Thai restaurants in North America
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A
Bangkok Bistro
Don’t expect a cute little hole-in-the-wall plucked straight outta Thailand; Bangkok Bistro is big and brash and usually packed. To be honest, it’s not so much Thai as Thai-American, influenced by Asia but distinctly Yankee in its huge, arm-waving ‘look-at-me’ approach, modern decor, slick waitstaff and somewhat watered-down Thai. But it’s also popular as hell, so they’re doing something right. We always like the drunken noodles and curry mains, plus the inevitable people parade that marches by.
reviewed
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Sanamluang Café
If the thought of dining in a tiny, rundown strip mall in Hollywood’s grittier east side sounds unappealing, read no further. But if you savor the thrill of a good culinary adventure, grab your keys for a trip to Thai Town for some of the best noodles around. The no-frills, pictures-of-the-food decor may be uninspiring, but all is forgiven once that huge, simmering bowl of General’s Noodles – stuffed to the rim with shrimp, duck and barbecued pork – arrives at your table. Pad thai is available for beginners. Cash only and open late.
reviewed
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C
Saladang Song
Inside the soaring glass walls of Saladang Song, it’s the details that first impress – a bright flower on every table, efficient service, artfully presented food. But the first bite of one of their beloved Thai specialties brings it all home. Song serves light, fusion-friendly Thai – sassy salads, spicy wraps and savory soups – while sister restaurant Saladang next door offers a more traditional Thai menu.
reviewed
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D
Chiang Mai
For a break from seafood and New England fare, head to this simply furnished but locally popular Thai restaurant, which serves satisfying curries and noodle dishes.
reviewed
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Lemongrass
Ignore the out-of-the-way, strip-mall setting - Fairbanks' best Thai food and most gracious service is found here.
reviewed
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Maenam
A swish, contemporary reinvention of the Thai-restaurant model, this is probably unlike any Thai eatery you’ve been to. Sophisticated, subtle and complex traditional and international influences flavor the menu in a room that has a laid-back modern lounge feel. Inviting exploration, you can start with the familiar (although even the pad Thai here is eye-poppingly different) but save plenty of room for something new: the geng panaeng neua beef curry is a sweet, salty and nutty treat suffused with aromatic basil. The mains are great value here, but why not share a few smaller plates (around the $8 to $10 range) instead?
reviewed
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King & I
- Boston, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
This Thai standby is simple - spartan, even - but service is efficient and the meals are satisfying. Noodle and rice dishes are served straight up, without much flare but with plenty of flavor. The specialty of the house is the 'famous' Pad Thai, but more adventurous diners should sample the recommended spicy curries. The menu offers many 'no oil' entrées for the health-conscious, and almost unlimited vegetarian options for the animal-conscious.
reviewed
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Rod Dee
- Boston, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
Rod Dee is recommended for take-out, as the tiny storefront has hardly any seating and it's often steamy inside. Thai noodles and curry plates will only make you hotter, as they are loaded with spice. Specialties include drunken chicken (chicken and vegetables stir-fried in chili sauce) and pad paradise (shrimp and chicken with vegetables and cashews in a secret 'delicious sauce'). Another outlet is on Peterborough St in Fenway.
reviewed
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I
Bangkok Blue
- Boston, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
Cash-strapped travelers with the Back Bay blues will find the cure at Bangkok Blue, where the spicy Thai staples will sate your appetite without busting the bank. This understated eatery does a brisk noontime business, as $8 lunch specials draw a regular clientele and efficient service ensures quick turnover. Patio seating is a pleasant alternative in warm weather.
reviewed
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Bangkok Gardens
Just off Chapel St, this large, white-linen establishment is the center’s most popular Thai eatery. The Golden Bay appetizer, fried tofu pouches stuffed with shrimp and veggies, is exquisite. At lunch, big plates of pork, beef and chicken with vegetables are inexpensive and best topped off with an order of fried ice cream. Try to get a seat on the sun porch.
reviewed
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Real Thailand
Truly authentic Real Thailand must have T.O.'s tiniest patio, but locals still flood through the doors here, looking to sate their chili and coconut-milk addictions. The menu features over 100 items including standards like tod mun pla (fish cakes; $9), tom yum goong (spicy soup; $9) and larb (salads; $8). Lunch specials are monumental.
