Where to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand – 16 Best Spots
Wondering where to eat in Bangkok, Thailand? We’ve got you covered. Bangkok has a renowned food scene, and has great places to eat both Thai and international food. In this post, we’ll share our list of the best spots to eat dinner in Bangkok based on our four months living there.
Bangkok, Thailand is a city full of amazing food. With Michelin stickers adorning restaurants around every corner, it’s easy to find great places to eat here (though we question if all of these stickers are legit, I mean how many Michelin guide restaurants can one city really have?). But while the Bangkok dining scene is a well-established haven for Thai food, what you may not know is that the city boasts an excellent array of other cuisines as well. From Mexican to Indian, Korean to Italian, you can scratch any itch you’ve got at the best spots to eat in Bangkok. The tricky part is, how do you choose where to eat in Bangkok amongst so many options? After living here for four months, we’ve pulled together our list of the top places to eat in Bangkok, both for Thai food and international cuisine, to help you decide.
In this post, we’ll share our 16 top places to eat in Bangkok. We’ll start you off with some pointers on dining in Thailand, and then provide our recommendations for the best spots to eat in Bangkok. Looking for somewhere to grab a drink afterwards? We’ve got our favorite bars for you in our post 18 of the Best Bars in Bangkok, Thailand. We’ve also got a full travel guide on Bangkok in Your Complete Bangkok Itinerary for 3 Epic Days to make planning your trip to this buzzing city a breeze.
Update note: This guide was reviewed in October 2025 to confirm current openings, pricing, and overall relevance.
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Where to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand - Your Guide to the Top Places to Eat:
- How to Pick a Great Place to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand
- The Top Places to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand
- FAQs for Where to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand
How to Pick a Great Place to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand
If you’ve read any of our top restaurants posts in the past, you’ll know we typically recommend the same tips for picking a great restaurant. However, in Southeast Asia, the dining scene is a bit different. For example, we would normally recommend avoiding restaurants in Europe where the menu is exclusively in English or contains pictures of all of the food. However, in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, this is standard – don’t let it spook you into thinking you’ve stumbled on a tourist trap. On the flip side, tips like number four become even more important – many Southeast Asian restaurants specialize in only one or two menu items – these restaurants are your best shot at eating those dishes at their finest. With that in mind, below are our top tips for picking where to eat in Bangkok to ensure you enjoy your meal:
Top Tips for Choosing Where to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand
- DON’T take Google Maps reviews as undisputed facts. We know, it’s an easy place to start and we gravitate toward those 4 star and up locations as well. But the truth is, in tourist destinations, these reviews are overwhelmingly contributed by, well, tourists, who may have different expectations for food or service than are standard in that country. If you see a place that looks good but the reviews aren’t top notch, dig a little deeper to see if they’re due to differing expectations (for example, being served meat and fish with bones in is common here).
- DON’T choose a place because a waiter outside called you over and tried to persuade you to eat there.
- DO walk at least two to three blocks away from major tourist attractions to avoid higher costs and lower quality.
- DO gravitate to restaurants with a small, specific menu – a suggestion, but not a rule, as there are also many great places to eat that offer a huge and diverse menu.
- DO make advance reservations for dinner in Bangkok at popular international restaurants like Molino, Funkytown, and Rangoon Tea House. You can likely still get in without one, but better safe than sorry.
- BONUS: DON’T feel like you need to pick a fancy or expensive restaurant to eat well in Bangkok. After four months living here, I can confidently say that some of our best meals were the cheapest ones. In fact, we were often disappointed by our meals at nicer places, and having to pay three to four times the price for the food was salt in the wound – pun intended.
The Top Places to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand
Without further ado, let’s get into our list of where to eat in Bangkok, Thailand – the 16 best spots for dinner to check out on your next visit! We’ve split these into two sections to make things easier – Thai Restaurants and International Restaurants.
Thai Restaurants
You can’t come all the way to Bangkok and not enjoy some of the incredible Thai cuisine on offer. Here’s our list of some of the best Thai restaurants in the Bangkok dining scene.
