Loved It
TLDR: With its massive menu, you’d be hard pressed to get sick of eating at Thai Diner. This spot knows how to bring the party and pairs its kitschy, gilded interior with A+ cuisine for a super fun experience. However, you’ll have to work some magic to get in for prime pre-party dinner so be patient.
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When a restaurant decides to lean into a theme, it can be too much. Quirky for the sake of being “the weird but cute one” only works for Zooey Dechanel, and is it really working for her? There is such a thing as being too instagrammable when that’s your whole schtick. Fortunately, Thai Diner isn't like that. Its kitchiness is offset by its cool factor and genuinely incredible flavors. Thai Diner is "the fun one”.
Walking into this place, the interior seems to be lit by unseeable candles reflecting off the shiny gold and thatched straw surfaces, even at 11AM. It’s more party-themed than your typical diner, but Thai Diner wants you to breakfast with them and the menu makes that very clear (there’s an entire all-day breakfast section). They also want you to drink with them (see: ya dong shots) and I could so see this being the perfect pre-party 8/9PM dinner. To be honest, I’ve only ever made the brunch crowd because unless you’re willing to wait for a walk-in, you’re unlikely to get into Thai Diner on short notice.
This is one worth waiting for though. Narrowing in on the extensive menu can be challenging, but I don’t think you can go horribly wrong. My #1 favorite here is the khao soi kaa kai which is basically a bit of tender chicken and noodles drenched in the best coconut curry sauce I can imagine and topped with crispy noodles (double noodle!). The sauce is so tangy and creamy I would buy it by the bottle if they sold it. The Thai disco fries are outrageously good – make sure they’re on your table. Other than that, I suggest you have fun with your order. Lobster omelet? Was surprisingly great. Thai egg sandwich? Like a new category of breakfast burrito I didn’t know I needed.
There’s still much I would like to try at Thai Diner, like any of the desserts (they have one shaped into a little monster!) or cocktails, and I’d happily extend my familiarity with the raw bar items (the oysters were phenomenal). That’s what makes Thai Diner a place I would eat at again and again, even for brunch. There’s such variety on the menu, I don’t think you’d ever get bored eating here.
Take the gamble on a walk-in or start hunting down the prime time resi early, but make sure you make it to Thai Diner. I’ll be at the bar, living out my tiki cocktail dreams, if i can help it. 🍹
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