Fish Cheeks

Fish Cheeks has a special place in my heart. Every time I’m in NYC, I have to come back because the food hits the spot — EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Not only is the food consistently amazing, but the vibe and atmosphere are always on point too. Whether you’re sitting at the bar or at a table, the staff take such great care of you.<br><br>If you’re a fan of seafood and bold flavours, this place is a must-visit. PS: their Punch Drunk Love cocktail and the ice cream are non-negotiable — you NEED to try them!!

A bit disappointed, we were put in the upstairs room which is like a yoga studio / prefab. I thought the restaurant vibe is part of the experience, up there felt like an isolated family room. Secondly, food was very underwhelming small for the price they charge. I have been through countless Thai food in the city, and I believe quantity/quality cost is unjustified. Lastly we brought coffee from outside from earlier of our day and we were asked to leave them downstairs on the food pickup rack. I mean seriously coffee? What’s the big deal? It’s 2 paper cups, you want to put your customer in a mixed mood to start their food by removing something from them.. such poor commercial practice in my opinion. We are already in your restaurant ordering, you think by taking it away from us we will be happy and order coffee? Review your priorities lady..<br><br>In another note, the guy doing the service was extremely knowledgeable on the menu, allergies of all kind and recommending options for diet restrictions.<br><br>Overall mixed experience, will not go back.

This what I was looking for at Soothr and never found. So much better. Marinated raw crab was a challenge to get a meat out. Made you work hard but sauce was everything you want in Thai cuisine. Coconut crab curry, morning glory and fried fish with garden salad delived on taste and flavor. Really enjoyed it

I had been wanting to try Fish Cheeks ever since it first caught my attention in 2022, but I kept putting it off, assuming it might be overhyped and a bit pricey. I couldn’t have been more wrong—I seriously regret not going sooner.<br>I went a few days ago with friends, and I’m still thinking about the meal. Everything we ordered was incredibly delicious, and I was honestly blown away. What really sets this place apart is how boldly the Thai flavors shine through in each dish. This isn’t your typical Thai spot with Pad Thai, Khao Pad, or Tom Yum. Instead, you get more unique, elaborate dishes that are packed with flavor.<br>While everything was great, the standout dishes for me were the braised fish with Thai herbs, prawn karee, and the raw marinated crab. Each one had a perfect balance of sour, sweet, salty, and spicy. As someone who enjoys very spicy food, I especially loved the marinated crab—it definitely brings the heat.<br>The 30 day dry aged beef kaprow was also very flavorful, and the fried egg on top was a nice touch, but I did find it a bit oily and slightly overpriced compared to the other dishes. The zabb wings were good, though I think they could have used a bit more seasoning.<br>Overall, this was an incredible dining experience. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for bold, unique flavors. I’ll definitely be back—and will probably be dreaming about this meal until then.

Amazing seafood-focused Thai restaurant! You won’t find your average Thai dishes on this menu. The Coconut Crab Curry was phenomenal and I highly recommend it. The Rainbow Trout was refreshing, bright, and filling. The Zaab wings and Mussel Gorlae were great apps. Could do without the Beef Kaprow, however, everything was fresh and delicious!