Looking for amazing street food? Check out our post The Best Street Food in Bangkok’s Chinatown – 14 Must-Try Bites, sharing everything you need to know about touring Bangkok’s Chinatown, the best place in the city for street food.
Let’s start off strong with one of my favorite restaurants – the extremely unsuspecting Jarunee. Conveniently located just outside the Phrom Phong BTS station, this hole in the wall is where to eat in Bangkok for streetside food that’s no frills and all flavor. With half the seating inside the restaurant and the other half out back in what can best be described as an abandoned parking garage, expect to sit on Southeast Asia’s iconic tiny plastic chairs while you enjoy your cheapest meal in the city. Colby and I paid just 200 baht (~$6) for two entrees, a side of rice, and two drinks (February 2025). Though it’s nothing fancy, it’s definitely a can’t-miss. I must have ordered their shrimp and broccoli three times, it was so tasty! Make sure to bring cash and bug spray – the mosquitos are thick in the garage space.
Another “no frills” streetside restaurant near the Thong Lo BTS station, this top place to eat we dubbed our “corner spot” doesn’t even have an English name. But what they DO have is the best tom sum (papaya salad) in the city. Made fresh to order, it’s bursting with flavor and the perfect representation of this classic Thai dish – more than enough to earn it a spot as one of the best spots to eat in Bangkok, Thailand. Beware – it’s a spicy one! Try saying mae pet (not very spicy) to your waiter if you need it toned down.
Another classic Thai dish almost everyone wants to try in Bangkok is pad thai. While there’s lots of great pad thai in the city, we recommend checking out Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu, a seven-year Michelin Bib Gourmand designee near Khao San Road. You can tell this one caters to tourists a bit, so expect higher prices here (130 baht or ~$4 for the cheapest pad thai), but you’ll be rewarded with a unique and delicious take on the classic dish. Here, the noodles have a smoky element, and we highly recommend adding the grilled lychee-fed chicken to your order, which was incredibly juicy and tender.
One classic dish you may not have heard of is khao soi. Native to Thailand’s northern region, this curry noodle soup typically features chicken or beef in a creamy, coconut-based broth, topped with crunchy fried noodles, shallots, cilantro, lime, and pickled greens. It’s salty, savory, and for us, at least, was reminiscent of a peanuty massaman curry. In short, it was utterly delicious and we ate every bite. In fact, it was one of my top three favorite dishes in Thailand! It’s definitely a Bangkok dining must, expanding your experience to food from other regions of Thailand as well. Khao Soi Falamdun near the National Stadium BTS stop is where to eat in Bangkok to try it.
Side note – we got to taste this dish on our favorite food tour of Bangkok. We highly recommend it, wrote about it in our post about the best street food in Chinatown. Short on time? Click the link to book your spot on the Chinatown street food tour.
Another dish I hadn’t seen on American Thai menus that quickly became a favorite is one perfected at Hereduan in Ekkamai – the Thai-style omelet. Specifically, the creamy shrimp omelet with stir-fried bird’s eye chili and garlic on rice (careful, it’s spicy!). The Thai-style omelet is different from what you might expect compared to an American-style omelet. Rather than a firm, scrambled and folded dish, eggs are whisked and cooked in hot oil, then poured on top of rice and other toppings while still a bit runny, resulting in a creamy and savory dish that I could Not. Stop. Eating. Hereduan is also a great stop if others in your party aren’t in the mood for Thai, as it’s located inside the fun and quirky TUBA Bar & Restaurant, which serves a variety of other Western dishes too. Plus, they have a fun drink menu and live music on the weekends!
Sit and Wonder is a really approachable spot to eat in Bangkok that offers solid Thai food across the board. It’s a great place to start your journey into Thai food, as you have a lot of different options presented in an easy-to-read menu, complete with pictures of the dishes. The dining room is cute and air-conditioned, and they have outside seating as well if the weather is nice. We visited a few times, enjoying their cashew chicken served in a pineapple and grilled pork served with spicy Thai salad. The dishes paired perfectly with their homemade honey lime soda, which I highly recommend. And for the vegetarians out there, Sit and Wonder has a large selection of meat-free options as well.
