Little Grenjai

"Your Order: The Krapow Smashburger ($11).  Even without a gas connection and a sizzling hot grill, the krapow smashburger at this fledgling Thai American diner in Bed-Stuy was magnificent. Now available at lunch, and charred on a proper grill, the burger is topped with american cheese, holy basil, lemongrass-y giardiniera, and a spicy-sweet special sauce. It’s worth making up a dentist’s appointment to enjoy one on a barstool in the front window. " - willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, bryan kim

"Little Grenjai is a new Thai restaurant with a head-turning burger: It’s made with a pork and beef patty, Thai basil, pickled peppers, and a spicy sauce made from shrimp heads. The sandwich is only served at lunch, but there are plenty of reasons to plan a separate visit at dinner when the menu includes holy basil fried rice and a crunchy rice salad with sausage. The small restaurant has about 30 seats with reservations for dinner available on Resy." - Luke Fortney, Eater Staff

"Coming to Little Grenjai feels like stopping by a friend’s house for homemade burgers—good ones, without the smoke alarms. And sure, the owners of this Thai-American spot in Bed-Stuy are not actually our friends. But we’ve come here so many times over the past few months that we hope we’re on our way.  On our first visit, Little Grenjai was making smashburgers out of a kitchen that had no gas. (We’ve heard National Grid is annoying.) Now they have a functioning grill, a diner-like space with red tables and black-and-white tiled floors, and a full menu of their takes on Thai classics, but we return here for the same reason—a thai-style smashburger and tea cake, eaten at lunch on a chrome stool in the front window.  During the day you’ll find groups of friends who model occasionally and have hours to spare parked in the singular booth against the wall. The tables are so close together that you’ll end up comparing orders (burgers, with or without fried duck eggs) with the people next to you. There’s also no table service, so you’ll order at the counter and chat with the owner, who’s out of thai tea but just made an espresso if you want one.  At night, the battery-powered tea lights on each table are turned on, and the burger is replaced by Thai small plates and natural wine. It’s a casual—yet aggressively charming—place to catch up with a friend over saucy clams on a thick slab of brioche, but some of the more traditional takes on Thai dishes on the menu fall a little flat—a plate of pad thai is small and limp, and the crispy rice salad might benefit from more crisp. And, if you’ve eaten the burger before, you’ll end up missing it.  With a constantly changing menu that we hope might one day feature , Little Grenjai feels like it's still finding its footing. For now, take a long lunch break, or make up a dentist’s appointment to enjoy a midday meal on a barstool in the front window. Bring someone or don’t—either way, make sure to order your own burger.  " - Willa Moore

"Little Grenjai is a full-service restaurant known for its Thai cuisine, including a 'krapow' smash burger inspired by the Thai stir fry dish pad krapow, featuring ground beef and Thai basil." - Luke Fortney

"For months, I've been following along on this Bed-Stuy Thai spot's Instagram as the team behind it tested the waters with pop-up dinners and traipsed to Thailand to collect ingredients and tableware. Now that it's open at last, I can't get enough. Not only is it super cute—and cozy, the wise will make a reservation—with its black-and-white checkerboard tile and cherry red tabletops, it also has some fabulous food on a tight little menu, which removes the burden of too-much-choice. The krapow smashburger ($11), a lunch-only option with a pork-beef patty, American cheese, pickled hot peppers, and Thai basil, is getting its rightful due for being one of the best burgers in the city right now. But the dinner menu is just as special, in particular the holy basil minced pork ($17) and crispy sea bass ($36)." - Charlie Hobbs