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In a real world example of supply and demand economics, the proliferation of Southeast Asian eateries on and around Williamsburg's main commercial street has hurt business, according to neighborhood restaurateurs. The pad thai business is ailing in a three block area centered around Bedford Avenue and North Sixth Streets, where four Thai and three Asian fusion restaurants compete, according to the Brooklyn Paper — which dubs the enclave "Brooklyn's Little Bangkok."
“We’re struggling,” said Tom Malipol, a manager at Noodle Studio on North Fifth Street. “There are too many Thai restaurants in the area. It’s very hard.” A waitress at Tai Tai on Bedford Avenue agreed: "We all share customers," said the server, who noted that the Thai eateries have only been able to stay open thanks to "tourists and hipsters." News of the restaurateurs struggles comes just two months after the closure of pioneering Williamsburg Thai restaurant Planet Thailand, a shuttering that the Village Voice deemed "the end of an era."
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Same shit in Hell's Kitchen. Theres like 6 Thai restaurants within a 2 block radius where I live. This is more of a citywide phenomena than it is localized in Williamsburg.
But being that Williamsburg is the center of the hipster Universe... we must care more
I was on 9th Ave for the first time in a while on Sunday and was taken aback by all the Thai places. Variants of Yum Yum Thai pretty much took up one entire block. I'd love for one or two Thai places to open up here in Harlem.
Yeah that's the Yum Yum Mafia. I wouldnt be surprised if they owned and rented out half the two blocks they're on.
They can open up another Yum Yum in no time.
I wish some would move to downtown Brooklyn! We only have one overpriced Thai place and zero Vietnamese food. I'm dying for it over here!
You can get pretty decent pho on atlantic 1block north of smith. And for thai check out smith street and court street in cobble hill.. We have like 8! places. pretty insane.
Same thing in Astoria... too much Thai and not one decent Chinese place.
Too much pad thai, not enough Indian or Vietnamese. I can take the train to the city, sure. But what about those days when I'd like a curry or a big bowl of tripe and noodle soup and not have to put on shoes . . . or pants for that matter. My life is SO hard.
Noodle Studio is the best one imo. Only one I'll order from anymore.
I've always wondered why someone would open one mediocre 'asian' fusion or pan asian restaurant right next to another mediocre one with the same menu. Not too smart imho.
Not at all surprised some of them are closing. Bedford needs something besides cell phone stores cafes and bad restaurants that are only there because the owners are trying to cash in.
Oh, I see you go to Thailand to Bankok.
You go to Williamsburg to Little Bankok.
I want to Bankok.
But what other reasons would there be to open a business on Bedford (or anywhere else) without the intentions of cashing in?
the Thai eateries have only been able to stay open thanks to "tourists and hipsters."
there's your problem right there.
try something non-hipster
Thai food in NYC is nothing but Chinese food with a can of coconut milk, some curry paste, and a few snips of lemongrass thrown in and the lights dimmed and candles put on the table for good measure. It's McDonalds with prawns ie absolute garbage and if you couldn't eat it with chopsticks and drink a "Singha" beer (as opposed to a Miller Lite anyplace else), nobody would even bother going. It's an absolute ruse - overpriced and unhealthy - and every single place is exactly the same. I lived near 9th and was always amazed at how many people sat in those Yum Yum dumps. The service is awful and the food is tasteless. I hope they all close and some real Thai people can open an authentic place that serves more than what is essentially the same greasy Chinese Lo Mein I ate in Queens at the Chinese take-out as a child with a lemon or lime squeezed on it and some sprinkled peanuts on top to make it "Thai".
I would argue that Sripraphai defies this description. However, the word has been out for a while about how good their food is, so now there's always a wait for a table and they are cranking out far more dishes than in the past, thus quality can sometimes suffer. Still, I think it's the best in the city.
I guess the problem of the rapid increase in number of Phad Thai resto its because investors overlooked the consequences of having too much Thai food in the vicinity could actually hurt their business. They only think of profits but missed out the real fact and now they are being slapped by the result.
I like Thai food and its good if there are too much competition so the prices are more affordable :)
I'm glad Gothamist brought this up. There are way too many Thai places in NYC and it's overpriced. You're not going to find Thai food for under 8 dollars in the city.
Don't eat at these dumps. Try using the stove that is in your kitchen. Learn how to cook. Put these shitholes out of business by eating at home! Imagine the savings! Imagine the diversity.
imagine how much your health would improve!
In cobble and boerum hill, there's a ton of Thai & Pan-asian restaurants along Smith and Court street as well.
there is no good thai in brooklyn. in manhattan you have to go to only 1 place in hell's kitchen - called Wondee Siam II. and there's only 1 place in queens - sriprapai
i think the new ghang on court st (around warren st) in cobble hill is really excellent. the other thai options in the neighborhood are typical throwaway restaurants.
What about E.6th St in the east village? There are and have been numerous indian restaurants on/around that block for years. At first you test out a few then you settle into your favorite and stick with it. GANDHI.
The cheapest and the best will rise to the top.
This isn't trouble. This is capitalism at work.
If you can't stand the heat, Tom Malipol, stay out of Williamsburg...or something like that.
I'm all about Kharo Sarn a little further down on Bedford at South 2nd http://www.yelp.com/biz/khao-sarn-brooklyn
awesome lunch special
Why aren't there any decent Indian/Korean/cheap ramen places in Wburg?!
Because they're all in the East Village. and more freaking ramen places opening all the time, right next to each other!!!
Thai food in Philadelphia is much better
I had a hot pork dish that was so damn hot...
I don't know how to ddescribe how hot it was but it was goooooooooood
It's the best in LA but I don't go often enough to that outer borough.
My pet peeve is stupid Asian Fusion or Pan Asian places.
If you're going to make Chinese, make Chinese. If you're going to make Thai, make Thai. If you're going to make Vietnamese, make Vietnamese.
Don't "fuse" them together into some Asian cuisine bastard child
And that is why I love Park Slope...tons to choose from...they also have a hefty amount of asian eateries but, tons more to offer.
Asian food, I like it!