Bangkok, Thailand's vibrant capital, is a city of contrasts where ancient temples stand alongside modern skyscrapers, and street food stalls compete with Michelin-starred restaurants. Known as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon in Thai, the city offers world-class shopping, a legendary nightlife scene, and some of Southeast Asia's most ornate Buddhist temples.
Top restaurants
Handpicked picks for the best dining experiences.
Jay Fai
Jay Fai is Bangkok's most famous street food vendor and the only street food stall in the world to hold a Michelin star. The 72-year-old proprietor (nicknamed Jay Fai, meaning 'Aunty Fai') has been cooking at this location since the 1970s, wearing her iconic ski goggles to protect from wok smoke. The signature dish is khai jeow poo, a crab omelette stuffed with enormous fresh crab, and the pad kee mao (drunken noodles) is equally legendary.
327 Maha Chai Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon
Nahm
Nahm is one of Bangkok's most acclaimed fine dining restaurants, earning a spot on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list multiple times. Chef Pim Techamuanvivit now leads the kitchen, continuing the legacy of David Thompson's meticulous exploration of ancient Thai recipes. The menu features elaborate dishes based on 19th-century royal Thai cuisine, with exceptional ingredients and complex flavors.
COMO Metropolitan Hotel, 27 South Sathorn Rd, Sathorn
Bo.lan
Bo.lan is a benchmark of sustainable, organic Thai cooking in Bangkok. Chef-owners Bo (Duangporn Songvisava) and Lan (Dylan Jones) are passionate advocates for traditional Thai ingredients and farming practices. Every dish is made from scratch using organic, locally-sourced ingredients. The restaurant has consistently featured on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list.
24 Sukhumvit Soi 53, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana
Gaggan Anand
Gaggan Anand's eponymous restaurant is one of the most celebrated in Asia, repeatedly named Asia's Best Restaurant. Chef Gaggan presents a 25-course emoji tasting menu that reinterprets Indian cuisine through progressive techniques. The intimate 14-seat restaurant creates an extraordinary theatrical dining experience that might be the most unique meal you'll have in Asia.
68/1 Soi Langsuan, Lumphini, Pathum Wan
Thip Samai
Thip Samai has been serving what many consider Bangkok's finest Pad Thai since 1966. The restaurant is famous for its 'superb' Pad Thai (wrapped in an egg net) and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Nightly queues are long but move quickly. The original owner's recipe using thin rice noodles, quality shrimp, and a wood-fired wok has never changed.
313 Mahachai Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon
Chote Chitr
Chote Chitr is a beloved family-run restaurant that has been serving traditional central Thai cuisine for three generations. The tiny restaurant near Democracy Monument is known for its miang kham (betel leaf wraps), yam mamuang (green mango salad), and various curries prepared from family recipes. Praised by food writers and chefs as one of the most authentic Thai restaurants in Bangkok.
146 Phraeng Phuthon Rd, Phra Nakhon
Krua Apsorn
Krua Apsorn has been a favorite of Bangkok's middle class since it first opened, and the Thai royal family has reportedly sent chefs here to learn traditional recipes. The menu specializes in central Thai dishes that are rarely found in tourist restaurants, including extraordinary crab and coconut curries and stir-fried crab dishes.
169 Dinso Rd, Bowon Niwet, Phra Nakhon
Supanniga Eating Room
Supanniga Eating Room specializes in eastern Thai cuisine from the Trat and Chanthaburi provinces, a regional style rarely seen in Bangkok restaurants. The dishes are known for their use of fresh herbs, seafood, and distinctive flavors. The Thong Lo location is set in a charming wooden house, and the restaurant has expanded with multiple branches across the city.
160/11 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lo), Khlong Toei Nuea
Restaurants by cuisine
Browse picks grouped by cuisine type.
Thai
Somtam Nua
Somtam Nua is a beloved restaurant in Siam Square serving northeastern Thai (Isaan) cuisine, particularly famous for its somtam (green papaya salad) made fresh to order with choice of heat and ingredients. The restaurant also serves grilled meats, larb (minced meat salads), and sticky rice. Despite being in a tourist area, the food is authentic and the prices are very reasonable.
392/14 Siam Square Soi 5, Pathum Wan
Polo Fried Chicken
Polo Fried Chicken (Gai Tod Polo) is an institution in Bangkok, famous for some of the best fried chicken in the city. The restaurant has been serving crispy, herb-marinated fried chicken since 1965. The chicken is marinated in garlic and lemongrass before frying, resulting in extraordinarily fragrant, crispy-skinned chicken. Served with sticky rice and som tum (papaya salad).
