Best meal in Bangkok
 

If you could only have one dinner in Bangkok, where would you go (and what would you order)?!

We actually have two nights in Bangkok, but we'll be arriving at around 5 pm from NY on the first night so I think it will be best to eat at the hotel restaurant (we'll be at the Peninsula so I was thinking Thiptara)

Thanks in advance for your help!

NO way can I choose just one!

Lan Na Thai at Face: they have many wonderful dishes. Some faves: Duck with kafir leaf, eggplant with yellow bean sauce, green curry (your choice of meat/fish).

China House for Peking Duck.

Oh, I can't go on, it's making me so hungry!

our overall favorite is biscotti at 4 seasons, but that is italian, which i suspect that you may not want...my wife love the crab first course....soups, pizza, pastas...

we liked thiptara quite a bit but some do not....one of their tasting menus for 2 is quite fun and gives you a nice selection....you will need an advance res. probably...

we also like the chinese rest. in the basement level....their dim sum is very unusual, but limited....

for lunch lord jim's at oriental is fantastic....buffet

we love harmonique, but it is not fancy in any way....just plain good thai food.....right off of new road near to the big post office---near oriental also...chicken cashew, fried morning glories, combo appetiser plate, lemon chicken...have never had anything we did not like....mango and sticky rice for dessert...

we had a terrible experience at china house this last time and would never return!!

face is excellent as kathie suggests....soi 38, sukhumvit....res....

You probably won't be that hungry when you arrive - there are 3 meals on that flight, including one just before you land. Thiptara is fine if you need to eat.

We also enjoyed Biscotti - the crab that RHK was referring to is actually a crab salad and is fantastic.

Rang Mahal at the Rembrandt Hotel is an amazing Indian restaurant - one of the best of any cuisine in Bangkok.

Reviews of China House have not been good since its renovation - too bad really - the Peking Duck was excellent.

Another vote for Harmonique but only if you want to do something informal - also, parts of this restaurant have no a/c, just very good fans.

As with most things there is no "best". I had the worst meal in 18 trips to Bangkok at the thai restaurant at Face and the best meals have always been at China House. I tend to eat asian food in Bangkok as I get great Italian food in Chicago.

I was at China House right the day it reopened after the renovation. I hate the renovation, but thought their duck was still excellent.

You'll notice that for every place, someone will hhave had a fabulous experience and someone else a bad experience. No doubt, part of that has to do with the individual differences among the reviewer, and some of that has to do with restaurnats (and hotels) in SE Asia struggling with consistency.

i agree with what kathie has said....some good, some not good...some days good and the next day horid....

For me it would be chu chee lobster, pad Thai with fish, and sticky rice and mango at Basil Restaurant in the Sheraton Grand Hotel right at the Asoke skytrain stop. Happy Travels!

Wow- thanks for all of the suggestions. I was thinking China House but had hesitations about eating at a hotel restaurant for our only two dinners in Bangkok... Not to mention the recent less than satisfactory reviews of it.

Any opinions on Bed Supper Club (I think that is what it is called)?

Forgot all about Bed - great, nicely presented food and totally fun atmosphere - would be a fine choice - reservations mandatory.

Bed Supper Club is fun with good food. But while it is unique I don't think anyone would say it has the best food.

I was not charmed by Bed. I thought the concept was gimmicky (as well as old) and the food was good but not special. I'm also one of the people who really wants Asian food in Asia.

I agree that two hotel meals are not the best choice, though would certainly be easy if you are staying at the Pen. However, count me among those who have not had the best experience at China House. I think it's highly over rated.

I liked Chotre Chitr and Baan Kranithita for authentic Thai food. You can see photos and pix of both on my website;http://www.wired2theworld.com/THAILAND2006.htm
Chotre Chitr is on Day 2 and Baan Kranithita is on Bangkok, day 4. We also stayed at the Pen and went to China House on that same trip (day 3).

