I love Thai food. It’s my second favorite food (tacos are first, of course).

Thai cuisine is so unique. It’s one of the most popular cuisines in the world, and it has grown to be very popular in the U.S.

Thai food is never disappointing. The flavor combinations are so interesting. Some common ingredients in Thai cuisine are peanuts, fish sauce, coconut milk and lemongrass. Thai food is usually spicy, sweet, bitter and savory all at once, which is strange, but delicious. You will find something that will suit your taste on any Thai menu. Guaranteed.

There are some really amazing Thai places all around Queens. And so, here are some of my favorite Thai restaurants around the borough:

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Mint’s Thai Kitchen

Located: 70-15 Austin St, Forest Hills, NY 11375.

This little Thai restaurant is right next to a puppy pet shop, which is a plus in my book. It’s sort of hidden– it’s on the bottom floor of a complex– but if you really try to find it, it’ll be worth your while.

I heard about this place from my brother. He told me that not only do they serve authentic, delicious Thai food, but every time he’s been there the movie “Wild Hogs” with John Travolta and Tim Allen was playing on their TV, without fail. Every. Time. I had to go check it out.

Since then, I’ve been here countless times. What I like about this specific place is the type of noodles they use for their Pad Thai. Pad Thai is rice noodles stir fried with egg, tamarind, fish sauce, sometimes tofu, bean sprouts and peanuts, served with a lime wedge. That lime wedge makes all the difference. This dish is on the sweeter side, no spice at all (I can’t handle spicy! Who’s with me?)

I’ve noticed at most Thai places they use a thicker noodle, but at Mint’s, they use angel hair pasta! My favorite. Well, actually, I’m not sure if it’s actual angel hair, but it is really, really thin pasta. It’s so much lighter and makes it more enjoyable to eat when you’re not chomping down on thick pasta. And since the pasta is thinner, more flavor is absorbed in them. Which makes it so much better. The best Pad Thai I’ve had so far.

They have a lot of other great items on their menu, like their vegetable dumplings appetizer. First off,
they’re green, which is cute. A cute little green dumpling. They’re steamed, and have shiitake mushrooms, sweet corn, tofu, spinach, peanuts and garlic. It’s served with sesame soy sauce on the side. At first, I was a little surprised at how squishy they were. Then I realized they were so squishy because there were a ton of fresh veggies inside! And they were so good.

If you’re not in the mood for noodles or dumplings, they have an amazing skirt steak on the menu. I never thought I’d like a skirt steak from a restaurant that wasn’t a Spanish steak house, but, you guys, the Grilled Skirt Steak at Mint’s is basically perfect. It’s served with sautéed cauliflower, broccoli and string beans. There is a tamarind sesame sauce on the side. The steak itself is marinated in Thai spices and covered in sesame seeds. There is an Asian twist that makes it so unique. You can taste the soy sauce in the steak marinade. And the steak is always so tender. I definitely recommend trying this out.

What’s especially amazing about Mint’s is their lunch special. They have a two-course lunch for only $8.50! This includes an appetizer AND an entrée for $8.50! So good.

Come check out Mint’s Thai Kitchen in Forest Hills and take advantage of their $8.50 lunch special! For more information, you can visit their website here.

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Leng Thai

Located: 33-09 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106.

I came across Leng’s randomly when I needed a Thai fix off of Seamless. Best random encounter ever. This place is SO good. And the decor is absolutely beautiful. There is even an outdoor patio!

They have amazing Pad See Ew. But here, they call it the Cee Yew Noodle. Pad See Ew is broad rice noodles sautéed with Chinese broccoli, egg, dark soy sauce and some sort of meat. I usually like getting my Pad See Ew with vegetables, but it’s just as good with any meat.

Speaking of meat, they have an amazing beef dish on the menu that is super spicy, for those of you who like spice. Nuea Kra Prow is a beef dish sautéed with onion, chili, string beans, basil, spicy chili and garlic. It’s served with jasmine rice on the side, which I used solely to balance out the spice. I don’t like spice, but I love this. It’s so flavorful, and kind of indescribable.

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My favorite thing on their menu is probably their Pun Sai Moo appetizer. They are Asian steamed buns with grilled pork and Asian slaw, covered in a spicy hoisin sauce. Look at this. They deserve love from every angle:

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Two come per order, and they are perfect in every way. The steamed buns are soft and fluffy, the pork is always cooked flawlessly, and the hoisin sauce makes it a tangy pork bun. So good. You need to try this. I think about these buns all of the time.

Come check out Leng Thai in Astoria and get the pork buns (Pun Sai Moo)!  GET THEM.

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Thai Kitchen by the Sea

Located: 67-20 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Arverne, NY 11692.

My friend Farah lives in Far Rockaway, and suggested we come over and try this amazing Thai place that had just recently opened called Thai Kitchen by the Sea. And it was just as good as she said it was.

It’s a bit far away from Queens College, but worth it because of the area it’s in. It’s near the sea! Rather, by the sea. It’s right down the block from Rockaway Beach, which is a perfect after dinner walk spot. This place could be a mid-beach-day lunch spot.

The decor is so modern, with a ton of seafood- and fisherman-inspired decorations on the walls. We ordered Vegetable Pad Thai and Pad See Ew, and they were both so good. They both had more liquid, which I wasn’t used to. I enjoyed this because no one likes unbearably dry noodles! You can view their full menu here.

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It was a light dinner, and then afterwards we went to the beach for photo ops and to watch the sunset.

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Come check out Thai Kitchen by the Sea and go to Rockaway Beach afterwards!

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Pie Boat Noodle

Located: 35-13 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106.

This place specializes in Thai noodles. They have a variety of soups and noodle dishes. The staff is so friendly and willing to answer any questions you have, and I had a lot.

First off, the interior and exterior is so cute. It looks like a traditional Thai restaurant! It’s also a little dark in there, so it’s a nice date night destination.

Now, let’s talk about the food. Right off the bat a server brings out different sauces and spices you can put into your soup. She brought out fish sauce, sugar, chili flakes, vinegar infused with jalapeños and vinegar infused with green chilies. All. So. Spicy. Except the sugar. Which was an interesting choice because I would have never thought to put sugar in my beef broth soup.

Of course, I had to try my usual Pad See Ew (my favorite Thai dish), and it was exceptional at Pye Boat Noodle. They really do know their noodles! Their Pad See Ew had the right amount of sweet and had a ton of vegetables in it. Look how green that Chinese broccoli is! So pretty.

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They have many soups, including the Boat Noodle With Beef. It comes with dark beef broth with soy, anise, beef meat ball, slices of beef, fish balls and dry pork skin. This dish was interesting– very salty, but still really good.

They also have Baa Mee Phoo Moo Dang, which is a dish with egg noodle, crab meat and roasted pork in a chicken broth. Each soup noodle dish comes with your choice of rice noodle, wide ribbon noodle, egg noodle or vermicelli. You can view their full menu here.

Come check out Pye Boat Noodle and get something out of the ordinary!

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Thank you for reading this post about Thai Cuisine around Queens! I hope you decide to check these places out and possibly step out of your culinary comfort zone! Do you like Thai food? If you’ve never had it, is it something you’re willing to try?

Thai Food lovers: Did I forget to mention your favorite Thai restaurant in Queens? Tell me in a comment below!

Until next time!