Searching for the best restaurants in Bangkok in 2021
**Updated June 2021 with new additions and sadly a few closures. Most of our best restaurants in Bangkok seem to have weathered the pandemic (so far), but a couple of old institutions have unfortunately gone. We also now have a detailed list with location markers and transport links**
What to eat in Bangkok? It’s a tricky but tasty question. Bangkok food is often a goldmine, but how do you find the best food in Bangkok?
The best restaurants in Bangkok are both easy and difficult to find. Cheap food in Bangkok is abundant, but of varying quality. Cheap eats are found on every street corner, so how do you find the real gems among the thousands of choices?
In fact, the ‘best restaurants in Bangkok’ depend a lot on your definition. In a city obsessed with food, there are restaurants to suit every budget and taste, yet the very best places to eat take a bit of finding.
Since moving to Bangkok, we’ve been on something of a mission to find the best restaurants in Bangkok – especially in the Sathorn area, out into Klong San and more recently in Silom. It’s been a gruelling (who are we kidding – delicious) mission, and we’re happy to share our favourite good value in Bangkok in a handy map. Read on to find out how and why we pick these restaurants and cheap eats. Read on for how we look for the best restaurants in Bangkok.. whatever your budget Hungry? Jump straight to the map and list!
Searching for the best cheap eats and best restaurants in Bangkok in 2021
Eating out is a national sport in Bangkok. Many home kitchens don’t even have ovens or hobs, and some condos forgo kitchens altogether. Given that cheap eats in Bangkok are so easy to come by, it’s often far cheaper to eat out than to cook at home! Cheap restaurants in Bangkok are on every corner of every street, but the best restaurants in Bangkok require you to do a bit more searching. While you’re doing that searching, fuel up on the endless supply of snack carts operating around on Bangkok. If you spot these northern sausages on sticks, be sure to load up for a garlicky treat!
You can easily spend hundreds or thousands of baht on food in Bangkok, but you need not. For us, the best restaurants in Bangkok tick the following boxes:
- Great food
Obviously! Tasty eats are the name of the game here, but they aren’t the only show in town.
- Great value
The best restaurants in Bangkok have to offer great value. That doesn’t have to mean cheap, although it very often does here! For somewhere like Smokin’ Pug or Supanniga – even the fabled Gaggan Anand, you’re going to top 1000 baht for two people, which in Thai terms is a fair amount, but the quality is excellent – these are must eat places in Bangkok in 2021. Equally, many of our best restaurants in Bangkok on this list can feed you heartily for under 100 baht (or $2.50), offering exceptional value for excellent food.
- Great setting
Call us old-fashioned, but we prefer to eat surrounded by walls and a roof. There are hundreds of great stalls and street carts in Bangkok, a special few of which are among the best restaurants in Bangkok (and often the very best cheap eats in Bangkok!), but this list is primarily for restaurants. We prefer the gentle hum of air conditioning (or at least a fan) to a plastic stool and the roar of a passing bus in most cases. We also love Bangkok’s classic shophouses – very often home to some of the best restaurants in Bangkok – and markets that have been around for decades serving the same great food for peanuts, so there are plenty of those here too.
Some of the best food in Bangkok can be found in the most unassuming shophouses – and in Bangkok food terms age is a signifier of success. If a Thai restaurant has survived the intense demands and competition of feeding Bangkokians for decades, it should definitely be on your list of where to eat in Bangkok. These also tend to be among the best restaurants in Bangkok for cheap eats, usually setting you back the equivalent of just a couple of dollars.
The map of the best cheap eats and best restaurants in Bangkok for any budget
Here it is then, our official (and evolving) pick of the best restaurants in Bangkok, whatever your budget. All of these are tried and tested by us, most are pretty darn cheap, and all will feed you really well. All are up to date in 2021.
See the list below for full descriptions for these best restaurants in Bangkok, or click on the items for the same info. We’ve also included some great cafes for the coffee lovers (but see the detailed post on coffee as well!).
