New York is getting a taste of one of London‘s most talked-about Thai restaurants this fall. Speedboat Bar, the restaurant from chef and founder Luke Farrell’s Chaiyo Restaurants, reflective of Bangkok’s Chinatown, in partnership with JKS Restaurants, will make its New York City debut with a three-night pop-up at The Otter inside The Manner in SoHo, running October 22 through 24, 2026, with reservations available as of October 3rd on OpenTable.
According to The Guardian, the Speedboat Bar is known for its high-energy atmosphere and bold Thai-Chinese cooking, and has become a cult favorite in London, with locations in Soho and Notting Hill. The New York takeover will bring that same irreverent, late-night spirit to downtown Manhattan, transforming The Otter’s intimate rear dining room into a little slice of Bangkok’s Chinatown.
The pop-up comes from the same restaurant group behind Ambassadors Clubhouse, one of New York’s recent high-profile restaurant openings.
Bangkok Chinatown Meets SoHo
Speedboat Bar takes its inspiration from the late-night canteens and frenetic street life of Bangkok’s Chinatown, as well as the supercharged world of Thailand’s speedboat racing scene. Watch this video to learn more:
For its New York debut, the restaurant will serve a selection of its signature Thai-Chinese dishes, including crispy pork with black pepper curry, minced beef with holy basil, and chicken skins with zaep seasoning.
The food will be accompanied by an equally energetic setting, with shareable plates, Thai hyperpop, towers of Singha and a distinctly celebratory late-night sensibility.
“I’m raring to rip the throttle on Speedboat Bar’s upcoming collaboration with The Otter in New York! It’s incredible to look back on a journey that began in Bangkok’s Chinatown and brought us to London, where every detail – from ingredients and technique, to the rhythm of the kitchen – has been carefully considered to recreate this unique Thai-Chinese cuisine without compromise. Now, bringing that same care and commitment to New York is a dream come true. What better city to revel in the same wok-fired spirit and Speedboat Bar energy!” — Chef Luke Farrell, Speedboat
The Speedboat Bar is here for Three Nights Only!
The Speedboat Bar takeover will run for three nights only: Thursday, October 22; Friday, October 23; and Saturday, October 24, so book your reservations today.
Reservations are available on the Dorsia platform to members as well as on OpenTable which began October 3rd.
The seating schedule is: Thursday, October 22: 7pm and 9pm, Friday, October 23: 6pm, 8pm and 10pm, and Saturday, October 24: 6pm, 8pm and 10pm.
The pop-up pairs Speedboat’s Bangkok-meets-London aesthetic with The Otter’s coastal, seafood-focused setting inside The Manner, a 97-room hotel in SoHo. The hotel has increasingly become a gathering spot for New York’s fashion, entertainment, sports and creative communities.
“We could not be more thrilled to bring Speedboat to The Manner, debuting a much-anticipated pop-up at The Otter. This is a culinary dream collaboration, and one that takes me back to my Thai heritage and roots. I am a huge fan of Luke and what the JKS team has done with Gymkhana and Ambassadors Clubhouse, so we are beyond excited and honored to be the first to debut Speedboat in New York.” — Napat Thavisin, President of International Operations, Sansiri PLC (The Otter)
From Bangkok to London—and Now New York
Speedboat Bar is part of Chaiyo Restaurants, the London Thai restaurant group founded by Luke Farrell in partnership with JKS Restaurants.
Farrell and JKS first partnered in 2021 on Plaza Khao Gaeng, a Southern Thai restaurant at Arcade Food Hall in London. Speedboat Bar followed in 2022 on Rupert Street in Chinatown, where its Thai-Chinese cooking and late-night atmosphere quickly developed a devoted following.
The concept expanded to Portobello Road in 2025 with Speedboat Bar at The Electric in collaboration with Soho House, while Chaiyo continued expanding its Plaza Khao Gaeng restaurants across London.
Now, for three nights, Speedboat is bringing its particular brand of Bangkok Chinatown energy across the Atlantic.
For New Yorkers looking for something beyond the usual downtown dinner, the October takeover offers a chance to experience one of London’s most distinctive Thai restaurants without leaving SoHo.
For more information about The Otter, visit www.theotter.nyc and follow @theottersoho on social media. For more on Speedboat Bar and Chaiyo Restaurants, visit chaiyorestaurants.com and follow @chaiyorestaurants. For more information about JKS Restaurants, visit jksrestaurants.com and follow @jks_restaurants on social media.
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Ron Rossi is a New York native, marketing director, and self-styled “Jaded Traveler” who has spent a career crossing borders — both professionally and culinarily. Having lived and worked across Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America, Ron has eaten his way through nearly 100 countries on six continents, always with the same philosophy: the best food belongs to the people, not the guidebooks. He gravitates toward mid-range, budget, and street food — the kind of meal a local nurse, teacher, or taxi driver would actually eat — and believes that a country’s character is most honestly revealed not in its fine dining rooms but in its markets, cart stalls, and neighborhood joints. At New York Street Food, Ron brings that same globe-spanning hunger to the five boroughs, hunting down the dishes that feed everyday New Yorkers and the stories behind the hands that make them.
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