251 Best Restaurants in Thailand

In the ultramodern Velaa Sindhorn community mall on Soi Lang Suan, Vaso has an oval-shaped bar—no tables—surrounding an open kitchen that serves modern Spanish tapas and shared plates, including fresh oysters and imported Iberico jam. The short well-curated wine list includes cava, Spain's bubbly equivalent to prosecco or Champagne.

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.

Organic vegetables take center stage at this teak and art-dominated place led by an acclaimed chef from Berlin. Begin your day with a freshly packed jar of chia pudding, a superfood bowl, or a chili-spiked Thai Greens smoothie, and come back later for an encyclopedic array of clean eats.

Top-notch Thai cuisine and a relaxing tropical setting await guests at this beachfront restaurant, which offers laid-back charm, superlative service, and high-quality cooking.

Perched on the water, this family-owned joint is filled with locals who come for the seafood. Finding the place is half the fun; the sign out front has no writing in English, so if you're coming by cab, ask someone at your hotel to write out the name in Thai.

You don't have to be a journalist to dine at Chiang Mai's unofficial press club—the regulars include not only media types but also artists and eccentric local characters. Expect the typical pan-Thai dishes, including salads, stir-fries, and curries, as well as decent and sensibly priced house wines. Reservations are essential on Friday and Sunday, as this is the spot for taking a break from wandering the Sunday market.

This second-floor restaurant has been serving Chao Zhou cuisine for more than 70 years and though it lacks the elegance of the hotel restaurants in the area—the dining room is simple and you have to walk through the dishwashing room to reach the bathroom—it's a solid option in the heart of Chinatown. The Chinese-style sashimi and the fresh crab claws with ginger are excellent, but if you're feeling bold, try the ham with goatskin dipped in rice vinegar.

Departing each evening at 8 pm, the Yok Yor is a little like a floating restaurant. The boat ride costs B200, and the food is ordered à la carte as opposed to a set menu, making this different from most of Bangkok's dinner cruises.

Hotel restaurants in Bangkok often disappoint, but this casual street-kitchen–inspired spot at the Grand Hyatt Erawan serves high-quality Thai food—particularly northern Thai dishes—at reasonable prices. Come for the good range of noodles, curries, and congee, served à la carte or as buffet options, with premium add-ons such as lobster, crab, and braised beef available. 

This place doesn't look like much—it's little more than a shack with plastic chairs and simple wooden tables—but many locals say this the best place for seafood on the island. Lek Noi is a little more than a kilometer (½ mile) out of town on the way to Chudhadhuj Palace.

The owners are a Thai-American couple, so it's not surprising that their eatery serves a mix of their native dishes. The best ones, among them spaghetti with a spicy seafood sauce, inventively combine the two influences. Ocean breezes cool the open-air dining area.