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Where to eat in Bangkok: my 21 favourite restaurants

Nobody eats well following the tour buses. These are the 21 restaurants in Bangkok I'd send a friend to: the cheap neighbourhood place, the one locals keep to themselves, the splurge that's genuinely worth it. No photo menus.

80/20 Eighty Twenty★ 4.5 · 2,000฿+ pp · Modern Thai · Tasting menuMichelin-starred and fiercely local: 80% Thai ingredients, fermentation experiments and a tasting menu that reads like a map of Thailand's farms, Chinatown's boundary-pushing table. Directions
After the Rain Coffee & Gallery★ 4.4 · 150-300฿ pp · CaféA plant-drowned riverside café-gallery: specialty brews, art on the walls and a calm that feels impossible in this city. Directions
Bubble in the Forest Cafe★ 4 · 300-600฿ pp · Café · Floating decksThe 'Maldives of Nakhon Pathom': over-water bamboo decks floating on a lotus lake, 45 minutes west of Bangkok. Directions
Cabbages & Condoms★ 4.2 · 300-600฿ pp · ThaiSolid Thai classics in a lantern-lit garden, run by a family-planning NGO: yes, the décor is condom-themed, and yes, all profits fund health programs. Directions
Charmgang★ 4.7 · 800-1,500฿ pp · Thai · CurriesThe cool kids' curry shop: chefs from fine-dining kitchens cooking fiery, old-recipe Thai curries in a neon-tinged Chinatown shophouse. Directions
EAGLE NEST Rooftop Bar★ 4.3 · 300-500฿ drinks · Rooftop barA small old-town rooftop with the money view: Wat Arun glowing across the river, no dress code, no 63rd-floor prices. Directions
El Gaucho Sukhumvit Soi 20★ 4.5 · 2,000฿+ pp · SteakhouseThe Sukhumvit institution for serious steak: dry-aged cuts, tableside carving and old-school service when the street-food streak needs a protein-heavy intermission. Directions
Ginza Sushi Ichi★ 4.5 · 2,000฿+ pp · Japanese · SushiThe Bangkok outpost of Tokyo's Ginza original: Edomae sushi flown in from Toyosu market, served at a hushed counter. Directions
Jay Fai★ 3.6 · 800-1500฿ pp · Street food (Michelin ★)The goggle-wearing queen of Thai street food: her crab omelette earned the world's most famous street stall a Michelin star. Directions
Krua Apsorn★ 4.3 · 200-400฿ pp · Thai (royal recipes)Old-school dining rooms serving royal-household recipes: the crab in yellow chili and the fluffy crab omelette are the orders. Directions
Le Du★ 4 · 2,000฿+ pp · Modern Thai · Tasting menuChef Ton's Michelin-starred love letter to Thai produce: once crowned Asia's best restaurant, serving seasonal tasting menus that translate market ingredients into fine dining without losing their soul. Directions
Or Tor Kor Market★ 4.4 · 100-250฿ pp · Food marketOfficially one of the world's best fresh markets: a clean, glorious food court where the mango sticky rice, southern curries and durian (if you dare) set the national standard. Directions
Restaurant POTONG★ 4.6 · 2,000฿+ pp · Thai-Chinese · Fine diningA five-story Chinatown pharmacy turned Michelin-starred time machine: chef Pam's Thai-Chinese tasting menu honors five generations of her family in the same building. Directions
SHUN OMAKASE★ 4.9 · 2,000฿+ pp · Japanese · OmakaseChef Jaroen's intimate omakase counter: Tokyo-grade nigiri with Thai-Japanese precision and a 4.9 rating the hard way. Directions
Sirocco (Lebua)★ 4.3 · 2500฿+ pp · Rooftop · MediterraneanThe golden-domed rooftop from The Hangover II, 63 floors above the river. Directions
Somtam Nua★ 4.4 · 150-300฿ pp · Isaan · Som TamSiam Square's always-packed temple of green papaya salad and sticky-fried chicken: Isaan food with university-crowd energy. Directions
Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin★ 4.7 · 2,000฿+ pp · Modern Thai · MolecularMolecular Thai theatre in the Siam Kempinski: frozen red curry, edible gardens and lotus-pond dining built on Copenhagen's Michelin-starred Kiin Kiin playbook. Directions
Sühring★ 4.6 · 4500฿+ pp · German · 2 Michelin ★★Twin brothers serving modern German tasting menus in a garden villa: Bangkok's most surprising two-star and a complete left-turn from a week of chilies. Directions
Sushi Masato★ 4.8 · 2,000฿+ pp · Japanese · OmakaseChef Masato's omakase is Bangkok's hardest sushi reservation for a reason: New-York-trained, Tokyo-disciplined, and warm in a way temple-of-sushi places rarely are. Directions
Thipsamai Pad Thai★ 4.2 · 100-300฿ pp · Thai · Pad ThaiBangkok's most famous pad thai since 1966, wrapped in a delicate egg net and wok-fired over charcoal at theatrical speed. Directions
Tichuca Rooftop Bar★ 4.2 · 400-600฿ drinks · Rooftop barThe glowing jellyfish-tree bar 46 floors above Thonglor that conquered every feed, and unlike most viral spots, the multi-level jungle decks and views genuinely deliver. Directions