Perhaps more than any other food trend of the past three decades, Thai cooking went from thrillingly exotic — to Western palates, at least — to ready-meal ubiquity before the 1990s were even out. But while many of the restaurants below are a delicious reminder that a properly made pad Thai is not something that can be achieved with three minutes in the microwave, it is the exploration of Thailand’s lesser-known regional traditions that have re-invigorated the cuisine for the capital’s palates, though spice levels at these newer places are often not for the faint-hearted.
What’s more, Thai is one of those rare cuisines where the best restaurants are as likely to be found in Highbury or Hammersmith as a Hyde Park hotel, while the size of the bill will rarely unbalance the monthly finances.
So from fried chicken to fragrant curries, fast and furious small plates to gracious, formally served feasts, here’s our pick of the 14 best Thai restaurants in London. Sawasdee!
Kolae
MasterChef finalist Andy Oliver has run one of London’s better Thai restaurants, Som Saa, on a grungy stretch of Commercial Street since 2016; his follow-up is a three-storey site in the rather more salubrious surroundings of Borough Market. The newcomer is pronounced “go-lay”, the first piece of education from the cool young staff into the southern Thai style of grilling called kolae. Skewers of protein daubed in coconut milk-enriched marinade and cooked over live fire is the house style — try the chicken bamboo skewer — but the ethos works just as well on steamed mussels in a sweet glaze of orange curry, and other intensely shareable plates such as rice cakes under a rubble of chicken and peanut salad. Oliver’s Masterchef perfectionism extends to coconut cream made fresh each morning and curry pastes stone-ground in house.
6 Park Street, SE1 9AB, kolae.com
Koyn Thai
Restaurateur Samyukta Nair has pretty much every taste in restaurants covered with her Mayfair empire: Chinese at MiMi, French at Socca, Indian at Jamavar and Bombay Bustle. Now she has converted the basement of Koyn into a Thai dining room (upstairs remains Japanese), which looks much the same as its previous low-lit incarnation, only now with orange leather seating and Thai artworks. Menus are conceived by Bangkok native Rose Chalalai Singh, who owns the fashion-world favourite Rose Kitchen in Paris and has taken inspiration from Thailand’s North, South and Central provinces, with many dishes cooked over fire in the open kitchen. House specials include grilled pork neck, whole crisp seabass and grilled jumbo tiger prawns; fill out the meal with smaller plates of black pepper crispy squid and a showstopper of wild garlic escargots. A very fine meal here is so easy to come by.
8 Grosvenor Street, W1K 4QA, koynrestaurants.com
The Churchill Arms
A pub Thai like they used to make, though housed in the most English of surroundings. The Churchill Arms is an 18th-century boozer in the northern reaches of Kensington, owned by Fuller’s of London Pride fame and with an Insta-tastic exterior hung with more flowers than one will find in the ornamental beds of nearby Hyde Park. The kitchen has been Thai for more than 35 years and the cooking is served in a butterfly-themed conservatory which is much less kitsch than it sounds, though at no point does one forget one is eating in a pub. Expect a short menu of noodles, rice dishes and stir fries, with much of it available as a gluten-free alternative; the only other choice is which choice of protein to add (beef, pork, chicken or prawns, or veg). Wash it all down with one of the Fuller’s beers on tap and, because it’s a pub, it’s dog-friendly, too.
19 Kensington Church Street, W8 7LN, churchillarmskensington.co.uk
Patara
A chain of Thai restaurants in London’s more upmarket tourist honeypots such as Knightsbridge and South Ken might not immediately inspire confidence in the quality or authenticity of the cooking to come. Patara, however, is a recipient of Thai Select, a certificate from the Thai government to guarantee authentic Thai food. Patara looks the part, too, with low-lit dining rooms decorated to the sort of high-spec that, together with thoughtful service from kind staff, helps to justify the steep prices for westernised Thai cooking made with good-quality ingredients. Lamb-shank osso bucco braised in massaman curry sauce with lotus seeds is the signature dish — richly warm rather than spicily hot — while veggie and vegan options such as stir-fried mushroom with crushed garlic and red chilli are equally appealing.
