Bangkok Restaurants

  1. Crepes & Co

    Chic without pretension, this breezy café is yuppie Bangkok's favourite brunch date. Delicate, platter-sized crepes stuffed with smoky bacon and woodsy mushrooms as well as thick coffee will soothe your Asian exile.

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  2. Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

    The tongue-twistingly long name of this excellent Singaporean chain refers to the restaurant's signature wheat noodles ( la mian ) and the famous Shanghainese steamed dumplings ( xiao long pao ). If you order the hand-pulled noodles (which you should do) allow the staff to cut them with kitchen shears, otherwise you'll end up with ample evidence of your meal on your shirt.

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  3. Cy'an & Glow

    Resembling the school cafeteria that Philippe Starck never designed, Cy'an is the perfect forum for the mix-and-match creations of Australian chef Daniel Moran, a protégé of Neil Perry. Combining vibrant Mediterranean and Moroccan flavours, a healthy obsession with the finest seafood, and a chic yet intimate atmosphere, the result is quite possibly the most faultless fine-dining experience in town.

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  4. Cyan

    Fresh and intense flavours inspired by the Mediterranean give substance to this minimalist fashion spot. Executive chef Amanda Gale, a protégée of Australian celebrity chef Neil Perry, uses seasonal and zesty ingredients to rouse eaters out of their tropical stupor.

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  5. D'sens

    Atop the Dusit Thani, overlooking Lumphini Park, this is the latest venture for the wonder-twins Laurent and Jacques Pourcel, creators of the Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier France. The restaurant is handsome yet modern and the menu draws from the traditions of the south of France relying mainly on high-quality French imports.

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  7. Deck

    The Deck's claim to fame is its commanding views over Wat Arun, but the restaurant's short but diverse menu, ranging from duck confit to Thai-style pomelo salad, sweetens the pot. After dinner, take a drink at the hotel's open-air rooftop bar.

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  8. Dosa King

    You don't have to get all 'dhal-ed' up to dine on tasty vegetarian Indian food. (Although a spiffy look would put you in league with the sari-wrapped mothers and clubbing teenagers.) Divine renditions of the Punjabi speciality, dosa (a thin, stuffed crepe), adorn the tables like ancient parchment scrolls.

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  9. Face

    Housed in several interconnected Thai-style wooden structures, this handsome dining complex is essentially two very good restaurants in one. Lan Na Thai does flawless domestic with an emphasis on regional Thai dishes, while Hazara dabbles in exotic-sounding 'North Indian frontier cuisine.' To make matters even better, Visage, the café-bakery next door, prepares some of the best cakes and chocolates in Bangkok.

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  10. Foo Mui Kee

    Foo Mui Kee has been serving a unique mixture of Thai, Chinese and European dishes for nearly 80 years. In some cases, such as the stewed ox tongue served with rice, the boundaries between cuisines are not so distinct, although the bottle of Worcestershire sauce on each table is a giveaway of the restaurant's Western leanings.

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  11. Foodloft

    Soaking in a view can just as easily be matched with slurping down noodles as it can with mincing your meal. Amid this industrial-chic caféteria, city views dominate the dining room while shoppers refuel with local and international options.

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  13. Giusto

    Sophisticated simplicity decorates the interior and the menu of this contemporary Italian restaurant. The Italian triumvirate of olive oil, lemon and garlic coaxes freshly grilled fish into an orchestra of flavours, not a mosh pit. The 'name-that-flavour' eater will find contentment without entering a food coma. Come for the set lunch specials (around ฿520 / ฿ , 2/3 courses).

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  14. Gourmet Paradise

    One entire floor is dedicated to food and eating in Siam Paragon's ubermall universe. The feudal divisions of Thai society are in full effect on weekends. The aristocrats file into the branches of successful white-linen restaurants, while the working class hustles through the food court with trays of noodles and stir-fries.

