Chelsea is about to get a new test of bravery. Hungry Spicy, the Manhattan sibling to Carroll Gardens’ Hungry Thirsty, is set to open on Thursday, July 23, at 114 Eighth Avenue near West 16th Street. The team behind the new spot includes former Ugly Baby crew members Angie and Phoorikun Ruangphung and chef Prasert Kanghae, and they are promising a menu that goes even harder on heat than their Brooklyn original. A word to the cautious: The table-service menu notes that spice levels cannot be adjusted.
An experience listing on OpenTable shows Hungry Spicy will host a one-night "Hungry Spicy Heat Challenge" on July 24. The prepaid $35 event asks participants to finish three dishes at escalating spice levels to win gift-card prizes, and it is already sold out. OpenTable also lists the restaurant’s hours as Wednesday through Sunday, 5–10 p.m., and is taking dinner reservations.
What’s on the menu
Speaking with Eater New York, co-founder Angie Ruangphung did not pretend this was a place for the spice-shy: “We’re going to keep it real hot and spicy,” she said, adding that the team will be hand-making its curry paste. On the menu, the kua kling is flagged as “brutally spicy,” and a “super colossal” crab curry with betel leaves and “burning hot” spare ribs keep the heat theme going. There are gentler options too, including a yum kai pla salmon-roe salad and a nonspicy pla tod kamin fried branzino. To build that signature burn across the menu, the kitchen plans to lean on Thai bird’s-eye, jinda, prik kariang and dried chiles.
From Ugly Baby to Manhattan expansion
Hungry Thirsty grew directly out of Ugly Baby’s orbit when staff took over the Smith Street space, a transition chronicled by Brooklyn Magazine. Since then, critics have treated Hungry Thirsty as a worthy successor. The Infatuation has praised the Carroll Gardens spot’s fiery cooking, and the new Chelsea location looks poised to put that same unapologetic heat within easier reach of Manhattan diners.
How to go
Reservations are available through OpenTable, which lists the address, operating hours and shows the July 24 heat-challenge experience as sold out. According to Eater New York, the team is planning to add more challenge openings soon, so fans of serious spice may get another shot at proving their tolerance.
