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With about two dozen outlets, there should be a 13 Coins restaurant nearby no matter where you stay in Bangkok. This one is open 24 hours and there are a few surprises in store, especially if you already know how reasonably priced it is. The first is the lovely interior. Then come the efficient, friendly service, the extensive menu, live music and the sometimes startling acrobatic feats of the chefs who prepare food in the open kitchen. They even have guest rooms available if you overdo it and need a place to stay.
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A popular restaurant for expatriates to bring visiting relatives who want a safe introduction to Thai cuisine. The food is delicious and dishes are prepared with fewer chillies than the typical Thai style to protect sensitive Western palates. Opened a decade ago by fashion designer Khanitha Akaranitikul in an old converted house, the restaurant became famous overnight and has since won many awards. A second location is at 49 Soi Ruamrudee 2, Tel: 253 4638.
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Klong Toey is the area of town where by far the most Indian restaurants are found, but not too many specialise in the cuisine of India’s far north. This one does, including Pakistani dishes, and it succeeds admirably. Specials include murgh tikka masala. Portions can be huge, the service is sweet and the prices are reasonable.
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The soul of this very laid back, friendly restaurant is its extensive Cajun selections, from jambalaya and gumbo to blackened redfish, crawfish bisque and American catfish. It also serves other traditional American and Mexican dishes, even pizza, but that’s really not why you’re here. Tuesday is ‘Mexican Night’ when the highlight is an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet. Bourbon Street is popular with both tourists and expats.
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Order a drink in the Vasectomy Bar or buy a bouquet of condoms in the gift shop before dining on splendid Thai food that is ‘guaranteed not to cause pregnancy’ in air-conditioned comfort or outside in the romantic garden. Mechai Viravaidya, a politician famous for popularising the use of condoms and Aids awareness, founded this restaurant devoted to spreading the gospel of safe sex. You can even book a real vasectomy at the clinic next door. Near Skytrain and subway.
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You might be forgiven for thinking you’re eating fish or meat in this strictly vegetarian, vegan-friendly Japanese restaurant. But you’re not, it’s imitation fish or meat. The health conscious love this place, but vegetarians are of two minds. If you don’t believe in eating meat, why would you pretend to do it? Aside from the novelty of deciding how close in appearance, smell and taste a dish comes to the real thing, the food is actually quite good.
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In a lovely old house in a garden setting they’re serving 100 savoury and dessert varieties of fluffy crêpes. Also salad, pasta and other dishes. Opens at 9am (8am on Sundays) for breakfast.
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This lovely, artfully stylish place is a bar, two restaurants, spa, group event facility, pastry shop and café. It’s built inside sprawling, art-filled replicas of traditional Thai houses. It includes Hazara, an Indian restaurant with a full menu of rich northern Indian dishes, and Lan Na Thai, which serves beautifully presented Thai cuisine. Sensual and romantic.
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Like burger joints in Milwaukee, Japanese chain restaurants are beginning to overrun Bangkok. But Genji is different. It sits in serene luxury next to Nai Lert Park, an oasis of green in the city’s heart. You will feel like you’re in Japan and the excellent food will reinforce the feeling that this is one of the finest Japanese restaurants anywhere. Imported items, such as Kobe beef, can push the bill to extravagant heights, but staying local will keep it down. The sushi bar is large.
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The setting of this restaurant is in a lovely Thai house, built around beautiful gardens and a welcoming central courtyard. It’s not the most authentically Thai food in Bangkok, which isn’t surprising with all the foreigners who make the short walk from the Oriental and Shangri-La hotels, plus the Thai eagerness to keep them happy and cool. Many dishes on the menu lean towards other Asian cuisines, but the Thai selections are delicious and beautifully prepared. Pleasant for lunch or dinner. Call ahead to book as it’s popular.
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One reason this restaurant was always a favourite with long-time expatriates was Cha Cha, the founder, who served on Lord Mountbatten’s staff in India. He also cooked for diplomats in Laos before the communists took over, forcing him to flee to Bangkok, where he opened his restaurant a stone’s throw from the posh riverside hotels. Cha Cha died in 1996, but his family resolutely keeps the faith.
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Je Ngor is a restaurant that speaks Chinese with a heavy Thai accent, or maybe it’s the other way round. What is indisputable is that the recipe is popular. The chain has gone from one to six outlets in about seven years. This outlet is simple, modern and airy with lovely views of the Sathorn business district. People come for the huge selection of delicious prawn, lobster and crab dishes. It’s usually heavily booked, so call ahead.
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Unpretentious and relaxed, coming to this restaurant is always a pleasant experience and the staff are cheerful and efficient. There’s an extensive menu of traditional Japanese fare, including delicious seafood, sushi and sashimi, served a la carte or in excellent ‘chef’s special’ set meals. This restaurant can get very busy, partly because it’s such good value. Private dining rooms available. Next to Chit Lom Skytrain station.
