Kalaya

The food here is outstanding, but even more incredible is the community-minded focus. In a time of need for so many, Kalaya has been offering “Phamily meals” for hospitality industry workers in need of a to-go meal. Take a cue and support our local businesses however you can. They are worth it!

It was delicious. Very spicy!

Very friendly service with good advice on what to order including spice levels and quantities. I have been to Pok Pok in Brooklyn and have eaten in Thailand, the food at Kalaya is very authentic which is unusual in the Philadelphia area.

All of the food was delicious. Some of the offerings are a little spicy, but they warn you on the menu. A couple of the items are a little small for the price, but the food is so good it doesn't matter. Definitely a must try.

The food was so delicious and the owner was so attentive and gracious. I’ve lived here for two years and one of my favorite dining experiences to date. Get the Tom yum soup

Great food, ambiance and service. Definitely would recommend going there for lunch or dinner.

The most flavorful creative Thai cuisine that I've ever eaten, we had a special soup for our main course that was simply amazing!
The dumplings were incredibly beautiful and delicious!

As part of my job, I normally travel to Asia 7x per year. Given the current circumstances, I am grounded, but the silver lining is, I actually want to dive into Philly's Asian food scene. The adventure started with Kalaya and now the bar has been set very high! We had the som tum (spicy, which I loved), the shrimp ceviche (a little scary at first because the shrimp is literally gray, but the dish is delicious), the tofu curry (fantastic with a nice hint of lemongrass), and the monkfish (also great). To accompany the dishes and alleviate some of the burning in our mouths from the spice, we had sticky, Jasmine, and coconut rice. At the end, we somehow had room for the dessert which was a pineapple Panna Cotta parfait (I can't remember everything in it). Also superb. Our server, Alyssa, was outstanding and gave great advice about how much and what to order. And the owner, Nok, was very visible on the floor, serving food and checking on the guests. She and her staff have done an absolutely tremendous job with Kalaya. I felt like I was dining at a neighborhood restaurant in Southern Thailand. 6 stars. Oh, and don't forget to bring your own Singha since it's a BYOB!

The best. Thank you so much.

The menu was explained as soon as we sat down. The service was excellent and food was delicious. We will definitely be back.

Great food! Wonderful & engaged owners. Fun evening

Some of the best food in the city! The service was excellent as well.

First visit lived up to all expectations. Goat curry, flower dumplings and crabmeat curry were delicious. Some of the items with more than one x were certainly spicy but wouldnt expect anything less from this place which is probably the best thai food I have had in Philly. Can’t wait to come back

Kalaya has some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had. The staff is always friendly, extremely knowledgeable and offer great suggestions. The owner visited our table and was super pleasant! I’ll be back soon!

Great experience. Bit of a wait to be seated even with a reservation, but the food was worth it. Had a great seat by the front window. Service and ambiance were great. Can’t wait to go back.

So delicious, so fun and welcoming. outstanding service! The best Thai food I have ever had!!

This exquisite restaurant is a must go. There is food for everyone from vegan to carnivore. Do not be scared off by the "Oh it's so spicy" reputation. There are entrees for all from spicy to not spicy. The salads are incredible as well.

Went there for a benefit dinner. Everything was very good. I would just caution people if you are not into hot spicy food you may not want to try this great restaurant.

Dined with well-travelled group of Culinary professionals and all were blown away by the deep flavor, beautiful presentation, and generous hospitality. Go. Enjoy.

Lines form outside the restaurant. The owner stood outside and controls flow of guests entering- those with reservations and those without. She is pleasant and as new James Beard award winner, probably doesn’t need to be anymore. But if you are not the easygoing type, her personality can easily offend. The venue is quite small probably 8 tables in all, so seated close to neighboring guests. Sound level in small space is moderately loud, sometimes hard to hear dinnermate across from you. The food was unlike any other Thai restaurant we’ve been to- unabashedly authentic and spicy which we thoroughly enjoyed. Waitstaff is great, knowledgeable, service is quick (explains why no substitutions/edits allowed). Overall, good. I would order takeout next time and bypass waiting for reservations to open up and the whole in-restaurant experience.

This is the best Thai food, if not the best food in Philadelphia. The staff is warm, friendly and make you feel like you’re one of the family. It’s clear why Kalaya Is a James Beard nominee for best new restaurant 2029. I can’t recommend any one thing on the menu because everything is outstanding!!!

Excellent food and service. We were immediately seated at our reservation time. A little crowded so be prepared to hear your table neighbors conversations. Expect family style, spice and leaving extremely full! Plan for $40.00 - $50.00 per person.

I haven’t had such a remarkable and memorable meal in a long while. Kudos to the chefs and team for being so thoughtful and overall great humans - it really shows. Thank you!

FANTASTIC FOOD! Kalaya has very authentic Thai cuisine with amazing flavor profiles. This is an extremely special place and unique menu, I don’t think there is any place remotely similar to this in Philadelphia. The menu is ideal for people with a high spice tolerance, but there are some lower spice options on the menu. Overall I would highly recommend this place to any adventurous foodies!

The food is just phenomenal

The food is amazing - especially loved the curry chicken and jasmine rice. The chef came out and talked to us and even gave us extra chicken when she heard how much we were enjoying it. The Thai dumplings were absolutely beautiful - shaped like flowers - almost too pretty to eat! The service was also excellent. We are already planning another trip to Kalaya!

Great experience from beginning to end. Menu was explained in detail. The lovely owner came over to see if we were enjoying our meal. Food was beautifully plated and delicious.

Lunch was as delicious and inventive as dinner was perfect for me. I absolutely love how this creative Thai experience is nothing like Ive had elsewhere; it's not typical and it's truly worthy of the hype! I love this place and am so glad they were nominated for a James Beard Award!

Was sat at 8:45 for an 8:15 open table. Great food! Will be back.

Fantastic food! Chef absolutely nailed the meal. We let our waitress, Lindsey, pick our meal(s) and we were blown away. So much wonderful flavor. We’ll be going back again! (Stop in for lunch too, more great flavor and less crowds!)

Lindsey was so attentive and fun. Her recommendations were spot on! The owner came over and greeted us. Second time there and won’t be the last. The food is amazing and the service is impeccable.

Love this place! I am from Thailand and the food is definitely authentic.

Excellent, as always!! Can’t wait for next time

Absolutely delicious food and service. It is truly an
experience! We love this restaurant!

Awesome food. Super Spicy!!

Kalaya is what Philadelphia was missing. The food, service, the entire experience was amazing.

Great service! Spice as always amazing! It's BYOB so we brought our wine spirits and they chilled it for us. The owner checked up on us twice. The service was prompt and friendly. Great place if you really like spicy food!

Kalaya is a restaurant that it worth all of the hype it is receiving. I was astounded by the high quality of food and the excellent service we received at Kalaya. I definitely will be heading back to Kalaya soon.

Fantastic! The food is incredible, the flavors, the presentation! The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. Everything was exceptional!

Quite simply, impecible service and outstanding food. A truly culinary walk on the "wild side"