137/1-2 Soi Polo, Lumphini, Pathum Wan
Roti Mataba
Roti Mataba is Bangkok's most famous purveyor of mataba, a Thai-Muslim stuffed flatbread made on a hot griddle. The restaurant has been on Phra Arthit Road since 1943 and is beloved by Thais and tourists alike. The mataba is filled with seasoned ground meat and egg, and served with a sweet-sour cucumber relish and yellow curry sauce.
136 Phra Arthit Rd, Chana Songkhram, Phra Nakhon
Kor Panich
Kor Panich has been serving Bangkok's most celebrated khao niao mamuang (mango sticky rice) since 1932. The recipe hasn't changed in nearly a century: perfectly ripened mangoes served alongside glutinous rice cooked in sweetened coconut milk, topped with crispy yellow mung beans. The dessert is only available when mangoes are in season (roughly March to June).
431-433 Tanao Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon
Benjarong
Benjarong at the Dusit Thani Hotel is named after the traditional five-color Thai porcelain and serves royal Thai cuisine in an elegant, classically decorated setting. The restaurant specializes in palace-style Thai recipes from the Rattanakosin era, with intricate preparations rarely found in everyday Thai restaurants. Named after the traditional Thai five-color porcelain.
Dusit Thani Bangkok, 946 Rama 4 Rd, Silom
Soul Food Mahanakorn
Soul Food Mahanakorn is a pioneer of modern Thai food in Bangkok, mixing classic Thai flavors with contemporary techniques in a relaxed, neighborhood bar-restaurant setting. The cocktail program is excellent, using Thai herbs and spirits. The menu features Thai dishes that bridge traditional and modern, attracting both locals and expats.
56/10 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lo), Khlong Toei Nuea
Paste Bangkok
Paste Bangkok is an acclaimed fine dining Thai restaurant by Chef Bee Satongun, who has made Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant is dedicated to researching and reviving ancient Thai recipes, many from antique Thai cookbooks and manuscripts. The result is refined Thai cuisine with depth of flavor rarely found elsewhere.
Gaysorn Village, 999 Ploenchit Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan
Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin
Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin is the Bangkok outpost of Copenhagen's Michelin-starred Thai restaurant, presenting molecular gastronomy interpretations of Thai cuisine. The experience is theatrical and artistic - a tom kha gai arrives as a frozen coconut soup ball that melts at the table, and pad thai is deconstructed into elegant components. Consistently ranked among Bangkok's best restaurants.
Siam Kempinski Hotel, 991/9 Rama 1 Rd, Pathum Wan
Cabbages & Condoms
Cabbages & Condoms is a unique Bangkok institution owned by the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), with all profits going to family planning and AIDS awareness programs. The restaurant features condom-themed decor (creative, not offensive) and serves excellent Thai food in a pleasant garden setting. The motto is 'Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy.'
10 Sukhumvit Soi 12, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana
Baan Phadthai
Baan Phadthai is a charming shophouse restaurant in the atmospheric Charoen Krung area that serves creative variations of Pad Thai and other Thai noodle dishes. The restaurant is set in a beautifully restored 1930s Chinese shophouse and features a menu that explores the history and variations of Thailand's national noodle dish. The interior design includes vintage Thai food posters and antiques.
872-872/1 Charoen Krung Rd, Bang Rak
Wang Lang Market
Wang Lang is a street food market stretching along the Thonburi riverbank, beloved by hospital workers from nearby Siriraj Hospital and locals who appreciate its excellent and cheap food. Less touristy than Khao San Road, the market offers an authentic Bangkok street food experience with dozens of vendors selling everything from boat noodles to mango sticky rice, roti, and freshly grilled meats.
Wang Lang Rd, Bangkok Noi, near Siriraj Pier
MK Restaurant
MK Restaurant is Thailand's most beloved suki (hot pot) chain, a local institution that serves Thai-style hot pot where diners cook thin slices of meat, seafood, and vegetables in a communal broth. The signature MK sauce (a sweet-savory mix with plum sauce and chili) is iconic. MK has branches in every major mall and is a favorite for family meals.
