by the Board of Health as of 10/30/07.
Comment from WhatWasIEating
Time: November 8, 2007, 4:16 pm
Why did the Board Of Health drop the hammer?
What was REALLY in my Beef Basil?!?!
Comment from WhatWasIEating
Time: November 8, 2007, 4:24 pm
Answered my own question:
Sanitary Violations
1.) Minimum final rinse temperature of 170°F or proper chemical and temperature levels not maintained in manual utensil washing operation.
2.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
3.) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to vermin exist.
4.) Food not
StillStandingStillStrong says:
protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
5.) Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
6.) Evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present in
StillStandingStillStrong says:
facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
7.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
Comment from kt
Time: November 9, 2007, 10:05 am
It still was good! Is it a bad sign that I would go back there today if it was open!
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » Bits & Pieces: Chx & Waffles is Back, Yum Thai & Jamaican Dutchy Still Closed
Time: November 26, 2007, 4:37 pm
[...] Yum Thai on 44th btw. 6+7th is still closed, they have construction permits littering the window, and their phone number is out of service. It’s not looking good. [...]
Pingback from Midtown Lunch » PROFILE: Midtown Lunch’er “Justin”
Time: January 15, 2008, 8:52 am
[...] Yum Bangkok, and more)- but it’s a little outside of Midtown Lunch’ing range, and with Yum Thai (on 44th btw. 6+B’way) gone, there is no longer a strictly fast food/take out Thai food option [...]
Comment from johnny
Time: January 17, 2008, 1:50 pm
Today, I went to Yum Tai, and it turned out to be closed. Maybe under construction or out of business.
Comment from Phil Stellar
Time: February 19, 2008, 11:35 am
I am soooo sad to see this restaurant go away. The food was AMAZINGLY delicious and the people were so nice and sweet! If anyone knows if they are reopening ANYWHERE please post that info. THANKS
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