Restaurant in New York City, United States
Soothr
250ptsBold regional Thai; go with a group.
About Soothr
Soothr is the East Village Thai restaurant that has earned Opinionated About Dining Casual North America recognition three years in a row (2023–2025), and it rewards repeat visits more than first ones. Come with a group of three or four to cover a wide, regionally specific menu, and consider the bar for solo visits — the cocktail program is genuinely worth your time. Booking ahead for dinner is advisable; the room fills consistently.
Should You Go Back to Soothr? Yes — and the Second Visit Is Better Than the First
If you went to Soothr once and liked it, go again. The kitchen at 204 E 13th St in the East Village has been earning its stripes consistently enough to rank on the Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America list three years running — Recommended in 2023, #277 in 2024, and #281 in 2025. That kind of sustained recognition tells you this is not a flash-in-the-pan opening. What changes on a return visit is your confidence to order wider and deeper into a menu that rewards exactly that.
What Soothr Is
Chef Nate Lingwan runs a regional Thai kitchen that takes the cuisine seriously without turning the room into a lecture. The interior reads warm and lived-in: weathered wood beams, tufted red leather booths, lanterns, and a back garden that pulls its weight in the warmer months. There is also a bar fitted with an antique telephone , a detail that signals the room has a personality. The back garden, in particular, is worth requesting if you are visiting in season.
The OAD citation points to bold, zippy seasoning across the board. Roasted eggplant salad is flagged as a strong opener; grilled pork salad arrives in a spicy lime and chili dressing that is described as turbocharged. The menu is sizeable, which is a practical consideration: come with a group of three or four if you want to cover real ground. Solo or two-leading visits are fine, but you will leave aware that you missed a third of the menu.
The Bar and Counter Experience
The bar at Soothr is not a waiting area , it is a legitimate place to eat. The cocktail program is noted as thoughtful in the OAD record, which means this is a room where drinks have been given actual consideration rather than assembled as an afterthought. If you are a solo diner or a pair who wants a more casual entry point into the food, the bar is the right seat. You get the full kitchen output, a more spontaneous pace, and a better sightline to the room's character. For groups, the booths and garden anchor the experience. But for an explorer who wants to order a few dishes across the menu and let the meal breathe, the bar counter is the move.
Antique telephone behind the bar is a useful orientation marker , sit near it and you are in the social center of the room, not tucked into a corner.
How Soothr Compares in NYC Thai
Within the New York City Thai category, Soothr operates at a different register than many competitors. Fish Cheeks in Nolita focuses on Thai seafood with a more contemporary presentation. Ayada in Elmhurst is the value standard-bearer for regional Thai in the outer boroughs. Bangkok Supper Club leans into a more modern, event-driven format. Chalong and Eim Khao Mun Kai each occupy narrower lanes. Soothr's advantage is the combination of a broad regional menu, a genuine room with character, and three consecutive years of OAD recognition , that is a more durable case for a repeat booking than novelty alone.
If your interest in Thai food extends beyond New York, Nahm in Bangkok and Samrub Samrub Thai in Bangkok represent the source-country benchmark for the kind of regional depth Soothr is working toward. Knowing those rooms makes Soothr's ambition clearer.
Practical Details
Reservations: Booking difficulty is rated Easy on Pearl, but the OAD record notes the room fills fast , book ahead for weekend dinner rather than relying on walk-in availability. Hours: Monday through Thursday and Sunday 12–3:30 pm and 5–10 pm; Friday and Saturday 12–3:30 pm and 5–11 pm. Location: 204 E 13th St, East Village, New York, NY 10003. Group size: Three to four people is the format that gets the most out of the menu; solo and two-leading visits work well at the bar. Google rating: 4.7 across 4,128 reviews , a high volume of strong ratings that tracks with the OAD recognition.
Pearl Picks , Explore Further
- Our full New York City restaurants guide
- Our full New York City hotels guide
- Our full New York City bars guide
- Our full New York City wineries guide
- Our full New York City experiences guide
- Fish Cheeks , Thai seafood in Nolita
- Ayada , regional Thai in Elmhurst
- Bangkok Supper Club
- Chalong
- Eim Khao Mun Kai
- Nahm , Thai in Bangkok
- Samrub Samrub Thai , Bangkok
- Emeril's in New Orleans
- Lazy Bear in San Francisco
- Alinea in Chicago
- Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg
- The French Laundry in Napa
- Providence in Los Angeles
Compare Soothr
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Soothr | — | |
| Le Bernardin | $$$$ | — |
| Atomix | $$$$ | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | $$$$ | — |
| Masa | $$$$ | — |
| Per Se | $$$$ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Soothr and alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a first-timer know about Soothr?
Come with at least three people. The menu is large and built around regional Thai specialties — the OAD record specifically calls out dishes like roasted eggplant salad, grilled pork salad, chicken khao soi, and pork blood soup as highlights worth ordering across the table. Chef Nate Lingwan's kitchen runs best when you're covering ground, not ordering one or two dishes solo. Book ahead; Pearl rates the booking difficulty as Easy, but OAD notes the room fills fast, especially on weekends.
Can I eat at the bar at Soothr?
Yes, and it's a real option, not a fallback. The bar at 204 E 13th St is fitted out with an antique telephone and anchors the main room — it's a deliberate design choice, not a waiting area. The cocktail program is noted as thoughtful in Soothr's OAD record, so pairing bar seats with a few dishes from the regional menu is a workable plan, particularly if you're dining as a pair and couldn't get a booth.
Does Soothr handle dietary restrictions?
Soothr's menu leans heavily on meat, seafood, and fermented ingredients that are standard in regional Thai cooking — which means vegetarians and those avoiding shellfish-based seasonings should ask specifically before ordering. The menu is sizeable enough that there are options to work with, but this is not a kitchen that leads with dietary accommodation. If vegetarian Thai is the priority, Fish Cheeks in Nolita has more explicit flexibility on that front.
What is Soothr known for?
Soothr is primarily known for Thai in New York City.
Hours
- Monday
- 12–3:30 pm, 5–10 pm
- Tuesday
- 12–3:30 pm, 5–10 pm
- Wednesday
- 12–3:30 pm, 5–10 pm
- Thursday
- 12–3:30 pm, 5–10 pm
- Friday
- 12–3:30 pm, 5–11 pm
- Saturday
- 12–3:30 pm, 5–11 pm
- Sunday
- 12–3:30 pm, 5–10 pm
Recognized By
More restaurants in New York City
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- 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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