Various locations, pataralondon.com
Kiln
A ker-ching of a chef’s counter, Kiln has hit the jackpot by offering a tickbox of Londoners’ favourite things. It’s not just Thai cooking but Thai *barbecue* cooking, served at both a chef’s counter for couples and weeny tables where in-the-know diners can show off to their friends about that great little place they know in Soho serving the best Thai food in the capital. Kiln is what self-taught British chef Ben Chapman did between closing the original Smoking Goat and re-opening it in Shoreditch, exposing the best native produce (aged cull yaw, raw beef, Cornish greens, pork offal) to exhilarating levels of spicing one doesn’t usually encounter at the farmers’ market: a sour curry of mussels with winter squash, say, or a long pepper duck curry. The counter with its view of chefs cooking in claypots and grilling over charcoal is the most fun place to sit, but be warned that it’s walk-ins only; groups of two to six can book a table in the basement.
58 Brewer Street, W1F 9TL, kilnsoho.com
The Begging Bowl
This Peckham classic brought something new to London dining when it opened in 2012. Not only did The Begging Bowl turn Peckham into a restaurant destination, but owner Jane Alty had serious chef chops. Alty had worked with David Thompson, of Michelin-starred Nahm in Bangkok, on his book Thai Street Food, which is the starting point here — though fusing British ingredients with Thai technique is just as important for current head chef Daniel Yeo. Expect the likes of charcoal grilled celeriac with galae peanut curry and pickled ginger, one of several excellent veggie dishes, while something like garee braised beef with sweet potato curry and radish ajat (a Thai relish) demonstrates an expert balancing of flavour. The dining room, with its potted plants, wooden furniture and conservatory-style windows, feels as eclectic as the cooking. And this being Peckham, there’s a short kids’ menu, too, plus 16 French wines to calm parents’ nerves.
168 Bellenden Road, SE15 4BW, thebeggingbowl.co.uk
Supawan
A charismatic alternative to the rather soulless restaurant developments around Coal Drop’s Yard, chef Wichet Khongphoon’s colour-pop dining room is the ideal local, as well suited to after-work beers and sharing plates as King’s Cross residents out for a Saturday night supper. The southern Thai cooking approximates to what most Londoners probably think a Thai menu should look like, though for all the familiarity, there’s no holding back on flavour in the likes of a peanut-rich Penang chicken curry, steamed tofu slapped around with chilli and garlic or slow-cooked pork belly with five spice, plus all the sweetcorn fritters, crispy prawns and stuffed chicken wings that one table could ever humanly need. In case you hadn’t gathered that good times are the name of Supawan’s game, there are a dozen cheesily-named cocktails alongside a short wine and beer list.
38 Caledonian Road, N1 9DT, supawan.co.uk
The Heron
If the thought of a pub Thai restaurant conjures up images of pad Thai and spring rolls somewhere in the suburbs, then pay a trip to The Heron, housed in the basement of an intimidating-looking flat-roofed pub at the base of a Sixties tower block behind Edgware Road. The Heron is hardly any less eye-catching inside: think lots of burgundy and brown to hide the stains of any spilled pints. No one, however, is here for the decor, but for cooking from chef Joe which showcases regional cuisines and an uncompromising approach to both spice and offal (the chewy pig’s intestines are so hot they bring tears to the eyes). Other intriguing highlights include a gang som goong kai cha om dish of sour orange prawn curry with Thai herb omelette, Thai-style sausages from the east and north-east of the country, and hot and sour salads.
Norfolk Crescent, W2 2DN, theheronpaddington.com
Esarn Kheaw
Serving spicy Thai food that brings diners out in a sweat is now all the rage in London but before anyone had even heard of Isan, Esarn Kheaw had been knocking out the fiery cooking of Thailand’s north-east in Shepherd’s Bush since 1992. The six-page menu is not the easiest to negotiate, though as no-one should really be here for the green curry and pad Thai, ask the friendly staff to zoom in on the house specialities: homemade Thai sausages scattered with bird’s eye chillies, minced catfish with anchovy and green chilli dip and raw vegetables, “tiger cry” chilli steak that lives up to its name with a chilli-hot shriek; even the coconut milk-free veggie jungle curry, bristling with fresh green peppercorns, is blisteringly spicy. Cool the palate with deep-fried “son-in-law-eggs” with a sour-sweet tamarind sauce and scattered with garlic. The cooking, happily, has the riotous colour the sombre dining room lacks.
314 Uxbridge Road, W12 7LJ, esarnkheaw.com
Singburi
Not only the best restaurant in E11 but one of the best Thai restaurants in London, Singburi is worth an hour of anyone’s time trundling around the Overground to Leytonstone High Road, though on no account turn up without a booking (taken on a Wednesday, a month in advance). This family-run Thai, more café than restaurant, has been here for as long as anyone cares to remember in the same tiny premises that could easily double in size and still be full. All the classics of pad Thai, fishcakes and massaman curry are not only present but absolutely correct, though it’s with the dishes one rarely encounters elsewhere that chef Sirichai Kularbwong has made a name for Singburi, whether crispy pork belly with chilli and basil or Thai basil-infused clams with chilli. In the unlikely event that chilli-and-basil boredom ever sets in, here today, gone tomorrow specials such as soft-shell crab in the silkiest of curries are chalked up on a blackboard. Singburi is BYOB, too — pick up a bottle of something white and aromatic from Theatre of Wine up the road.
