Dancing Crab Thai has brought its brand of Southeast Asian cuisine to East Liberty.
It’s the third location for the family-owned restaurant. All spots feature the curries, noodles and other flavorful fare of the kingdom known as the Land of Smiles.
How Dancing Crab Thai Ended Up in East Liberty
“The space opened up and people wanted me to have a look,” says owner-chef Lek Srijariya. “It’s a good spot, so I thought, why not?”
Formerly the longtime Walsh’s Lounge & Bar, the Broad Street location was most recently occupied by The Bridge Music Bar. Srijariya remodeled the space to include a patio with a small fountain.
On the menu are classics like pad see ew, pot stickers, pulled pork buns, curry puffs, vegetable dumplings, crab Rangoon, and coconut cream-based curry soups like tom yum and khao soi.
Customer favorites include pad Thai made with tamarind paste, lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce; drunken lo mein, a rice noodle and veggie stir fry; and Srijariya’s signature chopped short ribs and noodles braised for hours in curry sauce.
Bold Flavors and Home-Style Cooking
Srijariya is liberal in using lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, tamarind paste, house-made chili garlic oil, and other seasonings to bring bold, balanced flavors to her foods.
“I cook like my mother to make the foods I grew up with,” says Srijariya, who came to the United States from northern Thailand in 2000. “Eating in my restaurants is like eating in my home.”
Srijariya began her culinary venture in Pittsburgh with a Thai grocery in the Strip District, followed by a food truck, and then her first bricks-and-mortar restaurant, Dancing Crab Thai Noodlehouse in the South Side. She opened Dancing Crab Thai in Dormont in 2022.
Although she has a team of chefs, Srijariya spends time in all of her kitchens, emerging often to personally serve guests. “I like meeting and talking to customers,” she says.
6018 Broad Street, East Liberty
Story by Deborah Weisberg