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It’s a sad day for our local culinary scene: Ugly Baby, the Thai eatery that once made it to the top of our best restaurants in New York list, announced that it will be closing permanently after last service on December 22.
“We’re closing because chef Sirichai is just really tired and needs a long, long break,” one of restaurant’s owners wrote to Grub Street in an official statement. “While we’ll miss the restaurant and all the great things that come with it, the upside is that this will give chef Sirichai the chance to work on a cookbook, which he’s long been wanting to do.”
The Carroll Gardens eatery made the announcement on Instagram earlier this week. Under a photo of the words “Goodbye, Ugly Baby!” the team waxed poetic about its experience in the neighborhood.
“We are not here to fit in. We come to change. We think the concept is simple, yet stirring. Being true to the core! Since when is celebrating herbs and spices with bold flavors is too much in Thai cuisine, anywhere? At least not here in Brooklyn right after the Baby was born. It’s all about experience here at the restaurant that was built by literally two hands and two pieces of stone,” reads the post. “We have pounded batches of curry paste everyday for 7 years. That’s what we are proud of the most. We do what we think best. We keep reinventing ourselves, better ourselves everyday. All is just to impress you. It’s been ups and downs. It’s been really hard. It’s been a long long time, our friends. Goodbye, Ugly Baby!”
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Given the excitement and praise surrounding the restaurant since it first debuted back in 2017, the news caught New Yorkers by surprise. As is usually the case, many flocked to social media to preemptively mourn the loss of the beloved destination.
“I’m going to walk into the Gowanus canal,” a user noted on Instagram, prompting others to join in on a chorus of “I’ll meet you there!”
“Dropped to my knees on line at the Cobble Hill Trader Joe’s,” someone else wrote.
“You elevated what was possible in Thai food here in NYC,” a third user noted. “We will miss you and all the flavors you lovingly crafted for us. Thank you and your staff for EVERYTHING ❤️.”
You’ve got 18 days to revel in the dishes that Ugly Baby has been serving to the masses for years now. What are you still waiting for? Go snag a table and properly say goodbye to one of the best restaurants in NYC.