London , Thai Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: Originally a stall on Brick Lane (which started in 2009), this 20-seater, a short walk north of Aldgate, is the first permanent home of this experienced Bangkok-style street food vendor. Enjoy dishes (with lots of choice for vegans) on a bed of rice, wrapped tight in a tortilla, or accompanied with salad.

“Stunning Thai food (some dishes will blow your pants off!)” inspires plenty of superlatives for this “vibrant” destination near Spitalfields Market, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. “An early innovator in London’s Thai food world” when it opened, its menu is “truly authentic and constantly changing”, delivering “unusual flavours that make it a standout from the herd” (and “the highly knowledgeable team guides new guests on how to choose their dishes”). Top Menu Tip – “the signature deep-fried sea bass is a wonderful beast, curled up on the plate and staring up at you like an angry horror-film monster”.

“You do feel like you are in your mad aunt’s front room but the food is amazing, and it’s a great hideaway”, say fans of this “cosy” and eclectic Thai-Malay venue in the dead area near Guy’s Hospital. Trading for over a quarter of a century now, the food can still be “exceptional” and even one or two diners who found it more of a “mixed bag” acclaimed its “great flavours” and the “lovely service”.

2024 Review: “Great, modern Thai food” is to be had at this stylish (although “rather cramped and noisy”) pub conversion a short walk from the Shard by London Bridge station – “the kind of Thai you wish was just around the corner”. It’s run by siblings Roselyn, Shakris & Bank Inngern, the new generation of the family that operated Thai restaurant Suchard on nearby Tooley Street for more than 20 years, which has recently been re-opened as veggie specialist Plants of Roselyn.

“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”.

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.

“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”.

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!”)

“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.

“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”.

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.

“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”.

“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”.

2023 Review: After 10 years, this “lively” Peckham neighbourhood Thai remains a “consistently terrific place” that “delivers great food that’s as good as you get in Bangkok, but with a twist”. Co-owner Jane Alty, who makes regular trips to Thailand to research recipes and ingredients, discovered the cuisine while working in the kitchen at David Thompson’s Nahm (long RIP).

“Great value and so authentic” – this family-run trio in Brixton, Battersea and Clapham offer some of the “best local Thai food in London”, and the BYO policy helps keep costs to a minimum.

“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”.

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”.

“Great value and so authentic” – this family-run trio in Brixton, Battersea and Clapham offer some of the “best local Thai food in London”, and the BYO policy helps keep costs to a minimum.

“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”.