As a guide on what you’ll pay at these best restaurants in Bangkok (all of which, in the grand scheme, are pretty cheap):
$ – Best restaurants in Bangkok on a budget, and definitely the best cheap eats in Bangkok. Cheap and delicious. Get fed comfortably for under 100 baht at the affordable restaurants on Bangkok
$$ – Best restaurants in Bangkok – everyday restaurants. Expect to pay between 100 – 300 baht per head. We’re still in cheap eats territory here!
$$$ – Best restaurants in Bangkok for a treat. Anywhere between 300 – 1000 baht per person
$$$$ – Best restaurants in Bangkok for a special occasion! Splash territory – 1000+ baht per person, but exceptional eats and settings. There are also some affordable fine dining options here for a real treat.
Got a recommendation? Great! We’re always looking for great new food in Bangkok and beyond. Let us know in the comments, and happy eating at the best restaurants in Bangkok!
For more great food, drinks and things to do in Bangkok, we always post top tips on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook:
NB: sometimes the map doesn’t load first time on mobile. Refresh and it will work fine!
Best restaurants in Bangkok 2021: The list with location and transport links
The best restaurants in Bangkok in 2021 – listed by area and price!
Best restaurants in Bangkok – best budget restaurants
Prachak Roasted Duck – Bang Rak – $
Saphan Taksin BTS is a 5 minute walk
$ – Amazing roast duck and pork for around 60 baht a plate in a shophouse restaurant that has been running for over 90 years.
Prachak Roasted Duck map location: Click Here
CLOSED – Home Cuisine – Bang Rak – $
15 min walk from BTS Saphan Taksin
$ – CLOSED – try Yellow Rice on Soi Convent*** May cost more than 100 baht a head but only because you’ll be working through the menu. Delightful old restaurant serving Thai Muslim food. You have to try the mutton biryani. Curries, dhals and samosas are also top notch. Be sure to order fresh roti to wipe your plates clean.
CLOSED – Home Cuisine map location: Click Here
CLOSED – Muslim – Bang Rak – $
10min walk from BTS Saphan Taksin
CLOSED $ – Specialists in excellent Thai muslim curries such as massaman in ancient family-run shophouse. Only open daytimes.
CLOSED – Muslim map location: Click Here
Chamlong’s Asoke Vegetarian Restaurant – Chatuchak – $
Next to the MRT at Kamphaeng Phet
$ – A veggie treat of a market. Actually part of a religious community, all of the food here is vegetarian/vegan. Swap your cash for paper tickets and grab plates of whatever takes your fancy! Particularly good are the ‘satay’ skewers, the fermented mushroom pastries, and the crispy leaf salads. Order adventurously and be rewarded.
Chamlong’s Asoke Vegetarian Restaurant map location: Click Here
Duck Noodle – Chatuchak – $
In Chatuchak Market, Mo Chit BTS
$ – Criminally underrated on Google. Ignore the expensive options and slurp a bowl of duck and chicken noodle soup for 70 baht.
Duck Noodle map location: Click Here
Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai – Chinatown – $
A pleasant walk from Wat Mangkon MRT or from the river boat at Rachawongse
$ – Legendary fried chicken noodles at around 70 baht a bowl. A must try in Chinatown (order the Kuay Tiew Kua Gai). Great crispy wontons as a side.
Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai map location: Click Here
Chong Kee Satay + Si Morakot – Chinatown – $
Hua Lumphong MRT is a 5 min walk away
$ – Neighbouring restaurants in Chinatown that have the glorious advantage of serving each others’ food. Chong Kee serves wonderful, fragrant pork satay, while Si Morakot specialises in pork rice dishes like Khao Siapo. 5 sticks, a plate of siapo and a drink is 90 baht – best restaurants in Bangkok for satay
Chong Kee Satay + Si Morakot map location: Click Here
Uan Kuay Jab – Chinatown – $
Wat Mangkon MRT
$ – Thick flat noodles rolled into carpets, in a peppery prok broth. Uan is especially peppery and especially well-regarded and is located on the insanely popular cheap eat Bangkok heaven of Yaowarat Road
Uan Kuay Jab map location: Click Here
Kuay Jab P Boy – Klong Bang Luang Floating Market – $
Take a taxi from Bang Wa BTS, or walk from the new Bang Phai MRT
$ – Favourite Guay Jab in all Bangkok, and located at the beautiful Klong Bang Luang. Incredible mango sticky rice too. See more https://thaispicy.co/2019/05/19/khlong-bang-luang-floating-market-bangkok/
Kuay Jab P Boy map location: Click Here
Thong Far – Klong San – $
BTS Krung Thonburi, or cross the bridge from Saphan Taksin BTS
$ – Dependable, wide range of Thai Chinese and other dishes in the 70-100 baht range.
Thong Far map location: Click Here
Yum Rod Sab – Klong San – $
Get to Oriental Pier from Saphan Taksin BTS, and take the cross-river ferry. Or take the IconSiam boat
$ – Tucked out of the way but a real gem for Isaan food and a relaxed family vibe. Menu is all in Thai so be sure to know what you want from the wide range of Isaan food. Classics are som tam, moo yang (grilled pork neck), nam tok and laab (spicy meat salads), sticky rice and also fried chicken with lemongrass. Great wooden decor.
Yum Rod Sab map location: Click Here
Mala Crnk – Klong San – $
BTS Krung Thonburi, or cross the bridge from Saphan Taksin BTS
$ – Fiery Chinese BBQ cooked on industrial grills. Check out our review of this spicy gem.
Mala Crnk map location: Click Here
Jeju Noodle Soup – Klong San – $
BTS Krung Thonburi, or cross the bridge from Saphan Taksin BTS
$ – Classic noodles soup on a budget in a row of traditional eateries. You’ll know Jeju because they sell coconut Ice Cream outside. Get the mixed bowl of noodle soup for 50 baht. Also does Khaomungai.
Jeju Noodle Soup map location: Click Here
Khlong Lad Mayom Floating Market – Lat Mayom – $
Take a taxi to get to Lat Mayom
$ – This market is worth a day trip to eat in itself. Check out our post on Lat Mayom:https://thaispicy.co/2019/01/11/lat-mayom-floating-market-bangkok/
Khlong Lad Mayom Floating Market map location: Click Here
Polo Fried Chicken – Lumpini – $
Ratchadamri BTS
$ – Venerable fried chicken shophouse, made next level by the addition of perfectly fried garlic as a side.
Polo Fried Chicken map location: Click Here
Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice – Siam – $
Near the Pratunam Cothing Mall – BTS Siam or Chitlom
$ – Khaomungai or chicken rice, and this is one of the best restaurants in Bangkok for this ubiquitous dish. This is the pink one of an array of shops along the main road. They’ve also just opened up in The new Market mall opposite CentralWorld.
Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice map location: Click Here
Chuan Sawoei – Silom – $
Outside BTS Sala Daeng Station
$ – Try the Khao Moo Daeng for around 60 baht – red pork and duck on a bed of rice with a sweet and savoury sauce. SImple Thai-Chinese cooking but delicious.
Chuan Sawoei map location: Click Here
Kuay Teow Khae Convent – Silom – $
BTS Sala Daeng is a 5 min walk
$ – One of the best restaurants in Bangkok for noodles. Excellent noodles and soups on Soi Convent. Open mornings and lunchtimes – try the tom yum haeng dry noodles. Ultimate cheap eats in real Bangkok style
Kuay Teow Khae map location: Click Here
Khao Tom Haeng Hea Nuad (Si Phraya Branch) – Silom – $
Close to MRT Samyan
$ – Dry rice porridge with pork. Unusual, tasty and delicious
Khao Tom Haeng Hea Nuad (Si Phraya Branch) map location: Click Here
Samyan Mitrtown Boat Noodles – Silom – $
Close to MRT Samyan
$ – Samyan Mitrtown is a new shopping mall – it has a great food court on the 4th floor, but check out the boat noodle shop on the B floor
Samyan Mitrtown Boat Noodles map location: Click Here
Patonggo Savoey – Chinatown – $
MRT Wat Mangkon
$ – It’s a deep fried Thai doughnut served with pandan custard outside a 7-Eleven. What else could you wish for?
