30 editor picks across Thailand.
30 casual dining worth the trip across Thailand, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Thailand guides.
Raan Jay Fai in Bangkok's Old Town is the Michelin-starred street stall where Supinya Junsuta in ski goggles cooks the city's most famous 800-baht crab.
OrderThe crab omelet (kai jeaw poo) and the drunken noodles (pad kee mao) with seafood.
TipOpen Wednesday to Saturday 09:00-19:00. Walk-in only with same-day queue numbers; closed Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Cash only, dishes are 800 to 1,200 baht.
Pa Aor in Bangkok's Pom Prap Sattru Phai is the Bib Gourmand tom yum noodle stall, a bowl built on river prawns, chilli paste, evaporated milk and kuay teow.
OrderTom yum goong noodles with the whole river prawn and the egg-yolk float on top.
TipCash only. Lunch only, 09:00-16:00, closed Sundays. Queue from 11:30; arrive before or after the office-worker rush.
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.
OrderThe crab meat omelet (omelette nuea poo) and the stir-fried crab with yellow chilli paste.
TipClosed Sundays. Two branches; the Dinso original is the better experience. Lunch through 19:30 only, last seating 19:00.
Thipsamai in Bangkok's Old Town has cooked the city's most famous pad Thai since 1966. Bib Gourmand since 2018. Wrapped-in-egg version is the signature.
OrderPad Thai wok wrapped in a thin egg crepe with shrimp oil. Side of fresh orange juice.
TipClosed Tuesdays. Open Wed-Mon 09:00 to midnight; cash only. The egg-wrapped pad Thai is the queue-puller.
Go-Ang Pratunam in Bangkok is the pink-uniform chicken-rice counter on Petchaburi, Bib Gourmand since 2018, the canonical khao man gai room in the city.
OrderKhao man gai standard with a side of liver and the clear chicken soup; chilli-ginger sauce on every bite.
TipCash only. Queues from 10:00-14:00 then 16:00-21:00. Six branches but the original Pratunam location is the one to visit.
Som Tam Jay So in Bangkok's Sathorn is the Bib Gourmand papaya-salad room from a sai-mok northeastern Thai recipe lineage. Located in Silom Sathorn.
OrderSom tam Thai with grilled chicken and a basket of sticky rice; ask for medium spice.
TipCash and PromptPay only. Lunch and early dinner 10:30-19:30; closed Sundays.
One Chun is a Michelin Bib Gourmand fixture in a vintage-styled 19th century building in Phuket Town, cooking family recipes passed down the generations.
OrderOrder mu hong, the soft braised pork belly that made the kitchen's name.
TipOrder the crab curry with betel leaves over rice noodles alongside the mu hong, and bring cash: One Chun does not take cards.
Jaras is a Michelin Selected room at the InterContinental in Kamala, Phuket, sourcing organic farms for a sustainable southern Thai tasting menu.
OrderRequest the Taste of Jaras tasting menu with wine pairing, book a day ahead.
TipNamed for the owner's grandmother, the kitchen grows its own microgreens on site.
Polo Fried Chicken in Bangkok's Soi Polo is the Bib Gourmand garlic-fried-chicken room, a 1989 family business deep-frying half birds blanketed in crispy.
OrderHalf a fried chicken with the garlic blanket, som tam Thai and a basket of sticky rice.
TipCash only. Lunch crowds fill the room by 12:00; arrive before opening or after 14:00. Open 07:00-21:00 daily.
Khua Kling Pak Sod in Bangkok's Thonglor is the canonical southern-Thai family room, dry-spiced beef khua kling, sator stir-fry and crab curry on mountain.
OrderKhua kling beef on rice, sator pork stir-fry and a coconut sticky-rice dessert.
TipHeat scale is real; ask for the western-tongue version if you cannot handle full southern spice levels.
A garage khao soi counter behind Wat Kuan Kama that many locals rank the city's best, ladling a deep spicy curry broth until it sells out by early afternoon.
OrderKhao soi gai, Khao soi neua
Five Olives is a Michelin Selected pizzeria in Cherngtalay, Phuket, where a Thai chef-owner fires Neapolitan pies in a wood oven and makes pasta in house.
OrderOrder a Canotto pizza with its puffy, char-flecked rim from the wood-fired oven.
TipChoose the cool air-conditioned room or the leafy terrace, and add the light braised seabass with clams to a Canotto pizza for the table.
Mor Mu Dong is a Michelin Bib Gourmand mangrove kitchen in Chalong, Phuket, cooking live-tank seafood in rustic pavilions above the Mu Dong canal.
OrderPick seafood from the live tanks in the open kitchen and order three or four southern Thai dishes to share.
TipOrder three or four dishes to share, the tide changes the view from the pavilions.
Lob Baan is a twelve seat Michelin Selected room in Ko Kaew, Phuket, where chef Natdanai plates southern Thai home cooking with house-made ferments.
OrderBook ahead and order the eiam tor budu and the pork rib moo hong.
TipOnly twelve seats and two dinner services, at 17:00 and 19:30, and booking in advance is required.
Nai Ek in Bangkok's Yaowarat has cooked rolled-rice-noodle kuay jab in peppery pork-offal broth since 1960, Bib Gourmand since 2018, crispy pork belly.
