Ayada

"“It is almost painful to write this and not have Ayada’s pad see ew, pad thai, or duck panang curry next to me. I think about these plates and many others more often than I care to admit. While they do have a location in Chelsea Market, their original [Elmhurst] spot is the place to bring a big group—the more people and dishes, the better. “" - brennan carley

"Ayada in Elmhurst is one of our favorite Thai restaurants in the city. You can usually call and get a last-minute reservation for a spot at a big table in their two-room space—and we slightly prefer the room on the right hand side. Once you get here, focus on the seafood, like the raw shrimp, crispy catfish salad, and whole fried fish. The panang curry with duck is also outstanding, and this place serves some of the best drunken noodles in the city. It’s hard to pick favorites, so order a whole table’s worth of noodles, seafood, and soups, and split them all." - hannah albertine, kenny yang

"One of the several reasons we love Ayada is its sprawling menu. Eat the drunken noodles and panang curry here, and it’ll make you question all the other drunken noodles and panang curry you’ve had elsewhere. Their raw shrimp salad is another one of the dishes we think about constantly, and if you want a different kind of raw shellfish, they make an excellent som tum with chunks of shell-on blue crab mixed in. Bring a group, and try to eat in the slightly more charming dining room on the right." - bryan kim, hannah albertine, nikko duren, arden shore, will hartman

"By the end of a meal at Ayada, your group may start debating which dishes are the best. Was it the raw shrimp with the perfect amount of garlic, chili, and lime? Or maybe the crispy catfish salad with mango? Someone else might argue that one of the curries or the fried whole fish were the winners. Picking favorites at this Thai restaurant in Elmhurst is like picking a favorite Beatles song: it’s too hard, and it won’t do you any good. Bring as many people as possible, and order enough food that you’ll have to go all Tetris on the table to fit everything. The drunken noodles are the best in the city, and the prik king with sirloin steak is something you both want on your table and burned into your memory forever." - bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah

"Ayada has an outpost at Chelsea Market these days, but the original Elmhurst location is where the stellar Thai menu garnered the initial accolades. Critic Robert Sietsema discovered dishes here that were once a rarity in New York: raw shrimp salads, sour curries, and a crispy fried catfish served atop a green mango salad are just a few of the dishes diners can enjoy outdoors." - Erika Adams, Tanay Warerkar, Bao Ong