Upper West Side Eatery's Coconut Dish Named Among Best Of Year

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Wau, a new Southeast Asian restaurant on the Upper West Side, had quite the inaugural year in the neighborhood.

The New York Times called Wau a "significant addition" to the Upper West Side's dining lineup in September, and Eater NY followed it up by calling it one of the "hottest new restaurants in Manhattan."

The UWS eatery is receiving praise again as Eater critic Ryan Sutton recently put together his list of the 23 best dishes of 2021, and Wau's salt and pepper coconut made the list.

Here's what Sutton had to say about the tasty creation:

"The newest restaurant by Salil Mehta (Laut, Laut Singapura) serves a variety of classic Southeast Asian dishes, but it also sells something a bit less common: vegan calamari," Sutton wrote in the list. "Cooks fry up delicate slices of young coconut, which takes on the soft, neutral texture of tender squid — minus the bounciness, and with a lingering tropical aroma. And while most domestic calamari is considered sustainable, Mehta’s dish functions as a compelling and aromatic fish-free substitute."

Wau is located on 434 Amsterdam Avenue at West 81st Street.

The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from noon to 3:30 p.m.

Its dinner hours are as follows:

• Monday-Thursday: 5 to 10 p.m.
• Friday: 5 to 10:30 p.m.
• Saturday: noon to 10:30 p.m.
• Sunday: noon to 9:30 p.m.

Read More:

• Eater Critic Ryan Sutton's 23 Best Dishes of 2021
• UWS Southeast Asian Eatery Named Among Hottest New Restaurants