TOM YUM Week Debuts in NYC September 16 – 30, 2026

The first ever Tom Yum Week in New York City celebrates the vibrant cuisine and culture of Thailand through innovative collaborations between restaurants and artists, turning restaurants into creative spaces to tell the stories behind the cuisines and explore the ties between cuisine and art to highlight food not only as something to eat, but as a cultural medium that inspires storytelling and introduces contemporary Thai creativity to new audiences.

Each restaurant experience will be unique with artists creating digital art, multi-sensory experiences, augmented reality, virtual worlds, sound and music landscapes, or interactive presentations to connect the diner with Thai cooking and heritage. Participating restaurants will collaborate with artists and creators on special menus, dishes, and experiences, including: Charoen Krungu, Dock Asian Eatery, Gigi Curry & Noodle Bar, Godunk Thai Street Food, Kati Thai Cuisine, KRU, Lalyn, Lucky Bar, Narkara, Saolea, Sala Thai, Samyan, SEA, SkyIce, Thai Pavilion, Valla Table, and Zabb PuTawn.

Here's how it works! The collaborations will either involve special prix-fixe menus or new dishes that are interpreted by artists or the artists will respond to existing dishes on the menus. Every collaboration will include an artist designed menu with QR code to additional digital content including graphics, videos, virtual worlds and more. The Tom Yum Week Organizer is Program Director, Jay Chorphaka.

Group 1: Tom Yum Week Debuts
Restaurants introduce a new dish, drink, prix-fixe menu or food experience during Tom Yum Week, with the degree of innovation varying from some familiar culinary forms offered by the restaurant for the first time to original concepts developed specifically for the festival and/or co-created with the artists.

Group 2: Artist Responses to Existing Dishes
Restaurants present an existing or signature dishes as the starting point for the artists to respond through their own practices, creating a new visual, digital, spatial, sonic or participatory layer around the food.

Participating Restaurants & Artist Collaborations - Group 1:

Charoen Krung 955 2nd Ave, New York, NY; www.charoenkrungnyc.com

Project: Echoes of Taste
Artists: Hang Him to the Scales (@hhtts_band) and Krishamon Busayarat (@kris4_b):

New Menu 9/16-30: Thai-Chinese Prix-Fixe Menu ($39)
Charoen Krung will debut a special Thai-Chinese prix-fixe menu featuring steamed chive dumplings, a choice of Beef Bak Kut The (slow-braised beef with Chinese herbs, spices and Thai aromatics) or Khao Man Gai (steamed chicken with Chinese wine and ginger-infused chicken rice), plus a choice of drink for $39. The menu explores how Chinese culinary traditions traveled to Thailand, adapted over generations and became part of everyday Thai food culture. Artists Hang Him to the Scales and Kris will translate the layered Thai-Chinese identity of Bangkok’s Charoen Krung Road into music, synesthetic imagery and augmented reality.

Godunk Thai Street Food 332 Bowery, New York, NY; https://godunknewyork.com

Artists: Cool Dub Club (@cooldubclub.th), Ruchika Shah (@ruchiks13) and Natthorn Tansurat (@natthornt):

New Dish: Khao Jee & Larb Wagyu ($28)
Godunk’s dish begins with a memory of Isan: Khao Jee (grilled sticky rice), a humble everyday food deeply connected to Northeastern Thai life that will be served with Larb Wagyu. Developed specifically for Tom Yum Week, the dish captures the balance of fire, freshness and everyday Isan food memories. Artists Natthorn Tansurat, Ruchika Shah, and Cool Dub Club expand this idea through painting, moving image, tactile forms, and sound—transforming kitchen noises, Isan influences, color, texture, and communal eating into a multi-sensory environment.

KRU 190 N. 14th St, Brooklyn, NY; www.krubrooklyn.com
Artists: Emily Marie Duncan (@emilyslamduncan), Pae Piyatida (@paebassinet) and STGZ (@stargazer.bkk)

New Dish: Beef Tongue Jungle Curry paired with a drink
KRU’s Beef Tongue Jungle Curry reimagines historical Thai culinary traditions through contemporary technique and New York energy. Served with a beer, wine or sake pairing, the dish highlights the depth, spice and intensity of jungle curry while reflecting KRU’s rooted in history approach to Thai food. Artists Emily Marie Duncan, Pae Piyatida and STGZ will layer storytelling, visual material and Molam-inspired electronic sound around the curry’s heat and cultural history. (Molam is a traditional form of sung storytelling and folk music from the Isan region of Northeastern Thailand.) Sample sound files here.

