My friends and I were wandering around the LES last weekend looking for a quick dinner to kick off Saturday night. We stumbled upon Tai Thai on 1st Street and were lured in by the chalkboard outside touting $3 beers and $2.50 glasses of wine. The place is small and cutely decorated, but you’d definitely have a problem seating a large group here.
Courtesy of Yelp
There were two wines available for $2.50 – a white Chablis and red Burgundy. I opted for the Chablis, and while it definitely tasted a bit “cheap” and was a little too sweet for my liking, I really had no room to complain since it only cost me $2.50. The guys all ordered the $3 Changs, but we also had the option of bringing in our own wine and beer for a minimal corkage fee (about $4-6 for a bottle of wine and $1-3 per beer). And speaking of deals, rumor has it that they have some great lunch specials as well (around $6).
The menu was fairly typical but the prices were average or a little under than most Thai places in the city. Two of us ordered the chicken Pad Thai, one ordered the Pad See Yew with roast duck, and my boyfriend had a chicken noodle dish served with a spicy sauce (can’t remember the correct name). To sum it up quickly, it did not take long for all four of us to clear our plates.
The Pad Thai was spot on for me (which means Laura probably wouldn’t have liked it). I prefer mine to be on the sweeter and saucier end, and I got just that. It was one of the best Pad Thais I’ve had in the city and my boyfriend agreed. I also sampled his spicy noodle dish and it was outstanding. I’d have a hard time choosing between the two dishes in the future. It wasn’t too spicy at all, in fact you could definitely ask to up the spiciness level a notch, but regardless the flavor was simply delicious. The other two enjoyed their dishes but they’re newer to Thai food so they didn’t have much to compare it to.
Our service was good, albeit it a little slow, but we were in no rush and happily sat and chatted over a leisurely dinner. It is cash only, so keep that in mind before you come. If I’m in the area again and have a hankering for Thai, I will absolutely return for a repeat visit.
The Basics Name: Tai Thai Location: 78 E. 1st Street Who to bring: Friends, a Date, but not a group Price: Cheap! $-$$ Overall: It had everything I look for – 5 stars
