Best Restaurants In Bangkok

Whether you’re a budget-conscious traveller or a food enthusiast seeking the ultimate gastronomic experience, Bangkok has something to offer everyone. The city has a thriving culinary scene, from the sizzling street food vendors that line every corner to Michelin-starred Thai cuisine. Below I’ve listed some of the best restaurants to eat in Bangkok, with options for every budget!

Tim and I have been coming to Bangkok for 10 years and are massive fans of Thai food. I still haven’t developed a tolerance for spicy food (I have tried, I promise!), and Tim is allergic to eggs and nuts – so we are somewhat limited in what we can eat. However, we find that restaurants in Thailand are exceptionally good at catering to allergies and preferences. At the end of the post, I have some tips on making your food less spicy and travelling with allergies! I also have a list of dishes to try if you’re totally new to Thai food.

Now, let’s get into the list!

Banglamphu Street Food

Price: 20-160 Baht per dish

Fruit vendor near Khao San Road

Street food is my favourite style of eating in Thailand! If you’re looking for an authentic Thai meal, from Pad Thai to Coconut Ice Cream, step outside your hostel and find the nearest food cart. You can buy fresh Pad Thai for 40 baht, fresh fruit for 20 baht per bag, and coconut ice cream for only 50 baht! On our most recent trip, we skipped the 200 baht hostel breakfast and spent 80 baht on bags of fresh watermelon, pineapple, papaya and melon from a stall.

Banglamphu is a great area to find good local restaurants and street food. This is where you’ll find the famous Khaosan Road (although the food quality in the restaurants on this road is not good, and should be avoided). We like to stay near the river or in Samsen and walk between Khaosan Road, Samsen, and Rambuttri, trying the restaurants and stalls.

Samsen is a short walk from Khaosan Road, across the river, and it’s super quiet. This makes it a great base to be close to the action but in a nicer part of town. A favourite little restaurant of mine is Keaw Restaurant, which is in the Samsen area near Khaosan Road. It’s small, very basic, and serves up classic Thai dishes at a great price (under 100baht). Google Maps location is here. Try the yellow curry noodles!

Around this neighbourhood,  you’ll find lots of great small local restaurants! So Samsen is another simple Thai restaurant nearby and great for a group or solo meal. It has a lovely vibe in the evenings, you can bring a book and relax. Jeng Noodle Thai Food & Vegetarian is nothing fancy, but the food is fantastic and about £1 a meal.

For something a little higher-end and Western-friendly, Laun is a newer addition to the street and stands out with aircon and a swanky interior. This restaurant serves Thai and Western dishes, and they tend to make their dishes more tourist-friendly (less spice and more familiar ingredients). Thai food lovers may find it lacking, but those new to Thai food who want an easy introduction to classic dishes may like it here.

Rambuttri Alley is next to Khaosan Road and has some nice places to eat with more buzz. One of Tim’s favourite places to eat in Bangkok is the food stall at the top of Rambuttri Street, next to the 7-11 on the corner, where you pay 60 baht for any 2 curries & rice. The food is authentic Thai, and they have veggie and meat options, but it is extremely spicy, so if you feel like testing yourself, then I would definitely try this place out!

Jodd Fairs Night Market

Location: Rama IX Rd, Huai Khwang, Opening Hours: 4 PM–12 AM everyday, Prices range per stall, but start around 80baht

bring-you.info

Jodd Fairs is a lively market near Phra Ram 9 station on the MRT. Open from 4 pm each day, stalls here sell food, drinks, clothing and accessories. There is often live music and events, and it’s a great place to socialise while trying great dishes.

You can find stalls selling both Asian and Western dishes, and many trending desserts and food combinations you see on TikTok. You will love it here if you have a sweet tooth or like to try the latest food fads (like rainbow grilled cheese).

Jodd Fairs is a tourist market rather than a Thai market, so if you want a break from Thai food, you can find something here. There is a French wine bar selling cheeseboards and champagne across from a great Italian stall selling fresh pizzas, beside some of the best Som Tam I’ve had in Thailand for 50p. If you’re eating out with a group with mixed tastes, this is a great option as it will have something for everyone.

There are also stalls here selling craft beer and cocktails worldwide. Try Good Day Soju, Jinro TokTok (peach flavour is great), or you can get classic cocktails mixed for you. They serve everything in plastic, so if you have a keep cup, you can ask to fill this instead.

Jek Pui

Location: 25 Mangkon Rd, Pom Prap, Opening Hours: 2–7:30 PM every day, Price: 50 baht per dish (£1)

Stir Fried Crab & Rice, Jek Pui

Jek Pui is a legendary food stall which has been selling delicious curries on a Bangkok street for over 70 years! This no-frills eatery usually has a big queue and sells out daily, but you won’t have to wait long to eat. There are no tables here – you order your dish, grab one of the plastic chairs nearby and eat. When you finish your food, you leave your seat to allow space for the next person.

It’s well worth putting time aside to go here, and it’s a great stop if you plan to explore Chinatown. There are meat and vegetarian options available; their yellow curry is incredible!

