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.

“Full of a young crowd who really want to enjoy the flavours of Thailand” – this “noisy” former factory near Spitalfields Market has won renown for offering “a unique flavour of ‘real’ Thai cuisine with a wonderful selection of zingy, spicy, aromatic and refreshing dishes”. Top Menu Tip – “nothing can beat the whole deep-fried seabass with crunchy bones, and sitting at the counter they’ll do half portions for a single diner. Excellent!”

Unusual, eclectically decorated venue with an interesting Thai-Malay menu, in a sidestreet near Guy’s Hospital and London Bridge station – it no longer attracts the attention it did a decade ago, but its ratings remain pretty solid.

2021 Review: A new ‘eating, drinking, shopping and art space’ from the founders of Flat Iron Square, also not far from London Bridge, with vintage shops, street food stalls and bars in shipping containers and a large garden. Million Pound Menu stars Baba G’s have a stall here, selling their naanwiches and Indian burgers.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

“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.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

“Thailand meets Shoreditch” at Ben Chapman’s “still exciting” BBQ, with its “deliciously different”, “confident and bold spicing” creating “amazingly flavoursome food”. If there’s a downside, it’s “cramped” tables and that it becomes “understandably noisy”, but regulars “love eating here whether solo or with friends”.

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.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

“Generous portions” of “reliably excellent Thai food” have kept the six London branches of Khun Patara Sila-On’s international group busy for more than 30 years. Although known for its value for money, there were one or two grumbles about “price increases” this year, but full agreement that you get “a consistently great bargain on their lunch deal”.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

Some of the “most authentic Thai food you could ever experience in UK is prepared by a Thai chef and team” in the bizarre but “beautiful” surroundings of a florist’s shop, near King’s Cross station, where “the flowers are put aside in the evening to make room for extra tables”. Chef Wichet Khongphoon delivers “incredible” and “powerful” flavours and the “attentive staff give helpful and useful guidance as to the potentially obscure treats” from the “interesting and deeply satisfying” menu. “You can get a green curry (a really good one!), but alongside more unusual starters, there are salads and slow-cooked meats, plus good vegan options with clear allergy pointers too”. “Book well ahead: and you may have to wait for your table even so, as the place is very busy and popular”.

2021 Review: Pan Serirak and Mike Asavarut created this duo of Thai-influenced, late-2018 yearlings in Soho: Wild Rice is on the ground floor, and focuses on small plates to share (Thai flavours with seasonal British ingredients). Mamasan is the basement restaurant, offering street food dishes. Early feedback suggests it’s finding its feet, but worth a go: “we went and it was empty – I’m not sure why it wasn’t packed as it deserved to be”.

“So cool, but with amazing food!” – Ben Chapman’s “bustling” Thai BBQ in Soho continues to deliver exceptional value. With a “cramped but lovely vibe”, “the best seats in the house are at the back where you can sit and watch the chefs cook over charcoal” (although “your clothes may be smelly afterwards due to the smoke from the open kitchen”). “Knowledgeable staff” provide a “menu full of things you never see at your average Thai restaurant, with stunning flavours” (and with “spice levels just on the right side of incendiary”).

2021 Review: First European outpost of a Thailand-based chain – a sizeable operation in Fitzrovia that’s now in its second year. Some “lovely spicy combinations” help create a “really interesting menu” but views divide a little on the trendily-designed space: “lacking atmosphere” to some but “lovely” and “den-like” to others.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

High ratings express continued satisfaction with this 70-seater in Fitzrovia, where an outside bar is something of a feature. The website promises ‘Asian-inspired food, cocktails and sake’ and steady feedback confirms that’s what it consistently delivers.