ELMHURST, QUEENS
Pata Paplean
A twenty-seat Thai bar on Woodside Avenue for small, dark bowls of boat noodles — order two or three.
A Thai bar with about twenty seats on Woodside Avenue, decorated with the kind of happy clutter — stuffed animals, odd vases — that makes it feel more like a back street in Bangkok than Queens. The drinks riff on Thai dishes, and much of the menu has historically been written in Thai.
What Thai Elmhurst knows it for is boat noodles: small bowls of silky rice noodles in a dark broth enriched with pig's blood, with ground pork, a slice of liver and a scatter of herbs — the canal-vendor bowl of central Thailand, served the way it is there, small enough that you order two or three. Tom yum and braised pork broths are the alternatives, and you can ask for any of them dry.
Editor’s tip
Order boat noodles in pairs — one with rice noodles, one with egg noodles — and a dish-inspired cocktail.
Also in the neighborhood
ELMHURST, QUEENS
Sumatera
A rare Sumatran kitchen in Elmhurst — Padang-style rendang, nasi ayam kapau and tongue satay by the LIRR tracks.
Indonesian · Hidden Gem · $
ELMHURST, QUEENS
Zaab Zaab
Fiery Isan cooking from northeast Thailand — duck larb, som tum and crying tiger — at its Elmhurst original.
Thai · Hidden Gem · $$
Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 13, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.