Columbus Circle has its fair share of viral pepperoni cups and lackluster $500 tasting menus, but finding a restaurant where you can just walk in—in gym shorts or a button-down, or with three of your colleagues—for great food, good drinks, and a non-stressful final bill is a little more challenging. That’s where BKK comes in. Just a couple blocks south of Columbus Circle, the Thai restaurant could easily slide into a neighborhood further downtown. Its dark, cool design elements remind us of a futuristic train car, and the soundtrack of Thai pop plus the more upbeat section of Khruangbin’s catalogue keeps energy high. For anyone who works in the area—or who just spent a sweaty day tanning in Sheep’s Meadow—BKK’s punchy dishes and cocktails are the answer to the question of “where should we get dinner?” A couple of BKK’s head-turning fusion dishes are also worth a trek from much further away. The brisket sandwich tastes like a french dip that spent time picking fruit in a makrut lime orchard. And a chiang mai pork sausage in a brioche hot dog bun bursts with herby basil and the roasted pepper heat of nam phrik num. Cocktails like the “Central Park To Lumphini” successfully blend together ingredients like mezcal, fig, corn, bay leaf and apple cider in one elegantly garnished glass. Even though the spring roll comes crusted with everything bagel seasoning, none of the fusion at BKK feels shoehorned. And the traditional Thai dishes more than justify their real estate on your table too. Their papaya salad is saturated with chile and lime, without one single wilted shred. You might need a second napkin for their grilled jumbo prawns, because you’ll want to suck the juice and bright red Southern Thai curry right out of the heads. And BKK's standout wagyu krapow comes sizzling from the kitchen, ready to be mixed with rice tableside—just a bit of razzmatazz to remind you that you’re too not far from the Theater District.