HELP: Where Should I Eat in Bangkok?

by Gary Leff

I’ll be in Bangkok later this month. I’d appreciate any food suggestions from readers.

When I was there about 14 months ago I sampled Thai molecular gastronomy, the new restaurant from Thailand’s Iron Chef and Thailand’s most celebrated restaurant as well as some fantastic street food.


Siam Wisdom ‘Thai Ancient’ Dishes


I’ve never eat such spicy papaya salad…

I’m going to return to Nahm, a restaurant which is controversial to many. The Australian-born chef David Thompson is the first person to win a Michelin star for Thai cooking, a distinction earned for his former London outpost.

This has been called the best restaurant in Asia and one of the best restaurants in the world. But it has neither the expense nor the pretension of most of the other restaurants that wind up on these sorts of lists. I found it to be top notch, original and creative, traditional Thai food in a relaxed atmosphere with service that was rather mediocre. I can’t wait to eat their food again.


Dining Room at Nahm

There are plenty of great restaurants in Bangkok, at both the high and the low end. Besides returning to Nahm, where should I go during my 3 nights there?

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  2. Cabbages & Condoms is a nice place that supports a worthy cause but the food is very mediocre.

  5. Gary….as much as there are many wonderful, high end eateries in Bangkok, I still prefer the hawker centres. Yes, the gov has now put them in “hawker malls” of sorts….to regulate quality, etc. Yet, depending on ones circumstance, they seem to provide such an eclectic array of foods, not to mention the culture that surrounds the hawker centre. I’ve even had some clients there who prefer to avoid the Michelin spots, and have actually suggested the hawker centre to eat and conduct business.

  6. I’d suggest the followingL

    Thai
    Have a Zeed by Steak Lao in Terminal 21
    Som Tam Nua in Siam Square
    Baan Muang Issaan Jet Yot on Sukhumvit Soi 31 with a guide

    Indian
    Gaggan is supposed to be great but can take months to get a reservation

    El Gaucho
    If you need a break from Asian then you can’t beat what is prehaps the second best steak place in Bangkok. Branches on Sukhumvit Soi 19 across from the Westin and Sukhumvit Soi 11 not far from the Aloft.

  8. Check out the Veganerie Bakery for some remarkable vegan desserts, including coconut milk ice cream. I still remember the red velvet waffle… [www.facebook.com/VeganBakeryBangkok]

  9. I just left BKK a couple days ago. This was my 7th trip in the past 4 years. I love it there. Here are a few suggestions:

    Benjarong in the Dusit Thani for contemporary Thai food. Highly regarded chef.

    Oskar bistro on Sukhimvit Soi 11 is always good.

    There’s a fantastic Tapas restaurant (great Spanish food in Thailand!!!) that I hit every time I’m in town, and often twice. Very authentic (and I’ve lived in Spain, so I know my Spanish food). It is called Spanish on 4, located on Silom Soi 4. They’ve recently opened a second location called Tapas Cafe on Sukhumvit Soi 12.

    Erewan Tea Room on 2/F of the Sogo complex adjacent to the Grand Hyatt is great for lunch or tea. Traditional Thai. I had a great business lunch there. It has been completely restored after the bombing (all of their windows blew out).

    The breakfast buffet at the Le Méridien (where I always stay) is phenomenal. If you go there, say hello to Khun Natee and Khun Kok, the 2 main concierges. They are both charming and kind people (and speak perfect English). And tell them I said hello!

  10. Oh, and for drinks, try the new Vertigo and Moon Bar on top of the Banyan Tree hotel. You’ll climb some stairs to get from the 59th floor where the elevator stops to the rooftop bar on 61, but the views are amazing (even with the overpriced drinks). Great way to enjoy a BKK sunset

  11. Bangkok is one of my favorite food cities. I have tried and really enjoyed the places you mention, and thought you might enjoy some of these alternatives.

