Thai Flavor Bomb Somtum Der Is Expanding to Brooklyn

Come late June, New York City will have a second location of popular Alphabet City Thai restaurant Somtum Der. The Isan-style restaurant will add an outpost in Red Hook at 380 Van Brunt St., between Dikeman and Wolcott streets, for its extremely flavorful and incredibly spicy larbs and papaya salads.

The Brooklyn location will serve the same food that focuses on chiles, fish sauce, and herbs, including the restaurant’s most popular dishes: its papaya salad with salted egg, deep-fried chicken thigh, grilled coconut milk-marinated pork, and deep-fried spicy minced pork. Owner Thanaruek Laoraowirodge says the decor at the 40-seat space will channel Muay Thai, the martial art that’s popular in Isan.

Laoraowirodge first opened Somtum Der in Manhattan in 2013, and it quickly garnered a star from the Times, Michelin Bib Gourmand status, and opened sister restaurant Kiin Thai. It’s also in Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bangkok.

This addition to Red Hook is a notable win for the neighborhood, which has few dining destinations beyond the beloved Hometown Bar-B-Que. Stay tuned for more as opening nears.