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Thais are passionate about food, and love discovering out-of-the-way shops that prepare unexpectedly tasty dishes. Nowhere is this truer—or more feasible—than in Bangkok. The city's residents always seem to be eating, so the tastes and smells of Thailand's cuisine surround you day and night. That said, Bangkok's restaurant scene is also a minefield, largely because the relationship between price and quality at times seems almost inverse. For every hole-in-the-wall gem serving the best sticky rice, larb (meat salad), and som tam (the hot-and-sour green-papaya salad that is the ultimate Thai staple) you've ever had, there's an overpriced hotel restaurant serving touristy, toned-down fare. In general, the best Thai food is found at the most bare-bones, even run-down restaurants, not at famous, upscale places.
If you want a break from Thai food, many other world cuisines are represented. Best among them is Chinese, although there's decent Japanese and Korean food as well. The city's ubiquitous noodle shops have their roots in China, as do roast-meat purveyors, whose historical inspiration was Cantonese. Western fare tends to suffer from the distance, although in the past few years many upscale and trendy western eateries have opened, some of them quite excellent.
As with anything in Bangkok, travel time is a major consideration when choosing a restaurant. If you're short on time or patience, choose a place that's an easy walk from a Skytrain or subway station. The easiest way to reach a riverside eatery is often on a Chao Phraya River express boat.
This unassuming storefront beneath an overpass is the sort of establishment that brings international foodies flocking to Bangkok. The interior here is nothing special, with poor lighting and bluish walls, but you'll barely notice or care with the lively buzz of the local Thai clientele, expert preparations with balanced flavors, and reasonable prices compared to many other seafood joints.
Inundated with colors, sounds, and smells, this is where Bangkok's top Thai chefs shop for quality produce, herbs, and cooking gear. The market's food court is a legendary spot where spicy Thai fare is scooped onto plastic plates; you pick up the cutlery from trays, and grab a seat at one of the tables in the center.
The Michelin-award-winning Paste, an upscale, intimate eatery run by the experienced Australian-Thai husband-and-wife team, Bee Satongun and Jason Bailey, elevates traditional Thai food and flavors to a whole new level with fresh produce and technical flair. It's on the top floor of the high-end Gaysorn Village shopping mall, and open for lunch and dinner, with à la carte and multiple tasting menus available.
This restaurant has little in the way of atmosphere, but seafood aficionados still brave the traffic up to Yannawa in order to splurge. Pen is expensive by Thai restaurant standards, but it's still a bargain compared to most hotel restaurants for charcoal-grilled seafood and a range of classic Thai fare.
To enjoy chef Jay Fai’s Michelin-award-winning dishes at her small open-air eatery, plan in advance or be prepared for upwards of a three-hour wait. Reservations via email or phone are possible, although response may be slow; you can also try showing up when the restaurant opens at 10 am, and put your name on a waiting list.
Launched by food critic Jarrett Wrisley, this gem of a restaurant and bar is in a converted Chinese shophouse in trendy Thong Lor and is usually packed to the rafters. It's no surprise, as the place serves some of the city's best Thai food, with double-pour drinks that are every bit as good as the food.
Luxurious and utterly unique, this restaurant upends conventional wisdom about Thai cuisine and technique. Chef Henrik Yde-Andersen's tasting menus, priced starting at B1,850 for dinner, represent a veritable catalog of Thai flavors and dishes, though through the iterations of foams, emulsions, powders, and plenty of smoky liquid nitrogen.
Thanaruek Laoraowirodge, a successful restaurateur in New York City and Bangkok, has earned high praise for this cozy shophouse venue that specializes in regional dishes based on the recipes of his grandmother. The au courant cocktails go well with the eclectic menu, and Supanniga now has several other locations: in Bang Rak, Sathorn, and Tha Thien.
Proudly displaying the freshest catches on ice out front, this enormous and popular seafood restaurant opens daily at 4 pm and serves until as late as 1:30 am. Make your way through the evening crowds and take a number to secure your table—either on the sidewalk or inside.
The emphasis at this traditional Thai restaurant in a century-old house is on fresh seasonal ingredients and hard-to-find regional delicacies, with a regular menu but also a smaller one of specials that is consistently changing. The Local's decor, outdoor terrace, wood floors, and antiques and old photos make for a pleasant setting.
You wouldn't expect much by looking at this nondescript restaurant on Sukhumvit Road from the outside, but locals have been packing it night after night for years. The place, which started out as a late night khao tom rice soup eatery, has expanded to having one of the most extensive and tastiest Thai-Chinese menus in town.
Founded by young chefs in a minimally restored old shophouse in Bang Rak, 80/20 earned its first Michelin star in record time. The kitchen team brings together rare Thai ingredients and European cooking techniques, along with head chef Andrew Martin's idea of 14-bite (B2,800) and 18-bite (B3,300) tasting menus. Signature dishes include the Stormy Sea (squid, mangosteen, chili) inspired by the chef’s fishing trips in the South and the Isaan Market, using seasonal mushrooms found in the mountain plateau of the Northeast.