One of the strongest Thai dinner programs in the city.<br><br>I have been going to Fish Cheeks for several years so I have watched it change, expand, and evolve. I want to begin this review by noting that their menu seems to have been mellowed out flavor wise. While I am not certain if this is to appease the weak taste buds of the neighborhood or another reason, I unfortunately feel this has weakened the appeal of the restaurant for me. It is still delicious but I miss how much the spice here used to hit.<br><br>On the most recent visit I ordered the steamed whole fish, the corn salad, the fried cabbage, and the 30 day aged beef.<br><br>The meal begins with complimentary puffed rice cakes and a sweet dipping sauce. While not filling at all, it is a nice touch that elevates the experience and provides a warm welcome.<br><br>The corn salad is delicious with a punchy acidic level and beautifully fresh vegetables. My only note is that the portion changes every single visit. Thankfully on this visit is was the largest we have ever had. It seems like a simple dish but it really hits the spot.<br><br>While not ordered on this visit the zaab zaab wings are amazing. They taste like a more acidic taki seasoning on chicken wings. Again, the number of wings has changed each time we have ordered it so we decided against getting it this visit.<br><br>A must order is one or the whole fish offerings (or all of them). On this visit we got the steamed fish. It is full of lime, cilantro and other fresh herbs and perfectly cooked. It is kept piping hot by a burner on the table. This fish is one of the best seafood preparations in the city. I could eat the entire thing myself even with how filling it is.<br><br>The fried cabbage is a great side for the mains at this restaurant. Perfectly cooked while also being crispy fresh.<br><br>We decided to get the 30 days aged beef this visit. It was fine but the flavored were mellow compared to everything else and the ground texture was a negative contrast with the lightness of the fish we ordered. I would get something else next time.<br><br>The service was attentive and professional. With such a busy restaurant the hosts do a great job of managing the seating and turnover of tables.

this place has been on my list since I tried their crab fried rice at Keith Lees Food Festival last summer at industry city. Hands down the best restaurant I’ve ever eaten at omg amazing. My friend and I had the 2 for $140 meal that came with 3 entrees, a side and 2 appetizers! We had the wings, grilled mussels, branzino, duck curry, crab fried rice and sautéed morning glory. Amazing amazing amazing. Drinks were great, staff was nice. I can’t wait to try the Brooklyn location and to come back here again!

I had a great experience at Fish Cheeks. The food was outstanding — especially the fried rainbow trout, which was absolutely delicious, and the crab fried rice, which was packed with flavor. Our waiter, Vincent, was wonderful — super attentive and gave fantastic recommendations throughout the meal. The music added a great vibe to the dining experience, and even the restrooms were spotless, which I appreciated. The only dish that didn’t quite hit was the wok-fried morning glory, which was just okay compared to everything else. Overall, this place is a total gem and I’d definitely come back!

Went to this place for a restaurant week with the 3 course set menu and I loved the decor and ambience, and the food was good but didn’t do a good job differentiating itself from the other top Thai places in manhattan (think Soothr, Tha Phraya). The raw crab was good but not easy to get the meat off and a bit too spicy for me. I liked the grilled branzino a lot, and it was quite filling. It came with a coconut / lime / something else sauce and overcooked rice. Didn’t love the ice cream at the end, the mixture of the sticky rice, ice cream, palm seeds, and extremely crunchy coconut didn’t mesh well texturally. I liked the Thai iced tea, not sure if I’d come back in the next 6 months. The bathroom was clean and the service was good.

Overall this was not a good experience.<br>The good: We ordered two appetizers and three entrees. We loved the mussel gorlae, which tasted like barbeque mussels with a delicious peanut based sauce. The mussels were cooked perfectly, which is not an easy feat. The entrees of the choo chee scallop was also cooked perfectly and the sauce was spicy and aromatic, it was our favorite dish of the night. We also got the grilled mackrel. It was light, refreshing, crunchy, sweet and salty. A perfect blend of flavors and our second favorite dish of the night. Servers were great and service was quick.<br><br>The not so good:<br>We also got the shrimp in 3 crab sauce. I personally found it to be way too acidic with no other elements to balance. I personally did not enjoy it but my partner did. The shrimps were a nice soft texture however.<br>The crab curry was something we were looking forward to as we had had it at previous visits. It was okay. The crab was cooked nicely. The curry was just okay. It was lacking in flavor. It was also room temperature when it arrived at the table, I am not sure if its meant to be served like that.<br>All this would have been okay and I would have given a 4/5 rating, but the worst part of this experience was the COLD! We were seated close to the door and we had our jackets on and freezing the entire time. We saw other diners who were also close to the door asking to move tables. We were never apologized to for the cold or offered anything. I think this was really poor hospitality on their part. The servers and hostesses were working hard and I know this is probably out of their control. I think management needs to remember why they are in this business. We rushed eating our dinner and didn't bother with dessert because we were so cold and just wanted to get out of there. Overall just not a great experience.<br><br>Conclusion: I would recommend this restaurant if its a warm day or if you can specifically ask for a table far from the main entrance or upstairs but I won't be returning any time soon!