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  15. Great American Rib Company

    The term barbecue often inspires images of grilled meat, but slow-cooking as it's done in the American south is entirely another beast altogether. Avoid the burgers at this blandly-named but popular joint, and stick to the fall-apart-at-the-touch Memphis-style ribs and rich pulled pork.

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  16. Greyhound Cafe

    Conspicuous consumption is part of many Bangkok menus, but Greyhound still sets the pace. You could crawl into the techno soundtrack of the sleek dining room, but everyone knows that the best seats are along the main pedestrian hallway - the better to be seen. Despite the emphasis on style, the menu is diverse, the food decent, and it's good value to boot.

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  17. Harmonique

    A tiny oasis squeezed into a former Chinese residence, Harmonique is an expat staple for thrifty romantic dinners. The dishes are unabashedly designed for folks fearful of chillies and fish sauce, but the ambiance of fairy lights, a central banyan tree and marble-topped tables have spared Harmonique from our chopping block.

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  19. Hemlock

    Technically Hemlock is a bar, but to come here and not eat would be sheer stupidity. Book a table because everyone knows how amazing the food is. Unravelling and eating the succulent kài hàw bai toey (marinated chicken wrapped in pandanus leaf and fried) is almost a religious experience.

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  20. Home Cuisine Islamic Restaurant

    Hidden in a leafy corner mercifully distant from hectic Th Charoen Krung, this bungalow-like restaurant does tasty Thai-Muslim with an endearing Indian accent. Sit out on the breezy patio and try the simultaneously rich and sour fish curry, accompanied ideally by a flaky roti or three.

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  21. Hong Kong Noodles

    Deep in the heart of the vendor-lined soi known as Talaat Mai (New Market), this claustrophobic shop does a busy trade in steaming bowls of wheat-and-egg noodles. If you can find a seat, there's a nice vista of the surrounding commerce.

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  22. Horng Ahaan 55

    The metro magazines will try to steer you to the latest 'white-linen' hotties, but Bangkok's real culinary beefcakes are these naked little store fronts. The décor is almost institutional: besides the essentials there's also a gaudy Chinese shrine and photographs of revered monks. But this leaves more energy and resources for the food, like saffron-spiked poo phàt ph?ng ka-rii (crab curry).

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  23. Hua Seng Hong

    Shark-fin soup may draw heaps of Asian tourists into this place, but Hua Seng Hong's varied menu, including dim sum, braised goose feet and noodles, make it a delicious destination for anybody craving Chinese.

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  25. Imoya

    Temporarily set aside thoughts of Bangkok and whisk yourself back to 1950s Tokyo. A visit to this well-hidden Japanese restaurant, with its antique ads, wood panelling and wall of sake bottles, is like taking a trip in a time machine. Even the prices of the better-than-decent eastern-style pub grub haven't caught up with modern times.

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  26. In Love

    This recently remodelled perch straddling the Chao Phraya River has undergone a transformation from homey to chic, reflecting much of the change in today's newfangled Bangkok. Slate grey and minimalist decor now define your settings, but the seafood-heavy menu thankfully, still has its head in the past.

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  27. Indian Hut

    This Indian restaurant, across from the Manorha Hotel, specialises in Nawabi (Lucknow) cuisine. Try the vegetarian samosas, fresh prawns cooked with ginger or the homemade paneer in tomato and onion curry.

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  28. Isan Restaurants

    When a boxing match is on at nearby Ratchadamnoen Stadium, these restaurants are run off their feet serving plates of Isan staples like kài yâang (grilled chicken), sôm-tam (green papaya salad) and khâo n?aw (sticky rice). A fun pre-match tradition, but the chicken is too dry to qualify as a main event.

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  29. Jay Fai

    You wouldn't think so by looking at her bare-bones dining room, but Jay Fai is known far and wide for serving Bangkok's most expensive phat khii mao (drunkard's noodles). The price is justified by the copious fresh seafood, as well as Jay Fai's distinct frying style that results in a virtually oil-free finished product.

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