Where to eat in Bangkok

I absolutely adore Thai food and eat it at least three to four times a month when I’m at home. So when I’m in Thailand, I’m so excited to try new dishes and new restaurants. Whilst we eat Thai food for at least one meal a day when we’re on holiday, sometimes we do opt for non-Thai options. Having been to the city many times, here’s my recommendations of where to eat in Bangkok for both Thai and other cuisines.

Choen

I adored Choen! It was definitely one of my absolute culinary highlights on our holiday to Bangkok. Choen is a “live-fire cooking” restaurant by Chef Mew, who has worked in many famous restaurants in Thailand for over ten years.

The restaurant has counter seating only, centered around the open kitchen. It can only seat 12 people and they only offer a set menu of ten courses. They don’t accept walk-ins so you must make a reservation if you want to eat at Choen and at the time of booking you’ll be asked to pay a deposit, which is then taken off your bill at the end of the night.

The restaurant is located down an unassuming alleyway so it’s a lovely surprise when the door opens and you see a modern, minimalist restaurant. The night we visited, we were the only non-Thai guests so we were seated at one end to make it easier for the chef to explain the dishes to us in English first, and then to the other guests in Thai.

What I loved about Choen was the attention to detail and the passion that went into every dish. We were asked how spicy we liked our food and the food was adjusted accordingly. Chef Mew talked us through each course and the history of the dish as all the dishes are based on Traditional Thai dishes – but with a twist. Some of the courses had a fun element, where we had to construct our own dish, like this starter below, which we needed to build ourselves.

If you’re looking for a Thai dining experience that’s fun and a bit different, book a counter seat at Choen. It’s not listed on the Michelin Guide for nothing!

Bisou Bangkok

We booked Bisou Bangkok for our first dinner in the city and boy, what a great choice! The decor is sexy and edgy, with low lighting, neon signs and artwork of people kissing or embracing (hence, bisou!).

Featured on the Michelin Guide, Bisou is a French restaurant first and foremost but you will find some dishes with an Asian influence – such as the Korean fried chicken (which was fabulous) – and they have a whole pasta section too, so a nod to Italy.

Definitely order the French toast with black truffle. It’s small as it’s meant to be a snack but it is divine! Other menu highlights were the Korean fried chicken and the stuffed morel baby chicken. So good!

Whenever anyone gets the bill, the waiters bring over shots of homemade Limoncello and have one with you. So you can imagine how merry they are by the end of the evening! They offered us a gin and tonic as well, which we had at the bar downstairs. Probably a bit of a mistake, given how much I’d already drank but it was so much fun. We had such a great night. Delicious food, great service and a fun ambiance!

Issaya Siamese Club

I actually came across Issaya Siamese Club when watching a YouTube Short on the best places to eat in Bangkok. I then looked up the reviews and it seemed great so we booked a table for our last night in Bangkok. It’s always a bit nerve-wracking going for dinner on the last night of your holiday (for me, anyway!) because you want it to be amazing and to end the holiday on a high note. Well, I can honestly say that Issaya Siamese Club did that for us – it was fab!

Not too far from Lumphini Park, Issaya Siamese Club is located down a quiet alleyway off a busy expressway. The restaurant and club is in a historical 1920s Peranakan-style mansion with a beautiful, lush green garden and outdoor seating on the terrace. It’s an oasis in the city!

Downstairs is the Issaya restaurant, whereas upstairs is the Siamese Club which is inspired by an old-school members’ club. Whilst the restaurant has outdoor seating, we chose to eat inside for the air-conditioning!

We opted for the Satay Gae (Australian charcoal-grilled lamb satay with peanut curry sauce) and the Kradook Moo Ob Sauce (spice rubbed pork baby back ribs glazed with a house-blend chili paste) and both dishes were absolutely divine. The satay was served on an actual charcoal grill so the smoke was really infused in the meat. The meat on the baby back ribs was so soft and succulent – and not too spicy.

As it was our last night in Bangkok we had to have another Massaman curry as it’s one of our favourite Thai dishes. The Massaman curry at Issaya is an Australian lamb shank and it was absolutely gorgeous. We also ordered some greens to try and balance out all the meat!

