Pok Pok Space Is Now Home to a New Isan Thai Restaurant

Thai food has returned to the Brooklyn Columbia Street Waterfront with Krok, which recently opened up in the space that once held critically acclaimed Pok Pok.

The new restaurant debuted January 12, backed by married duo Jeerathinan Ranthom and chef Krit Ploysomboon, who recently spent time at longtime UWS restaurant Land Thai Kitchen. The duo took over the space at 117 Columbia St., at Kane Street, where Pok Pok served influential Northern Thai fare but closed last year.

Krok will focus on Isan street food of Northeastern Thailand — with a menu sporting several variations of papaya salad, including an option where diners can make their own, as well as grilled and fried meats, soups, curries, and desserts. Ranthom says she was a big fan of Pok Pok for its “real” Thai food and that diners who enjoyed that restaurant will probably like Krok, too.

At Krok, all dishes are meant to be accompanied by rice and shared family-style. Prices range from about $12 to $38 for main dishes, and $7 to $8 for desserts. See the full menu here.

It’s the second restaurant dedicated to the street food of Thailand’s Isan region — an area bordered by Laos and Cambodia where ingredients like dried chiles, tamarind, and lime reign — to open within the past month. In December, the Fish Cheeks team opened Chicks Isan inside downtown Brooklyn’s Dekalb Market Hall, highlighting the same cuisine.

Hours are from noon to 10 p.m. daily.