Lalyn 237 W. 35th St, New York, NY; www.lalynnyc.com

Artists: Art Parnitudom (@prntdm) and TAKARA WONG (@takarawongstudios)
Reception: Wednesday, September 16 · 7pm – 9pm; $45 · Tickets via Resy

New Menu 9/16-30: Tom Yum Week Prix-Fixe Menu and Artist-Co-Created Food Experience ($69)

Lalyn will offer a 3-course menu including Pak Mor Luy Suan (steamed rice dumpling with shrimp and vegetables), Khao Yum Pla (grilled fish, Southern curry paste, herbs, crispy fish, sour-fruit gel and Khai Krob), and Squid Ink Tom Yum Spaghetti with seared prawn, squid and scallop, Tom Yum sauce, chili and Thai herbs. Guests choose a signature cocktail to pair with the menu: Lunar Blossom (Osmanthus Vodka, botanical liqueur, pandan, soda), Fire Me to the Moon (mezcal, Prik Pao, Thai rum, palm sugar, Italicus), and Siam Smoke (Nikka whisky, Thai tea-infused coconut rum, toasted coconut, Thai candle smoke). Art Parnitudom and TAKARA WONG expand the experience to film and fashion.

Lucky Bar 168 Avenue B, New York, NY; www.luckyonb.com

Project: God’s Eye Called “Lucky Strike” & The Standard Model of Tom Yum

Artists: Wave Pongruengkiat (@wvweeratouch) and Achitaphon Piansukprasert (@afpachitaphon)

New: Tom Yum Cocktail
Lucky Bar’s new Tom Yum Cocktail transforms the iconic soup’s sour, spicy, aromatic profile into a drink. Built around a Tom Yum reduction with coconut water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, galangal, Thai chili, lime and fish sauce, the cocktail offers a bright, unexpected interpretation of a familiar Thai dish. Wave Pongruengkiat and Achitaphon Piansukprasert use interactive technology and cinematic visuals to extend the drink into an atmospheric experience shaped by bubbles, light and movement.

Narkara 5 E. 17th St, New York, NY; www.narkaranyc.com

Working project title: The Unseen Taste of Thailand
Artists: Punrakpundin Studio (@punrakpundin_studio) and Yant Studio (@yantstudio)

New: Tom Yum Goong Street-Snack Trio
Narkara reworks three classic Thai street snacks with a Tom Yum Goong shrimp filling created especially for Tom Yum Week: Tom Yum Khanom Krok — a crisp shell with a creamy coconut center and spicy shrimp topping; Saku Sai Goong Tom Yum — soft tapioca pearls wrapped around Tom Yum shrimp filling, and Khao Kriab Pak Mor Tom Yum — delicate rice-flour wrappers filled with Tom Yum shrimp. Each snack delivers the sour, spicy and savory character of Tom Yum through a distinct texture, while the artists Punrakpundin Studio and Yant Studio connect the food with ceramics, ritual symbolism, and handmade objects.

SkyIce 63 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY; https://skyice.net
Artists: Sibeclop (@sibeclopnft) and Eggyolkcity (@eggyolkct)

New: Tom Yum Sorbet
SkyIce introduces a playful Tom Yum Sorbet dessert with the savory, aromatic intensity of Tom Yum. Its visual world extends beyond the plate through illustrated ingredient characters by artists Sibeclop and Eggyolkcity that transform each ingredient into a character with its own personality in posters, collectible cards and animation.

Participating Restaurants & Artist Collaborations - Group 2:

Dock Asian Eatery 22 Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn, NY; https://dockasianeatery.com

Project: Yum Yum Boom!
Artists: Pang × Boon (@stacking_grammar) and Stupidshittttttttt (@stupidshittttttttt)

Four Signature Dishes include KraPow Volcano, Chiang Mai-style Khao Soi, Spicy Miso Ramen, and Mala Wings. Dock Asian Eatery spotlights four signatures that span across Thai, Japanese and pan-Asian comfort food: KraPow Volcano (sautéed minced pork with chili, garlic and basil, served with a fried runny egg and rice on a sizzling plate); Chiang Mai Noodles / Khao Soi  (Northern Thai braised chicken in aromatic yellow-curry broth with egg noodles, onion and pickled cabbage); Spicy Miso Ramen (pork bone broth with chashu pork, sweet corn, scallions, bamboo shoots and butter); Mala Wings (fish-sauce-marinated fried wings tossed with numbing mala chili, garlic and sesame). Artists Pang × Boon and Stupidshittttttttt extend the menu into a playful interactive experience, inviting diners to combine physical ingredient pieces and discover animated food characters connected to each dish.

Gigi Curry and Noodle Bar 264 Bleecker St, Brooklyn, NY; https://eatgigi.com

Project: PHED NOISE — เผ็ดน้อยส์
Artists: BREUUBOY (@breuuboy), Yims (@7im.ssss) and Chino (@chinosiciliano):

Dish: Crispy Chili Pork Dry Noodles ($28) - Gigi Curry and Noodle Bar’s Crispy Chili Pork Dry Noodles is a bold dry noodle dish built around contrast: crisp and tender textures alongside spicy, savory, aromatic and lightly tangy flavors. Artists BREUUBOY, Yims and Chino take the heat, crunch, and sizzle of crispy chili pork dry noodles and translates them into image, color, and sound. The work treats spiciness as a full sensory event rather than just a flavor.

