Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
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.
Inspired by mid-20th century Thai cookbooks, Australian chef David Thompson revives traditional tastes and rare dishes at the Michelin-starred Aksorn, on the top floor of Central: The Original store in Bang Rak. During the cooler months, request a table on the outdoor terrace.
Atop the Mandarin Oriental, this legendary French restaurant has been the city's most respected French dining room since it opened its doors in 1958, with impressive views of the Chao Phraya and remarkable food. Chef Alain Roux creates dishes that taste classically of the old country yet with a haute personal touch—tasting menus are of good value compared to à la carte, with the three-course lunch priced at B2,950 and the evening menu gastronomique of seven courses for B7,500. The restaurant has been awarded a star in Michelin Thailand.
This two Michelin-starred blockbuster restaurant has dramatic views of Bangkok from the soaring State Tower and a truly magical degustation menu from the French-trained Japanese chef Ryuki Kawasaki. The seven-course menu features organic ingredients and deeply personal touches, such as the mind-blowing signature dish—buttery-soft Murakami beef from the chef's home town in Niigata Prefecture, paired with madako (octopus), Colinky squash, and Kanzuri sake. Tasting menus start at B8,000, more with wine and sake pairing. Mezzaluna enforces a dress code that prohibits athletic wear, swimwear, sleeveless shirts for men, flip flops, and beach slippers.
The Michelin-award-winning Paste, an upscale intimate eatery run by Chef Bongkoch ”Bee“ Satongun, elevates traditional Thai food and flavors to a whole new level with fresh produce and technical flair. The name is a reference to curry paste, one of Thai cuisine's most technically challenging basics. It's on the top floor of the high-end Gaysorn Centre shopping mall and open for lunch and dinner, with à la carte and multiple tasting menus available.
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 3-hour wait. It's worth it for the unparalleled crab omelet, seafood drunken noodles, and dry tom yam.
Luxurious and utterly unique, this restaurant upends conventional wisdom about Thai cuisine and technique. Chef Henrik Yde-Andersen's tasting menus, priced at B4,400 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.
This two Michelin-starred restaurant from twin chefs Thomas and Matthew Sühring has evolved German cuisine past the stereotypes of schnitzel and sauerkraut. The brothers, who can be seen working together in a sleek open kitchen most nights, serve tasting menus inspired by their childhood in East Berlin—it's no wonder Sühring is one of Bangkok's trendiest restaurants. The setting is a 1970s Thai villa with several dining rooms, each with its own ambience. Tasting menus (there is no à la carte) start at B7,800 without wine.
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 to produce a 14-bite tasting menu. Signature dishes include gaeng hoy shell bai chaplu (Hokkaido scallop, southern yellow curry, betel leaves), ped nam prik nam liap (dry-aged Muscovy duck, Chinese black olive relish, black pepper, and garlic rice) and naem phad phak fak meaw (stir-fried fermented pork and chayote).
Practically in the clouds at the State Tower, this ultra-hip Chinese-inspired eatery has a futuristic design that may leave you feeling transported to 2060—especially at night on the outdoor Sky Bridge and in the dining room glowing purple neon. Pan-Asian cuisine creations culminate in chef Sam Pang’s tasting menu priced at B5,500, but you can also order à la carte.
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 as a seven-course tasting menu for B2,800.
This restaurant has long been a favorite among government ministers and corporate executives, both for its outstanding Cantonese cuisine and its private areas, perfect for business lunches or romantic dinners. The main dining room is elegant, with crimson carpeting, carved screens, lacquer furniture, and porcelain objets d'art.
This Aussie establishment is both a high-end eatery and an art space where temporary exhibits from local artists provide quite a funky atmosphere. The international fusion menu is also reflected by a staff well mixed between foreigners and Thais, including innovative American chef Tim Butler and mixologist Pop Direkrittikul, who creates Thai-inspired cocktails using ingredients like toasted rice, shallots, and chili paste.
Mumbai native Garima Arora's high-level journey through the flavors, textures, and ingredients of Indian cuisine has earned this restaurant two Michelin stars. It's housed in a 60-year-old traditional Thai residence that has been attractively transformed with an interior rendered in a single shade of taupe, so that the wood joinery and curved ceilings stand out. The separate Gaa Lounge in the same building is easier to reserve and makes a great spot for sundowners and a quick bite from the à la carte menu.
