Pranakhon - Thai Food in Greenwich Village

See that photo? It's part of the incredible meal we recently had a Pranakhon, a busy, buzzy Thai restaurant in Greenwich Village. Pranakhon's inspiration is the outdoor alley food scene in Bangkok, and the diverse cuisines represented there.

The restaurant itself is much larger than it looks from the outside, with lots of servers in yellow traffic vests darting about the colorful space. One of the first things your server will tell you is that there's a two hour time limit on tables. Still, we found the staff to be polite, friendly, and expert guides to the almost overwhelming menu.

We went with our foodie friend Matthew, the perfect companion for an adventurous meal. Some of our favorite bites: The Curry Pancake starter (roti flatbread stuffed with minced chicken, onion, scallion, egg, curry powder, and cucumber relish), their special Pad Thai, and Crab Fried Rice, with lots of fresh crab meat.

We hadn't planned to get dessert, but when we saw the I-Tim Sundae we had to. I'm still not sure what was in there other than Thai tea ice cream, but it was fabulous and a must-order. Drinks, both alcoholic and non-, are also fun, unusual, and not too sweet.

It was a festive and tasty meal. We're looking forward to exploring the menu further on our next visit. And two hours was almost exactly enough time!

Pranakhon, 88 University Pl., Greenwich Village. Click here for their website.