Pranakhon — Restaurant in New York

Pranakhon delivers a dining experience that captures the heart of Thai cuisine balance, vibrancy, and tradition. We visited to celebrate a birthday, and while there was a $15 cake charge for bringing in our own dessert, the overall experience was memorable for both the quality of the food and the attentiveness of the service.

We began with Klui Goong, crisp shrimp rolls filled with minced shrimp, ground pork, and cilantro, paired with a plum sauce. The combination of pork and seafood reflects the long history of Thai-Chinese culinary exchange, where contrasting proteins are brought together to build savory complexity. The rolls were light and crunchy, and the sauce added the sweet-sour brightness that makes this dish a favorite in Thai street stalls and banquet tables alike. The Gai Manow, crispy battered chicken breast on a bed of fried shredded Chinese broccoli with lime mayonnaise cream dressing, offered richness cut with citrus. The lime-forward cream dressing gave the dish a refreshing lift, while the fried broccoli provided textural contrast a modern, playful interpretation of Thai balance.

For entrées, I ordered the Khao Soi Haeng, a dry version of the Northern Thai classic Khao Soi. Originating in Chiang Mai with Burmese and Yunnanese influences, the dish is often known as a curry noodle soup, but here the noodles were served dry, tossed with crispy fried noodles, grilled beef, pickled mustard greens, shallots, red onion, scallion, and cilantro. The beef was smoky and tender, the pickled mustard greens tangy and sharp an essential counterpart to the chili heat and the crispy noodles added crunch. This was a vibrant dish that spoke to the layered flavors of Northern Thailand’s history as a crossroads of spice and trade.

My companion chose the Khao Na Ped, a quarter roasted duck plated over a bed of rice with yu choy, Chinese broccoli, pickled ginger, and a deep brown gravy. Duck has long been associated with prosperity and celebration in Thai-Chinese households, and this dish stayed true to that tradition. The duck was tender and flavorful, while the dark gravy brought umami richness. Most importantly, the rice beneath absorbed the sauce, transforming it from a simple base to an integral part of the dish, carrying the savory depth in every bite. The pickled ginger added balance, cutting through the richness and refreshing the palate.

Our shared dishes highlighted central Thai comfort food at its best. Kang Dang Moo, a chicken red curry, was creamy with coconut milk and fragrant with basil leaves, long hot chili, string beans, and wax gourd. Red curry paste, made with dried chilies, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, and shrimp paste, gave it heat and complexity. Served with rice, it was hearty, aromatic, and classic. Moo Grob Prik Khing, crispy pork belly stir-fried with prik khing chili paste, string beans, and kaffir lime leaves, showcased a curry style distinct for its lack of coconut milk, allowing the full intensity of the chili paste to shine. The crisp pork belly paired beautifully with the lime’s citrus fragrance, with rice once again essential for balance. Ped Ruan, sautéed crispy duck with chili, garlic, scallion, cilantro, and kaffir lime leaves in a chili-lime sauce, reflected Bangkok’s street food traditions. It was fiery, sour, and aromatic, with the sauce clinging to the duck in a way that made each bite bold and lively.

What impressed most was Pranakhon’s ability to showcase Thailand’s culinary geography in a single meal.

Though the cake surcharge was a minor blemish, the evening as a whole was excellent. Pranakhon succeeds in presenting Thai cuisine with authenticity, cultural depth, and refinement. It is a restaurant that honors tradition while offering dishes that feel celebratory and contemporary, making it well worth visiting both for special occasions and for anyone looking to experience the rich culinary history...

We wanted to try this Thai spot for a long time but couldn’t get a reservation. This time we reserved a table around noon time so the restaurant was not very busy. I came earlier than our reservation time but only have to wait around 5 mins to be seated.

The ambiance here is very upbeat and happy as the Thai music was very joyful. All the decorations reminded us of the street of Asian Countries, which we felt very familiar with. It was like we were back home.

We were seated in a large cubicle which was very cool. The cubicle allows us to look around the main dining hall while also having some privacy.

The food was totally amazing and very authentic: Khao Yum (5/5): it was the first time we tried. It was as delicious as it looked. The mixture of several types of ingredients really brought a whole new experience. We could feel a party of texture and flavors in our mouths. The fun part was we could see the colorful dish and then mixed all the ingredients together. Pranakhon Pad Thai (4/5): the noodles, the shrimp, and other ingredients were at the best quality. The shrimps were large and juicy. The flavor was authentic but it was a bit sweet and soggy. We missed the sour flavor of the dish. Leng (3/5): the dish is a signature of Thai cuisine which was famous in many countries. But to be honest, we think it is overhyped. The dish was good and the meat was very tender and you cannot take the bone out smoothly. But we didn’t feel any special about the dish. Shrimp Tom Yum (5/5): the dish looked very simple with broth, shrimp, and mushrooms. But when the broth touched my lips, I could feel the burst of many flavors and fragrances. This taste is what I love and miss about Thai food. The shrimps were large and juicy. This dish paired really well with the rice.

For dessert, we had I-tim Sundae and Sticky rice with custard. We must say, they were delicious. The sticky rice went amazingly well with the custard. Their warmth was even enhanced by the contrast of the cold of the coconut ice cream. We totally recommend the sticky rice dish. The sundae was similar to what we had in our country before. It was very authentic.

For drinks, we had Oolong tea and Thai Milk Tea. You must try their Thai Milk Tea. It was flavorful with the right amount of sweetness.

The services were fast and our server was beyond wonderful. She was very attentive and thoughtful, always tried to tend to our needs, and always pay attention to details, like offering different types of bowls for different...

Pranakhon has a Michelin star and I can see why. The food is amazing. They have authentic Thai dishes but they also have the classics, like Pad Thai in case you're just looking for comfort Thai food. The inside of the restaurant is decorated with beautiful Thai decor. You are instantly transported to Thailand. I dined here twice in one month. The first time, I came with a party of 10 and we ordered family style, so I was lucky to try a variety of dishes. Here is everything I ate from both visits:

-Somtum - I really liked the dressing and all the different textures from the ingredients - the crunchiness of the peanuts and the long beans, and the chew to the papaya -Kor Moo Yang - this is pork jowl and it might be my favorite dish of the bunch. The jowl was really tender. There were so many different flavors from the mint, onion, and fish sauce - everything just went really well together. -Pranakhon Pad Thai - this might be the best pad Thai I've ever had. Other pad Thais tend to be either too sweet, or too sour but this one was perfect. It was also beautifully presented. Everything was sort of deconstructed so you can see all the colors and the ingredients, and then you mix it all together yourself -Pad See Ew - another classic. I love me some broad rice noodles -Crab Fried Rice - they gave a bunch of crab meat, so they don't skimp on that but overall, this dish was a little bland for me. But I added chili powder and used some of the dipping sauces from the other dishes and it worked out -Khao Na Ped (roasted duck) - roasted duck is easy to be dry but that wasn't the case here. It came covered in a nice, sweet yet savory sauce -Mussaman with Beef - I didn't love this one but that's just because I'm not a huge fan of Thai curries in general. It's too coconutty for me -Moo Grob Kua Prik Gua - crispy pork belly. Need I say more? The chili lime dipping sauce balanced it out perfectly

For drinks, I've tried the Nom Yen (sweet pink milk tea) and the grapefruit bitter cocktail. The nom yen was a pepto pink, so I think that already turned me off. It was too sweet and I didn't really taste any tea in it. The cocktail was nice and refreshing. All their cocktails seem really unique and they put a Thai spin on it.

Will definitely be back to try out some...