    Nahm is a wonderful place – I would do lunch there as the menu is the same, but it is cheaper. A great alternative is Bo Lan, a restaurant founded by a husband and wife team that used to work at Nahm, and specializes in more traditional/ancient Thai recipes. http://www.bolan.co.th/2014/

    Sra Bua is also a wonderful restaurant and the setting is hard to beat. An alternative in the molecular vein is Gaggan. The restaurant has an Indian slant. It is set in a cool multi-level house and the food is outstanding. Gaggan was named one the 50 top restaurants in Asia at the same time as Nahm. Book early.
    http://www.bolan.co.th/2014/

    An outstanding local seafood restaurant is called Samboon – they are famous for curry crab, but have fresh tanks of shrimp, crabs, fish… all very fresh, tasty and cheap. There is a tourist ripe off joint called Samboon Dee – avoid. http://www.somboonseafood.com/index.php/en/site/intro

    If you enjoy Dim Sum, Tim Ho Wan (Michelin star restaurant from Dim Sum shop from Hong Kong) has opened a branch at Terminal 21. While not Thai food, it is just so easy for a quick snack if you are in that area or on the BTS – Asoke stop.

    I am sure you are aware of the amazing Sunday Brunches in Bangkok – In my opinion the best three are at the – St Regis, and Four Seasons (Now its an Anantara), and Plaza Athenee. The spreads are mind numbing – caviar, assorted formats of Foie Gras, Peking Duck, fresh seafood, endless cocktails and bubbles….. However, if you have been there done that and happen to be in Bangkok for the first Sunday of the month try the brunch at Zuma (located at the St Regis) – great change of pace as it is much more subdued but outstanding quality.

    Indian food in Bangkok is awesome!! A couple places to consider – The Great Kabob Factory on Soi 2 its in the lobby of the Majestic Hotel; Mrs Balbir on Soi 11 is really tasty and quick.

    Have a great trip!

  13. I stayed at the newly opened Peninsula on my first trip to Bangkok 16 years ago. The recommended Harmonique, immediately across the river which I thought was really quite nice.

    See: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293916-d1022137-Reviews-Harmonique-Bangkok.html

    I can likely do better, but I have found no reason to depart from the food, and, particularly, the atmosphere. The crab yellow curry is quite nice. If you go, I suggest drinks at the Lebua’s skybar, made famous in the Hangover 2. Its a bit cheesy and everything is overpriced even by Western standards, but it still should not be missed.

  17. Another vote for Gaggan here.

    Bo.Lan is also an awesome authentic Thai dining experience. Pricey (for Thai food in Bangkok), but you are not paying for a view/locale like many high-end hotel/mall-based restaurants, you are paying for a well-curated, local, seasonal Thai menu.

  19. Agree about Cabbages and Condoms. Received many recommendations for it, but wasn’t blown away.

    Our favorite (and this may be beyond the scope here) was doing an amazing cooking class with Cooking with Poo: http://www.cookingwithpoo.com/cooking-classes

    Authentic market experience followed by cooking up an excellent four course lunch. Well worth it.

  20. Little Beast, American/European food with a unique twist. Truly one of a kind spin on their dishes. Everything we had was superb.
    Steve’s, for local Thai food. Excellent food and lovely riverfront location.
    AMAZING food

  21. Baan Kanitha is for “farangs” and tourists visiting BKK. It’s the fairytale home-cooked Thai restaurant to the unsophisticated / untrained tastebuds, in my view.

    Locals, looking to take a day off from their own kitchen, perhaps in the spirit of celebrating something meaningful, would hit up Baan Glom Gig instead of Kanitha.

    Forget the Michelins, Nahm, Gaggan etc etc. Too expensive, pretentious, and not in the spirit of what Bangkok / Thai food is all about. Instead, find where the local food experts / maitre d hangout spots and attack those instead.

  22. If you like dinner with a view, I recommend the following places:
    – the rooftop restaurant of the Banyan Tree hotel (Vertigo): fine dining (Western cuisine) with spectacular vistas.
    – the Thai restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, located on a terrace along the Chao Phraya River
    Enjoy Bangkok!

  25. So many options in a city filled with amazing food. Here are few non-traditional places:

    For when you need a break from Thai food: Peppina (http://bk.asia-city.com/restaurants/bangkok-restaurant-reviews/peppina) we ate here 3 times our last trip an amazing Italian place with great pizza, wonderful atmosphere and great service!

