Bushey, Thai Restaurant Guide

“Very good Thai food” remains the order of the day at this “cramped” fixture of the local scene, whose extensive menu (wok dishes, curries, fresh papaya salads) represents excellent value for money. From Tuesday to Saturday there’s a lunchtime noodle bar, and they also do a swift trade as a takeaway.

“This is the real thing”, according to Thai aficionados who venerate this well-patronised canteen near Stamford Brook for its “spicy fresh and authentic” scoff (“some dishes are only for the brave”) at “super-good-value prices – and you can BYO!”. Family-run, with a distinctive puce facade, it was one of the first to bring the fiery flavours of Isaan in northeast Thailand to London. ‘Aunties’ Bee and her sister Mary from southern Thailand add seafood to the menu, and there’s now a spinoff branch in Richmond.

“A real find” say fans of this “quirky” West London group, which combines eclectic decor of antique-shop knick-knacks with “really tasty Thai cooking” and the ability to BYO to provide a vibey “cheap ’n’ cheerful” experience. “Service is friendly and prompt but the atmosphere is very relaxed”. Top Menu Tip – “a really good green curry can be boosted with heat if you ask nicely”.

“A real find” say fans of this “quirky” West London group, which combines eclectic decor of antique-shop knick-knacks with “really tasty Thai cooking” and the ability to BYO to provide a vibey “cheap ’n’ cheerful” experience. “Service is friendly and prompt but the atmosphere is very relaxed”. Top Menu Tip – “a really good green curry can be boosted with heat if you ask nicely”.

A restaurant-within-a-restaurant, open in July 2025 within the town’s Crazy Bear (whose ownership was itself rejigged at the start of 2025). Well-known chef, Carlo Scotto, has come on board to bring an ambitious 14-seat chef’s table concept to the town in an open-kitchen environment whose launch PR promises ‘an intimate front-row seat to culinary artistry as it unfolds, with an atmosphere that feels more like a private dinner party than a conventional restaurant’. There are two experiences both with optional matched wines: the lighter, six-course ‘Carlo’s Edit’ (Tuesday to Saturday at 6pm) and ‘The Full Experience’ with eight courses (Tuesday to Saturday at 7.45pm). Sample dishes include Pickled Attika Kohlrabi, Langoustine, Jalapeno, Purple Shiso with Salad Burnet and a Moroccan Spiced Duck with morels.

This well-regarded Thai has established itself as a stalwart local in Marylebone since it opened in 2007. “The lunch menu is particularly good value” at under £15 for two courses.

“A real find” say fans of this “quirky” West London group, which combines eclectic decor of antique-shop knick-knacks with “really tasty Thai cooking” and the ability to BYO to provide a vibey “cheap ’n’ cheerful” experience. “Service is friendly and prompt but the atmosphere is very relaxed”. Top Menu Tip – “a really good green curry can be boosted with heat if you ask nicely”.

2023 Review: This “deservedly busy” Thai canteen has been an Earl’s Court staple since the late 1990s, serving a cheap and tasty menu which is “all good, from the prawn crackers to som tum”.

“Deservedly popular Thai local with welcoming staff and very tasty (if not exactly distinguished) cooking”, which opened a few years ago opposite the Olympic Cinema in Barnes. No reports on its Finchley sibling, but TripAdvisor says it’s one of London’s best!

“A jolly pan-Asian mish-mash that’s good value for the West End” inspires ongoing interest in this Fitzrovia venue. Most of the action is on the ground floor, but there’s also an outdoor bar and basement chef’s counter.

“Amazing and quirky Thai-inspired dishes” hit the spot at this Highbury 10-year-old from Sebby Holmes, a former Begging Bowl and Smoking Goat chef (“I’ve never tasted more exciting cuisine!”). “Service is spot-on – as it needs to be to navigate the menu”. Any downsides? – It’s “noisy”.

“Just so good!” – “If you like the smell of flowers this is the place for you”: “a small Thai restaurant with a small flower shop attached” in the dingy no-man’s-land surrounding King’s Cross, which has grown from a pop-up within the florists to become one of the capital’s top Thai destinations. “Wonderfully spicy southern Thai food” full of “rich, deep flavours and appropriate spicing” is produced by Phuket-born chef Wichet Khongphoon, making it “a delightful find” that’s anything but “your typical Thai operation”. “Prices may look a touch above average but portions are generous and shared mains between two often advisable”. “If a Thai restaurant uses stink beans as an ingredient, you know it’s authentic”. Top Tip – “ask to sit in the flower-shop section”.

“Much closer to ‘fine dining’ than most local Thai restaurants” – this well-established quartet from Khun Patara Sila-On is part of her international, decades-old chain which started in Bangkok in the 1970s; and “every dish is of the highest standard, with superb presentation” (although if the food is “a couple of notches better than standard fare, prices are also a couple of notches higher”). Top Menu Tip – “whole chilli sea bass is a delight”.

“Much closer to ‘fine dining’ than most local Thai restaurants” – this well-established quartet from Khun Patara Sila-On is part of her international, decades-old chain which started in Bangkok in the 1970s; and “every dish is of the highest standard, with superb presentation” (although if the food is “a couple of notches better than standard fare, prices are also a couple of notches higher”). Top Menu Tip – “whole chilli sea bass is a delight”.

“Much closer to ‘fine dining’ than most local Thai restaurants” – this well-established quartet from Khun Patara Sila-On is part of her international, decades-old chain which started in Bangkok in the 1970s; and “every dish is of the highest standard, with superb presentation” (although if the food is “a couple of notches better than standard fare, prices are also a couple of notches higher”). Top Menu Tip – “whole chilli sea bass is a delight”.

Ben Chapman’s epic BBQ Thai in Soho has racked up phenomenal ratings in our annual diners’ poll since it opened in 2016 and packing into a perch at its counter to savour the electrifying tastes of its spicy, smoke-infused meats has become a mainstay of ‘Top London Eateries Right Now’ lists online. But while it’s “always been a bit too cool for school”, this year saw a dip in ratings. No harsh critiques, just less buzz and wow-factor! (“OK, we are a bit old, but where lies the fun in spending quite a lot of money to sit in cramped surroundings, crammed up against others and eating the same old? I’m giving up on Time Out lists I think!”)

“Best Thai food in southwest London” – in a humble Fulham shopping parade, with a large, long-time following from across the SW postcodes. There’s a “polite waiting team” too – “it’s just a shame that you are so packed in”.

2023 Review: This “modest but terrific” former pop-up near Trafalgar Square, from entrepreneurial Lao-Thai chef Saiphin Moore (of Rosa’s Thai), is “well worth the visit” for “good-sized portions” of “authentic” Laotian food – a lesser-known Asian cuisine with meals revolving around the staple of sticky rice.

“Fab every time… love it here!” – Ben Chapman’s “buzzy, friendly” Thai BBQ in a converted Shoreditch pub still inspires adulation, a decade on from its founding (originally in Soho). “Distinctive menus and really strong value” are the bedrock of its appeal. Any downsides? – some reckon “it’s noisy and oh-so-trendy”. Top Menu Tip – “exceptional chicken wings”.