The Dishes You’ll Want to Try at the Newest Pig & Khao
More than a decade after Pig & Khao first opened its doors on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, chef-owner Leah Cohen and her husband and business partner, Ben Byruch, decided they were due for a change.
On Dec. 4 they opened the restaurant’s second location in the Upper West Side. “The second [location] is really just an extension of the original Pig & Khao,” says Cohen. “Twelve years later, we’re a little bit more mature. We’re a little bit more polished.”
Whereas, aesthetically, Pig & Khao’s original site plays up the youthful vibes of its LES neighborhood with bright neon lights and modern pop art decor alongside Southeast Asian stylings, the Upper West Side iteration promises the same exuberance, with a bit more restraint. It’s decorated with traditional cookware, vintage signage, and beautiful plates that were handpicked by Byruch — who also designed the new locale — during the couple’s many trips to Vietnam and Thailand.
Together, Cohen and Byruch have collaborated in business for as long as they have been together as a couple. “For the most part, it’s a very good functioning working relationship because we just let each other do what we’re good at,” says Cohen.
If Byruch is the creative mind behind the brand’s facade, Cohen is the brains behind Pig & Khao’s soul. The food at the new UWS site offers a similar parallel in showcasing her culinary evolution while staying true to Pig & Khao’s strength — fun Southeast Asian-influenced renditions of American favorites that can be enjoyed in small bites or shared family style.
Guests looking for their fix of Filipino fare will also be happy to know the new location offers a bit more variety in the way of distinctly Filipino dishes — an homage to Cohen’s own Filipina heritage from her mother’s side. Look for standbys like sisig and adobo alongside other dishes and ingredients less commonly found stateside such as sinigang, pancit palabok, and latik. The new location will have many vegetarian options, too.
Here are six new must-dry dishes from Pig & Khao’s Upper West Side location, as recommended by Cohen.
The Resy Rundown
Pig & Khao Upper West Side
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Why We Like It
Chef Leah Cohen (Pig & Khao and Piggyback) brings her distinct Southeast-meets-West sensibilities to the Upper West Side, offering her signature fun, creative takes on familiar dishes. The vibes remain playful as ever, and the dishes as satisfying as ever, too. -
Essential Dishes
Murtabak; tocino wings; moo ping al pastor roteria; stuffed shishito with choo chee curry; massaman steak frites; and latik pie with torched meringue. -
Must-Order Drinks
Honey, Please (green apple infused gin, suze, honey, lemon); Kind of a Big Deal (tequila, cacao nib, Thai chili aperol, centerbe, lime); and Mezcal Martini (green peppercorn mezcal, cocchi americano, Thai basil, honey)
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Who and What It’s For
Date nights for two and big, friendly groups who love to order and share as much of everything. While the menu leans heavily toward pork, vegetarian options are available for many of the meatier menu items. -
How to Get In
Reservations are released 90 days in advance and walk-ins are always welcome. -
Fun Fact
Chef Leah Cohen (pictured here in the kitchen at the first Pig & Khao) was introduced to a national audience after appearing on season five (2006) of Bravo’s “Top Chef” series as a contestant.
1. Murtabak
This dish falls under Pig & Khao’s new “roteria” section of the menu, coined by Cohen to pay tribute to the traditional taqueria. Instead of using tortillas, however, Cohen uses a roti recipe to make the dish’s taco-like exterior. Guests can choose from multiple roteria options on the menu, including chicken satay and vegetarian, and this particular on features beef.
Murtabak, best described as a stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread, is a popular street food in Thailand and Malaysia, and also one of Cohen’s personal favorite snacks. “I fell in love with it while exploring street markets in Southeast Asia, and I knew I wanted to find a way to bring it to our menu,” she says. “It’s such great bar good, and now that we finally have a bar, I was excited to add it to our menu.”
Cohen’s murtabak consists of a roti filled with marinated ground beef that gets sandwiched between two layers of roti before it gets pan-seared to crispy perfection, unlike the traditional folding method. “This method allows for an even cook and a nice crunch in every bite,” Cohen notes. She serves it with ajat (pickles) to cut through its richness. “This dish is truly a labor of love and comfort food at its best! Crispy, savory, and satisfying.
2. Moo Ping Al Pastor Roteria
Also falling under the roteria section of the menu is the moo ping al pastor, a fun take on the popular Thai-style barbecue skewer served with real pineapple chunks, onion, and cilantro. The roteria also comes with a side of nam jim jaew sauce, a chile dipping sauce often served alongside grilled meat in Thai dishes for an extra blast of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
3. Tocino Wings
“I love a grilled chicken wing,” says Cohen of the inspiration behind this dish. Keeping with Cohen’s desire to incorporate more Filipino items on the Upper West Side menu, these wings are prepared like tocino, which is a Filipino pork dish. “Traditionally, tocino is done with pork and it’s kind of like a sweet pork that’s been cured for at least 24 hours,” says Cohen. Pig & Khao’s tocino chicken wings are marinated in a mixture of vinegar, garlic, pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar for 24 hours, giving the wings a punchy flavor before they are grilled to perfection. The dish is served with pickled pineapples and crispy shallots on top.
4. Stuffed Shishito with Choo Chee Curry
This Thai-style dish was inspired by a stuffed pepper meal created by Cohen’s culinary colleague, Chef Dylan Eitharong , who runs a supper club-style restaurant in Bangkok. “He stuffed it with a Thai sausage filling which I thought was genius,” says Cohen. For her rendition, Cohen opts for a ground pork and crab mixture stuffed inside shishito peppers that are then lightly tempura fried. A lot of trial and error went into finding a suitable vessel for her meat mixture; Cohen experimented with a range of peppers, from jalapeños to Korean green peppers. She ultimately settled on shishito peppers. “I liked that they weren’t too thick and that they cook nicely, even if they get coated in a tempura,” says Cohen. The dish is served with a choo chee curry, a type of Thai red curry that uses makrut lime leaves as the key ingredient.
5. Massaman Steak Frites
In developing this dish, Cohen wanted to infuse the Southeast Asian flavors from the ingredients and herbs she frequently uses in her cooking into a Western classic. Cohen’s version of steak frites takes a dry-aged grilled ribeye and lathers it with a massaman curry as the accompanying sauce. Compared to the typical green and red curries synonymous with Thai cooking, massaman curry is more reminiscent of curries found in Indian and Malay cuisines due to its historical influences. Cohen’s Thai-style massaman steak frites get topped with a helping of shoestring potatoes dusted with lime leaf and tossed with crispy shallots, cilantro, and fried garlic.
6. Latik Pie with Torched Meringue
“I love making dessert. I know most chefs hate it,” says Cohen, who once considered pursuing a career as a pastry chef. This Pig & Khao pie is simple yet rich and comforting, making it the perfect palate cleanser to cap off a meal. Latik is a traditional Filipino ingredient made by simmering coconut milk and it typically comes in either a syrup or a crumble form, both styles of which Cohen loves to incorporate when making traditional desserts like suman or biko for her kids. Cohen’s latik pie creation features a custard filling made from brown sugar, coconut milk, heavy cream, and eggs baked into a pie crust until set. Once baked, the dessert gets topped with torched meringue. “I tested a few different toppings — whipped cream, a crèmeux — but the meringue really felt like the perfect fit,” says Cohen. “It’s light and airy, which balances with the custard.” The pie is finished off with a latik crumble, giving the dessert a nice crunch for added texture.
Pig & Khao Upper West Side is open daily from 5 to 10 p.m. The bar opens at 4 p.m.
Natasha Ishak is a freelance writer and editor based in Queens, New York.