Chef Ian Kittichai is actually a celebrity in Thailand (he’s a Masterchef judge, for one!) and is known for using traditional ingredients and flavours but using progressive and international methods. One dish that really shows this off is the mango sticky rice. It’s not what you’re expecting…!

Instead of sliced mango with sticky rice you get a whole mango. Or is it? It’s actually chocolate, which you smash open to reveal the chunks of fresh mango inside with the coconut sauce. A delicious and fun dessert to end off a wonderful meal.

I really recommend dinner at Issaya Siamese Club. The setting is gorgeous, the service was really good and the meal was one of the best we had. They have a set menu, a tasting menu by Chef Ian Kittichai and also À la carte – which is what we chose.

Top tip – do not make the mistake we did and go by public transport… whilst it’s near a MRT station, it’s very tricky to actually walk there so definitely get a taxi!

Supanniga Eating Room

On our last full day in Bangkok, we decided to visit the flower market and then Wat Arun. We thought it would be easy to find somewhere to eat at the flower market but we couldn’t really find anywhere, so we decided to walk towards Wat Arun and see if there was anything on the way. Thankfully Apple Maps brought up a few places, one of which was Supanniga Eating Room.

As it’s located diagonally opposite Wat Arun, you might get lucky and get a table with a great view. We had a partial view, which was fine by us as we were going to visit it after lunch anyway. At night they open their rooftop terrace, so expect spectacular views if you go for dinner.

What I loved about Supanniga Eating Room was that the menu definitely had different items from what we’d usually see on a Thai menu. We opted for the Supanniga Appetizer Platter and crispy mushrooms and lotus roots to start.

The Supanniga Appetizer Platter consists of Ma Hor, Mieng Yong and Khao Tung Nam Prik Pao Kak Moo. Ma Hor are bite-sized slices of tangerine with stir-fried minced pork on top with garlic and peanuts. Very yum! Mieng Yong is dried shredded pork with peanuts and sweet, roasted coconut wrapped in cha plu leaves, which you eat in one bite. This one was my favourite! The Khao Tung Nam Prik Pao Kak Moo are a popular snack of crispy rice crackers (Khao Tung) served with a savoury, sweet and lightly spiced roasted chilli paste (Nam Prik Pao) topped with crispy pork crackling (Kak Moo).

When the crispy mushrooms and lotus roots with a passion fruit dipping sauce arrived, my husband said there’s no way we were going to finish it as it was huge and also, he’s not a big mushroom fan. Of course we both polished it all off as it was so yummy!

For the main, we shared a beef Massaman curry which came with roti. We ordered a portion of Jasmine rice to go with it. The beef was so tender and succulent and the roti was so buttery. Fantastic combination. I’m so glad our last lunch in Bangkok ended on a high!

Baan Plern Jitt

If you’re heading to the Artist’s House and Khlong Bang Luang Market then put Baan Plern Jitt on your list. If you have no idea what the Artist’s House is or that there’s a floating market right in the heart of Bangkok, then check out my post on the top things to do in Bangkok – you won’t be disappointed.

Baan Plern Jitt is famous for two reasons. One, it’s located in a 100 year old building on the canal with canal-side seating that makes it pretty Instagram-worthy. You can even purchase some fish food from them and feed the giant carp.

The other reason it’s famous is for its take on the classic Pad Thai. For example, it’s served with glass noodles, rather than rice noodles. They also have a huge range of Thai sweets and desserts although I’m sad to say that we didn’t get to try them.

We didn’t manage to get canal-side seating, which was absolutely no issue for us as we could still see the canal from our table. Note that they don’t serve wine at Baan Plern Jitt – only bottled beer. You also order at the counter and then your food is brought to your table when it’s ready. So no airs and graces here!

For five vegetable springs rolls, two Pad Thai with chicken and extra egg and two bottles of water, we paid about £7. Absolute bargain! Delicious food, picturesque view and amazing value for money.

Manohra dinner cruise

Whenever we visit Bangkok we love to do a dinner cruise because seeing Bangkok at night is just magical. There are absolutely tons of boats offering sunset or dinner cruises, some with buffets, entertainment and DJs. We prefer more of a chilled, fine dining experience.