This family-run restaurant in Thong Lo is the answer to where to eat in Bangkok for Southern Thai food with a personal touch. Though the vibe leaves a bit to be desired, the food certainly doesn’t. At Baan Ice, we highly recommend the beef green curry with bird’s eye chilies and the stir-fried crispy pork with red curry paste. The pork was so crispy and both curries were so flavorful with just the right amount of spice – enough to give it a kick, but not to overpower the other flavors of the dish.
Last, but not least, you can’t visit Thailand without trying its famous dessert, mango sticky rice. And with a line out the door nearly all hours of the day, Mae Varee in Thong Lo is the best spot to eat in Bangkok, Thailand for this classic dish. Here you’ll enjoy rice that’s the perfect softness level, mango that’s mouthwateringly ripe and juicy, and a coconut cream to pour over the top that adds just the right amount of salty and sweet to finish it off. A ripe mango is key to success in this dish, so if you order it elsewhere, make sure to inspect the mango beforehand so you don’t end up with a dessert that’s crunchy or sour.
International Restaurants
Ready to mix things up a bit? Don’t worry – there are a ton of great places to eat in Bangkok for international fare. Here are some of the best spots to eat in Bangkok when you’re ready for a break from Thai food.
For those that are new to our site, you need to know one thing – I am obsessed with Mexican food, and I will always find the best Mexican restaurant in any given city to recommend to you. For Bangkok, that’s Molino. Located off the Nana BTS stop, Molino hits it out of the park on both food and vibe. While it is a bit pricier – as are most non-Thai restaurants – it’s well worth it. Molino served us the best guacamole we’ve had since leaving California, the steak fajitas were fantastic, and the margaritas were solid as well. Plus, they have live music on the weekends and a super friendly staff. If you’re a fan of Mexican food, don’t miss this one.
This restaurant is one of the best spots to eat in Bangkok, Thailand for Mexican food, so we recommend making reservations in advance – book your table at Molino here.
Want even more delicious Mexican food? Try Charley Brown’s Mexicana in Asok or La Lupita in Bang Rak.
Come hungry – Indiagate is where to eat in Bangkok, Thailand when you’re craving delicious Indian food. This restaurant in Thong Lo will serve you up an absolute feast of incredible food. It’s one of the few places to eat in Bangkok where we had leftovers to take home. The chicken tikka masala was so good – rich, smokey, and the perfect level of spice – and the little crispy appetizer was served with a spicy mint sauce so tasty I could’ve drank it straight. We also recommend the chicken changezi, though honestly, you probably can’t go wrong with anything here.
If you don’t want to risk missing out on this tasty Indian food for dinner in Bangkok, reserve your table at Indiagate in advance here.
Funkytown is a super cool fusion restaurant and cocktail bar in Phrom Phong that’s the perfect place to start a night out on the town. The vibe is 10/10, with beautiful mid-century modern decor, soft lighting, and an upstairs terrace. The menu? Even better. Funkytown’s food and drink menus are scored on degree of “funkiness,” and include delicious and unique dishes like crispy duck intestines, scallop crudo tartlets, and rabbit skewers, paired with cocktails like durian colada and khao soi. We loved it so much we came back time and again. Heads up – finding it is a bit tricky. You’ll want to enter Sarnies cafe and then walk up to the fourth floor.
This restaurant is one of the best spots to eat in Bangkok, Thailand for a unique bit – you won’t want to miss it! Book your table at Funkytown now.
We love a good Korean BBQ after years of living in LA, so we had to check out the best spots to eat in Bangkok for KBBQ. While Galbi Maru didn’t look like much from the outside, this restaurant in Phrom Phong served excellent food. We ordered the sirloin and marinated pork ribs with steamed egg and kimchi pancake, and everything was super flavorful and cooked to perfection. We especially loved their house chili sauce, which was mild but smokey, an excellent pairing for the grilled meat. Be prepared – if you’re used to Korean BBQ places where you cook your own meat, it may be a bit awkward, as every restaurant we visited in Southeast Asia cooks the meat for you tableside.
