"From the neon yellow sign at the entrance, to the illuminated cityscape in the back room, everything at Tha Phraya is stylishly lit—and that includes the food, which tingles with freshly ground and pounded spices. This place has downtown energy and dishes from all over Thailand, but start with the chef’s specialities on the menu’s first page: the pomelo salad is perfectly balanced and strewn with tiny little fishes, and the fried whole branzino comes in a tangy kaeng som curry that’s hard to stop eating, even as it bubbles down into a thicker, spicier sauce over the course of dinner. Then come back to delve into the menu's back half." - willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, sonal shah