Siam Paragon, 991 Rama 1 Rd (and multiple locations throughout Bangkok)
Greyhound Café
Greyhound Café is a Bangkok-born lifestyle brand that blends café culture with Thai fashion. The café serves creative Thai-international fusion food including excellent pasta with Thai herbs, pad thai egg rolls, and innovative salads. The interior design in each location reflects the Greyhound fashion aesthetic. Very popular with young urban Thais.
Emquartier, 637 Sukhumvit Rd (and multiple locations)
S&P Restaurant
S&P is Thailand's most well-known casual dining chain, serving reliable Thai food, bakery items, and desserts since 1947. The restaurants are found throughout Bangkok in malls, airports, and stand-alone locations. While not high cuisine, S&P offers consistent, clean Thai food at very reasonable prices, making it a popular choice for families and travelers seeking familiar Thai dishes without the street food experience.
Siam Square and multiple locations throughout Bangkok
Lert Ros
Lert Ros is a well-loved neighborhood Thai restaurant in the Silom area serving traditional central Thai cuisine in a simple, comfortable setting. The restaurant has a long regular clientele of local office workers and residents who appreciate the consistently good, unpretentious cooking. The curries and stir-fried dishes are excellent and made fresh each day.
14/7 Silom Soi 20, Si Lom, Bang Rak
Pier 21 Food Court (Terminal 21)
Pier 21 at Terminal 21 is Bangkok's best-value food court, where most dishes cost between 35 and 80 THB. The food court is impeccably clean, air-conditioned, and offers a huge variety of Thai street food dishes including pad Thai, green curry, boat noodles, and som tum. It's consistently ranked as the top value food court in the city by locals and travelers alike.
Terminal 21, 5th Floor, 88 Soi Sukhumvit 19
Smooth Curry
Smooth Curry is a popular stall within the Chatuchak Weekend Market area, beloved for its rich, aromatic curries served over steaming jasmine rice. The massaman curry with slow-cooked beef and potatoes is outstanding, and the green curry with eggplant is a vegetarian favorite. The perfect refueling stop during a day of market shopping.
Chatuchak Weekend Market area, near Section 3
Italian
Zanotti
Zanotti is widely considered the finest Italian restaurant in Bangkok, run by Giancarlo Giovanetti from Bologna, who has been in Bangkok for over 25 years. The restaurant imports ingredients directly from Italy and makes fresh pasta daily. The wine cellar houses over 500 Italian labels. A Bangkok institution for authentic Italian food.
21/2 Sala Daeng Soi 1, Si Lom, Bang Rak
Racini's
Racini's is a reliable Italian restaurant in the Silom/Patpong area that has been serving Bangkok's expat community for many years. The restaurant offers solid Italian classics including homemade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and hearty meat dishes at reasonable prices. The relaxed, casual atmosphere and decent wine list make it a popular choice for informal dinners near the entertainment area.
67 Patpong Soi 1, Si Lom, Bang Rak
Bistro
Quince Bangkok
Quince Bangkok is a beloved neighborhood European bistro in Sukhumvit that has been a favorite of Bangkok's expat community for years. Chef Scott Stephens serves unpretentious, excellent European bistro food with occasional Asian accents. The relaxed atmosphere, excellent wine list, and consistent quality have made it one of the most reliable restaurants in the city.
56 Sukhumvit Soi 45, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana
Café & Western Brunch
Café Bones
Café Bones is a charming neighborhood café in the Sukhumvit Soi 39 area, popular with expats and locals for its excellent specialty coffee, weekend brunch, and relaxed atmosphere. The café hosts community events, art exhibitions, and has a small but carefully curated menu of all-day breakfast and light meals. A genuine neighborhood gem away from the tourist trail.
59 Sukhumvit Soi 39, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana
Chinese
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
Nai Mong Hoi Thod is a legendary Chinatown institution that has been serving oyster omelettes (hoi thod) since 1953. The restaurant earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and serves two distinct styles: a crispy version (oi suan) and a softer, more custard-like version (or suan). Both use fresh oysters and are served with a tangy chili sauce.
539 Phlap Phla Chai Rd, Samphanthawong
Contemporary International
Eat Me Restaurant
Eat Me Restaurant is one of Bangkok's most beloved creative dining destinations, tucked in a Silom back alley. The restaurant combines contemporary Asian and Western influences in a relaxed, artistic atmosphere with rotating artworks on the walls. Chef Tim Butler's menu changes seasonally and features imaginative cooking with excellent wine pairings.