Wow – we cannot say enough good things about Burmese restaurant Rangoon Tea House. Specifically, the upstairs lounge, where you can order all the tasty food plus craft cocktails while relaxing on plush velvet couches and listening to their low-key live music sets. Located in the residential area of Thong Lo, it’s a bit of a hidden gem, but still easy to get to. We loved our first order so much that we came back a second time and ordered the exact same thing – chicken biryani, mine thar grilled chicken, and a pennywort salad. Trust us – this top place to eat in Bangkok is truly a can’t-miss.
Of everywhere we ate dinner in Bangkok, this restaurant is the most in need of advance reservations – book your table at Rangoon Tea House here.
Sometimes, you just want a really good sandwich, and in Bangkok, it can be surprisingly hard to find. Thankfully, with three locations in Asok, Sathorn, and Sukhumvit, BARTELS is here to save the day when that craving strikes. BARTELS has the best bread in the city, hands down, and offers a wide range of tasty sandwiches, salads, and smoothies to scratch your healthy foods itch. Each of the cafes have a warm and welcoming vibe, and you’ll usually find some remote workers inside too. Though, it’s such a popular spot that we wouldn’t recommend it for work, as it’s usually chock-full of people. Enjoy your sandwich at the cafe or to-go, or order delivery from Grab (Southeast Asia’s Uber eats) if you’re working at home.
Looking for where to eat in Bangkok when you want to enjoy a pint and watch the game? While you may need to wake up at 5am to do so – hello massive time difference – The Old English in Thong Lo is a warm and welcoming place to do so. We found ourselves here time and again when we were craving some comfort food or just to enjoy their excellent happy hour prices (draft beer as cheap as 45 baht?! Yes, please.). Their chicken strips are incredible, plus they have a pool table you can enjoy with your beverage. Nothing fancy, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
Still can’t decide where to eat in Bangkok, Thailand? Head to the new and modern mixed-use space, the COMMONS, with locations in Saladaeng and Thong Lo. The COMMONS features a variety of restaurants across multiple cuisines, like Thai, Italian, Japanese, Peruvian, and good-ole American fried chicken. They also have an amazing ice cream vendor for dessert. But the COMMONS is more than just food – they also have bars, a few cute shops, fitness centers, a playground for the kids, and they host regular events, like outdoor movie screenings and a book club. Plus, they’re dog friendly! It’s a great place to spend the evening with a group of friends over great food, drinks, and conversation.
FAQs for Where to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand
Which Bangkok Restaurants Require Advance Reservations?
You can get dinner in Bangkok at most restaurants without reservations, but consider making them in advance for popular Michelin-starred Thai restaurants (not on our list) and international restaurants. We recommend making reservations a few days in advance at the following best spots to eat in Bangkok, Thailand:
What Should I Order at a Thai Restaurant in Bangkok?
Some of the most classic Thai dishes you should order when grabbing dinner in Bangkok are:
- Pad Thai – stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp, peanuts, and egg
- Som Tam/Som Tum – spicy green papaya salad, best with dehydrated shrimp
- Tom Yum Goong – hot and sour shrimp soup with ginger and lemongrass
- Pad Gra Prow/Pad Kra Pao – stir-fried holy basil and minced meat over white rice (spicy!)
- Mango Sticky Rice – sweet sticky rice with fresh mango and coconut cream (dessert)
Which Neighborhoods Have the Best Spots to Eat in Bangkok?
Many of the top places to eat in Bangkok, Thailand are in the Sukhumvit area, between the Nana and Ekkamai BTS stations. There are also a few places on our list in Banglamphu, Bangkok’s Old City neighborhood. And of course, the best street food in Bangkok is in Chinatown! Check out our guide The Best Street Food in Bangkok’s Chinatown – 14 Must-Try Bites to learn more about Bangkok’s street food scene.
