Zaab Zaab — Restaurant in New York

As someone who absolutely loves Thai food—especially Northern Thai and Isan cuisine—I had been looking forward to trying Zaab Zaab more than any other restaurant during my trip to NYC. Unfortunately, my experience at their Brooklyn location was underwhelming and disappointing.

The flavors, which I was hoping would reflect the bold, spicy, and sour profile of true Isan cooking, leaned far too sweet across the board. In some dishes, the sweetness was so strong it overwhelmed everything else. A few items were also overly salty, making it hard to enjoy the balance typically found in Thai cuisine.

We ordered several dishes:

Som Tum (not pictured): This was probably one of the better dishes. It had a decent amount of funk and heat, though it still leaned a bit sweet. The portion was small for the $17 price tag, which felt excessive for what you get.

Pad Kra Pao: A major letdown. It didn’t come with a fried egg, which is traditionally a key part of the dish. Charging extra for the egg felt stingy and unnecessary. Without it, the dish lacked richness and authenticity.

Clams: These were okay, but honestly forgettable. They lacked depth and didn’t have much flavor.

Pad Thai: Extremely sweet. This dish seemed tailored more toward Western palates than those looking for a true Thai experience.

Steamed Fish: Probably the best dish we had, but even this was on the salty side.

The ambiance didn’t help the experience. The restaurant was so dimly lit that we had to use a small table lamp to even see our food. While that might appeal to some for mood, it made it hard to appreciate the presentation or snap any decent photos.

On the service front, our server was lovely, especially considering it was his first week.

Overall, Zaab Zaab in Brooklyn just didn’t live up to the hype or expectations. In a city with so many excellent Thai restaurants, especially those serving regional cuisines, it’s hard to recommend this one. Maybe their other locations are better, but I won’t be rushing back...

I went to the Queens location a few weeks ago and loved the food and service so much that I decided to bring a group of my friends here.

Our server was very kind and attentive, and all of the dishes were great except for the grilled chicken. The chicken tasted like it had either been cooked the day before, or the meat itself was not fresh — not what I would expect with a $20+ dish. There was an musky old chicken taste that was borderline inedible. When I told the server he took it back.

Minutes later, the manager came and started arguing with me in an extremely rude and arrogant way. He asked me if I had ever been to Thailand. I said no, then he said “ok I’m just going to walk away now,” chuckling to himself while my friends and I were in shock. Then he continued to berate me about how I don’t understand Thai flavors — even though he could clearly see that I was enjoying everything else that we ordered. Is it authentic to serve old chicken in Thailand? I don’t think so. He even had the nerve to ask me if I was a chef. Little did he know, I have cooked in restaurants kitchens in the past and I know that you should always taste the food before it goes out. This is not how you should be treating your customers who have chosen to visit your restaurant out of literally tens of thousands in the city. I don’t go out and spend over $100 at restaurants so I can be barked at by the staff.

If the owner is reading this, please do something about this manager because he is ruining your business. Unfortunately, I won’t be returning...

Tried Zab Zab… and I won’t be back.

This was my first experience ever walking out of a restaurant without finishing — or even really starting — my food. As someone who considers themselves a foodie and a huge fan of Thai cuisine, I was really looking forward to trying Zaab Zaab. I’ve been to many Thai spots, and I know what I like.

I ordered the wings and fries with that signature zaab seasoning — a flavor I first had at another restaurant and have been chasing ever since. Unfortunately, this place didn’t come close.

First red flag: an order of wings — and what I got were maybe five pieces, one of which was just the wing tip. Like, literally the elbow of the wing. And that was counted as one of the wings? That alone was ridiculous.

I brought this up and the chef’s response was basically a shrug. "I don’t know what to tell you." No accountability, no care — just a plate they were perfectly fine sending out in an empty restaurant.

I sent the wings back.

The fries? Heavily seasoned on top but greasy underneath. I love fries, and I love wings — and I didn’t enjoy either.

And let me say this plainly: the chicken tasted old. Not just overcooked or dry — old. I know my wings, and this wasn’t it.

This was the first time I’ve ever had an experience so bad that I just walked out, hungry, and went to find something else to eat.

Bottom line: go at your own risk. For me, it was a...