Stepping from the halls of The Shops at Columbus Circle into the dimly lit, mirrored interior of Twin Tails in NYC feels a bit like stumbling into a portal—or maybe a noir film set circa 1985.
“When guests step into the restaurant, we want them to forget where they are,” says Craig Koketsu, chef/partner at Quality Branded, which is behind the restaurant. The team designed a long hallway entrance to give diners time to transition from the mall into the immersive interior.
And that level of showstopping design is true of all of Quality Branded’s hits, including Bad Roman (in the same complex), Zou Zou’s, and Don Angie. While Quality’s most recent, Bad Roman, winks at Italian food, Twin Tails stays more focused on its source material. Expect a menu of Thai and Vietnamese food with a sprinkle of Laotian and Cambodian influences and a few playful tweaks.
Read on for how that all comes together at Twin Tails in NYC, and make a booking on OpenTable.
What to eat
Seafood dishes shine on the expansive menu at Twin Tails. Get an order of the king crab and uni buns, which incorporate the flavors of chả cá lã vọng, the northern Vietnamese fish dish. “To me, those flavors of turmeric and fresh dill are reminiscent of bread-and-butter pickles,” Koketsu says. “The idea was to do a play on a lobster roll, but instead of lobster, it’s king crab and the uni adds a bit of salinity on top. It’s a wink and nod to two classic dishes.”
Bad Roman fans won’t be surprised to find plenty of splashy head-turners on the menu, including the whole royal dorade served sashimi-style and the garlicky lobster noodle. But one of the most striking dishes is the khao soi that’s been transformed into a large format dish for six or more. A mammoth bone-in beef shank sits in a lake of reduced coconut curry broth with a side of crispy noodle salad.
“We wanted a real showstopper,” Koketsu says. “You have all these components of the traditional khao soi, but the presentation has been just reworked.”
What to drink
Cocktails are the highlight of the drinks menu at Twin Tails, and bar and creative director Bryan Schneider does riffs on familiar staples. Think a Cà Phê Martini, where Vietnamese-style cold brew stands in for the espresso or a Thai Teani with Thai tea-infused vodka.
The salted lychee martini is one of Schneider’s favorites. He wanted to experiment with a drink that’s ubiquitous at many Asian restaurants, so he went about trying the cocktail across the city. “Most of them were a little too sweet, so he wanted to take it in a different direction,” Koketsu says. To that end, he adds a saline solution to cut the sweetness and shakes it with a Makrut lime leaf to give it a floral aroma. “That completely flips the drink—it’s delicious,” Koketsu adds.
A tight selection of beers, creative N/A drinks, and wines (many from France), rounds out the drinks selection.
Where to sit
Though this spacious restaurant seats 140, Twin Tails has used lighting and banquettes to make the restaurant feel extra intimate. “There’s really no bad seats,” Koketsu says. “It just depends on the experience that you’re looking for. There’s a nook for everybody.”
Seats by the window give you panoramic views of Columbus Circle. Bigger groups will get that same view in an elevated area in the dining room. And the restaurant has you covered if you’re looking for a quieter romantic evening as well. “There’s a banquette at the end, close to the window, where you’re sitting right next to each other in the corner,” Koketsu says. “That’s a really cozy, snug table for a date. My wife and I have eaten there—that’s our favorite table.”
When to go
Hot tip: The bar at Twin Tails keeps pouring drinks until 11 pm. “A lot of people come in for later reservations, then on the way out, one of them will see the bar, and they’ll have a cocktail before they leave,” Koketsu says. “So we often do end up staying open later than our stated hours for those guests who want a late-night drink.”
Diana Hubbell is a James Beard Award-winning food and culture journalist based in Brooklyn. Currently an associate editor at Atlas Obscura, she has also written for Eater, The Washington Post, The Guardian, VICE, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, WIRED, and Playboy, among others.