If you’re new to street food, you might want to go here midway through your trip when you are more familiar with Thai food and eating at markets. It’s best to go when you know what dishes you like, as ordering here is fast, and the language barrier means you might not know exactly what you’re getting. You can judge from the colour of a curry what it is, or ask for ‘gai’ (chicken), ‘moo’ (pork), or ‘nuua wuua’ (beef), and you’ll be pointed to the dish you can eat. For vegetarians, you can say ‘vegetarian’.

On Luk Yun

Location: 72 Charoen Krung Rd, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100, Opening Hours: 6 am to 2:30 pm, Price: from 60 baht per dish

Breakfast at On Luk Yun

Another Bangkok institution, On Luk Yun, is where locals and tourists in the know go for breakfast. This two-storey restaurant is open from 6 am daily and serves simple and tasty breakfast dishes like eggs, bacon, french toast and signature breakfasts. The food and service is more diner-style than hipster cafe, and the prices are low. A meal for two is usually around 300-400baht, so this is a cheap place to fill up before a day of sightseeing.

Location-wise, On Luk Yun is in Bangkok Old Town, a gorgeous area to explore on foot. Walk along the canals here and wander around to see the buildings here. It’s just a 20-minute walk to the Grand Palace, one of the best sights in Bangkok, so you can visit after breakfast.

If you are coming to On Luk Yun, be aware that nearby restaurants sometimes try to steal their customers by telling them that it is closed, so they go elsewhere. So if someone tells you it’s not open, go and check for yourself.

Pad Thai Khun Ying

Location: 681 Si Phraya Rd, Si Phraya, Opening Hours: Mon-Fri: 6–10 PM, Weekend: 11am-10pm, Price:  from 50 Baht per dish

Thai Food in Bangkok

If you’re looking for some incredible Pad Thai in Bangkok at a reasonable price, this is where you must go! Pad Thai Khun Ying is located in an arty district of Bangkok, where you can find some incredible galleries and exhibitions. It’s right by the river, across from the famous Iconsiam mall (worth a visit while you’re nearby!).

Pad Thai Khun Ying sells classic Thai dishes like Pad Thai, Penang Curry, Som Tam, and Tom Yum. The service is impeccable, which is why the restaurant gets a solid 5/5 review score on Google. Many reviewers said they came back multiple times during their time in the city. If you are nervous about trying Thai food and want to eat new dishes in a friendly environment – this is a good spot to try.

Supanniga Eating Room

Location: Three locations in the city. Click here to see them. Opening hours: 10am-10pm everyday, Prices: from 120 baht per dish

Mango Sticky Rice

The most reliable way to find great Thai food is to head to a small local restaurant or a high-end expensive restaurant. If you’re looking for something in between these two, it’s very easy to end up paying too much for a sub-par Thai meal.

If you want great Thai food with air-conditioning and a glass of good wine for 100-200 Baht then find your nearest Supanniga Eating Room. The food here is fantastic, and the decor and atmosphere are perfect if you want to unwind during a hectic day of sightseeing.

The menu features curries, rice and noodle dishes, fried food and soups. The menu features fish, meat and vegetarian options, with a huge range of variety in ingredients and flavours.  Try the crab omelette, crab pad prik, massaman curry, mushroom laab and choo chi crispy tofu.

Sri Trat Restaurant & Bar

Location: 90 Sukhumvit 33 Alley, Khlong Tan Nuea, Opening Hours: 11 am–10 pm every day, Prices: around 300 baht per dish

Khao Soi

Another mid-range option, this is a great spot if you want to spend a little more and have an upmarket dining experience! Sri Trat restaurant is listed with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, so you can trust that the food is great!

Dishes include Thai classics, with a focus on seafood and curries. The owners are siblings and have based the menu on their mother’s favourite recipes; there are murals of her throughout the restaurant. The decor and atmosphere are fantastic, with some great signature cocktails to try.

The menu is huge, with various curries, salads, soups, rice and noodle dishes. If you can’t decide what to eat or don’t recognise the dishes,  ask your servers to recommend a dish based on your spice/meat/flavour preferences. It would be a shame to play it safe here, as they really do make incredible food.

If you feel like a break from Asian food, here are some other options:

Gigi Dining Hall & Bar (Italian)

Location: 4 Sukhumvit 45 Alley, Khlong Toei Nuea, Opening hours: 4 PM–12AM Mon – Thurs, 11:30 -1AM Fri – Sunday

If you need a break from Thai food, Gigi Dining Hall is a swanky Italian restaurant & bar with a great selection of dishes and cocktails. Open until midnight or 1am each night, this is a great place for a group meal or date night. It’s not stuffy, and there’s usually a great buzz here.

The menu features Italian classics like mushroom risotto, truffle fettuccini, salads, and a selection of wood-fired pizzas. They also have a fab wine list. We ordered takeout from here on FoodPanda, and the quality was still great.

