Persian-Indian-Thai fusion curry of slow-braised beef or chicken in coconut milk, peanuts, potatoes and aromatic dry spices including cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Mild, sweet, tamarind-tart; the gentlest Thai curry.
Massaman curry came to Thailand through Persian Muslim traders in 17th-century Ayutthaya. The name derives from Mussulman (Muslim). The dry-spice profile (cinnamon, star anise, clove, cardamom) is unique among Thai curries and traces directly to subcontinent influence. Often called the world's best dish in viral CNN polls; Krua Apsorn, Blue Elephant and Issaya Siamese Club run defensible Bangkok versions.
4 editor picks for Massaman Curry in Bangkok, ranked by editorial score. All Bangkok signature dishes · Massaman Curry across every city.
Krua Apsorn Dinso ★ 4.7
old-town · 169 Dinso Road, Wat Bowon Niwet, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
Krua Apsorn in Bangkok's Old Town has cooked royal-influenced central Thai dishes since 2003, the Dinso branch winning a Bib Gourmand for its crab.
Saneh Jaan ★ 4.5
silom-sathorn · Glasshouse at Sindhorn, 130-132 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
Saneh Jaan in Bangkok's Sindhorn building runs royal-influenced central Thai cuisine at lunch and dinner, one Michelin star and a smart-casual room.
Blue Elephant Bangkok ★ 4.4
silom-sathorn · 233 South Sathorn Road, Yan Nawa, Sathon, Bangkok 10120
Blue Elephant Bangkok occupies the 1903 Thai-Chinese Sino-Portuguese mansion on Sathorn, royal-Thai tasting menus from Chef Nooror Somany Steppe.
Issaya Siamese Club ★ 4.4
silom-sathorn · 4 Soi Sri Aksorn, Chua Phloeng Road, Sathon, Bangkok 10120
Issaya Siamese Club in Bangkok's Sathorn is Chef Ian Kittichai's heritage Thai room in a 1920s villa, the room that put modern Thai on Asia's 50 Best.