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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.
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.
Paolo Vitaletti, a five-star chef whose dad toiled in a storied Roman meat market, runs this cozy space for which reservations are highly advisable. The Italian menu is mostly devoted to Rome specialties, including spit-cooked porchetta (pork roast stuffed with fennel pollen, garlic, and rosemary).
Close to Lumphini Park on Withayu Road, Baan takes recipes that have been handed down through generations and kicks them up a notch by using top-line ingredients and fine-dining presentations. Signature dishes include braised beef Massaman curry, spicy five-spiced egg stew, and dry-aged beef ka-phrao (stir-fry with holy basil and chili).
Bangkok has hundreds of Japanese restaurants, but only Isao has a line out the door almost every night, thanks to the most creative maki rolls west of California. The owner studied under the chef at the revered Green Tea in Chicago, and the repeat clientele attests to the widespread enthusiasm for his culinary flights of fancy in sleek modern surrounds.
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 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.
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, antiques, and old photos make for a pleasant setting.
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.
Inundated with colors, sounds, and smells, this is where Bangkok's top Thai chefs shop for quality produce, herbs, and cooking gear. Owned and operated by a farmers' collective, 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 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.
This neighborhood restaurant has little in the way of atmosphere, but seafood aficionados still brave the traffic 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.
A top contender as Bangkok's best pizzeria, the warmly industrial-looking Peppina is booked solid most nights (although there are other locations). The attention to detail includes wood firing, pizza dough that's left to rise overnight, and fresh buffalo mozzarella and other ingredients imported from Italy.
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.
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 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.
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 two other locations in 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.
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