Our experience with bed supper club was mixed, i liked it much more than my wife did. Maybe that is because we went on model night and it was full of super hott women from eastern europe!!!!!! The food was just ok.

Kristina, I simply couldn't write about Chote Chitr because it would make me too hungry. We loved their food, but if you are looking for atmosphere, that's probably not the place to go! (We can't wait to go back in November!)

Street Food! I just got back from 2 weeks in bangkok (first time in SE Asia). The first week I ate only in resturants and the I tried eating in the outdoor street food markets. I had the greatest time trying all sorts of things. Can't wait to go back next summer.

bed might be fun....we found the food quite good and beautifully presented...

wear slacks there....men and women...

i personally find it unique....i guess there are others similar around but i had never heard of them....it is continental food basically...not thai...

Why in the world would anyone go to Thailand and eat CHINESE food. 'Tis a mystery to me!

There are plenty of ethnic Chinese who live in Thailand. Some restaurants that many consider to be Thai have a marked Chinese influence, such as Harmonique.

i would add that the chinese have a marked influence on most every culture in asia...

I think I once read that the majority of restaurants in thailand are owned by chinese. There are a huge number of them in thailand -- many of them have been there for years and many have intermarried. Both Ratt and Poon whom many of us use are chinese albeit they were born in thailand.

Yes, there are an overwhelming # of Chinese Thais there! Its just that the real Thai food is soooo darned good. I am now getting famished just thinking about!:P I love Yum Pla dook foo, Yum Pla Krab, Isaan barbeque et al!!! I'm starving now! Thank goodness I am married to a great (real) Thai cook!

I don't really think Thai food in the restaurants of Bangkok is all that great-hence, I think that's why you see people here recommending other ethnic cuisine over Thai in Bangkok! I can get pretty decent Thai food where I live here in the US, and I think I've had better Thai food, in most instances, in Honolulu as well as Tokyo than Bangkok.

I thought the lunch at the Oriental's Lord Jim's to be anything but fantastic-pretty much mediocre buffet food-indifferently prepared, had been sitting around a long time, not all that fresh, and quite expensive, for what you got-I think the lunch buffet at the Marriott on the river is far superior to the one at Lord Jim's, more variety, fresher, far more interesting-and it's served outside with river views rather than all enclosed and air conditioned, like Lord Jim's (I'm not a real fan of enclosed, air conditioned rooms-I prefer open restaurants that front the water, or face some interior courtyard or garden of some sort).

For a very special and romantic Thai dinner I would head to Shangri-La's SALATHIP-I really love the elegance, and ambience of this teak pavilion dining space on the water, set in a lush garden area of the hotel, which is so intimate and lovely in the evening with its little white lights and candlelight, with sliding teak doors that open for the water view at night-the Thai food is also quite good, which I like-I had Tiger prawns with tamarind which was excellent, and bananas in coconut milk which was a yummy desert (I don't particularly care for sticky rice as a dessert-I need something more dessert-like and substantial than that). Salathip is just across the river from Peninsula, and there is a free teak boat service from the Peninsula to Shangri-La that takes a few minutes-I think it would make for a much more intimate and more authentic Thai dining experience to go to Salathip rather than Thiptara. Here's a picture of the restaurant from Trip Advisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP....html#16965358


SUPATRA RIVER HOUSE is a quite good Thai dining experience, right on the river, in a two story Thai house (and very convenient, because there is a free ferry service just by the riverbus stop at Maharaj pier)but it is also filled with history-it was a home formerly belonging to one of Thailand's leading women's right's advocates. During the day you can go and watch cooking demonstrations there, and there is a small museum devoted to Supatra. Good Thai food and GREAT sunset views over the water-there's a reason that this restaurant is mentioned in all the guidebooks-it's a very worthwhile place to dine in Bangkok.

