Restaurant in New York City, United States
Somtum Der
150ptsSerious Thai on Avenue A, late hours included.
About Somtum Der
Somtum Der is an Isaan-focused Thai restaurant on Avenue A, ranked #202 in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 Casual North America list. Easy to book, consistently rated at 4.5 across 1,300+ Google reviews, and open until 10:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. A practical, award-tracked choice for late weeknight dining in the East Village.
The Verdict
Somtum Der on Avenue A is one of the more accessible ways to eat well in the East Village on a weeknight, and it runs later than most of its Thai peers in New York City. Opinionated About Dining has ranked it #202 among Casual restaurants in North America for 2025, up from #508 the year before, which is a meaningful jump and a credible signal that quality is trending in the right direction. Booking is easy, the room is compact, and Friday and Saturday nights stretch to 10:30 pm, making this a practical option when you want something serious without the production of a full tasting-menu evening.
About the Restaurant
Somtum Der sits at 85 Avenue A in the East Village, a neighbourhood that rewards restaurants with staying power. Chef Kornthanut Thongnum leads the kitchen, which focuses on Isaan-inflected Thai cooking, a regional style built around fermented flavours, raw papaya salads, and grilled proteins rather than the coconut-heavy dishes that dominate most Thai menus in the city. If your frame of reference for Thai food is pad thai and green curry, this kitchen will reorient that fairly quickly.
The space is small and the layout is close without being uncomfortable. It works well for two people at a table, and the compact scale means the room fills with noise on busy nights, particularly later in the evening. If you are after a quiet, lingering dinner with easy conversation, arrive at opening rather than at 9 pm on a Friday. The physical setup is functional rather than atmospheric, which keeps the focus where it belongs: on the food.
For context on the broader Thai dining scene, the cooking here sits in a different register than what you will find at Fish Cheeks (which skews seafood and southern Thai) or Ayada in Queens (a long-standing neighbourhood standard). Bangkok Supper Club and Chalong offer different formats if your priority is drinks-led dining or a more composed tasting experience. For a single-dish, daytime-only option, Eim Khao Mun Kai is worth knowing about. Somtum Der operates comfortably in the weeknight-dinner and late-ish-dinner slot that none of those venues quite cover in the same way.
Leading Time to Visit
Friday and Saturday are the two nights the kitchen runs until 10:30 pm, which makes Somtum Der a legitimate late option by New York Thai standards. Sunday closes at 10 pm. Monday through Thursday the kitchen closes at 10 pm for dinner service. Lunch runs daily from noon to 4 pm, which is a less common split-service format and worth knowing if you are in the neighbourhood midday. The OAD ranking trajectory and the 4.5 rating across 1,305 Google reviews suggest consistency across both services, but the late-Friday slot is where this restaurant earns its most useful positioning: a credible, award-tracked option when the alternatives have closed.
If you are travelling to New York and want to build a broader picture of where to eat and stay, see our full New York City restaurants guide, our full New York City hotels guide, and our full New York City bars guide. For a wider sense of what a serious Thai meal looks like at the source, Nahm in Bangkok and Samrub Samrub Thai in Bangkok are the regional reference points worth knowing.
Know Before You Go
- Address: 85 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
- Cuisine: Thai (Isaan-focused)
- Chef: Kornthanut Thongnum
- Hours: Monday to Friday 12–4 pm, 6–10 pm (Friday until 10:30 pm); Saturday 12–10:30 pm; Sunday 12–10 pm
- Booking difficulty: Easy
- Awards: Opinionated About Dining Casual North America #202 (2025); #508 (2024); Recommended (2023)
- Google rating: 4.5 across 1,305 reviews
- Leading for: Weeknight dinners, late dining by NYC Thai standards, solo meals, small groups
Explore More in New York City
Browse our full New York City experiences guide and our full New York City wineries guide for broader trip planning. For comparison across other serious American dining rooms, see Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Smyth in Chicago, Providence in Los Angeles, Emeril's in New Orleans, The French Laundry in Napa, and Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg.
Compare Somtum Der
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somtum Der | Thai | Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #202 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #508 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Recommended (2023) | Easy | — | |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Somtum Der good for solo dining?
