Chiangmai Diner & Bar
Thai restaurant · Bushwick ·
Northern Thai specialties like herb-packed sai oua & rich gaeng hung lay
Northern Thai specialties like herb-packed sai oua & rich gaeng hung lay
"One of the best restaurants in Bushwick is also one of the biggest. Chiangmai Diner has a two-part dining room that stretches from a front bar area all the way back to a lantern-filled space populated by picnic tables. Need to book for 15 people? Not a problem. You can do with the click of a button. And there’s plenty of great food to choose from, including Northern Thai specialties like grilled pork sausage and a slow-cooked short rib curry." - bryan kim, willa moore
"Named after the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, this establishment is part of a new wave of Thai restaurants in the city. Via chef and owner Rathakate Khuankaow, the menu offers an eclectic mix of dishes from all over the country. Don’t miss kanom jean nham ngiaw, a dish of fermented rice noodles in a pork-rib broth." - Eater Staff
"A two-month-old spot at 942 Flushing Avenue, near Central Avenue, adopts a diner approach that presents dishes from all parts of Thailand plainly on the plate. Chiangmai Diner balances regional specialties — from tiki-bar–style crab Rangoon star-shaped dumplings oozing cream cheese that are hot, crunchy, and trashy-good, to curries offered as blue-plate specials perfect for solo meals — with a focus on northern-Thai flavors. My favorite is the pork jungle curry ($16): without coconut milk it has no mellowing, with stalks of pickled green peppercorn wagging in a purplish broth. The menu also offers about ten protein choices for curries and basil stir-fries, but the dishes that truly represent Chiang Mai are the ones where the protein pairing matters. The space, descended from Soho’s Lan Larb Changmai, is a high‑ceilinged, factory‑like room with three eating areas — a barroom with big windows catching the sunset across Flushing Avenue, a long narrow dining area looking into the kitchen, and a third room hung with luminaria and a mural of a darkened hillside dotted with golden Buddhist temples — and the relaxed atmosphere, plain plating, and unique Chiang Mai offerings make it doubly enjoyable. Standout snacks and mains include sai oua ($16), plump pork sausages studded with peanuts, raw ginger, herbs, and fiery little chiles; hung lay ($34), a massive beef short rib in a thick garnet broth with pickled garlic and ginger and potatoes to add smoosh; kha soi, a thicker, richer chicken noodle soup with two kinds of noodles; and kanom jean nham ngiaw ($19), complex fermented rice noodles in pork-rib broth laced with chile oil and topped with crunchy bits of pig skin. Beer is the usual choice, but I also like the cocktails here — my favorite is the Wai-jai-dai-ga ($16), with ginger beer, lime vodka, berries, and makrut lime leaves — and I think Chiangmai Diner is currently the most exciting Thai restaurant in Brooklyn, right up there with Ugly Baby." - Robert Sietsema
"From the team behind Soho’s Lan Lab Chiangmai, Chiangmai Diner should be one of your go-to spots for a casual group meal in Bushwick. The space looks like a florist crossed with an indoor street market, and it’s bigger than it seems. In addition to a dining room with a long bar up front, there’s an area in the back where you can sit at a picnic table under a canopy of paper lanterns. On the menu, you’ll find everything from jungle curry to crab rangoon, but this place specializes in Northern Thai food, so that’s where you should start. Try the herb-packed sai oua and rich, tangy gaeng hung lay that comes with a big slow-cooked short rib. photo credit: Chiangmai Diner" - Bryan Kim
"A new Brooklyn Thai restaurant focused less on heat and more on funky, fermented flavors of Chiangmai cuisine, distinguishing itself from the city’s fiery Thai spots." - Emma Orlow