However, I have to say, I seem to stick primarily to Thai street food anymore-you are truly missing a great opportunity to have simple, tasty meals at a fraction of the cost if you don't do a little Thai street food tasting-(and I'm NOT talking stir-fried silk worms, either!) all the Thais do-and of course you'll pay many times more for some of the same food at a fancy farang restaurant. I can state that the street food is PARTICULARLY good in Bangkok's Chinatown-I ate at street vendors up one side of the street and down the other-excellent grilled squid on a stick, then fresh papaya, and some other things that I didn't know what it was (a vegetable dish of some sort) very tasty as well-very fun and interesting!

Hi, I've just came back from thailand/indochina on wed. It is difficult to say where to have a great meal but if I were you, I will strongly consider Breezes. It is in the same building as Siroco and not far from the Pen (actually the other side of the river).
The food is Asian (thai with touches of other countries). We had an amazing dinner ( we had 3 starters and 2 mains and dessert), in a beautiful place and one of the best views of Bangkok. Now,,, you also pay for it. I think some 200 dollars. So not cheap, but definitvely worth it! If you are feeling lazy, next door to you, you can eat at the Thai restaurant of the Oriental. My guide told me it was great and then I read in the newspaper there that it is now the best thai restaurant of any hotel... Service is top notch.
Have fun!

So odd how different experiences we all have. I had a very mediocre meal at Supatra River House. Thought it was lovely but I get much better thai food in Chicago that I ate that night. Would never return.

Most all our meals in BKK were very good. La Na Thai at Face was delicious we thought that the chicken and cashews at Harmony was outstanding.

Yet, for sheer remembrance factor, Sirocco was incredible - though we did not eat there and only went upstairs for a drink. I know the food gets mixed reviews, and is on the expensive side, and that is all probably true but, in my view it is a "not to miss" spot, especially since BKK is quite a haul from the East Coast. Go even if only for a drink. The view of BKK from way on high, plus the singer and band standing on a platform jutting into thin air almost, plus the general vibe is outstanding. I will always remember it. One of the best venues we've ever been.

Have fun; BKK is truly a fascinating place.

I've been to the Bed Supper Club several times and have never had a bad or less-than-excellent meal/service there. The entertainment is always interesting and unique as well!! Bed would be high on my list of "best places to eat" in Bangkok. An evening at the Bed, followed by the view at Sky Bar for a nightcap (64th floor State Tower building) would be a wonderful way to remember Bangkok IMO.

Carol

Well, I never said Supatra was great, Gloria, my meal was good, but it was the location and the sunset views that I preferred, rather than the food.

And I have to say, the last time I ate at Bed SupperClub was not a good experience-perhaps because I was there right before the kitchen closed. I won't go again for dinner, but will always stop off at the nightclub.

Its funny how reviews are hit or miss about Thai restaurants in Thailand. There are so many variables that exist that produce this result when you think about it. I have NEVER had a bad experience at at a Thai restaurant in my multiple trips there. Perhaps it helps to have a live-in tour guide! :) (My wife! Get your mind out of the gutter !! :]

Kurt

The very best meal we have had in Bangkok was at the Pen Restaurant (NOT the Peninsula Hotel), recommended by Johnny Apple before he passed away. It was amazing, but hard to find even for our driver from the Oriental.

Paying more for your food doesn't mean it will taste any better!

Try the Foodland Supermarket in store lunch counter. Sukhumvit Soi 5. Near the Nana Skytrain stop, across from the Amari Boulevard Hotel.

The Foodland restaurant has lots of selections at decent prices. Both Thai's and Farangs (foreigners) eat there. They cook the food in front of you, almost a cooking lesson just watching.

(You can even grab a steak off the meat counter in the store and they will cook it to order for you right at the lunch counter for a small fee.)

I will second a rave for the Pen (not the Peninsula) restaurant but be prepared for non elegance but great food.

Sir HALBERT- You are correct, sir! Just go to the MBK eatery, Tha Siam, street vendors, or any mall eatery. The food is never bad and always pretty good. Go where the Thais eat, not the farang tourists!!! :)