East Village Thai Has Closed After Two Decades

Pour out some milky, sweet iced tea for East Village Thai, a tiny, beloved neighborhood fixture.

The East 7th Street hole-in-the-wall has been known to take summer breaks, maybe because the small, open kitchen behind the takeout counter kicked up so much heat. But this time the four-seat restaurant won’t be back. A sign on the shutter thanks customers and says “It has been a true privilege to serve you for these past decades.” Facebook postings from the cheap-eats go-to indicate it is “closed permanently” as of this week. 

East Village Thai was established in 1998, according to one listing. Despite being tucked away in the middle of quiet East 7th Street, it managed to get on the radar of some critics, including Eric Asimov of the Times, who singled it out for praise in 1999. The Daily News ranked its pad thai among the “best of New York” and Thrillist considered it one of the city’s best BYOB restaurants. The restaurant took a hit in 2012, when a gas leak in its building shuttered it for two months and it lost an estimated $10,000. And, of course, a number of buzzier Thai restaurants have opened in the East Village, including Ngam, Somtum Der, and Zabb Elee.

We’ve messaged the restaurant to find out the reason for the closing, and will let you know what we hear.