Restaurants in Thailand
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A
Spirit House
Sometimes the most charming restaurants are just display cases for an eccentric personality. This antique-filled dining room is the creative outlet for the American owner who's a master of many trades, from antique dealer to classical musician. A former chef in New Orleans, he's a self-described 'nut about food' and builds the daily menu around what looks interesting at the market. The leafy surrounds and rustic feel add to the charm. This place is just off busy Th Chang Pheuak, near the market.
reviewed
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Krua Medsai
This fantastic local haunt rarely registers on Cha-am's tourism radar because it sits just north of the beachside burg. Try succulent Ъoo nim (soft-shell crab) and order a bowl of spicy đôm yam gûng (prawn and lemongrass soup) with coconut. To find Krua Medsai, go north along the main ocean road until the rows of accommodation end; you'll pass over a small bridge and a few hundred metres later there's a large blue billboard pointing to the restaurant on the right-hand side of the road.
reviewed
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B
Thip Samai
Brace yourself, but you should be aware that the fried noodles sold from carts along Th Khao San have nothing to do with the dish known as pàt tai. Luckily, less than a five-minute túk-túk ride away lies Thip Samai, also known by locals as pàt tai Ъrà·đoo pĕe, and home to the most legendary pàt tai in town. For something a bit different, try the delicate egg-wrapped version, or the pàt tai fried with man gûng, decadent shrimp fat. Closed on alternate Wednesdays.
reviewed
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Night Markets
The most popular and pleasant place for an evening meal is at the night market near the Khong Kha pier. The menus are in English but the food is authentic and excellent. Stalls here sell papaya salad, fried noodles, đôm yam gûng (prawn and lemon grass soup with mushrooms), fresh seafood and all manner of things on satay sticks, plus sweet milky Thai desserts. There's a similar market just north on Th Sukhon that's open day and night and caters to a more local crowd.
reviewed
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Sue Hai
This very simple family-run teashop-cum-Yunnanese place has an English-language menu of local specialities including local mushroom fried with soy sauce, or the delicious air-dried pork fried with fresh chilli. They also do filling and tasty bowls of homemade noodles. It's roughly in the middle of town.
reviewed
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C
Sabeinglae
‘Everything there is delicious, ’ said our cab driver as he dropped us off. And indeed this rustic seafood shack, known for its Samui cuisine, delivered a table full of intensely delicious creations, like wai kôo·a (a coconut milk curry with octopus), yam tá-lair sà·mŭi (a zesty local-style salad) and a seaweed dish whose name has been forgotten. The Samui dishes appear in the menu in Thai only, so ask your server for recommendations. It’s south of Hin Ta Hin Yai.
reviewed
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Baan Phleng
A branch of the excellent Mae Hong Son restaurant of the same name, this popular place does a mix of northern Thai and Mae Hong Son–specific dishes. To go truly local, try the ‘fern salad Maehongson style’, tender ferns par-boiled and mixed with a dressing combining sesame oil, dried chili and garlic, or ‘pork and tomato chili paste’, the Shan dish known locally as nám prík òrng. There’s an English-language menu with photos if you feel you’re treading in unfamiliar waters.
reviewed
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D
Som Tum Lanna
This place has three dishes worth mentioning: the salted, grilled red snapper; the grilled chicken; and the paint-peelingly spicy som tum (green papaya salad). Now, the fish is very good, but you can find its equal on Hat Rawai. The chicken on the other hand…well, heed the words of another blissed-out, greasy-mouthed customer: ‘This is some fucking killer fucking chicken!’ As for the som tum? Don’t be a hero. Order it mild. It will still bring some serious heat.
reviewed
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Sala Bua & Lo Spuntino
Located deep within the bustle of ‘Seafood Street’, this excellent ocean-facing restaurant serves the best of both worlds – East and West – accompanied by a long list of wines. A resident Italian chef and a Thai chef whip up traditional masterpieces in the steamy kitchen while diners coddle their chardonnay and watch the sunset. Simple pleasures, like vegetable rice, are cooked to perfection, as are the big ticket items: seafood ‘baskets’ (for two) and Florentine sirloins.
reviewed
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E
Food Plus
This claustrophobic alleyway is bursting with the wares of several ráhn kôw gaang (rice and curry stalls). Everything is made ahead of time, so simply point to what looks tasty. You’ll be hard-pressed to spend more than 100B, and the flavours are unanimously authentic and delicious. Try to avoid the heart of the lunch rush (approximately 12.15pm to 12.45pm) when virtually every shopkeeper in the area (and believe us, there are many) seems to descend on the place.
reviewed
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Sai Ua Gao Makham
Chiang Mai reveals its Chinese heritage with its devotion to pork products, most obvious in the northern Thai speciality of sâi òo·a (pork sausage). Good quality sâi òo·a should be zesty and spicy with discernible flavours of lemongrass, ginger and turmeric. One of the famous sausage makers is Sai Ua Gao Makham, a small stall in Talat Mae Huay (Mae Huay market), which is a few kilometres south of the Night Safari on the way to Hang Dong.
reviewed
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Jaa Piak
Lying 18km east of Phetburi, Hat Chao Samran is one of Thailand’s oldest beach resorts, dating back to the reign of Rama VI (King Vajiravudh; r 1910–25). While the Thailand of today certainly has more appealing beaches, it’s a pleasant enough place to laze your way through a day or two, punctuating your naps with cheap seafood binges. Jaa Piak serves all manner of seafood including a mean horseshoe crab–and-egg salad (yam kài maang dah tálair).