For the second time, we booked the Manohra dinner cruise run by the Anantara Riverside Hotel, which we happened to be staying at. They offer three dinner seatings: 6pm, 7pm and 8:30pm and each seating lasts 2 hours. There are also two menu options – the set dinner menu and the premium set dinner menu. We opted for the premium one, which wasn’t hugely more expensive and it meant we had a table right at the front of the boat! Both set menus have seven courses, including an amuse bouche and petit fours.

The boat itself is an antique rice barge and it’s so elegant. Each table is beautifully set and well spaced. No matter where you’re seated, you’ll have an amazing view of all the iconic sights, such as Wat Arun and Wat Pho.

My top tip for booking, if you drink alcohol, is to add on the free-flow drinks package, which included Prosecco, wine, beer and soft drinks. It cost 1,000 Baht more per person than the set menu with just soft drinks but a bottle of Prosecco on the drinks menu costs 2,050 Baht. So if you’re planning on having even two or three glasses each, it’s worth the money.

Shanghai Mansion Jazz Lounge

We had arrived in Chinatown and it was getting late for lunch and we really needed to eat. We happened to walk past the Shanghai Mansion hotel on Yaowarat Road and it looked very inviting so we popped in to see if they served food, and they did! To be honest, the hotel looked fabulous and I’d definitely consider staying here on our next trip to Bangkok.

We didn’t want to have a big lunch so we just ordered some spring rolls to start, with a glass of Prosecco. The decor is really cool and it’s very open so you can feel the buzz of Yaowarat Road.

We then shared a chicken dish with rice, which was tasty but not the best Chinese food we’ve had. Still, it hit the spot! I think this place would be amazing at night, especially when there is jazz on. If you’re looking for a great place to have a drink and some light food – and hopefully some jazz – then check out the Jazz Lounge at Shanghai Mansion.

El Gaucho

It is totally not our style to eat at chain restaurants on holiday. Mainly just because we prefer independent restaurants or very small chains (as in, three to four locations). But we’d been to a Muay Thai tournament, which ended at 9:30pm and we needed a restaurant that would still seat us and – importantly – not rush us.

I’d remembered on our first night in Bangkok, when we were heading for dinner at Bisou, that we passed El Gaucho, an Argentinian steakhouse, with outdoor tables that looked really nice. So I looked online and saw they were open until late so we headed there after the match.

They have quite a few locations in Bangkok (and across Thailand). The one we went to is located in Langsuan and is part of the Velaa Sindhorn Village which also has other restaurants. We chose to sit outside as it was a lovely evening but note that the road can get a bit noisy as it’s a fairly busy road.

For starters we shared the beef empanada and the Caesar salad. The beef empanada was packed with beef and was so tasty. Honestly, better than the empanadas I had in Argentina! The Caesar salad was also good and the French baguette they served was super fresh.

We both ordered the 250g U.S Rib Eye which came with a choice of fries, mashed potato or mixed green salad and then a sauce choice of pepper, mushroom or Bearnaise. My husband and I ordered our steak medium rare, with fries and I chose the mushroom sauce and he went with pepper.

The steak was absolutely faultless! Cooked to perfection and well seasoned. The fries were crunchy and moreish! My mushroom sauce was sensational and the pepper sauce was absolutely delicious. Honestly, 10/10, no notes.

Even though we arrived fairly late, we never felt rushed at all. Our server (whose name I asked at the time but have now forgotten…) was absolutely wonderful. The food was fantastic and we had a really enjoyable evening.

Top tip – at the time of writing, they have 50% off steaks on the first Tuesday of every month so if you happen to be on holiday in Bangkok on the first Tuesday of any month, and you fancy a great steak, book a table at El Gaucho!

The Never Ending Summer

The Never Ending Summer was recommended to us on our previous visit to Bangkok by the concierge at the Park Hyatt where we were staying. Located in Khlong San, The Jam Factory, which was a former ice warehouse now houses an art gallery and The Never Ending Summer.

The restaurant is very modern (with a bit of a Brooklyn vibe) with high ceilings with exposed wooden beams, lots of luscious green plants and an open kitchen behind a glass partition so you can watch the chefs in action.

The food is authentic Thai, the portions are generous and the flavours are delicious. This is a great place to enjoy lunch in a trendy, vibrant, buzzing location.

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