Since I was in college, I’ve been working hard to up my spice tolerance to make less of a fool of myself, broaden my culinary horizons, and make my dad, a staunch Louisiana hot sauce fan, proud. Now that I’ve officially surpassed my own father’s tolerance (man of the house vibes), I was very excited to check out Bed-Stuy’s newish darling, Little Grenjai.
Opened in January 2024, Little Grenjai boasts a marriage of Thai and American tastes, not dissimilar to the love story of the owners. The menu has classics like Pad Thai and drunken noodles alongside wedge salads and hot dogs with the “Grenjai treatment.” These classic American menu items are cooked with pops of flavor and spice like the pops of primary colors around the small but bright space.
I was told to try and schedule this burger, only available for lunch, for when I was slightly hungover. Luckily, I had tickets to see The Dare the night before so my timing was perfect.
The Krapow smash burger has a half-pork, half-beef patty packed with garlic and thai chilis, an exciting prospect following a night of an unspecified number of gin and tonics. The burger is topped with American cheese, a Grenjai giardiniera, some big leaves of Thai basil, and XO sauce on a sesame seed bun.
You can snag a single for $11 or a double for $17. A side of their fries, a thinner version of the cottage potatoes I’ve eaten at J.G. Melon and Red Hook Tavern, will run you $6. Amy, Monica and I each ordered a single patty, theirs with cheese, some fries to share and the Thai iced tea. (Made with oat milk !)
While I haven’t fully given myself over to the smash burger hype that seems to have NYC in a chokehold, I can still appreciate what makes them great. A little grease and some crust or lacing around the edges thanks to the Maillard reaction (I took culinary chemistry in college) makes for a wonderful salty, caramelized bite.
Unfortunately, none of those attributes appeared in the Little Grenjai patty. I’m not sure if it’s the grill temperature or the fat content (using leaner meat like pork could be a factor) but I didn’t get what I needed here as far as those crispy edges go. Not quite a smash burger but not a juicy indulgent bite either: a chewy unhappy medium.
Everything that wasn’t the patty itself, though, was stellar. The giardiniera, a diced veggie and pepper topping, was mixed with lemongrass and bird’s eye chiles to add crunch and acid. The XO sauce, made with a paste of shrimp heads, fish sauce, palm sugar, and shallots combined with mayonnaise, was spicy, sweet and almost a little nutty—a delightful divergence from the standard burger sauces or ketchup/mayo combos almost every other burger I’ve tried has had. Even the sesame bun was great!
I really think that if this patty got a rework it has potential to rise to the top of my ranks. The acid and heat would complement a true, greasy smash burger that would’ve healed me from a night of indie sleaze revival nonsense, but instead I walked away disappointed.
In my ranking, I’m placing Little Grenjai at number 10 - below the fattier, juicier but messy Corner Bar and above the classic but plain J.G. Melon.
Do you have a favorite burger with a lil kick? Let me know below and I’ll see if I can time it with the TV On The Radio reunion show.
Came here for the burger review, rushed to the comments for the TV On The Radio reunion comment. I must attend, if the Ticketmaster gods let me through