Sukhumvit and Banglamphu are also excellent neighborhoods to stay in while visiting Bangkok. We’ve included some of our top hotel recommendations below – learn more about them in our Bangkok itinerary and travel guide.
- Sukhumvit:
- Sereine Sukhumvit 39 – 8.8 average rating
- IR-ON – ⭐⭐⭐, 8.8 average rating
- Skyview – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, 8.9 average rating
- Ascott Thonglor – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, 9.2 average rating
- Banglamphu:
- Corridor 2407 – 8.9 average rating
- Khoa San Social Capsule – 9.4 average rating
- Mad Monkey – ⭐⭐, 9.4 average rating
- Chakrabongse Villas – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, 9.4 average rating
When Do People Typically Eat Dinner in Bangkok?
Food seems to be served at almost all hours of the day in Bangkok. Feel free to just eat when you’re hungry – no set dinner hours to keep to here.
Should I Tip at Bars and Restaurants in Bangkok?
Tipping in Bangkok is not required, but if you’re considering leaving a tip, make sure to check your bill first. It’s becoming increasingly common for restaurants to add a 10% service fee to your check automatically, so you wouldn’t need to double tip in these cases.
Do Restaurants in Bangkok Accept Credit Cards?
While many restaurants in Bangkok accept credit cards, there are still a lot of cash-based businesses in the city. We recommend keeping at least 1,000 baht (~$30) on hand at all times. Don’t forget our pro tip on withdrawing from ATMs in foreign countries!
Pro tip: When offered an exchange rate by an ATM, you can – and should – always decline the rate displayed. This rate often includes a heavy markup on top of the market exchange rate. Declining the rate will not stop your transaction, but rather allow your personal bank to set the rate instead.
Do I Need to Speak Thai to Order at Restaurants in Bangkok?
Definitely not. We had no issues interacting with people in the service industry in English during our 4 months in Bangkok, though knowing a few key words will definitely win you some brownie points with the locals. Practice these ones before your trip:
- Hello/Goodbye – sawasdee – sa-wat-DEE
- Please – karuna – gah-roo-NAH
- Thank you – khob khun – kop KOON
- Can I pay? – chae-ng ngeun dai mai? – chang-NGOON die-MAI?
- The bill/check – chek bin – chek-BIN
- Not spicy – mai phet – my-PET (very common Thai words for tourists, as their definition of spicy is very different than a Westerner’s!)
- Delicious – a-roy – ah-ROY (you’ll use this one a lot, we promise)
To be polite, it’s important to speak slowly and add male/female particles to your phrases. Use khrap – khrap if you’re male and kha – kah if you’re female. For example, as a woman, I would say hello as sawasdee kha – sa-wat-DEE kah. Additionally, a bow with your palms together called a wai when saying hello shows respect. The higher your hands, the more respect you show.
Want to learn more? Check out our post 120+ Thai Words in English for Travel & Tourists.
Where Can I Learn More About Bangkok and Why I Should Visit It?
Right here! We lived in Bangkok for four months and have a full travel guide and itinerary for Bangkok here, along with recommendations for our favorite bars in Bangkok and a guide on Why You Should Visit Bangkok for Loy Krathong Festival. We also have a travel guide on Koh Phangan, an island popular for its Full Moon Party. Check out all of our Thailand travel guides here.
Final Thoughts on the Best Spots to Eat in Bangkok, Thailand
Now that you know where to eat in Bangkok, all that’s left to do is head to dinner and savor every bite. We hope you enjoy these top places to eat in Bangkok as much as we did! Comment below what your favorite spots for dinner were.
Looking for a post-dinner cocktail? We’ve got a list of all of our favorite Bangkok bars here. We’ve also got a full travel guide and itinerary for Bangkok here, packed with all the top sights to see on your visit. Check it out and let us help make planning your trip to Bangkok stress-free!
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