Kati Thai Cuisine 347 E 14th St, New York, NY; https://katithai.com

Project: PLATES of BECOMING THAINESS
Artists: Kriangsak Raksadeja (@boi1721) and KAWIN (@_kawin.z)

Signature Dish and Cocktail Pairings - Kati Thai Cuisine presents a pairing of two signature dishes — Cashew Chicken and Skirt Steak Panang —with 3 signature cocktails: Kati Fresh Beat, Thai Tea Velvet and Mango Margarita. Artists KR17 and KAWIN use ingredients, cooking sounds and preparation techniques as artistic material, transforming sound vibrations into cymatic visual patterns that can appear across graphics, menus and tactile elements in the restaurant.

Sala Thai 307 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY; https://salathainyc.com

Project: CHARM / ชาม
Artists: Fai Chittayasodhara (@fyearchived) and Pinky Arunwattanamongkol (@ppinkky_)

Full Menu + Fortune Telling Game (link to game) - Sala Thai’s complete menu becomes the inspiration for artists Fai Chittayasodhara and Pinky Arunwattanamongkol to create a digital fortune-telling experience in which guests receive playful predictions about love, health, wealth and work.

Samyan 848 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY; samyanbklyn.com

Featured dishes: Pad Thai Mun Goong (ผัดไทยมันกุ้ง) and Pad Thai Boran (ผัดไทยโบราณ)
Artist: Braty Collective (@bratybkk)

Pad Thai with an Artist-Led Seasoning Experience - Samyan will feature their signature Pad Thai as an artist-led seasoning experience. The dish will arrive without its final seasoning and diners will use a traditional Thai tabletop condiment set (พวงเครื่องปรุง) to adjust fish sauce, sugar, chili and vinegar according to their own taste led by a video by Braty Collective.

Saolea 140 W 4th St, New York, NY; www.saoleanyc.com Newly Opened Thai Wine Bar

Project: Let the Wine Talk
Artists: Aria Ekasilapa (@ariasiewli) and Mengtists / Theerawat Klangjareonchai (@mengtists)

Lotus Root Chips with Larb Seasoning ($12) - New Thai wine bar Saolea’s Lotus Root Chips with larb seasoning turn the crisp, delicate texture of lotus root into a contemporary Thai snack for wine pairing. Artists Aria Ekasilapa and Mengtists interpret the dish through the language of wine tasting, translating its ingredients into appearance, aroma and taste through wine-painted imagery and generative motion.

SEA Thai Brooklyn 114 N 6th St, Brooklyn, NY; www.seausathai.com

Project: Lost in Taste, Found in Faith (หลงรส พบธรรม)
Artists: Sangsunz (@sangsunz_) and DJPleum (@djpleum)

Spicy Chicken Basil Wrap ($13.50) - Sea Thai Brooklyn’s Spicy Chicken Basil Wrap combines Thai-style savory chicken, fragrant basil, bell peppers and onion in iceberg-lettuce cups with black hoisin and creamy peanut dipping sauces adding sweetness, depth and richness. Artists Sangsunz and DJPleum build an exploratory digital world around the wrap through illustration, surreal 3D imagery and augmented reality.

Thai Pavilion 24 W 56th St, New York, NY; www.thaipavilionnyc.com
Artists: Sophie Piczenik (@piczenik) and Nicults (@nicults)

Shrimp Coconut Panipuri - Thai Pavilion’s Shrimp Coconut Panipuri transforms the crisp Indian street-food shell into a one-bite Thai-inspired snack that balances crunch, tropical freshness and gentle heat. Artists Sophie Piczenik and Nicults stage the dish inside a miniature vintage box theatre, where its story unfolds through a playful meeting of Thai, Indian and New York cultural influences.

Valla Table 641 10th Ave, New York, NY; www.vallatable.com

Project: Khao Yum Yum Yum
Artists: Bunjerd.Boy (@bunjerd.boy) and DUNNO CLUB (@dunno.theworld)

Khao Yum Yum Yum ($35) - Valla Table’s Khao Kyam Poo is a crab rice dish built around butterfly-pea rice, colossal crab, crispy pork cracklings, fried chili and garlic, mango, red onion, lime and the restaurant’s signature hot sauce. Served as distinct components, it is customizable and gives diners control over the final balance of flavor, color and texture as they mix their own plate. Artists Bunjerd.Boy and Dunno respond to this ingredient architecture by revealing each component as part of a visual system that becomes complete only through the diner’s act of mixing.

Zabb PuTawn 1584 1st Ave, New York, NY; www.zabbputawn.com

Project: Blue Heritage
Artists: Benxblues (@benxblues.archive) and Arpo (@poyeypoloyey)

Ten-Year Anniversary Prix-Fixe Menu ($42) - Zabb PuTawn celebrates its 10th anniversary with a 3-course menu that journeys through Northern and Isan Thai cooking. Dishes include Som Tum Thai (green papaya salad), followed by a choice of Gaeng Om Gai (Isan soup), Khanom Jeen Nam Ngiao (noodles and pork rib curry) or Larb Pla Duk (catfish salad). Artists Benxblues and Arpo reinterpret traditional blue-and-white Lai Khram ceramics as a contemporary visual setting for the menu, combining cobalt patterns, playful illustration and hidden details connecting the anniversary to Thai craft and dining culture.

For more information, visit Tom Yum Week 2026 — Sep 16–30, NYC. 

Photo Credit: Lalyn-Courtesy of Tom Yum Week