    An old stand by just off Convent Road near Pat Pong, but on a quiet so is: Eat Me, a mostly Western menu with Thai fusion touches. Has been around forever and just seems to get better and better. Wonderful room, great service and delicious food.

    For Thai food it is almost impossible to choose, one of my favorites, mostly because it is in my favorite hotel is the Celadon at the Sukhothai. Just entering the long drive on to the grounds of this, to me, magical hotel, makes eating here special. The fact that the restaurant is housed in two Thai Pavilions floating on a lotus pond doesn’t hurt. Oh and the food is top notch. I went twice in one stay and the manger spoke to us the first night. We mentioned how beautiful the flowers in the pond were and she told us that Water Lily stems were edible and that there were several Thai dishes made with it. The next night we were served a chicken dish with Water Lily Stems stems, made especially for us. Delicious and WOW services like this is incredibly rare. Sure it’s hotel dinning, but I find Bangkok is a rare place where hotels house some of the best restaurants in the city.

    Bon Appetite!

  26. You are so lucky if you can NOT get a reservation at Gaggan.
    Gaggan spent a lot of money on propaganda. But if you reallyknow about food you simply avoid going there. Hassan’s dates are bigger than they are.

  27. I was in Bangkok 12/29-30 on my way to Grand Hyatt Singapore, where I stayed 12/30/15 to 01/02/16 (with a rare upgrade to a full suite as a HGP Plat!), and partied the New Year in like crazy at the Orchard Tower. In BKK prior to that, I’d stayed at the Marriott Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong, and as a Marriott Gold through the UA-MAR JV (as United 1K), I was upgraded to a “Studio Suite” and, of course, had access to the club lounge, where I just ate whatever they had to offer in the evening for dinner…

    I am now at the Park Hyatt Siem Reap in the Kingdom of Cambodia, returning in a couple of days to BKK, where I will stay at the Grand Hyatt Erawan. Looking forward to some really hot/spicy “Tom Yum Goong”!

    If it sounds like I am having a great 2015 Year-end Asian Escapade(tm), I am!

    Cheers!

  29. Walk out of your hotel and look for the nearest street food vendor, this way you will get authentic Thai food at a fraction of the cost of the westernised junk they serve in the hotels and fancy restaurants. Go on, do it, live like a real traveller for once. Be careful though, you might actually have to talk to real people.

  30. This isn’t high end by any means, but at the top of Terminal 21 the food court there is incredibly cheap, full of locals, and exceptionally delicious. They use the Thai coupon system for purchasing here.

    Also, Tim Ho Wan of HKG fame opened an outpost in this mall as well back in August. And while I’ve read that it isn’t nearly as good as the branches in HKG, it’s still very good. I think it’s actually cheaper in HKG from what I can remember.

    And of course street food, but you already knew that 😉 We love BKK. Our friend just moved there to work at the american embassy, and I’m trying to convince my wife that we need to move there too. It’s one of our favorite cities, and it’s an excellent starting point for that part of the world.

  31. We lived in Bangkok for 3 years back when Mechai, the owner of Cabbages and Condoms was a minister in the government and used the proceeds from the restaurant and its Vasectomy Bar to give free vasectomies and condoms to Thai people. We used to take foreign visitors there because it was good Thai food but not catering to the tourists. We get back every four or five years and always try to have dinner with some of our Thai friends at Cabbages and Condoms. The problem with many of the “well known” Thai restaurants is that they cater to foreign tourists. C & C is good Thai food without the tourists.

  32. Been living in BKK for twelve years. Big name hotel restaurants are really very overpriced and food can be much better from street vendors or just the very small places at street level of three storey houses. Try PRINCESS TERRACE at Charoen Nakhon Soi 21, klongsan. On the river across from shangri la hotel, great decor, more staff than you ever need and an eclectic menu as well as thai. it is five minutes walk from my condo. Chok dee ( be lucky) for your trip

  34. Another vote for the midnight tuk tuk food tour- http://bangkokfoodtours.com/bangkok-best-eats-midnight-food-tour-by-tuk-tuk/

    Been to Bangkok ~30 times over the last 30 years, best thing I’ve done there.

    Thought it would be too late for me, but all the food kept me awake. Since it starts at 8 pm though, you miss the traffic and go all over town.

