Bangkok's Best Thai Restaurants

Thai food has become one of the most popular cuisines in the world. If you enjoy it in your home country, you will love it in Bangkok. Eating is a favourite pastime in this city and you can do it everywhere. I enjoy sitting on a rickety stool on a street footpath watching the passing throng as I eat a bowl of noodles almost as much as sitting in a fine-dining restaurant.

Thai food does not have to be full of chillies. In fact some of the dishes I most enjoy are those where the subtle flavours of the herbs and spices slowly fill the mouth. It is a special Bangkok experience that I enjoy again and again.

Thai food combines the best of several Eastern cuisines: the oriental bite of Szechuan Chinese, the tropical flavour of Malaysian, the creamy coconut sauces of southern Indian and the aromatic spices of Arabian food. Thais then add an abundance of fresh ingredients and lightly cook everything.

The distinctive taste comes from a handful of fundamental ingredients: fresh coriander, basil, mint, lemon grass, garlic, chillies, pepper, shallots, coconut milk, shrimp paste, fish sauce, Kaffir lime leaves, and dried spices.

It is no surprise that you can find Thai food everywhere in Bangkok – on the streets, in food courts, in the department stores, in the hotels, in small restaurants and glittering food palaces. As far as I am concerned, the best Thai food is found in the middle to up-market small restaurants in the central city. These places may have a Thai musician providing background music but they specialize in food. Most are intimate rather than ‘showy’.

I would travel kilometers in Bangkok just to go to any of the five recommended restaurants. Fortunately all are close to the major hotel areas in the city, so when you are in Bangkok, you may find you can walk to one of them. If you enjoy one, try some of the others as well. Each has a completely different ambiance and the food also is different.

What is my favourite? I really can’t decide. Twenty years ago, it was Lemongrass but now Baan Khanatha would be difficult to beat. Cabbages and Condoms has a completely different ambience and Mango Tree is just that little bit more informal. You are guaranteed to enjoy them all.

Quick Tips:

At restaurants, it’s best to get a selection of dishes and share them between everyone. This way you get more choice and you will never be stuck with a meal that didn’t turn out to be what you expected.

I find that chilled white wine goes better with Thai food than a full-bodied red served at room temperature. Thailand is now producing some reasonable wine, so try a bottle while you are in Bangkok.

Many visitors only sample Thai cuisine at hotel restaurants. Although many hotels have excellent Thai restaurants, the food is too often designed primarily for foreigners and lacks the spark and excitement found in some of the city's independent restaurants that are frequented primarily by Thais.

A Thai meal offers a combination of flavours; sweet, hot, sour, salty, and sometimes bitter. Usually, in addition to the obligatory bowl of rice, there will be a variety of dishes including a soup, a curry, a steamed dish, a fried one and salad, and one or two sauces.

Thai cuisine is light and fresh with delicately balanced spices and a harmony of flavours, colours and textures designed to appeal to both the eyes and the palate.

Many restaurants open for lunch and dinner. Thais normally take an early lunch around midday so you will find that after 1pm is a better time to visit a restaurant if you don’t want to wait for a table. In the evening many restaurants fill up by 8pm so go early to be sure of a table.

Best Way To Get Around:

The five restaurants I have chosen are all in the main tourist areas and several are close to Skyrail stations. The three Sukhumvit restaurants are all within walking distance of the major Sukhumvit hotels but you might consider a taxi to Baan Khanitha because it is quite a way down the soi.

Blue Elephant and Mango Tree are in different parts of the Silom Road tourist area. If you are staying in this area you may be able to walk to one of them. Both are close to Skyrail stations or you could take a taxi.

The underground railway is an excellent way of getting around Bangkok but none of the restaurants are particularly handy to a station. Sukhumvit is the closest to Lemongrass, Baan Khanatha, and Cabbages and Condoms while Silom is closest to Mango Tree.

This is a delightful restaurant in the center of the Sukhumvit Road area. There are several hotels nearby so it is understandably popular with regular visitors to Bangkok.

In the late 1980s this was my favourite Thai restaurant and I was a regular visitor. Then in the 1990s I was put off by the indifferent attitude of the staff as the popularity of the place soared. It almost became an effort to serve you and I believe the kitchen suffered the same problem.