1/6 Soi Pipat 2, Convent Rd, Si Lom, Bang Rak
Desserts & Café
After You Dessert Café
After You is Bangkok's most popular dessert café chain, famous for its honey toast (thick slices of Japanese milk bread baked with honey and butter, topped with ice cream and fruit) and Thai tea shaved ice. The café has long queues at most locations, a testament to how beloved these desserts are. A quintessential Bangkok café experience.
393/27-28 Siam Square Soi 3 (and multiple branches)
European
Canvas
Canvas is a chef's table restaurant in Thong Lo that serves a daily-changing tasting menu of creative European cuisine by Chef Riley Sanders. The intimate, open-kitchen format allows guests to watch every dish being prepared, and the menu emphasizes the best local and imported seasonal ingredients. Featured on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants extended list.
113/9-10 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lo), Khlong Toei Nuea
French
Le Normandie
Le Normandie at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is one of Southeast Asia's premier French fine dining establishments, holding two Michelin stars. The restaurant has maintained its position as Bangkok's classic fine dining destination since 1958. The elegant dining room overlooks the Chao Phraya River, and the menu showcases classical French technique with exceptional imported ingredients.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 48 Oriental Ave, Bang Rak
Fusion
Breeze Restaurant
Breeze is an open-air rooftop restaurant on the 52nd floor of the iconic State Tower (known for its golden dome), operated by the Lebua at State Tower hotel. The restaurant serves contemporary Asian fusion cuisine with spectacular 360-degree views of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River. Located on the same complex as the famous Sky Bar.
State Tower, 52nd Floor, 1055 Silom Rd, Si Lom, Bang Rak
Indian
Saras Restaurant
Saras is one of Bangkok's best-known Indian vegetarian restaurants, serving authentic South Indian and North Indian food. The banana leaf thali (a platter of curries, rice, breads, and condiments) is exceptional, and the dosa menu is extensive. Very popular with Bangkok's Indian community and a favorite of vegetarians who find Thai street food challenging.
27/1 Sukhumvit Soi 20, Khlong Toei, Khlong Toei
Israeli
Shoshana
Shoshana is a Bangkok institution in the Khao San area, run by an Israeli family since the 1980s. The restaurant serves authentic Israeli and Middle Eastern food - hummus, falafel, shakshuka, and excellent grilled meats - at very reasonable prices. The hummus is genuinely excellent and the portions are generous. A longtime favorite of the backpacker community.
88 Chakraphong Rd, Chana Songkhram, Phra Nakhon
Pan
Food Republic (Siam Paragon)
Food Republic in Siam Paragon is one of Bangkok's most popular upscale food courts, offering dozens of stalls serving everything from Thai curry and dim sum to Japanese ramen and Korean BBQ. The system uses prepaid cards loaded with credit. The spacious, air-conditioned setting makes it ideal for families or anyone wanting variety at low prices in a central location.
Siam Paragon, 5th Floor, 991 Rama 1 Rd, Pathum Wan
Steakhouse
El Gaucho
El Gaucho is Bangkok's premier steakhouse, a Buenos Aires-style restaurant serving premium Argentinian, Australian, and USDA beef in a sophisticated wood-paneled setting. The dry-aged prime cuts are excellent, the wine list features outstanding South American labels, and the service is impeccable. A favorite of Bangkok's business community for power lunches and celebrations.
Athenee Tower, 63/1 Wireless Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan
Vietnamese
Tonkin-Annam
Tonkin-Annam is a beautifully designed Vietnamese restaurant in the Charoen Krung Creative District, set in a gorgeous heritage shophouse decorated with Vietnamese antiques and French colonial details. The kitchen serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine including pho, banh mi, and regional dishes from northern and central Vietnam. One of Bangkok's most atmospheric dining rooms.
309 Charoen Krung Rd, Si Phraya, Bang Rak
Food tours & tastings in Bangkok
Eat your way through Bangkok with a guide.
Browse food experiences in BangkokWe may earn a commission from bookings made through these links.
Dining etiquette & tips
Navigate the local food scene confidently.
Tipping practices vary — check local customs. Service charge is often included.
Restaurants may close between lunch and dinner. Plan meals around local dining hours.
Popular restaurants may not take reservations — arrive early or be prepared to wait.
Food budget guide
What to expect at different price points.
| Level | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | $5-15/meal | Street food, local eateries, and simple restaurants. |
| Mid-range | $15-40/meal | Sit-down restaurants with good service and varied menus. |
| Upscale | $40+/meal | Fine dining, international cuisine, and premium experiences. |