593 Leytonstone High Road, E11 4PA, @singburi_e11
Farang
Sebby Holmes was the chef at Begging Bowl and Smoking Goat before going solo up north at the best thing to happen to Highbury since Arsenal moved to Holloway. “Farang” is the Thai word for a white foreigner, a self-deprecating joke which also refers to the short menu’s fusion of British produce with Thai ingredients and flavours and, perhaps, Farang’s origin story: the site used to be an Italian restaurant owned by Holmes’s stepdad Marco and some dishes are still prepared in the old pizza oven. Umami plays a key role, as too texture: prawns are salted in turmeric and wrapped up with fruit in betel leaves, chicken is glazed in a batter of Thai IPA and glazed in fish sauce with blood orange to cut through the fatty mouthfeel, while fork-tender aged beef shin comes in a spicy jungle curry. And the turmeric and roasted garlic butter roti bread with curry-leaf salt is a contender for London’s best side dish. Like what you eat? Holmes’ Payst range of sauces is available to take home.
72 Highbury Park, N5 2XE, faranglondon.co.uk
Nipa Thai
Many Brits associate Thai cooking with cheap and cheerful street food to chase away a backpacking Chang beer hangover but a monarchy that dates back to the 13th century means that Thailand equally has a long history of refined, courtly cuisine which values balanced subtlety over extreme spicing. The Thai-owned Royal Lancaster hotel overlooking Hyde Park is a suitably luxurious place to try it, with prices to match (pad Thai clocks in at £21). Long-serving chef Sanguan Parr leads an all-female kitchen team who send out beautifully presented dishes in expertly balanced sauces. Expect superior renditions of crab spring rolls and chicken satay to start ahead of chicken and Thai aubergine green curry or stir-fried prawns with pepper, coriander and fried garlic. Waitresses dressed in traditional outfits are just as neatly turned out as the teak-panelled dining room and deliver service that is every bit as polished, though come in summer and all eyes are likely to be on the leafy view outside; beautifully laid tables adorned with vases of Thai orchids are almost as pretty.
Royal Lancaster London, Lancaster Terrace, W2 2TY, niparestaurant.co.uk
Kaosarn
An early adopter of Brixton Village Market, casual Kaosarn has a light-filled corner spot that feels pleasantly removed from the hectic foodie hubbub it has in part created (sit outside for the most market vibe). There’s nothing unexpected on a straightforward menu of curries and noodles, stir-fries and salads, and gentle spicing is pitched to Western palates, but saucing is spot on in the likes of battered sea bream fillets with garlic sauce, the larb and som tum salads zing with zippy fresh flavours, while fresh herbs festoon dishes such as stir-fried minced pork with chilli and sweet basil. There are other branches in Clapham and Tooting and each gives plenty of Bangkok for your buck, not least because Kaosarn is BYO; otherwise, wash everything down with homemade lemongrass tea.
Granville Arcade, Unit 96 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PR, kaosarnlondon.co.uk
101 Thai Kitchen
Hammersmith might be famous for its Indian restaurants but this Thai canteen proves there’s more to curries than korma. There’s a noodle curry, say, with spicy fish, vegetables and boiled egg, or a mackerel and prawn curry cooked in salted fish kidney sauce with chilli paste, green beans, bamboo shoots and aubergine, both from the menu’s line-up of southern Thai specials. But 101’s kitchen is equally at home in the even hotter cooking of north-east Thailand, whether an Isan-style fermented sour sausage heady with garlic or whole grilled poussin with sour-and-spicy nam jim jaew sauce. There’s salt-and-pepper squid, green chicken curry and pad Thai for more timid palates, vegan choice is decent while ever-changing blackboard specials ensure regular local custom. At these prices, no one should expect a table for the whole evening, and nor does the functional decor encourage lingering.