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At one time they were a rarity, but the number of good-quality Italian restaurants in Bangkok today will surprise many people. But one place that was superlative when it opened in the 1970s, and is still a stand-out today, is L’Opera. Sumptuous thin-crust pizzas are served from a large brick oven, although the home-made pasta, meat dishes and salads are good too. There is also a comfortable wine bar adjacent which stays open until 2am.
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It’s hard to imagine a more laid-back, relaxing restaurant, tucked away in a traditional Thai home down a quiet soi, away from the mind-numbing noise and traffic of Sukhumvit Road. An upscale gem serving delectable French cuisine with occasional Thai accents. The pressed duck in red wine sauce is a treasure. Service is impeccable. Regulars include French expats wanting to impress visiting family or the boss—and impress it does.
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Tucked away in a converted house amid art and antiques on busy Soi 23, Le Dalat Indochine puts you in a curious trance even before you sit down. French influences are strong, from baguettes to bouillabaisse, which only add to the subtle, exotic tastes of Viet[name]se food. The seafood here is lovely. Le Dalat is a similar, but different, sister restaurant just across the street.
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This converted mansion has made a [name] for itself over the years, serving Thai nouvelle cuisine that is light and flavourful to a loyal Thai and expatriate clientele. The food is delicious, despite some complaints that dishes have been toned down to accommodate sensitive Western taste buds. Nam takrai is the restaurant’s signature lemongrass tea—cold and sweet. Near Emporium Shopping Centre.
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While this world-famous restaurant in the Oriental Hotel was closed for renovations, the world was off kilter for many regular visitors to Bangkok. It’s [name]d after the main character in a novel by Joseph Conrad, who was once a frequent guest at the hotel. The menu mixes European and Asian dishes, but the speciality is seafood. The lunch buffet, in particular, is a sensual treat.
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Decked out in flamboyant decor, this large Italian restaurant serves the usual favourites, prepared by an Italian chef, and exceptional pizzas. The food is exceptional, the service polished. Also features a deli and bakery and a pianist. There’s a live pop band after 9pm, so it’s a good choice for a night out.
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The heavily Szechuan menu in the relaxed Man Ho proves that you really can get authentic Chinese food in Bangkok, despite the often repeated myth that the Chinese have been here for so many generations they can’t help but be influenced. Of course, hiring a chef from Hong Kong might help. It also benefits from the Marriott Hotel’s extensive wine list. Man Ho is expensive by Thai standards, but it has a loyal following among local Chinese families.
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Vinder Balbir wants you to be comfortable and to eat any way you like, but don’t be surprised if she reminds you of the proverb “To eat Indian food with a fork and spoon is like making love through an interpreter”. This is probably the best known Indian restaurant in Bangkok, and not only because Mrs Balbir is a local celebrity, having hosted a cookery show on television. It’s also widely praised for its delicious food. Specials include rogan josh and tandoori chicken tikka. Very good value.
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[name]d after the tiny, excruciatingly hot chillies that Thais love, this relaxed, friendly place just off Silom Road serves authentic Thai cuisine and is a perfect spot to find out how hot Thai food can really be. But don’t be put off if chillies aren’t your thing—just tell the waitress “mai pet” (not spicy) and wave your hand in front of your mouth. She’ll get the idea. Lots of snack-type foods as well, so it’s a good lunchtime venue.
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This is an experience you will remember. Delicious royal Thai cuisine is served in traditional teak pavilions or on a terrace overlooking the Chao Phraya River, with live traditional Thai music wafting in the air as masked dancers slip silently past. It’s enchanting and the food is artfully prepared and presented. Reserve an outdoor table so you can catch the cool breezes off the river. Fragile foreign palates are kept in mind and the menu is designed to guide you through any spicy minefields.
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This charming place in the heart of Bangkok’s business district has been an institution for about 20 years. There’s lots on the menu, most of it delicious—the ‘drunken prawns’ and shark-fin soup to [name] two—and the lunchtime dim sum is a real delight. But there is one dish for which this restaurant is famous and the reason most people come here—Peking duck. Simply delectable.
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Located on the 63rd and 67th floors of the State Tower with breathtaking 360° views across the Bangkok Skyline, this is the city’s most innovative dining experience, designed by the team at DWP Cityspace. The restaurant appears to float in the sky with the Sky Bar jutting out into space, glowing orange, blue, green and red in the lights. Behind the restaurant, a golden dome provides a stunning backdrop for the resident jazz musicians. Within ‘The Dome’ project there will be a champagne bar [name]d Flute, a whisky bar called Distil and a cigar divan. The restaurant also features water fall effects, sandstone, timber veneers, gold leaf and Thai silks to create a rich and stylish interior.
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Nestled in an old Thai home with a lovely garden, this small restaurant serves a delicious mix of vegetarian dishes from India and Thailand. The menu also has selections for meat eaters. Service is warm, friendly and unobtrusive. Take a table upstairs for the atmosphere. Remove your shoes as you enter, then just relax. There is a sister outlet at 93/3 Soi Lang Suan.
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