Patonggo Savoey map location: Click Here
Larp 3 – Silom – $
Chong Nonsi BTS
$ – Family-run favourite for Isaan food, every dish a winner. Weird setup – have to walk through the kitchen to get to the restaurant! Opens at strange times, usually open through the day
Larp 3 map location: Click Here
Som Tam Jay So – Silom – $
Chong Nonsi BTS
$ – Daytime som tam cave which also does great grilled chicken wings.
Som Tam Jay So map location: Click Here
Hom Duan – Ekkamai – $
Ekkamai BTS
$ – Best restaurants in Bangkok for Northern Thai food – Café-style Northern Thai food with great khao soi, hang lay curry, dips and general Lanna delights at low prices. Original site in Ekkamai, they also have an offshoot in Samyan Mitrtown
Hom Duan map location: Click Here
Jek Pui Curry – Chinatown – $
Wat Mangkon MRT
$ -One of the best restaurants in Bangkok for an old town vibe! Backstreet curries served on stools in a Chinatown alleyway. What’s not to love about this ramshackle affair popular with locals and serving up a range of fresh made curries evveryday
Jek Pui Curry map location: Click Here
Feng Zhu Pork Shop – Talad Noi – $
Si Phraya pier (boat)
$ – Streetside dumpling shack next to Si Phraya pier. A hole in the wall place with a couple of scattered tables for excellent dumplings with a variety of fillings and toppings. Menu is all in Thai and Chinese but the staff will help you out.
Feng Zhu Pork Shop map location: Click Here
Best restaurants in Bangkok – everyday restaurants and international staples
Steve Cafe and Cuisine – Chinatown – $$
Take a taxi or the river boat service
$$ – Riverside southern cuisine close to Khao San
Steve Cafe and Cuisine map location: Click Here
CLOSED – Tale Thang Restaurant – Klong San – $$
BTS Krung Thonburi
$$ – Come here for the bucket of seafood and gorge on prawns, shellfish and other sea goodies, with a range of hot sauces. They will provide gloves – prepare to get messy. Don’t miss out on the fried cheese bread.
CLOSED – Tale Thang Restaurant map location: Click Here
Rot Rue Dee – Klong San – $$
BTS Krung Thonburi or cross the bridge from Saphan Taksin
$$ – Inventive Thai cuisine in a tiny little quiet restaurant. Classy but cheap!
Rot Rue Dee map location: Click Here
Eats Payao — New Location – Sathorn – $$
A taxi ride from Chong Nonsi BTS or Lumpini MRT
$$ – Heavenly Khao Soi and soulful northern food plus Singaporean staples in South Sathorn. Read our review for more details of this must-visit restaurant. Now re-opened in new digs on Yen Akart
Eats Payao — New Location map location: Click Here
Inter Thai Food – Siam – $$
Siam BTS
$$ – Old school, dependable Thai eatery with a wide range of choices. One of the best restaurants in Bangkok for price and range. Always very popular but turnaround is fast.
Inter Thai Food map location: Click Here
Som Tam Nua – Siam – $$
Siam BTS
$$ – Similar to Somtum Der, good Isaan food at a decent price.
Som Tam Nua map location: Click Here
Somtum Der – Silom – $$
Sala Daeng BTS
$$ – classic Isaan fare. Spicy som tam, grilled meats and sticky rice.
Somtum Der map location: Click Here
Hai – Silom – $$
BTS Sala Daeng is a 5 min walk
$$ – Isaan cuisine in the heart of SIlom – speciality in great grilled fish for around 200 baht.