    While I would quibble their itinerary aren’t exactly “hidden gems”, they do go to the most famous pad thai place, great Kao Mun Kai, and the best Guay Tiew Kua Gai I’ve ever had (and you get to visit the “kitchen” and see them cook it- might lose your appetite!).

    Also includes a tour of the flower market, a late night visit to Wat Pho (great time to go- only visitors there) and a rooftop beer with a great view over the river to Wat Arun.

    Convenient pick up right next to Erawan shrine, and dropoff back at your hotel at the end of the night.

  35. Go to the Hyatt Langsuan – order the Khao Soi Gai. It’s a northern Thai chicken / noodle soup. It is amazing at that restaurant.

  36. You certainly have a lot of choices for your three-night stay. To add to the long list of choices, I’ll recommend two restaurants and one street-food location that have not been mentioned previously.

    Above 11 is at the top of Frazier suites on Sukhumvit Soi 11 (sip et). This restaurant specializes in Peruvian/Japanese food. It is supposedly the only restaurant in Southeast Asia with this type of menu. The food and views are great, and the prices are reasonable. If memory serves, you must go to the rear of the hotel to get the elevator to the roof.

    Because I don’t have good options for Korean food in my hometown, when I go to Bangkok I always try one of the Korean restaurants at Sukhumvit Soi 15 (sip ha). They all have table grills, a good variety of ponchon, and inexpensive soju (compared to US prices anyway).

    Last, for a late night meal, what the Thais call ahan glang khun, the street food at the corner of Sukhumvit and Soi 11 seems to be very high quality. It is amazing how many dishes they can whip up from a small cart.

  37. A side note regarding tips. Service charge does not go to staff. Even at the most expensive places your waiting staff will be paid 300bt per day at most (us$8.50) for 10 to 12 hours. If you want to tip your waitress, DISCREETLY Put a rolled up bt100 note into her hand. Then she gets to keep it.

  39. I agree with the mall food courts. I would recommend the food court at central embassy. It’s street food in a controlled environment. Also Chinatown has some pretty good food – you can uber it to Chinatown

  41. Nahm is good but Le Du (Chong Nonsi) is according to some even better. I just tried it and can recommend. Expensive.

    For a bit of Rome in BK try Pizza Pala Romana (Asoke). Great atmosphere and food. Casual.

  43. Dear Gary,

    Try the below.

    Thai (some of these don’t have many foreign visitors, so be prepared for some communications challenge)
    – Krua Sa Ros Chad : very good central Thai dishes, food tends to be a bit on sweet side, but not sweet in the way intended for tourists.
    112/1 Vibhavadirangsit 44 (a bit out of the way, towards DMK airport)
    – Khua Kling Pak Sod : southern Thai food. Can be very spicy, so please ask before ordering.
    98/1 Sukhumvit 55

    French
    – Philippe : best French restaurant in town.
    20/15-17 Sukhumvit 39

    Italian
    –

  44. Accidentally hit post.

    Southeast Asian
    – Marie Guimar
    113 Thonglor 15 Sukhumvit 55

    Italian
    – Zanotti
    21/2 Saladaeng Road
    – Appia
    20/4 Sukhumvit 31

    All the western options here should have reviews on the web that you can look at.

    Enjoy Bangkok.

  46. The perfect Bangkok contrast: Khlong Lat Mayom (floating market) and Vertigo (don’t just go for the bar, dining here is is almost as wonderful as the view.)

  47. Living in BKK for 10 years, skip all the hyped up places and go for the arguably most delicious, spicy Southern Thai restaurant in Thailand located in a nondescript spot in the Thonglor area, Klua Kling Pak Sod.

    You won’t be disappointed. Gaeng Poo Bai Chapoo (southern Thai crab meat curry with Chapoo leaves) is to die for!

  48. Hi Gary

    I live in Bangkok. All thai street stalls are equally good. But for the sake of unfamiliarity, I recommend Taling Pling and Chilli Cafe all in Siam Paragon.

    Just across the road, you can try the Baan Khun Mae or Som Tum.

    All the above are my favourites and I usually bring my guests to one of the above when they visit the city. They are also listed here. http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/5-restaurants-siam-square.htm#

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