Chinatown, Thai Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

2021 Review: Pan Serirak and Mike Asavarut created this duo of Thai-influenced, late-2018 yearlings in Soho: Wild Rice is on the ground floor, and focuses on small plates to share (Thai flavours with seasonal British ingredients). Mamasan is the basement restaurant, offering street food dishes. Early feedback suggests it’s finding its feet, but worth a go: “we went and it was empty – I’m not sure why it wasn’t packed as it deserved to be”.

“So cool, but with amazing food!” – Ben Chapman’s “bustling” Thai BBQ in Soho continues to deliver exceptional value. With a “cramped but lovely vibe”, “the best seats in the house are at the back where you can sit and watch the chefs cook over charcoal” (although “your clothes may be smelly afterwards due to the smoke from the open kitchen”). “Knowledgeable staff” provide a “menu full of things you never see at your average Thai restaurant, with stunning flavours” (and with “spice levels just on the right side of incendiary”).

“Generous portions” of “reliably excellent Thai food” have kept the six London branches of Khun Patara Sila-On’s international group busy for more than 30 years. Although known for its value for money, there were one or two grumbles about “price increases” this year, but full agreement that you get “a consistently great bargain on their lunch deal”.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

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.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

“Generous portions” of “reliably excellent Thai food” have kept the six London branches of Khun Patara Sila-On’s international group busy for more than 30 years. Although known for its value for money, there were one or two grumbles about “price increases” this year, but full agreement that you get “a consistently great bargain on their lunch deal”.

“They rock a vibrant, kitsch, Thai-sports-bar style beautifully” at JKS Restaurants’s zany and “buzzy” Chinatown yearling, which is “very casual” and “great fun”. “Full-flavoured dishes are authentically and unashamedly packed with the core Thai flavours of sweet, sour, fire and salt” – it’s “fantastic, authentic, good-value” food, washed down with funky cocktails and a wide variety of other libations (you can just drink here).

2023 Review: Chef David Thompson has built international renown for his Thai cuisine, although his previous London venture of over a decade ago – Nahm (long RIP), in Belgravia’s swanky Halkin Hotel – never quite hit the mark (despite achieving a Michelin star). This Chinatown newcomer joins branches in Sydney, Perth and Dubai and incorporates a big basement, with a small ground-floor mezzanine and sizable exterior courtyard for outside dining. As you’d expect, this is a more down-to-earth formula than Belgravia’s was, with a more casual, street-food-style menu.

“Not a place to linger” – this “busy, basic and noisy” canteen from JKS Restaurants is a highlight of the Arcade Food Hall (see also) at Centrepoint. “Styled as street food” – it’s “several notches above a typical Thai offering” and bangs out dishes that aficionados claim “are reminiscent of actually eating in the lesser-known corners of Thailand” (some of them “rip-your-face-off” spicy). Top Menu Tip – “sea bass in chilli and holy basil is just epic”.