Pai
Meat-free takes on international dishes, fresh-pressed juices, a pleasant shaded garden, a noticeboard advertising yoga classes, the odd hippy: basically…
Must-see restaurants in Thailand
Phuket
This glorified roadside food shack makes absurdly good kôw pàt þoo (fried rice with crab), pàt see·éw (fried noodles), chicken stew and noodle soup. It…
Chiang Mai
Dining at the restaurant in The House boutique feels like eating in a posh Thai mansion, with antique furniture, comfy sofas and fine china. The Thai food…
Mae Sot
Like dining in a gentrified jungle, Khaomao-Khaofang replaces chandeliers with hanging vines, and interior design with orchids and waterfalls. It's the…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Unless someone conclusively proves otherwise, Indus will reign as Bangkok's finest traditional Indian restaurant. Its North Indian staples such as biryani…
Trat
This simple open-sided restaurant north of the centre is deservedly a local favourite, with some excellent seafood dishes and well-meaning service from an…
Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi
The retro-minimalist interior here might be a red flag for hipster ethnic cuisine, but Tonkin Annam serves some of the best Vietnamese food in Bangkok…
Phuket
Expect awesome burgers and superb steaks, perhaps the best on Phuket, at this laid-back, busy grill specialist with a wooden bar, concrete walls and…
Chiang Rai
There's no tofu, no wi-fi and no reservations at this delightful addition to the Chiang Rai dining scene set over two floors of a former shophouse. Lounge…
Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi
Stylish Lenzi embodies the basic tenets of Italian dining: using the best ingredients and producing a complex melange of flavours and tastes through…
Thanon Sukhumvit
This contemporary Thai diner is a favourite go-to place for a comfort meal. The menu – incorporating tasty interpretations of rustic Thai dishes – has not…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Upscale Thai is often more garnish than flavour, but Bo.lan has proved to be the exception. Bo and Dylan (Bo.lan is a play on words that means 'ancient')…
Northeastern Thailand
Contender for the best cafe in Isan, this coffee shop and restaurant has a wonderful lakeside perch and is serious about its beans (all Thai-grown). It's…
Thanon Sukhumvit
Cocotte brings a fine selection of organic farm products – sourced from Bangkok and Chiang Mai – to the table and pairs them with a classy selection of…
Prachuap Khiri Khan
Bong, Pizza Khirikhan's owner, has put lots of love into his tiki-style restaurant. The former location – a beach hut – has been re-created with palm…
Chiang Mai
As you enter this local hole in the wall, you'll pass the main course: delicious whole tilapia fish, grilled on coals and served with a fiery Isan-style…
Chiang Rai
One of Chiang Rai’s most delicious dishes is available at this simple, friendly shophouse restaurant. There’s an English-language menu on the wall, but…
Bangkok
With an emphasis on seafood, this alfresco restaurant in a cosy bungalow is the place to come if you're craving a jumbo platter of steamed mussels, juicy…
Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi
This expansive food court spans Thai dishes from just about every corner of the country, including those from several famous Bangkok restaurants and…
Thanon Sukhumvit
This fabulous restaurant specialises in the unique fare of Thailand's eastern provinces, Trat and Chanthaburi. What this means is lots of rich, slightly…
Chiang Rai
Owned and run by the whip-smart Jane, a member of the Akha minority, this place has a rustic setting with random garden furniture and sawn-off doors as…
Northern Thailand
Thin wheat-and-egg noodles (bà·mèe) are a speciality of Kamphaeng Phet, and this famous and friendly restaurant is one of the best places to try them. The…
Ko Chang
A beautiful place right on the canal, Phu-Talay has wooden floors, blue-and-white decor, a picturesque deck and its own boat (for pickup from nearby…
Khon Kaen
This popular, no-frills local joint is always busy for good reason – there's no better sôm·đam in Khon Kaen. It also does grilled chicken, sticky rice and…
Hua Hin
This Thai-Chinese restaurant, opened in 1932, is a national culinary luminary. Thais adore the stir-fried oyster with flour and egg, while foreigners…
Khon Kaen
Many Thais believe Khon Kaen Province makes Thailand's best gài yâhng (marinated grilled chicken), and this simple joint, serving an all-Isan menu, gets…
Phetchaburi
This riverside restaurant serves up a real bygone-days atmosphere from an 1897 wooden home perched over the river, and some good food, too – try the sugar…
Siam Square, Pratunam, Phloen Chit & Ratchathewi
The popular verdict is that this Cantonese restaurant makes some of the best dumplings in Bangkok, so make a point to drop in if you happen to be a fan…
Nan
This cosy place doesn't look like much, but its menu mixes Thai and international cuisine to impressive effect. There are tart, colourful Thai salads and…
Loei Province
As busy as the street it sits on, this large open-fronted place serves not only the rice soup (kôw đôm) it's named after, but dozens of other dishes too…
Udon Thani
This small chef-driven, open-kitchen place is Isan's version of a trendy Soho bistro. It does some Thai and Isan standards like panang curry and om curry…
Mae Hong Son Province
An authentic – and utterly delicious – northern Thai–style grilled-meat shack. You can’t go wrong with the eponymous mǒo đúp (pork that’s been grilled…
Prachuap Khiri Khan
A go-to place for discerning locals, here you can eat streetside under a utilitarian tent while gazing at the squid boats in the bay. Great range of fresh…
Ayuthaya
A wonderfully cluttered restaurant serving top-notch Thai food. Seemingly half the punters are here for grilled river prawns, though the gaang kĕe·o wăhn …
Northeastern Thailand
This Thai-trendy cafe in the old bus station (by the clock tower) surprises with retro American furniture, delicious Thai dishes, fresh salads and good…
Mae Hong Son
This small and tempting vegan cafe-restaurant offers breakfast options and light, Thai-influenced meals, all of which are meat-free, made with love,…
Chanthaburi
This welcoming family-run restaurant-shop one street west of the waterfront is a great place to try local specialities; the chamung leaves with pork and…
Ubon Ratchathani
An Ubon institution serving excellent food, using family recipes and only fresh ingredients. Many people swear by the ox-tongue stew. From the outside it…
Ko Chang
Fab fajitas, burritos, tacos and cocktails are served by a charming French-Mexican couple at this roadside spot in the middle of Kaibae. Offering…
Chiang Mai
North of the Th Ratanakosin bridge on the east bank, Th Faham is known as Chiang Mai’s kôw soy (wheat-and-egg noodles in curry broth) ghetto. Khao Soi Lam…