Yes. The casual format at 85 Avenue A suits solo diners well — there's no omakase counter pressure and no minimum spend to worry about. Lunch hours (12–4 pm daily) are the least crowded window if you want to eat without competing for space. The OAD Casual North America ranking confirms it holds up as a serious meal, not just a neighbourhood fallback.
What are alternatives to Somtum Der in New York City?
For Thai specifically, compare against other OAD-tracked casual spots in Manhattan or Brooklyn before settling on Somtum Der. If you want to spend more and shift cuisine entirely, Atomix is the East Village area's highest-prestige tasting menu option. Somtum Der is the right call when you want a credentialed, relaxed dinner without a tasting-menu commitment or a long booking lead time.
What should I wear to Somtum Der?
This is a casual East Village spot — Avenue A is not a dress-up street. The OAD Casual designation reinforces that: come as you are, no need to plan around a dress code. Jeans and a clean shirt are fine any night of the week.
What should a first-timer know about Somtum Der?
Somtum Der has been ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list every year from 2023 through 2025, which means it has genuine peer recognition behind the name. Chef Kornthanut Thongnum leads the kitchen. The split-session hours (12–4 pm, then 6 pm onward) mean you cannot walk in between those windows, so plan your timing accordingly.
Is lunch or dinner better at Somtum Der?
Dinner gives you more flexibility on a Friday or Saturday when the kitchen runs until 10:30 pm, making it a viable late option by New York Thai standards. Lunch (12–4 pm daily) is quieter and works well for a quicker, lower-key meal. If your priority is atmosphere and a fuller evening, go dinner; if you want a relaxed, unhurried sit, lunch is the better pick.
Is Somtum Der good for a special occasion?
Only if the occasion calls for casual and the group appreciates credentialed Thai cooking over a formal setting. Somtum Der is OAD-ranked but it's an Avenue A restaurant — there's no private dining, no ceremony. For a milestone dinner requiring tablecloths and a wine list, Per Se or Eleven Madison Park are the more appropriate calls.
Does Somtum Der handle dietary restrictions?
Thai cuisine at this level typically involves fish sauce, shrimp paste, and chilli in many preparations, so pescatarians and those with shellfish sensitivities should flag restrictions when ordering. The database does not document specific allergy protocols, so check the venue's official channels before visiting if you have a serious dietary requirement.
Hours
- Monday
- 12–4 pm, 6–10 pm
- Tuesday
- 12–4 pm, 6–10 pm
- Wednesday
- 12–4 pm, 6–10 pm
- Thursday
- 12–4 pm, 6–10 pm
- Friday
- 12–4 pm, 6–10:30 pm
- Saturday
- 12–10:30 pm
- Sunday
- 12–10 pm
Recognized By
More restaurants in New York City
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- AtomixAtomix is the No. 1 restaurant in North America (50 Best, 2025) and one of the hardest reservations in New York: 14 seats, one seating per night, three Michelin stars. Junghyun and Ellia Park's Korean tasting menu pairs precision-sourced ingredients with Korean culinary heritage, explained course by course through hand-designed cards. Book months ahead or plan around a cancellation.
- Eleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park is the definitive case for plant-based fine dining in New York City: three Michelin stars, a 22,000-bottle wine cellar, and an eight-to-ten course tasting menu in a landmark Art Deco room. Book it for a special occasion with a plant-forward appetite and three hours to spare. Reservations open on the 1st of each month and go within hours.
- Jungsik New YorkJungsik is the restaurant that put progressive Korean fine dining on the New York map, and over a decade in, it still holds that position. With two Michelin stars, a 2025 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, and a seasonally rotating nine-course tasting menu in a quietly formal Tribeca room, it earns its $$$$ price point for special occasions and serious dining. Book well in advance.
- DanielDaniel is the benchmark for classic French fine dining in New York: three Michelin stars, a 10,000-bottle cellar, and formal Upper East Side service that has stayed consistent for over 30 years. Book four to six weeks out minimum. At $$$$, it is a genuine special-occasion restaurant, but the wine program alone — 2,000 selections with particular depth in Burgundy and Bordeaux — makes it the strongest wine-and-food pairing destination in its category.
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