I went for the restaurant week but I would recommend to have the regular instead of the RW menu. Everything is a little too salty for me. The ice cream is a little too sweet. I d prefer harder noodle for the Jae O Mama Tomyum. The snapper is fine but I don’t like the sauce. I have been here before and strongly recommend their regular menu.

This is a seafood-focused Thai restaurant. We ordered the raw shrimp, squid ink calamari, crab curry, steamed fish, and ice cream. Overall, the food is good. The standout was definitely the steamed fish, very flavorful, with an amazing sauce that’s sour, salty, and spicy, and the fish itself was tender and perfectly cooked. The crab curry with rice was also very solid and satisfying.<br><br>The calamari and raw shrimp were fine but not particularly memorable. Service was excellent, attentive and friendly throughout the meal.<br><br>Overall, it’s a good restaurant, but compared to other Thai restaurants in NYC, it’s more expensive without being noticeably more impressive.

Been here twice already! The food here is insanely delicious—rich and packed with bold flavors. This place gets very crowded, so a reservation is a must. Totally worth coming!<br><br>Appetizers (HIGHLY recommend trying both):<br>• Zaab Wings – Addictively spicy and tangy, perfectly seasoned.<br>• Mussel Gorlae – Mussels coated in a flavorful, spicy curry glaze, grilled beautifully with a smoky finish.<br><br>Dishes:<br>• Rawaaeng Duck Curry – Duck was tender and paired well with the spicy curry sauce, though the duck itself was slightly bland.<br>• Crab Fried Rice – Generous chunks of crab mixed throughout; sooo good.<br>• Steamed Fish with Thai Herbs – Very tender fish with strong cilantro and lime flavors. The broth is sour but incredibly satisfying—easy to devour with a whole bowl of rice.<br>• Pakboong Fai Dang – Morning glory with a great wok-smoky flavor.<br><br>Atmosphere: Amazing energy and vibe. Definitely a repeat customer.

This restaurant is probably one of the best I’ve been to in awhile. We ordered the Zaab Wings, the Fried Fish Garden Salad, and the Duck Curry. Everything arrived promptly but I never felt like they rushed us out. Food was extremely fresh and packed with flavor. The fried fish was my favorite, texture was perfectly crisp and it had so much flavor with just a hint of spice. The Zaab wings were also a standout, perfect texture with juicy meat inside, the spicy lime flavor had a really nice depth to it. I enjoyed the duck curry as well but didn’t stand out as much as the other dishes and while I loved the taste, I felt the duck was a bit on the chewy side. Portions were great though for 2 people, everything is meant to be shared and we felt it was the perfect amount of food.<br><br>Atmosphere was nice as well, I really loved their commitment to the fish decor, it’s nice when restaurants have a theme in my opinion, and the service was really good. My only complaint was it felt a little crowded, tables were pretty close together and it was a bit loud.

I had dinner at this Thai restaurant and overall it’s a high quality spot with a great atmosphere. They offer a wide selection of wines, and each one comes with suggested food pairings, which I really appreciated.<br><br>Most of their dishes lean toward the spicy side, but the ones I tried weren’t actually very hot. The only downside for me was that several dishes were noticeably salty. If you’re not eating them with rice, it can feel a bit heavy and you’ll definitely need some water.<br><br>Service was excellent and the food quality was solid overall. However, out of the two oysters I ordered, one had a slight bitterness and didn’t have that clean, fresh oyster flavor you’d expect. On the other hand, the fried fish was amazing super crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside, and tasted very fresh.<br><br>For dessert, they only offer one option: the cocoa sticky rice. It was good, but a bit too sweet for my taste. I usually enjoy bold flavors, but this place was even richer and saltier than I expected. I’d recommend pairing the dishes with rice or a salad to balance things out.