If you’re looking for a casual Manhattan dining spot that will provide tasty and comforting food, along with a brief respite from December’s unavoidable stress, I’ve got a place for you.

It’s called Glur Thai, at 144 West 19th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The restaurant’s long brick-lined wall adds coziness and charm to a small, (albeit slightly cramped) space. But people come here more for the excellent Thai comfort food than for the ambiance. Diners can choose from an array of authentic Thai favorites such as light and flavorful chicken and shrimp dumplings, crispy vegetable spring rolls, and classic pad thai.

The emphasis here is on vegan and vegetarian options, but there are enough fish and meat dishes, like chicken and shrimp dumplings and fried chicken breasts (khao mun gai tod), to keep everyone happy.

**Thai Crepes! These are sweet dumplings filled with ground peanuts. Really delicious and one of my favorites!**

**Vegetable Spring Rolls, a vegan option made with carrots, cabbage, corn and vermicelli noodles, served with homemade pineapple sweet chili sauce.**

**Fried chicken over steamed ginger rice, served with homemade chicken soup and pineapple sweet chili sauce.**

Shout Out to the Best-Loved

In addition to the Thai sweet peanut crepes, two other favorite dishes were tom kha soup with shrimp and mushrooms in a creamy lemongrass coconut broth, and red curry, a fragrant and slightly spicy dish with tofu, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, string beans and basil and in a coconut milk-infused broth. Both selections really hit the spot on a cold Manhattan evening, and, being that I was tired from the previous late night out, they brought me much joy!

**Tom Kha soup, gluten free and vegan if you don’t add shrimp like we did.**

As for the small beverage list, I opted for a Japanese beer (interesting that there were no Thai beers on the menu) but looking around the room, many people were sipping on “lemon drops,” made with sake (Japanese again!), lemon juice and simple syrup. A lemony, low-in-alcohol drink sounds like a great accompaniment to spicy Thai food and is definitely on my list for next time.

But don’t just take my word for it! Glur Thai has garnered several rave reviews on Yelp too. And, as an added bonus, if you don’t feel like going out (which many of us don’t these days), the restaurant offers online ordering for take-out and delivery.