Ugly Baby was a highly-regarded Thai restaurant located at 364 Grand Street in Brooklyn, NY. It was known for serving authentic Thai dishes, including many that are rarely found in other New York City establishments. The restaurant featured a rotating seasonal menu with innovative dishes, alongside some classic favorites.
Customer Perception
Customers consistently praised Ugly Baby for its authentic and flavorful Thai cuisine, often noting its spiciness as a defining characteristic that they personally enjoyed. Many considered it a hidden gem and their go-to Thai spot, highlighting the innovative and rotating menu that encouraged trying new dishes. The staff was frequently commended for their helpfulness and welcoming demeanor. The restaurant was described as having a fun atmosphere with great music.
Additional Details
The restaurant's name, 'Ugly Baby,' was noted as being unusual, adding to its unique character. It was also mentioned that the restaurant had a good wine selection.
The restaurant's menu featured a variety of dishes, and while specific vegan or gluten-free options were not explicitly detailed, the authentic nature of the cuisine suggests a focus on fresh ingredients. Customers should inquire directly about dietary accommodations.
Best Times to Visit
The restaurant was open for dinner service from Tuesday to Sunday. Specific peak times or ideal days were not detailed, but given its popularity, reservations were likely recommended.
Heard about this place for a long time from my Thai friends and this place is amazing! We ordered fish curry and crab curry. So tasty! I’d say it’s over the spicy level of American standard but I personally loved it so much! Will come back and try others!
I’ve kept this review to myself because it was a hidden gem, but because it got so popular over the years… they deserve all the stars from me. This is my go to Thai spot and we’ve been coming here since the day they opened (not kidding, we’ve tried almost ALL their dishes. See pics yourself) We usually order +1 dish than how many are dining, so 3 dishes if 2 people.
The staff is the best crew ever, always explaining the new dishes on the menu and always welcoming everyone in with the widest smiles.
The menu used to be fixed with the same classic dishes but these last two years they started rotating seasonal menus with new ingredients. Don’t worry, their spicy duck Laarb will always be there!! We love how innovative their menu is, pushing everyone to try something new. Not gonna lie, there’s some wild shit on there — but they’ve never let us down!!
5
Goated spot for actual authentic Thai dishes, especially underrated ones involving fish. My favorites were definitely the crispy fish as well as the one in a soup, but really everything we got was excellent. The menu is rotating, but I trust whatever they have cooking up recently is going to be good. The staff is extremely helpful in helping decide what meals to select as well as what drinks would pair well with the selections. Overall, an excellent experience and would recommend for anyone looking for Thai food.
5
I was told by someone that this Thai restaurant is the best in Brooklyn. I was quite skeptical just because I am Thai and not easy to be pleased with the food in Thai restaurants in NYC in general. But I thought I should give it a try. I was surprised when saw the menu. The dishes are not the typical ones you usually see in Thai restaurants here. It is a small menu but has interesting dishes; some from the north and some from the south of Thailand. I ordered a northern pork curry called Hung Le. It was absolutely delicious and the picked garlic gave it an interesting flavor and texture. So I will go back and try other dishes for sure. Aroi Mak Mak ka!
Updated: I went there again on 10/11/2024 with 2 friends and it was absolutely delicious. My friends were impressed by the food and the overall experience. This time, we ordered 3 dishes. The portion of each dish was big enough for the three of us. I loved that they changed their menu to present interesting Thai dishes and their menu is small and simple.
4
I know. I was warned. But some of the dishes were way too spicy. And I ordered a dish that wasn't marked spicy but turned out to be quite spicy.
The flavors were quite good but eventually my face couldn't handle it anymore so I wasn't able to finish my meal because of the pain.
The service is attentive and fun. They checked with us several times about the spice and advised I don't drink water because it makes the spice worse.
The whole restaurant is very cramped and claustrophobic. Other than the colorful flatware and tabletops, it also felt pretty sparsely decorated. It feels like it's having a little identity crisis between being just casual / homey and more vibrant / artsy.