But no more. I have been back here three times in the past 18 months and each time I have loved the food, the ambiance and the service. It is firmly back on my ‘favourites’ list.

The restaurant is in an old non-descript-looking building on Sukhumvit Soi 24, less than 100 meters from Sukhumvit Road and the Phrom Phong Skyrail station. From the outside it looks unimpressive, but once inside the situation completely changes. The building is filled with Thai antiques and there is a welcoming feeling of intimacy in each of the small rooms. There is a small garden out the back which can be especially pleasant in the evening in the cooler weather.

Nouvelle Thai cuisine tailored slightly to Western tastes is the specialty. This has made it an established expat favourite but many wealthy Thais also come here. There is an interesting menu with dishes from all regions of Thailand, including some fiery southern ones.

On my recent visits I have made a point of having something different each time and on a couple of occasions I had the opportunity to share with three others so I have tried quite a few things from the menu. These are some of my recommendations.

For appetizers try the Po Pia which is minced shrimp and salted egg-yolk wrapped in crepes (Bt 230 or about US$6.75) or the Laab Pla Tu, a minced fish salad (Bt175).

The soups are excellent and designed for two people to share. Try the Tom Yam Goong, a spicy soup with prawns (Bt290) or Gang Leang, a peppery vegetable soup with shrimps (Bt250)

I have a couple of favourites for mains but I have never had anything on the menu that I did not enjoy. I can’t go past Gang Keo Wan Ped Yang, a green coconut curry with roasted duck (Bt220) or the Goong OB Woon Sen, prawns cooked in a clay pot with vermicelli (Bt290). Steamed rice is Bt45 per person.

There is a good selection of wines, beers, and other drinks but my favourite is the iced Lemongrass tea. It is delicious.

Lemon Grass is not cheap but they don’t add a service charge to the bill so that helps and it is well below the top price you can pay in Bangkok. The restaurant opens from 11am to 2pm and from 6pm to 11pm. If you plan to arrive after 8pm, reservations are recommended.

The story of the Blue Elephant restaurant is interesting. The first Blue Elephant restaurant was opened in Brussels by a Thai expat and her Belgian husband and now there are restaurants in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Dubai, Beirut, and elsewhere. The group needed a flagship restaurant and that had to be in Thailand so that is what this restaurant has become.

The restaurant, and associated cooking school, is housed in a century-old building. On entering you travel back in time. The interior is loaded with teak and works of art and the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly. The style of food on offer is called new Royal Thai cuisine.

When it comes to the food, you need to understand whom this restaurant is catering to. It is difficult to offer traditional Thai or Royal Thai cuisine to a wide range of Western patrons, without adding or changing some aspects of the food to please our palate. Many restaurants refer to their food as traditional Thai cuisine, even if it is anything but traditional. Such is the case here with some dishes. Many would be bland for most Thais. The dishes may be excellent for Western tastes, however, traditional they are not.

There are some interesting northern or isan-style dishes on offer, like the marinated salmon in a northern Larb style. This Thai spicy dish mixed with fresh herbs and chilies is one of my favourites. Another delicious fish plate is bamboo fish, fresh seabass, grilled in bamboo.

A good option for starters is paper prawns (Bt 190), tiger prawns wrapped in rice paper with minced chicken, and crushed peanuts served with plum sauce. Some good mains are spare ribs (Bt240), served with honey and Thai herbs; tamarind duck (Bt360), slices of grilled duck breast on a seaweed bed topped with tamarind sauce; and orange prawn curry (Bt 380), prawns with coconut milk, jackfruit, sweet chili, tomatoes, and cucumber sauce.

As the menu here is pretty extensive and Thai food is best enjoyed where you try a number of dishes, I’d recommend anyone dining in a group to go for one of the set banquet menus (ranging from Bt1150++ per head to Bt2500++ per person) if you can afford it. This way hungry diners can stuff themselves on the full range of Thai flavours without agonizing over the à la carte menu.

There are extensive drink options including wines from France, USA, Australia, Chile, Germany, and Thailand, teas, coffees, beers, soft drinks, and juices. The upstairs ‘Blue Bar’ is spectacular and it makes great margaritas.