Hai map location: Click Here
Rod Dee Ded – Silom – $$
Samyan MRT is 10 mins walk
$$ – Thai Suki. all manner of meat and veg piled into a hotpot and eaten communally. Go as a group and go hungry. Also try the beef satay skewers.
Rod Dee Ded map location: Click Here
Yamachan – Silom – $$
BTS Sala Daeng
$$ – Japanese chicken wings in an izakaya setting. Crisp, juicy and downright tasty.
Yamachan map location: Click Here
Odean Crab Noodle – Chinatown – $$
MRT Wat Mangkon
$$ – A different spin on classic Chinese noodles; a delightful seafood broth and fresh noodles tossed with crab meat and a crab claw with size based on price. Also excellent fried wontons and dim sum
Odean Crab Noodle map location: Click Here
Pizza Mania – Delivery only – $$
Search online
$$ – A rare pure takeaway to make the list, but for New York style pizzas that can’t be beat, Pizza Mania is your only option. Our favourite pizza in Bangkok
Pizza Mania map location: Click Here
Yellow Rice – Silom – $$
Sala Daeng BTS
$$ – One of the best restaurants in Bangkok for Thai-Mulsim food. After the sad demise of Muslim and Home, Yellow Rice is run by the same family as Home and retain their great biryanis among a selection of excellent Thai-Muslim and Malay food
Yellow Rice map location: Click Here
Pongchuros – Silom – $$
Chong Nonsi BTS
$$ – Confusingly named after MSG and then proudly proclaiming that they don’t use MSG. This Laotian/Isaan joint is a revelation for real, serious flavours, assuming you can handle a good hit of shrimp paste. Fermented things are in abundance and create some unusual and delicious dishes including Laotian som tam and fried fermented salt fish. All the food is beautifully presented in a pretty, compact space.
Pongchuros map location: Click Here
Best restaurants in Bangkok – for a treat
Sweet Pista Bangkok – Bang Rak – $$$
Saphan Taksin BTS is a 15-20 minute walk
$$$ – Among the best burgers we’ve had anywhere in the world, we think this is up there in the best restaurants in Bangkok for burgers. Highest quality ingredients cooked properly. If you’re craving burgers or pasta dishes this is 100% your place. Burgers in the 200-300 baht range, fries at 90 baht and a whopping plate of onion rings at 120.https://thaispicy.co/2019/05/09/sweet-pista-bangkok-review/
Sweet Pista Bangkok map location: Click Here
Mazzaro – Bang Rak – $$$
Saphan Taksin BTS
$$$ – Thai and Italian together at last. Good for a fancier meal with good range of Thai food especially curries. Italian menu includes pizzas and pastas which look decent for a sensible price.
Mazzaro map location: Click Here
Sarnies – Bang Rak – $$$
BTS Saphan Taksin
$$$ – Ultra cool coffee and breakfast joint. Try the beef brisket toast. Pricey but worth it.
Sarnies map location: Click Here
CLOSED – Err – Thonglor – $$$
Thong Lo BTS
$$$ – Sadly closed along with the demise of Bo.lan. Hip modern Thai from the creators of Bo.lan, one of the best restaurants in Bangkok full stop. Mackerel balls, chicken movie and claypot beef are all ridiculously tasty. Good cocktails too if that’s your thing. Prepare to pay more but worth it for a special occasion, maybe 1000 baht per head all in.
CLOSED – Err map location: Click Here
Shibuya Shabu – Klong San – $$$
Krung Thonburi or cross the bridge from Saphan Taksin
$$$ – All you can eat for 700 baht. Order as much as you like from sushi menu and accompany with meats cooked in the hotpot on the table. Self serve salads, drinks and desserts and some delicious extra items like chicken karaage.
