Wayla
Thai restaurant · Lower East Side ·
Homestyle Thai fare, market-inspired dishes, hidden patio, cocktails
![Wayla by Wayla [Official]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66733473/BrunchOverview_1.0.jpg "Wayla by Wayla [Official]")
Homestyle Thai fare, market-inspired dishes, hidden patio, cocktails
"In terms of outdoor dining, Wayla outshines nearly every other restaurant on the Lower East Side with its beautiful back garden filled with plants, wicker furniture, and twinkling string lights. The next time you want to make it seem as if you know about cool things, bring a group here and share a bunch of Thai food. Order the crispy fried chunks of branzino, the slightly sweet noodles spilling out of a lobster’s head, and the crunchy noodle-wrapped meatballs." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, will hartman, willa moore, sonal shah
"Wayla’s space outshines nearly every other restaurant in the neighborhood. The dark dining room connects to a beautiful back garden filled with plants, wicker furniture, and twinkling string lights. The next time the weather’s nice and you want to appear cool and in-the-know, make a reservation for the backyard, then bring a few friends for some shareable Thai dishes. The food—like the crispy fried chunks of branzino, slightly sweet noodles spilling out of a lobster’s head, and crunchy noodle-wrapped meatballs—will always make you feel just the right amount of deluxe." - bryan kim, neha talreja, will hartman, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick
"Wayla is an LES spot that has perpetual birthday-party energy. It’s dark and dungeon-like, your cocktail will contain at least one piece of fruit or flora, and there’s a beautiful backyard you could put on a postcard and send to someone abroad. The food here—like the crispy fried chunks of branzino, slightly sweet noodles spilling out of a lobster’s head, and noodle-wrapped meatballs—will always make you feel just the right amount of deluxe. Come with a few friends, and dinner will essentially be a party with better catering than at most birthday parties, weddings, and first communions." - bryan kim, arden shore, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore
"One of the best new restaurants in the city also has a backyard that’s better-furnished than your living room. It’s called Wayla, and it’s a Thai restaurant on the Lower East Side where you can eat some fried branzino, noodle-wrapped meatballs, and a bunch of other stuff that’ll make you want to build a small home inside this place. With its brick walls and dim lighting, the dining room is a perfectly pleasant place to eat this food, but if it’s even moderately nice outside, you should sit in the backyard. It’s full of potted plants, string lights, and expensive-looking furniture, and it feels like a photoshopped version of your daily existence." - bryan kim, hillary reinsberg
"Just because you can’t eat Wayla’s whole fried branzino, wok-fried string beans, or spicy shrimp on the idyllic back patio right now, doesn’t mean you have to wait to enjoy these excellent Thai dishes. Order delivery or takeout from this LES spot online and throw in a $5 lunch box for a neighbor in need." - hannah albertine, nikko duren, bryan kim, arden shore, matt tervooren
