Thai restaurants in London: our 13 favourites
Thai food – ranging from addictively tasty, deep-fried chicken to curries, fragrant with aromatics such as galangal, lemongrass, wild ginger and Thai lime leaves – offers rich pickings. While traditional Thai restaurants offer well-known classics, a new wave of chefs in London is focusing on less familiar aspects of this much-loved way of cooking. Their restaurants are notably green curry-free zones, offering instead intriguing plates such as grills and salads. While London’s Thai joints range from much-loved neighbourhood locals to hip drinking dens, one thing they tend to share is a pleasant informality.
1. Plaza Khao Gaeng, Tottenham Court Road
This is not London's prettiest dining room. It's set above Oxford Street's buzzy Arcade Food Hall (incidentally my tip for the best food hall in London) with unflattering strip lighting, lots of stainless steel, dark wood and – inexplicably – scratchy plastic tablecloths. So no, this is not London's prettiest dining room – but it might be its most transporting. When we sit down on a hot August day, a couple of fans are working overtime keeping customers cool and staff in egg-yellow aprons jostle between tables to deliver ice-cold water. This is necessary – the heat of chef Luke Farrell's dishes is a fiery gut punch that will cause a sheen on even the biggest spice lover's forehead.
Farrell spent 15 years living in Thailand before joining JKS – the London restaurant group that umbrellas over Bao, Bibi, Hoppers, Sabor and a clutch of other hot-tip hangouts. Still Bangkok-based, Farrell helms Plaza Khao Gaeng, Arcade Food Hall's flagship restaurant. “Khao gaeng” we are told, broadly translates to “curry over rice”, and this place is inspired by Southern Thailand's casual eateries. None of the dishes on the menu have been tamped down for sensitive Western sensibilities. Gung pad sator prik gaeng tai (tiger prawns fried in blazing southern curry paste) is slightly bitter; gaeng gati gai (chicken curry) is peppery and iridescently golden from shedloads turmeric. Anyone shy of a bit of spice is brave to come here at all, but there are a few dishes that won't knock your head off – the muu hong (braised pork belly) is rich, melty, dark and a must-order. Order a bucket of Singha beer for the table to cool down. Hell, order two – the prices are so decent for this corner of the West End, you can spring for it. Not sure what to order? The Deep South Menu (also brilliant value at £35 per person) takes you on a rip-roaring tour of Farrell's greatest hits and will make you a pro at ordering if you return – when you return. Sarah James
Price: £
Address: Plaza Khao Gaeng, 103-105 New Oxford St, London WC1A 1DB
Book online
Rebecca Hope2. Nipa Thai
Best for: gracious Thai dining
Dish to order: crispy soft shell crabDiscreetly housed on the first floor of the Royal Lancaster Hotel, Nipa Thai – a calm haven with leafy views of Hyde Park – offers diners a smooth-as-silk dining experience. Veteran Head Chef Sanguan Parr leads an all-female kitchen and her team’s knowledge shines through the carefully-cooked dishes including a well-balanced tom Kha soup, pandan-leaf wrapped chicken parcels and steamed sea bass. Slick, professional service is as charming as the food.
Address: Nipa Thai, Royal Lancaster London, Lancaster Terrace, London W2 2TY
Website: niparestaurant.co.uk3. Champor Champor
Best for: a romantic Thai meal
Dish to order: king river prawns yellow turmeric curryHidden down a side street, this charming Thai-Malaysian fusion restaurant is a smug discovery. The décor – a rich palette adorned with South-East Asian artefacts and fabrics – is an appealing backdrop for a stylish menu. ‘Champor champor’ means ‘mix and match’ and the menu offers an appealingly eclectic array of Thai and Malaysian-inspired dishes such as tofu and butternut squash green curry, massaman lamb shank and tom yum Brulee.
Address: Champor Champor, 62 Weston Street, London SE1 3QJ
Website: champor-champor.com
4. Singburi
Best for: gloriously tasty Thai food
Dish to order: Moo krob (crispy pork belly)A modest-looking, family-run, BYOB Thai café on Leytonstone High Road, Singburi has achieved cult classic status on London’s dining scene. And rightly so. Chef Kularbwong really knows his stuff, sending out an array of beautifully cooked dishes, from stir-fried pad Thai noodles or morning glory to moo krob, an addictively delicious dish of crispy pork belly with chilli and basil. Always check out the daily specials chalked on the board and be sure to book ahead.
Address: Singburi, 593 High Rd Leytonstone, London E11 4PA
Website: instagram.com/singburi_e115. Esarn Kheaw
Best for: home-style North Eastern Thai food
Dish to order: spiced north east duckPioneering north-eastern Thai food long before it was fashionable, this diminutive restaurant founded and run by the Puntar family since 1992 has a loyal local following. The surroundings are unpretentious, but it’s the food and friendly service which pulls in the regulars. An extensive menu includes spicy homemade Thai sausages, deep-fried son-in-law-eggs with a sour-sweet tamarind sauce, chicken laab (spiced chicken mince) – and all at noticeably reasonable prices.
Address: Esarn Kheaw, 314 Uxbridge Road, London W12 7LJ
Website: esarnkheaw.com
Lol Johnson6. The Begging Bowl, Peckham
Best for: Creative Thai sharing plates
Dish to order: Deep-fried sea bass with green mangoOn Peckham's foodie Bellenden Road Begging Bowl has a mellow vibe. The surroundings – wooden floors and furniture, a conservatory-style glass roof, potted plants – are appealing, but the real draw is chef-patron Jane Alty’s creative cooking. Alty worked at the London branch of Nahm (David Thompson’s acclaimed Thai restaurant) and there’s a smart confidence to her pan-national menu. The wide-ranging dishes, such as betel leaf-wrapped smoked eel, morning glory fritters and mataba (mutton-filled roti) are executed with panache and deliver amply on flavour and texture. Come hungry.