Shibuya Shabu map location: Click Here
The Smokin’ Pug – Lumpini – $$$
BTS Ratchadamri or BTS Chit Lom
$$$ – Top notch American BBQ with ribs, pulled pork among a great array of food.
The Smokin’ Pug map location: Click Here
Baan Somtum Sathorn – Sathorn – $$$
BTS Surasak
$$ – Classy Isaan and always very popular. Wide range of som tams and a nice setting.
Baan Somtum Sathorn map location: Click Here
Supanniga Eating Room – Sathorn – $$$
Chong Nonsi BTS
$$$ – Classy range of Thai dishes including very good curries. Slightly on the spicy side and more expensive than your average eatery, but worth the money. Locations now in Thonglor, Chinatown, and Bang Rak as well as a DInner Cruise
Supanniga Eating Room map location: Click Here
Yong He Dou Jiang – Sathorn – $$$
Chong Nonsi BTS
$$$ – Feast on XiaoLongBao at this Chinese dumpling specialist. Also extremely good are the beef pancake, Chinese pork pie and mutton noodle soup.
Yong He Dou Jiang map location: Click Here
Hong Teong Long – Silom – $$$
Chong Nonsi or Sala Daeng BTS
$$$ – Slightly dingy setting but great Chinese dumplings including XiaoLongBao and Shang Jian Bao.
Hong Teong Long map location: Click Here
Baan Ice – Thonglor – $$$
BTS Thonglor
$$$ – Cool Southern Thai in IconSiam and also in Thonglor. Very different from anything else on the list.
Baan Ice map location: Click Here
Luka – Sathorn – $$$
BTS Surasak
$$$ – Farang favourite brunch and coffee spot with a wide-ranging menu of mainly western dishes. Lovely relaxed but chirpy atmosphere
Luka map location: Click Here
Baan Rim Nam – Talad Noi – $$$
Near Si Phraya pier – take a boat to this pier and walk
$$$ – The next incarnation of Nang Gin Kui as a proper bar/restaurant, in a beautiful old space next to the river in the back alleys of Talad Noi
Baan Rim Nam map location: Click Here
Namsaah Bottling Trust – Silom – $$$
Chong Nonsi BTS
TEMPORARILY CLOSED $$$ – Fantastic, upscale modern Thai food in an old bottling office. Sensational and delicious food
Namsaah Bottling Trust map location: Click Here
Koreatown – Asok – $$$
Asok or Nana BTS
$$$ – Take your pick of Korean BBQ restaurants at Sukhumvit Plaza. Doo Rae is the most popular, we also enjoy Jang Won. Come for authentic Korean BBQ dishes, be careful not to over-order as the banchan side dishes just keep coming!
Koreatown map location: Click Here
Wok Star Express – Silom – $$$
https://wokstarexpress.foodie-delivery.com/
$$$ – A new favourite takeaway option that serves up Chinese dishes that Brits, Americans and Ozzies would recognise. Prices on the higher side make this a treat. but the portions are big, the ingredients are good and the flavours are great! we love the kung pao pork, lemon chicken and be sure to order sesame prawn toast!
Wok Star Express map location: Click Here
Best restaurants in Bangkok – for a special occasion
Nang Gin Kui – Chinatown – $$$$
Walk or taxi from BTS Saphan Taksin
$$$$ – An eating experience like no other in Bangkok. Near enough 4000 baht, but if you’re visiting this is an unforgettable dining and evening experience in a jaw-dropping riverside setting. Full details:https://thaispicy.co/2019/05/03/nang-gin-kui-restaurant-review/
Nang Gin Kui map location: Click Here
Gaggan Anand – Asok – $$$$
Asok or Phrom Phong, but take a cab it’s a long walk!
$$$$ – Gaggan Anand re-opens in his own space and brings theatre and flavour like nowhere else. We went for the weekend set lunch and it was truly outstanding. Go for a special occasion – full review https://thaispicy.co/lunch-gaggan-anand-bangkok-restaurant-review/
Gaggan Anand map location: Click Here
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