Thai Cuisine in Little Thailand in Elmhurt, Queens, NY

A Big Meal in a Small Neighborhood

I was never very big on Thai food. I figured that if I wanted Asian food, I’d get Chinese, or maybe Japanese or Korean. Pad Thai, the Thai national dish, could not compete with beef in black been sauce or General Tso’s Chicken, Korean BBQ or vegetable Tempura.

All that changed yesterday, when a friend and I ate at Ayada, 77-08 Woodside Avenue, a block or two away from Elmhurst Hospital (how’s that for a landmark). We ate steamed dumplings, shrimp-in-a-blanket, rib-eye steak with drunken noodles, and crispy duck with panang curry…..lots of food for a reasonable $100 or so. The blankets were nothing special, but everything else was. Ayada consists of two adjacent storefronts with but one kitchen (both storefronts have simple decor, but the one on the right is slightly more upscale). Ayada has even impressed the august NY Times.

Little Thailand comprises only two or three blocks, but almost every storefront is a Thai food restaurant. Take your pick.

A Culinary Guide to Little Thailand in Elmhurst