Address: The Begging Bowl, 168 Bellenden Road, London SE15 4BW
Website: thebeggingbowl.co.uk
7. Farang, Highbury
Best for: Witty new-wave Thai food
Dish to order: Gai prik (glazed crispy chicken)Farang is the Thai word for a white foreigner – the restaurant’s name is a self-deprecating reference to chef-proprietor Sebby Holmes’ non-Thai roots. Having first acquired a cult following at the helm of several pop-ups, Holmes has now settled with his team in a permanent Islington site, formerly an Italian restaurant. While the interiors might still say Tuscany, the menu fuses together seasonal British and Thai ingredients to excellent effect. Dishes such as umami-rich crispy chicken skin, a smoky, aromatic jungle curry – made with prawns, nettles and Thai pea aubergines – and light-textured turmeric roti prove that the cooking here is impressively on target.
Address: Farang, 72 Highbury Park, Highbury East, London N5 2XE
Website: faranglondon.co.uk
8. Kiln, Soho
Best for: Vivid, intelligent, northern Thai-inspired flavours
Dish to order: Wild ginger and beef-neck curryIn the heart of Soho, this small, funky restaurant serves excellent northern Thai-style food. British chef Ben Chapman’s obsessive fascination is reflected in a short, cleverly put-together menu with seasonal specials. Dishes range from the simple satisfaction of perfectly grilled chicken to the rich delights of glass noodles with crabmeat and pork. Do arrive early or late in order to nab the best seats: at the bar in front of the open-plan kitchen, watching the chefs cooking in clay pots or grilling meat carefully over glowing charcoal, creating delicious anticipation in rightly expectant diners.
Address: Kiln, 58 Brewer Street, Soho, London W1F 9TL
Website: kilnsoho.comRead more about the best Soho restaurants
9. Greyhound Café, Fitzrovia
Best for: Punchy Thai food in a lively atmosphere
Dish to order: Hot oil pork knuckleThere is a sense of fun at this London outpost of an established Bangkok chain – manifest in the branded staff T-shirts ("Keep calm and add chilli"), the outdoor drinking area, the loud music and dishes such as Bugs In My Salad (which does indeed contain crunchy fried pupae) or Phuket burger (a whole soft-shelled crab in a bun). The cooking here packs a cheerful chilli punch – as witnessed by the grilled northern Thai sausage or Chicken Holy Basil Chilli Bomb – and delivers big flavours, making it a hit with its lively youthful customers.
Address: Greyhound Café, 37 Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3LZ
Website: greyhoundcafe.uk
10. Smoking Goat, Shoreditch
Best for: Seriously tasty Thai drinking food
Dish to order: Chilli fish sauce wingsA large central bar and an open-plan kitchen are at the heart of this industrial-chic, roomy Shoreditch incarnation of chef Ben Chapman’s Smoking Goat. Far larger than Soho's Denmark Street original, this restaurant (a sister establishment to Kiln) serves food inspired by Bangkok’s late-night dining scene. Diners can tuck into assured versions of dishes such as smoked aubergine salad or whole five-spice braised chicken for lunch or dinner, while weekends see a tempting breakfast menu added to the offering – think curried saffron eggs, with optional lardo.
Address: Smoking Goat, 64 Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch, London E1 6JJ
Website: smokinggoatbar.com
11. Supawan, King's Cross
Best for: Traditional Thai
Dish to order: Peek gai yud sai (fried stuffed chicken wings)So popular is chef-owner Wichet Khongphoon’s King's Cross Thai restaurant that it seems perennially busy, but it’s particularly packed in the early evenings when local workers dive in straight from the office to socialise over chilled Singha beers. The full dinner menu ranges across stir-fries (such as a punchy morning glory with chilli), fragrant curries (among them geng gung saparod, prawn curry with pineapple and sweet basil) and grills (try the pleasantly tangy aubergine laab dressed with tamarind and mint). Come with friends so that you can try a good assortment. The hardworking staff maintain a friendly cheerfulness throughout, which adds to the appeal.
Address: Supawan, 38 Caledonian Road, King's Cross, London N1 9DT
Website: supawan.co.uk12. KaoSarn, Brixton
Best for: An informal pit-stop
Dish to order: Beef massamanLocated in atmospheric Brixton Market (as well as St John's Hill in Clapham) – this small Thai café has acquired a loyal local clientele. The menu is strong on street-food favourites such as a crisp-textured Som Tum (green papaya salad), or freshly stir-fried pad Thai, served with friendly efficiency. On a hot sunny day, the outside area comes into its own, busy with diners enjoying this relaxed South London taste of Thailand. You might have to wait for a table on a Friday or Saturday night when the bring your own booze rule makes it a market favourite.
Address: KaoSarn, Brixton Village Market, Brixton, London SW9 8PR
Website: no website
13. Kin et Deum
Best for: a contemporary taste of Bangkok
Dish to order: Bangkok’s gra powA short stroll from London Bridge, three Thai siblings have joined forces to create this contemporary restaurant with its appealingly stripped-down décor and mellow atmosphere. From its distinctive name – which means ‘eat and drink’ in Thai – to its menu of classics (massaman curry, stir-fried morning glory and pad Thai) and tempting puds (rich brownies and intriguing tropical ice creams), this is a carefully thought out taste of Thailand.
Address: Kin et Deum, Crucifix Lane, London SE1 3JW
Website: kindeum.com