Blue Elephant seems to have succeeded with a combination of authentic and contemporary Thai food, attention to detail and clever branding. Although part of an international chain, the Bangkok restaurant doesn’t have the prepackaged, hush-hush feeling of some hotel restaurants. This is partly due to the setting itself but also to the friendly, well at ease serving staff and a diverse crowd of diners.

The restaurant opens from 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

Don't be misled by the restaurant's odd name or put off by the array of contraceptive devices for sale. This very popular place raises funds for the Population & Community Development Association, the country's family planning program. The complex is a restaurant, bar, internet café, massage shop, and gift shop all rolled into one. It is a ‘must-go’ place.

Arriving recently with friends, we were all so impressed by the decor. Most prominent were the tens of thousands of white fairy lights draped from the canopies, fluttering in the night breeze. There were plenty of candles too, and the sounds of hundreds of diners chattering, punctuated by noisy sizzling dishes wafting a great aroma into the night air. I spotted as many Thai couples/groups as I did Westerners.

Set in a large compound, the two-story restaurant has an air-conditioned indoor dining area-- but if you sit on the garden terrace, you're in a fairyland of twinkling lights which is quite romantic. Have a look round. There are condoms everywhere, in frames on the walls, and under glass tabletops. So many colours, so many patterns, ribbed, studded, and then some plain huge ones.

Business at the bustling downtown eatery is clearly excellent. While most people probably go for the novelty value the first time, they come back for the food. This has been consistently rated one of the best restaurants in Bangkok. You'll find the food here excellently prepared and presented. Every dish arrives ornately dressed with some amazing garnishes such as flower-shaped carrots.

Here are some of my recommended dishes:
Vegetarian – green curry with tofu and vegetables (Bt120)
Appetizers – Thung Thong, deep fried chicken and mushroom in flour (Bt100)
Soup – Gang Leang Noppokao, vegetables with shrimp in spicy shrimp paste (Bt180)
Curry – Hor Moke Taley, steamed seafood with coconut and vegetables in banana leaf (Bt 200)
Mains – Pla ka Pong Nueng ma Nao, steamed whole seabass with chili, lemons, and vegetables (bt350)
Dessert – Mango and sweet rice (Bt90).
Fruit juice is 80 Baht a glass and beer 90 Baht a small bottle.

All diners get a condom with coffee, instead of an after-dinner mint. You might also want to have a Thai foot massage (15 minutes for 60Baht), use the internet or have a quiet drink in the Captain Condom lounge.

Before you leave, be sure to check out the gift shop's whimsical condom-related merchandise. Piles of T-shirts are emblazoned with the message, "Cabbages and Condoms, Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy." Proceeds from the sale of these items and the restaurant’s meals are given to the Population and Community Development Association, a non-profit organization founded in 1974 by the very popular Mechai Viravaidya, the former Thai Minister of Health.

Mechai has an aim. He wants to make condoms as common--and as accepted--as cabbages. The restaurant is doing just that while providing a unique experience to all visitors. The restaurant opens from 11am.

Baan Khanitha is the name of two award-winning Thai restaurants that are the brainchild of Khanitha Akaranitikul, an elegant lady who made her name as a designer of beautiful fashion garments for her Khanitha boutiques. They are currently my restaurants of choice in Bangkok.

Perceiving the need for somewhere to enjoy high quality Thai food in a traditional atmosphere, Khanitha decided to open a restaurant that matched her high expectations of cuisine and decor. The result is Baan Khanitha (Khanitha's home), a charming restaurant that opened in a Thai-style house in Sukhumvit Soi 23.

The restaurant creates a homely ambiance through the use of traditional handicrafts, paintings, plants, and decor, while serving delicious Thai cuisine on beautifully designed plates and dishes. The interior is similar to a tastefully decorated house with well-chosen antiques, decorations and greens. The terrace is filled with nice outdoor wooden tables surrounded with greenery.

Baan Khanitha was an instant success. A second outlet is now open in South Sathorn Road. Both restaurants have won nine consecutive Bangkok 's Best Thai Restaurant' awards from Bangkok Dining & Entertainment Magazine since 1997.