You may need to make a reservation here as it’s a popular spot, and they regularly host events which are announced on their Instagram page. 

theCOMMONS (International)

Photo from TimeOut Bangkok

Location: There are two, one in ThongLor and one in Saladaeng,  Opening Hours: 8am – 12am everyday, Price: Upwards of 250baht

theCOMMONS is a relatively new addition to my top eats in Bangkok, and it would make a great addition to any itinerary in the city. It’s like a trendy hipster food court, with a selection of international food, craft beer and good wines. There is a buzzing atmosphere at night, and on weekends, it’s a good spot to visit with a group before you head out to local bars.

Prices here are firmly mid-range, so it’s not a budget backpacker spot. The project aims to create a community space with a food court on the ground floor, a market, and an event space. The Thonglor location is on a really buzzing street, so it is busier on weekends. It is also larger and has more variety of choices. The Saladaeng location is smaller and quieter but still has a craft beer bar, wine bar, poke spot, pizza section, egg stall, and various other Asian and Western options.

If you’re living in Bangkok and craving cheese, the Thonglor location has fantastic wines and cheese boards. I very much crave this after a few weeks in the city!

Touka (Japanese)

Location: 75/1 Sala Daeng 1/1, Silom, Opening Hours: 11-2pm and 5pm – 11pm each day, Prices: Dishes starting from 240 baht

The newest addition to our Bangkok faves list, I found Touka the night before I published this post! There was a huge storm in Bangkok, so we rushed to the nearest restaurant on our Google Maps Starred list and it felt like we had walked straight into a Tokyo Izakaya!

After a Japanese-style energetic welcome from the staff, we chose to sit at the bar with a view into the kitchen, which is set in the middle of the restaurant. The menu had various sushi, sashimi, and fish dishes, yakitori skewers, noodle dishes and specials. They have draft beer and a wine and sake list. The staff were great with Tim’s allergies and super welcoming.

The food quality and ingredients were fantastic, and the price point was great for Japanese food. We ate himi udon, salmon sashimi with sesame, yaki onigiri, miso soup, edamame, a beer and water for 1,100thb (£25) total.

The atmosphere was fun and busy. Being able to watch the chefs work was super interesting. This is right beside theCOMMONS so if you’re in the area, you can try both!

Dishes To Try

Here are some great dishes to try in Thailand:

• Gratiam Prik Thai (chicken, prawns, or tofu stir-fried with garlic & pepper. Not spicy, and delicious)
• Thai curries – most of these can be served with your choice of meat or tofu/veggies, and their spice level can be adjusted to your taste. They are often referred to as soups on menus. Here, I’m ranking them for how they are typically served, from least to most spicy:
  • Kaeng Garee (a mild potato coconut yellow curry, not too spicy)
  • Massaman curry (similar to yellow curry but with a richer flavour)
  • Panang curry (A creamy peanut red curry)
  • Kaeng kaew wan (the classic green curry! A fresh-tasting coconut curry with lots of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, normally served with aubergines)
  • Kaeng Phet (Red curry)
  • Kaeng Pa (a.k.a. Jungle curry – a super-spicy curry often served with duck – not for the faint-hearted!)
• Larb (also spelt Laab, this is spicy minced pork or tofu/mushroom with lime & chilli)
• Som Tam (a spicy papaya salad – not like a usual salad, order it as a side, main dish or with barbecue chicken and sticky rice)
• Pad Thai (a classic! Can be prawn, chicken or tofu)
• Tom Yum soup (spicy sweet & sour soup with prawns, chicken or veggie)
• Pad Krapow (minced chicken, beef, or pork stir-fried with chilli & basil)
• Omelettes (crab, veggie, or plain)
• Pad Kee Mao (a.k.a. Drunken Noodles): a delicious spicy noodle dish with fresh green peppercorns, red chillis,
• Pad See Ew:

Accommodating Allergies & Food Preferences

Thailand is the country where Tim finds it easiest to manage his allergies. This is because food is made on demand, and chefs are used to personalising a dish. It’s very normal to ask for a dish without peanuts/egg (or chillies, or meat!). However, if you have a severe allergy to an ingredient that is commonly used here, I would urge caution with certain dishes due to the risk of cross-contamination. For example, peanuts are a standard ingredient of som tam (papaya salad), and while it’s normal to request it without peanuts, the pestle and mortar used to mix the salad will likely not be cleaned thoroughly between uses. Fortunately for Tim, the nuts he is most allergic to are rarely seen in Thai cooking, but your mileage may vary.

We recommend installing the Google Translate app and downloading the Thai language before you travel. This way, you can translate menus and chat with servers when you’re offline. The app will translate a menu photo and has a microphone so you and the server can immediately talk and translate what you’re saying.

If you don’t want your food spicy, say ‘no chillies’ – saying ‘not spicy’ means you’ll still get some spice. Otherwise, ask for ‘half a chilly’, ‘1 chilly’ etc. Saying “not too spicy” or “mildly spicy” may mean something else to a Thai person.

Those are my tips for the best restaurants in Bangkok! Do you have any other spots that you would like to add? Share them in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!
Steph
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