217 Best Restaurants in Thailand

This simple Thai restaurant sits on the banks of the Wang River, 2 km (1 mile) down the main 1034 highway in the village of Ko Kha. Fresh fish is a daily specialty, but try the plump fish cakes or a crispy version of larb, a popular minced-pork dish.

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.

This 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 house with several dining rooms, each with its own ambience. Tasting menus (there is no à la carte) start at B3,000 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 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.

This airy shophouse-turned-café, art gallery, and boutique is the kind of warm, homey space that makes you want to linger. The selection of pastries and cake are enticing and the barista makes excellent coffee. The boutique carries coffee, honey, chocolate, local textiles, and ceramics with an emphasis on local community enterprises. Exhibitions in the upstairs gallery, featuring the works of contemporary Thai artists, change every few months.

Trendy locals have been loving this iconic restaurant that serves creative Thai and pan-Asian fare since it opened in 2004. The walls are adorned with tropical motif wallpaper, the plush furniture is finished with dark velvets, and traditional Chinese pottery in bold colors sits on display, while the banquette seating is topped with colorful throw pillows that you can purchase in the shop. The Thai food is excellent and nicely presented, but expect to pay more than in simple Thai restaurants. 

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.

Time for Lime is a large, open-air restaurant right off the beach. Each night there is a different three-course set menu, and reclining chairs are placed on the recessed sandbar while music plays and wonderful cocktails (try the chili margarita) are served. They also have cooking classes. Time For Lime also offers basic yet comfortable bungalows.

All proceeds from Time For Lime go to the owner Junie's extremely worthy cause: the Lanta Animal Welfare, which has already offered much-needed help to the many strays on the island.

On the second floor of an attractive old house, this longtime favorite serves delicious and healthy foods. It's mostly vegetarian fare, but there are a few meat dishes for the carnivorous, such as gai tahkhrai (fried chicken with lemon and garlic). Many of the favorites here, including the tasty eggplant masala, are Indian dishes. The dining room is air-conditioned, and the garden terrace that surrounds it takes full advantage of any breezes. The service is sometimes slow. Reservations are recommended for groups of four or more.

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 beachfront diner serves salads and sandwiches, both traditional and inventive. Among the latter, the "Hot Bandana" is a tasty vegetarian sandwich baked inside a bread bowl and served wrapped in a bandana.

The chicken satay, an otherwise ordinary dish of chicken skewers served with a side of spicy peanut sauce, is especially skillfully prepared at this traditional restaurant. More elaborate Thai dishes are available as well.

This simple, open-sided restaurant just outside the city walls has been preparing such traditional northern dishes as frogs' legs fried with ginger for more than 30 years. Try the tabong (boiled bamboo shoots fried in batter) and sai ua (pork sausage with herbs). There is take-out service, too.

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.

Handsome locally fired floor tiles are among the original features of the century-old teak home this atmospheric old restaurant occupies. Step onto the riverside terrace and you could be in Venice—the waterway throbs with life, with tiny tugs pulling impossibly large barges loaded with rice, and a small jetty where guests get picked up for a dinner cruise.

If you find yourself craving Western fast food, skip the global franchises and make a beeline for this restaurant, which grew out of a popular food truck. Run by two young Thai siblings and open from 11 am until 10 pm or when sold out, Beast's burgers are made with premium-quality ingredients and are perfectly cooked. The veggie patty is great, too. Choose from onion rings or fries for the perfect accompaniment.

The concept—one familiar to western visitors, especially those from North America—is not exactly authentic to Japan or any country for that matter. But Benihana's take on Japanese-style teppanyaki has proved to be an enduring formula. The template is followed to a tee at its Pattaya outlet with flamboyant chefs cooking up a storm before diners' eyes. 

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. 

Pattaya's reputation as a top spot for sampling seafood is given fresh impetus at this lively restaurant. The venue is open daily for lunch, but it comes alive on weekend nights when gourmands flock to its seafood buffet, which is a kingly affair starring superfresh morsels served in an underwater-inspired space popping with eclectic artworks. 

If you find yourself craving European dishes like pizza, schnitzel, and hearty sausages, this is one of the best places in town. The portions are large, the atmosphere is casual, and the prices are affordable. 

There are plenty of restaurants along the beach, serving international dishes and Thai classics, but this one is a step above. The seafood here is superb, especially the barracuda fillet.