Set in a rambling 1920s Thai-European villa with colorful decor by Dutch interior designer Hans B. Christensen, Issaya both surprises and charms with its delightfully laid-back atmosphere. The dining room is cozy with big couches and lots of antique touches, coupled with fun platings and garnishes and impeccable service. Lamb shank in Massaman curry is a highlight of the carefully curated menu. Both à la carte and prix fixe are available. A tropical garden outdoors is peppered with colorful bean bags during dry season.
A romantic, candlelit outdoor patio and a sleekly contemporary indoor dining space set a stylish tone that's echoed in the equally refined Italian cuisine served at Jojo. Traditional antipasto, pastas, and so on are gussied up with modern flourishes and high-quality products imported from Europe and beyond, perfectly befitting the luxe surroundings of the prestigious St. Regis hotel where the restaurant is located.
At this modern Michelin-starred Thai restaurant helmed by chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn, even a well-traveled gourmand is likely to try something new in the 4-course (B3,900) and 6-course (B4,500) tasting menus (no à la carte)—maybe a crunchy ant larvae topping or a charcoal-grilled pork jowl curry. Sleek minimalist surroundings put the focus on the food and drink, and since the chef is also a sommelier, you can expect wine pairings that perfectly complement each course.
You'll want to be spotted at this so-called "neoclassic Chinese” restaurant in the Conrad Bangkok hotel, where the contemporary-focused concept and design come from the creator of the equally snazzy Green T. House in Beijing. Prepared by a Hong Kong chef, the extensive menu focuses on classic Cantonese, and the dim sum is considered among the best in Bangkok. Reservations are recommended for dim sum lunches.
Beautifully restored antique rice barges depart from Anantara Riverside at 5 pm, with Thai canapes by well-known Chef Phong. It's free for Anantara Riverside Bangkok Hotel guests.
This branch of the Michelin-starred Sri Lankan restaurant, Ministry of Crab specializes in fresh meaty crab flown in daily from that country. Crabs are prepared with your choice of sauce—garlic chili, baked, black pepper, or curry—and range in size from 500-gram "small" crabs to 5-pound "crabzillas." Also on the menu are a variety of other crab dishes, including a creamy crab liver pâté, fresh king prawns, clams, and oysters.
The menu at Saffron mixes creative modern Thai with classic dishes, and the food is just as exciting as the stunning views from the 52nd floor of the Banyan Tree Bangkok. Even if you don't come for dinner, stop by the adjoining bar on the balcony for a cocktail or some street food–inspired snacks—the comfy seating, cool breeze, and vistas are superb.
Come to Sala Rim Naam—part of the Mandarin Oriental hotel but across the river in Thonburi—to soak up the atmosphere, which includes a classical Thai dancing show (Wednesday to Sunday at 7:30 pm) in an indoor pavilion, or enjoy the romantic mood of alfresco tables overlooking the river. The renditions of Thai food are tamed down for international palates but are generally authentic, and the set dinners, buffet lunches, and à la carte menus offer plenty of choices. There is a complimentary shuttle boat across the Chao Phraya River from the Mandarin Oriental.
In this century-old corner building in Bang Rak, a small team of Thai chefs turn out gub glam---simple dishes that are traditionally meant to accompany an evening of drinking---but the food more than stands up on its own. Signature dishes include Jay Joe’s crab omelette, thick with chunks of fresh crab; fried chicken wings in a fish-sauce glaze; and pork ribs braised in a soy-ginger sauce and served with garlic rice and greens. On the same premises, a Japanese partner makes world-class homemade ice cream with Thai ingredients.
The seafood at this 1,500-seat, garishly fluorescent-lit establishment is way overpriced (plus you pay a charge for the cooking), and the atmosphere is extremely touristy, but the place is always packed and it makes for a fun night out. As in a supermarket, you take a small cart and choose from an array of seafood—crabs, prawns, lobsters, clams, oysters, and fish—which chefs then cook how you prefer.
Operated from the Shangri-La, the buffet dinner cruise aboard the Horizon, with Thai and international cuisine, departs Tuesday through Saturday at 7 pm. The price includes a glass of sparkling wine, free-flowing soft drinks, chilled juice, and water.
You'll feel on top of the world at this classy 61st-floor space, one of the loftiest open-air restaurants in town. The international menu focuses on grilled seafood prepared with flair, and the food is quite good, but as with most of Bangkok's rooftop restaurants, you're paying for the sky-high setting, not the food—you might just prefer to come for a sunset drink to enjoy the stupendous views. Service is brisk and cheerful.
Sign up for Travel Tips & News
Thank you for your interest!