OrderKuay jab Yaowarat with crispy pork belly and an order of the pork offal on the side.
TipOpen 08:00 to midnight daily, cash only. Closed for Chinese New Year. Queue from 11:00 onwards on weekdays.
A Bib Gourmand shophouse near the Ratchaphuek lane, pouring a classic coconut khao soi over egg noodles for 50 to 75 baht since long before Michelin arrived.
OrderKhao soi gai, Khao soi moo
A 70-year Fa Ham legend on Charoenrat, its creamy khao soi with tender beef drawing queues onto the pavement each morning before it sells out.
OrderKhao soi neua, Khao soi gai, Naem
Chuan Chim is a Michelin Bib Gourmand shophouse on Montri Road in Phuket Old Town, run by the second generation and wok-firing seafood dishes to order.
OrderOrder the tom yam seafood soup, wok-fired to order by the second-generation chef-owner.
TipGo for lunch before 12:30, this shophouse fills fast with locals on Montri Road.
The Charm Dining Gallery is a Michelin Bib Gourmand room on Dibuk Road in Old Town Phuket, plating chef Buriphat's Southern Thai Peranakan family recipes.
OrderOrder chef Buriphat's stir-fried pork belly with herbs and sweet dark soy sauce.
TipPair the pork belly with the pork rib soup with tofu and salted fish, which the Michelin inspectors single out; it closes on Wednesdays.
Nitan is a Michelin Selected tasting room in Cherngtalay, Phuket, plating contemporary southern Thai dishes from its own farm in Surat Thani.
OrderBook the tasting menu with wine pairing, the kitchen's main format.
TipReserve ahead for the tasting menu; the minimal wooden room has a window into the kitchen.
Suay in Cherngtalay, Phuket, is chef Tammasak's modern Thai room, plating spiced lamb chops and crab cakes across an indoor bar and garden terrace.
OrderOrder the grilled lemongrass lamb chops with papaya salsa, the signature plate.
TipGarden tables with live music suit a relaxed evening; the airy tiled dining room indoors is the quieter choice.
Supanniga Eating Room Thonglor in Bangkok serves Trat and Khon Kaen heritage Thai recipes on Sukhumvit 55, with the same grandmother-recipe approach.
OrderMoo cha muang (pork in cha muang leaf), yum tomato pomelo and the coconut sticky rice.
TipThree Bangkok branches; Thonglor is the Sukhumvit option for the BTS crowd. Reservations recommended for dinner.
Soei in Bangkok's Phaya Thai is a Bib Gourmand family-run Thai seafood room that has cooked Old Bangkok recipes since 1972, including the rare yum khai.
OrderYum khai mangda (horseshoe crab egg salad), the stir-fried fish maw and a sour pla too soup.
TipClosed Sundays. Cash only, the menu is huge and only partially translated; let the staff steer toward seasonal seafood.
A rotisserie-chicken shop near Wat Phra Singh whose charcoal-blistered gai yang and papaya salad make it the Old City's go-to for a cheap Isan-style lunch.
OrderGai yang, Som tam, Sticky rice
A student-packed Nimman corner famous for herb-marinated roast chicken and northern-Isan grilled plates, cheap, smoky and busy from the moment it opens.
OrderRoast chicken, Larb, Nam tok
A packed Old City morning canteen famous for Hainanese chicken rice and charcoal pork satay, a classic khao man gai counter near the market.
OrderKhao man gai, Pork satay
A famed northern larb specialist behind the university, mincing pork and offal into rich, herby, blood-seasoned larb khua that draws devoted local queues.
OrderLarb khua, Northern sausage, Aep
Naam Yoi is a Michelin Bib Gourmand lunch room in Ratsada, Phuket, with a handful of tables, cooking fierce southern Thai curries from produce bought at dawn.
OrderAsk what curry came from the morning market, spice levels are toned down on request.
TipNo English menu, but the queue of local regulars is the best sign you are in the right place.
Surf & Turf by Soul Kitchen is a Michelin Bib Gourmand room on Phangnga Road in Old Town Phuket, where Chef Tom resets his European menu every month.
OrderAsk what changed on the monthly menu, Chef Tom's specials are the reason to book.
TipThe menu turns over every month, so two visits rarely taste the same.
Go Ang Seafood is a Michelin Selected room in Phuket Town, where chef-owner Go Ang cooks a full southern Thai seafood menu sourced from five daily markets.
OrderOrder the steamed crab with tangy seafood dip, sourced daily from five markets.
TipStarted as a zinc-roofed shop, it now has a comfortable Chinese-decor dining room.
Water activity · 4 hours
Explore Phuket Bay on a guided 4-hour jet ski adventure, visiting multiple islands and scenic points. Enjoy snorkeling breaks, a buffet meal, and hotel transfers.
Water activity · 4 hours
Explore Phuket Bay on a guided 4-hour jet ski adventure, visiting multiple islands and scenic points. Enjoy snorkeling breaks, a buffet lunch, and hotel transfers.
Guided tour · 4 - 5 hours
Embark on a jet ski tour from Phuket island to discover five to eight tropical islands, including secluded beaches and vibrant marine life. Relax and enjoy local flavo...