This restaurant in a converted house with a pleasant outdoor garden balances a casually upmarket feel with fairly authentic Thai cuisine oriented toward less adventurous palates. The basics are done well here, from chu chee goong mae nam (curried river prawns) to khao yum (southern Thai-style rice salad). Local artwork adorns the walls.
If you cruise the Chao Phraya River at night, you might end up gazing upon the clapboard house this restaurant occupies, wishing you were among the crowd dining at this most romantic spot. Fresh Thai oysters, served raw with chili and herbs, are a big draw here. There’s another branch on Rama III Road at 288 Soi 14, but this one has more atmosphere.
Close to Lumpini Park on Withayu Road, Baan takes recipes that have been handed down through generations and takes them up a notch by using top-line ingredients and fine-dining presentations. Signature dishes include braised beef curry, spicy five-spiced egg stew, and stir-fried, minced dry-aged beef in spicy holy basil.
This old wooden house is an oasis in the concrete city; the decor is turn-of-the-20th-century Bangkok, with antique prints and old photographs adorning the walls. Ban Chiang is a Thai restaurant popular with the foreigner and tourist set, so your food won't come spicy unless you request it that way but despite this caveat, the dishes are otherwise prepared true to form.
Casually upmarket and aimed at tourists, this decades-old restaurant formerly in Siam Square serves authentic Thai cuisine in an atmosphere a few notches above that of the simple family restaurants. What's best about Ban Khun Mae is a large dining area filled with big round tables, warm wood, and a few antique decorations, offering a comfortable and airy feel perfect for post-shopping relaxation.
If you need to recuperate from Silom Road shopping, head up to the fourth floor of the Silom Complex at Banana Leaf for wonderful mid-priced eats. The mall atmosphere might turn off some, but friendly service and an extensive menu of Thai classics and seafood dishes make up for it.
The food court on the fifth floor of the Big C shopping mall offers a staggering selection of authentic Thai (and a few Chinese and Korean) dishes at rock-bottom prices, with virtually nothing exceeding B80. Prepay at the cashier station and get a debit card, then order at whatever counter you wish; the balance is refundable at the end.
Established in the 1980s to raise funds for the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), a sex education/AIDS prevention organization, this restaurant serves traditional Thai dishes amid a quirky decor. The fairy lights and condom-decorated mannequins contrast with the traditional teakwood.
Lotus ponds reflect the city's beautiful evening lights at this romantic restaurant. The upmarket Thai food is good, with elegant touches that cater to locals as well as foreigners. A classic Thai dance performance takes place nightly at 7:30 and 8:30, complementing well-known Thai dishes served à la carte or an eight-course tasting menu.
A good sign of quality, this restaurant is packed with Thais sharing tables filled with northeastern favorites like grilled chicken, spicy papaya salad, and minced duck salad. The open-air dining area can be hot, it's often crowded and noisy, and the staff don’t speak much English, so you’ll need to pick and point from the menu—but that's part of the fun.
This small house near the river is filled with Thai antiques and anatique chests scattered with bric-a-brac, which all gives the ambience of dining at a relative's house. The staff is very good at helping indecisive diners choose from the brief menu, and although the restaurant has become more touristy over the years, it also retains a loyal and regular local clientele.
Locals adore this Thai-Chinese eatery for various stir-fried seafood dishes, loaded with fried garlic, pepper, and fragrant curry, as well as reasonably priced lunch set menus. The decor is homey but attractive, with warm colors and lots of space, making the Sukhumvit location of this popular chain both comfy and convenient.
An alley near the National Library leads to this off-the-beaten-track restaurant on a ramshackle pier overlooking the Chao Phraya River. Kaloang Home Kitchen might not look like much with its plastic seats and simple tables, but it's a local favorite for waterfront breezes that keeping things comfortably cool, as well as generous grilled seafood platters and giant river prawns.
Across the street from Wat Bowonniwet, this humble eatery is famed for high-quality khao tom, rice soup served with a wide variety of Chinese-Thai dishes, including excellent phat phak bung (water spinach stir-fried with chili and garlic), jap chai (mixed-vegetable stew), and pet phalo (five-spice duck in gravy). This is a good late-night eating choice, since it's open daily from 5 pm to 3 am.
A real hole-in-the-wall where friends gather to enjoy great meals together, this long-running eatery turns out excellent Thai-Chinese cuisine in a simple dining room. All the classics everyone should try at least once on a Bangkok trip are served here at reasonable prices, making it a favorite among the Thais and expats who live and work on laid-back Soi Lang Suan.
This small shophouse restaurant is a truly capable all-round Thai eatery, a rarity in a neighborhood where you’re generally better off eating at places that specialize in one or two dishes. Recommended plates include nuea pu phat phrik lueang (crabmeat stir-fried with yellow chili) and kaeng khiaw-wan look chin pla krai (green curry with fish balls).
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