The restaurant is stamped with Khun Khanitha's personality and reflects her love of the good life. The food is exquisitely presented and whilst being authentically Thai, it also has a unique flair. Grapes, for example, make their way into several dishes and add a sweet and cooling contrast to traditional Thai spices.

I have always found the service at the restaurant to be attentive and genuinely friendly. The staff is obviously proud of their restaurant and will explain the nature of different dishes and make sensible recommendations to diners unfamiliar with Thai food. This is a great help to first time visitors.

I have tried about half the dishes on the menu and don’t really have any particular favourites. I don’t think I have ever been disappointed with anything. The restaurant manager tells me that some of the most popular dishes are:
Salad - Yam Som O, a spicy pomelo salad with shrimps and chicken.
Starters - Poo Nim Phad Prig Thai Dum, stir-fried soft shell crab with black pepper.
Soup - Tom Yam Kung, spicy river prawn soup with herbs.
Curry - Gaeng Phed Ped Yang A-Ngun, roasted duck and grapes in red curry.
Dessert - Tab Tim Krob, water chestnuts in syrup with coconut milk.

Baan Khanitha has a reasonably extensive wine list from France, Australia, Chile, and California. It also serves a full range of cocktails. There are some excellent infusions made with local herbs and spices on the menu. A glass of lemongrass tea, for example, is an excellent drink to sip while perusing the extensive menu.

The restaurant is open for lunch from 11am-2pm and for dinner from 6pm-11pm. Reservations are recommended at both restaurants, particularly in the evening.

I stumbled upon the Mango Tree restaurant by accident some years ago and still remember how much I enjoyed that first meal. I must have been impressed because I started telling Thai friends about this discovery, but then found that many of them already knew about the restaurant and its great food.

Nothing much has changed except that other outlets at Bangkok’s new airport and in London, Tokyo, Korea, and Malaysia have since joined Mango Tree in downtown Bangkok. The lovely informal atmosphere and the high quality food remain the same in this lovely 80-year-old Siamese restaurant house with its own tropical garden.

Mango Tree offers a quiet retreat from the surrounding hectic Patpong area. Live traditional music and classical Thai decorative touches fill the house with charm. The belief of its CEO – Mr. Phithaya Phanphensophon, is that every guest should be treated as if they were coming into your own home.

The entry lobby sets you up with good expectations. Marvel at the owner's old camera collection and the posh ceramics. There is a lovely tree and plant bedecked terrace for outdoor dining (usually accompanied at night by live traditional music) or a series of small, fairly intimate rooms, tastefully mixing contemporary and traditional decor. Cross the faded Oriental carpet and lower yourself into a booth or pad across a raised dais to recline against cushions around a shin-high table.

I have eaten here both at lunchtime and for dinner. I must say that the evening is much more impressive although of course the food is the same anytime. Here are some of my recommendations:
Appetizer – Miang Kham, crispy coconut, savoury herbs with green bitter leaves and tamarind sauce (Bt120 – about US$3.50).
Salad – Poached shrimp salad with lemongrass, shallots, chili, and lime (Bt220).
Soup – Tom Yum Ruam Mitr Tha-Lay, spicy mixed seafood soup (Bt240).
Grills – Grilled pork spare ribs (Bt140).
Mains – Gai Phad Khing, stir fried chicken with ginger and onion (Bt160).
-Pla Meuk Thod Gra-Tiam, deep-fried squid with garlic and pepper (Bt250).
Kaeng Phed Ped Yang, red curry with BBQ duck in pineapple boat (Bt240).
There is also a selection of vegetarian dishes.

The waiters will help you through ordering if you are not versed in the "put it all in together" approach of starters, soups, curries, veggies, and desserts. All the curries rely on flavours rather than heat alone. The soups are none too bitter either. The Tom Kha Gai is usually the right balance of lime and herbs.

On a recent visit, the music was pleasant and unobtrusive. The food and service were excellent and we didn't think the bill was exorbitant considering what we ate. It’s best to roll up before 8pm to get a table. On Wednesday to Saturday the outside area has dancers from 8pm.