reviewed
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Penny’s Noodle Shop
Despite the presence of several other excellent Asian choices within a few blocks, this place attracts crowds most hours of the day and night. You’ll see people waiting outside in all kinds of weather. Maybe these hapless hordes are drawn by the place’s minimalist decor, the low prices or – no doubt – the cheap, tasty noodle soups and stir-fries. Penny’s is BYOB.
reviewed
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House Of Siam
- Boston, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
In a traditional dining room done up in red and gold and decked with souvenirs from Siam, this is the South End's favorite Thai restaurant. The extensive menu includes no shortage of perfectly spiced curries and fried rice. It's not the trendiest place on Columbus Ave, but the gracious service and reliably good food attract a constant stream of regulars.
reviewed
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My Thai Vegan Café
- Boston, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
Formerly Buddha’s Delight, this vegan café has upgraded with a paint job, lacy curtains and new table settings, making this place look much more respectable than it used to be. But thankfully, it’s still an animal-free zone. It has a Thai twist, offering noodle soups, dumplings and pad thai. Service can be slow, so bring a book.
reviewed
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O
Thai Tom
First you notice the delicious aroma wafting down the street. Then you see the crowd of hungry people crammed into the doorway of this teeny storefront. It’s an open-kitchen lunch counter in a long narrow nook decorated with elephant heads on dark brown walls. There’s minimal seating, and the menus are written in gold on wooden blocks. Cash only.
reviewed
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Vanipha Lanna
Highly recommended, Vanipha Lanna emerges from the night like some kind of Asian carwash crossed with a birthday cake. Thai-Laotian food ranges from fiery seafood creations to familiar curries, plus unusual dishes like khao moak ga (spiced chicken in banana leaves). Fake orchids and portraits of Thai royals adorn the room.
reviewed
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Be My Guest Thai Bistro
For mod orange and white decor, a full cocktail bar, and clever variations of Thai themes, there’s only one thing to say: Be My Guest. The marinated Volcano Chicken is served flaming and melts in your mouth, while Mango Tango Prawns and Sea Bass Edamame bring surf to California turf with tangy, earthy flavors.
reviewed
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R
Thai Pastry
A lunchtime favorite with workers from both Uptown and Andersonville, this Thai restaurant has a window filled with accolades and awards, and the food to back it up. The pad thai is excellent, and the spot-on curries arrive still simmering in a clay pot. For a quick, cheap snack, visit the counter for a baked pastry.
reviewed
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Lotus Of Siam
At the most authentic Thai kitchen this side of Chiang Mai, a super-fresh menu includes both Isaan and Northern Thai specialties like savory larb salads with sticky rice. Ignore the strip-mall location while you concentrate on fresh flavors bursting out of your bowl. Award-winning German and American wine list.
reviewed
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Palms Thai
It's in a new location but the food's as sharp as ever if the steady stream of Thai families, tattooed scenesters and cops is anything to go by. All the expected classics are accounted for, but adventurous eaters might like to try the wild-boar curry or the garlic-pepper frog. It ain't easy bein' green…
reviewed
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Thai Chef
- Maui, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
Hidden in the back of a shopping center, the place looks like a dive from the outside, but the food is incredible. Start with the fragrant ginger coconut soup and the crispy spring rolls and then move on to savory curries that explode with flavor. Plenty of luscious choice for vegetarians and carnivores alike.
reviewed
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Montien
- Boston, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
Popular with neighborhood residents and theater patrons, this quiet Thai restaurant is perfect for grabbing a bite before the show. Regulars ask for the authentic Thai menu, as opposed to the Americanized version that most visitors see. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with the drunken noodles or tried and true pad thai. Montien also has an Inman Sq outlet.
reviewed
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Bangkok 54 Restaurant & Bar
From generic to exotic, this award-winning restaurant serves up Thai cuisine that's often fiery and always flavorful. And you don't have to compromise aesthetics for good food, Bangkok 54 looks as good as it tastes. The modern decor mixes granite with bright reds for a sleek finish.
reviewed
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Tamarind
- Miami, USA
- Restaurants › Thai
No surprises here (unless you’ve never eaten Thai food); there’s the standard array of Thai curries (red, green, yellow) and pad -everything. And it’s excellent: food, service and setting. Sometimes, as the cooks at Tamarind happily know, you stick with the classics.
reviewed
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Mekong II
One of Honolulu's oldest Thai restaurants, famed for its spicy 'Evil Jungle Prince' curry, this hole-in-the-wall may not have the most authentic tastes in town, but it's a filling lunch stop. The artfully presented pad thai is also worth detouring for.
reviewed
