Chef vs Critic
Our experts go fork to fork over Bangkok’s best dining haunts.
Best fine dining
GA Enoteca (enotecabangkok.com) is a favourite date-night spot for me and my husband. The flavours are super-traditional but the chef is always trying out new things. I know the guys there and love how passionate they are about how they cook. They also have a really good Old World Italian wine list. VS Some of the best fine dining in the city can be found at my favourite restaurant, Mezzaluna (lebua.com), and through the modern French stylings on show at Le Normandie (mandarinoriental.com). Both have two Michelin stars.
Best late-night eatery
GA I try to not eat late at night anymore but I recently discovered the kebab wrap from Hummus Heads (hummusheadsbangkok.business.site). VS Yaowarat Road used to be my pick but in recent years I think Banthat Thong Road has taken the crown. There’s an almost mind-numbing 800-metre-long line-up of streetside eateries and food stalls open long into the night.
Best breakfast
GA Luka Siri House (lukabangkok.com) is so beautiful and peaceful. It’s not too far from my restaurant and it’s dog-friendly so I often go there with my pup, Aloo – everyone on the staff remembers him. My go-to is the delicious avocado toast, topped with poached eggs and nuts.
VS I can’t go past Roast (roastbkk.com). It’s been one of my top spots in Bangkok for years and the breakfasts continue to be phenomenal. It serves more typical Western breakfast fare and I love the crab cake Benedict served with crisp potatoes and New Orleans remoulade.
Best Thai restaurant
GA Definitely Bo.lan (bolan.co.th). Besides the fact they’re great people, chefs Bo and Dylan make everything from scratch and never cut corners.
VS I can’t decide between Terrace Rim Naam (mandarinoriental.com) and Suan Bua at the Centara Grand hotel (centarahotelsresorts.com). I just can’t recommend them highly enough; they offer some of the most delicious traditional Thai dishes in the city.
Best plant-based eatery
GA I’m not vegan or vegetarian but I love my vegetables. Broccoli Revolution (broccolirevolution.com) is where I head when I want something healthy that also tastes amazing. It’s really consistent and the broccoli burger is one of my must-haves.
VS My choices are Veganerie (veganerie. co.th) for the best vegan pastries in town, Anotai (976/17 Soi Rama 9 Hospital, Huai Khwang; +66 2 641 5366) for East-meets-West vegetarian offerings and Loving Hut (lovinghut bangkok.com) for a wide-reaching
menu that also includes my favourite Burmese tea-leaf salad and great vegan sushi.
Best solo dining
GA I would hit up street food when travelling solo, which means you can hop from shop to shop and try a lot of food. Chinatown is so much fun for that. You can stop for peppery guay jub noodles, have a go at durian and end up at a great place like Tep Bar (67, Soi Nana, Maitri Chid Road; +66 98 467 2944).
VS Open House at Central Embassy (centralembassy.com) is a clutch of about a dozen restaurants and cafés in a lovely co-working space and bookstore setting. Single diners can enjoy a good substantial meal or light bites without feeling isolated.
Best food with a view
GA When the weather is right in Bangkok, you have to be by the river. My team and I enjoy Steve Café & Cuisine in the
Dusit District (stevecafeandcuisine. com). The view of the sunset is the number-one reason to go but it also serves excellent, simple Thai food. VS I always recommend a Supanniga Cruise along the Chao Phraya River (supannigacruise.com) for the best local food with a view. You can stop by to finish your afternoon with a champagne or cocktail cruise or settle in for a great six-course sunset dinner cruise.
Best casual lunch
GA Bangkok Bold Kitchen and Eathai are my absolute top-rated spots and they’re conveniently located next to each other in the food court at Central Embassy (centralembassy.com). I love BBK’s mushroom and coconut salad and every time I go to Eathai I have to have the southern-style yellow crab curry with kanom jeen.
VS In Bangkok, you can have a goodquality, affordable casual meal at any time – breakfast, lunch or dinner – on almost every corner. To name just some of them is difficult.
The restaurant that nails the Bangkok vibe
GA This is the kind of city where you get to pick your own poison, as there’s something for everyone.
It’s not easy to choose just one restaurant that encapsulates all of Bangkok. I really enjoyed trying out Mayrai Padthai Bar (22 Maha Rat Road, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Khet Phra Nakhon; +66 81 432 4050), which is a fantastic combination of traditional and new. It serves incredible pad Thai, alongside an extensive natural wine list. VS Bangkok is a very modern and dynamic city that is somehow peaceful and deep-rooted in its traditions at the same time. This combination is best represented by a meeting point between the city skyline and the graceful Chao Phraya River, with many rooftop restaurants highlighting this connection. Check out the views on offer at Chef’s Table at Lebua (lebua.com) and Seen (seen rooftopbangkok.com).