reviewed
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F
Park Food Hall
Park Food Hall brings together some of the city’s most well-known international restaurants. Emporium Food Hall, on the same floor, features cheaper, mostly Chinese and Thai food, and what must be the cheapest meal with a view in town. Paying is done by buying coupons at the windows in the entrance. Be sure to leave these in your pocket until the next day when it’s too late to get a refund – it’s an integral part of the food-court experience.
reviewed
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G
Bali
With the proprietors living directly above the dining room, homely atmosphere takes a literal interpretation at Bangkok’s only Indonesian restaurant. Despite the name, the food here is not Balinese, but rather pan-Indonesian, and the restaurant serves all the expected standards (satay, gado-gado, rijstaffel ), as well as a few, slightly more unusual dishes (young jackfruit salad, a variety of sambels (spicy Indonesian/Malaysian dips).
reviewed
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Laap Khom Huay Pu
Escape the dreadlocks and tofu crowd and get your meat on at this unabashedly carnivorous local eatery. The house special, and the dish you must order, is lâhp kôo·a, minced meat (beef or pork) fried with local herbs and spices. Accompanied by a basket of sticky rice, a plate of bitter herbs and a cold Singha, it's the best meal in Pai. The restaurant is on the road to Mae Hong Son, about 1km north of town, just past the turn-off to Sipsongpanna.
reviewed
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H
Tatonka
This is the home of 'globetrotter cuisine', which owner-chef Harold Schwarz developed by taking fresh local products and combining them with Europe, Colorado and Hawaii cooking techniques. The eclectic, tapas-style selection includes creative vegetarian and seafood dishes and such delights as Peking duck pizza (220B). There's also a tasting menu (750B per person, minimum two people), which lets you try a little of everything. Call ahead during the high season.
reviewed
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I
Mitmai Restaurant
A clean, simple and spacious Yunnanese place specialising in delicious vegetable soups made with pumpkin, taro, snowpeas, mushrooms or other vegetables. Try the tôm sôm plaa yâwt máphráo (hot-and-sour fish soup with coconut shoots). The bilingual menu also includes yam (tangy, Thai-style salad) made with Chinese vegetables, as well as Yunnanese steamed ham, and many vegetarian dishes. No MSG is used in the cooking.
reviewed
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Kulap
Located at the far north end of town on the left-hand side, this tired-looking restaurant serves some truly excellent Thai food that has earned it a reputation among both visitors and locals. Spice addicts will love the gaang Ъàh (‘jungle curry’), served with your choice of local fish, boar, frog or shrimp. For something more savoury try Ъoo lŏn, a mild ‘dip’ of crab, minced pork, coconut milk and fresh herbs, served with fresh vegetables.
reviewed
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Ciao Bella
Italian-run Ciao Bella is a long-time expat and traveller fave serving excellent pizzas and seafood in a romantic location by the sea. Try the chef’s mystery pastas if you’re looking for a little adventure. At night, twinkling candles and stars provide the atmosphere for alfresco dining, while lapping waves provide the soundtrack. Ciao Bella is on the sand in Ao Lo Dalam and has a couple of charming bungalows in the back if you’re looking for accommodation.
reviewed
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J
Phu-Lae
This air-conditioned restaurant is exceedingly popular with Thai tourists for its tasty, but slightly gentrified northern Thai fare. Recommended local dishes include the gaang hang·lair, pork belly in a rich Burmese-style curry, here served with pickled garlic, and sâi òo·a, herb-packed sausages.
reviewed
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Hua Thanon Market
Slip into the rhythm of this village market slightly south of Lamai; a window into the food ways of southern Thailand. Vendors shoo away the flies from the freshly butchered meat and housewives load bundles of vegetables into their baby-filled motorcycle baskets. Follow the market road to the row of food shops delivering edible Muslim culture: chicken biryani, fiery curries or toasted rice with coconut, bean sprouts, lemongrass and dried shrimp.
reviewed
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K
Thong Lee
With the owners’ possessions overflowing into the dining room, a heavily laden spirit shrine and tacky synthetic tablecloths, Thong Lee is the epitome of a typical Thai restaurant. However, in the sea of foreign food that is Th Sukhumvit, this is exactly what makes it stand out. Thong Lee offers a few dishes you won’t find elsewhere, like mŏo pàt gà·Ъì (pork fried with shrimp paste) and mèe gròrp (sweet-and-spicy crispy fried noodles).
reviewed
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L
Le Normandie
For decades Le Normandie was synonymous with fine dining in the city. And although today’s Bangkok boasts a plethora of upmarket choices, Le Normandie has maintained its niche and is still the only place to go for a genuinely old-world ‘continental’ dining experience. A revolving cast of Michelin-starred guest chefs and some of the world’s most decadent ingredients keep up the standard, and appropriately formal attire (including jacket) is required. Book ahead.
reviewed
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M
100 Ratchadamri
Well-known in blue-blood circles, this restaurant occupies a prestigious location on the grounds of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. But cast aside visions of bird-dog oil paintings, rather, this place sports a nightclub setting (sans the decibels) and outdoor banquettes facing the club greens. True to the educated-abroad palate, there is a Thai and Italian menu. Yam sôm oh puu (pomelo salad with deep-fried crab) earns a hole-in-one.
reviewed
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I-Berry
A Bangkok-based ice-cream store has churned a pretty wooden lot into a hip phenomenon. Students and locals flock here with cameras in tow hoping to run into the famous owner, comedian Udom Taepanich (nicknamed 'Nose'). If he's not around they'll settle for the huge yellow sculpture out front, said to mimic the star's signature feature (his big nose). The ice cream is pretty good, but watching Chiang Mai's celebrity worship is even better.
reviewed