352 King Street, W6 0RX, 101thaikitchen.uk
Plaza Khao Gaeng
The flagship of the Arcade Food Hall at the base of Centre Point, Plaza Khao Gaeng succeeds in recreating the roadside cafes one finds in southern Thailand: it’s very bright (the windowless room is illuminated by fluorescent light seemingly set to “blinding midday sunshine”), very casual — meals are eaten in melamine bowls off garish vinyl tablecloths — and very noisy. One thing it isn’t is very hot (thank you aircon), unless one takes “hot” to mean perhaps the best Thai to open in London since Kiln. The hottest thing of all is the cooking, overseen by British-born but Bangkok-based Luke Farrell, which detonates in the mouth with an explosion of chilli, from nut-stuffed betel leaves to minced pork and a massaman beef curry; fried eggs, steamed rice and bitter melon are there to counteract the heat, though to little effect. Largaritas — a pint glass of lager and Tequila — are rather more effective until one realises there’s a flight of stairs to negotiate on the way out. Sibling Speedboat Bar offers a similar experience in Chinatown.
Mezzanine at Arcade Food Hall, 103-105 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1DB, plazakhaogaeng.com
Kin + Deum
Suchard Inngern opened his Thai pub, Suchard’s, in London Bridge in 1975; his three children took it over in 2018, changed the name to the modishly lower-case kin + deum (Thai for “eat and drink”), drastically shortened the menu and introduced dishes inspired by Bangkok street food. It’s proved a winning formula, not least because the building’s striking bone structure of high windows and original floorboards ticks all the boxes for a Bermondsey Street supper. House dishes are the ones to go for: cauliflower coated in crunchy oats, covered in a turmeric curry and served up with onions and grapes; claypot prawns balancing a richly flavoured soy sauce with the fresh bite of ginger and celery; crispy pork belly unexpectedly made even better for being stir-fried with kale. The drinks side of things is just as thoughtful: Singha beer and 15 or so wines but, more excitingly, 10 Thai spins on classic cocktails as well as booze-free plant-based tonics and teas.
2 Crucifix Lane, SE1 3JW, kindeum.com
Chet’s
It’s Thai, but not as we know it: Chet’s comes courtesy of Kris Yenbamroong, the chef behind LA and Vegas’s natural wine and Thai food hangouts, Night + Market. An all-day menu filters classic American cooking through a fiery South-East Asian lens: a whole fried onion coated in five spice; skillet steak served with Thai chimichurri and French fries; candied pork jowl grafted on to a wedge salad slathered in blue cheese, plus a signature smashburger dripping Thousand Island dressing. A couple of traditional dishes — larb gai with chicken and mint; coconut and lemongrass sea bass — are there to prove that for all the playful mashups, Yenbamroong is a chef with a proper understanding of the fundamentals of Thai cooking, though huge portions are US all the way. Chet’s might not take itself too seriously, but this is a seriously good addition to Shepherd’s Bush and another piece of cool destination dining from the Hoxton Hotel crew (Maya, Seabird).
65 Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8QE, chetsrestaurant.co.uk
Addie’s Thai
A welcome strike for independence in chain-heavy Earl’s Court, Addie’s is an excellent choice for any cheap-eat refugees from neighbouring Kensington and Chelsea, not least the students from nearby Imperial College who make up a sizeable chunk of the clientele. Follow their lead for the more interesting items on the crowd-pleasing menu — various whole sea bass specialities, lamb neck with tamarind dipping sauce, condensed milk tea — otherwise settle in for textbook versions of chicken satay with a properly peanutty sauce, steamed pork and prawn dumplings to dunk into sweet soy sauce, pad Thai under a filigree of omelette or a sirloin steak salad that has to be one of the tastiest protein hits in town, all served in generous portions. Staff might not always be on the ball but never lose an ability to smile, even when they’re rushed off their feet — which is most of the time, so remember to book ahead or expect to wait in the foyer.
121 Earls Court Road, SW5 9RL, addiesthai.co.uk
Smoking Goat
Ben Chapman’s east London sibling to Kiln is a very different beast: while Kiln is an intimate chef’s counter that feels like an insider secret (despite the queues), Smoking Goat is a big and boisterous canteen in the warehouse space underneath Brat, all tall windows, bare-brick walls and a bar dispensing cocktails as strong as the cooking is bold. Classics of fried chicken wings sticky with salty fish sauce never leave the menu, fish and animals served whole (fried plaice, five-spice braised chicken) are a speciality while the kitchen isn’t afraid to push diners’ boundaries with offal: barbecued beef heart with coriander and peanut salad, or nam tok salad with grilled duck liver both take nose-to-tail dining to a whole new level — as too egg-fried rice cooked in silky lardo, Shoreditch’s most essential side dish. Fast and frenetic and the perfect stomach-liner for an East London bar crawl after.
64 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ, smokinggoatbar.com
