Rickmansworth, Thai Restaurant Guide

“Very good Thai food” remains the order of the day at this “cramped” fixture of the local scene, whose extensive menu (wok dishes, curries, fresh papaya salads) represents excellent value for money. From Tuesday to Saturday there’s a lunchtime noodle bar, and they also do a swift trade as a takeaway.

A restaurant-within-a-restaurant, open in July 2025 within the town’s Crazy Bear (whose ownership was itself rejigged at the start of 2025). Well-known chef, Carlo Scotto, has come on board to bring an ambitious 14-seat chef’s table concept to the town in an open-kitchen environment whose launch PR promises ‘an intimate front-row seat to culinary artistry as it unfolds, with an atmosphere that feels more like a private dinner party than a conventional restaurant’. There are two experiences both with optional matched wines: the lighter, six-course ‘Carlo’s Edit’ (Tuesday to Saturday at 6pm) and ‘The Full Experience’ with eight courses (Tuesday to Saturday at 7.45pm). Sample dishes include Pickled Attika Kohlrabi, Langoustine, Jalapeno, Purple Shiso with Salad Burnet and a Moroccan Spiced Duck with morels.

“This is the real thing”, according to Thai aficionados who venerate this well-patronised canteen near Stamford Brook for its “spicy fresh and authentic” scoff (“some dishes are only for the brave”) at “super-good-value prices – and you can BYO!”. Family-run, with a distinctive puce facade, it was one of the first to bring the fiery flavours of Isaan in northeast Thailand to London. ‘Aunties’ Bee and her sister Mary from southern Thailand add seafood to the menu, and there’s now a spinoff branch in Richmond.

“A real find” say fans of this “quirky” West London group, which combines eclectic decor of antique-shop knick-knacks with “really tasty Thai cooking” and the ability to BYO to provide a vibey “cheap ’n’ cheerful” experience. “Service is friendly and prompt but the atmosphere is very relaxed”. Top Menu Tip – “a really good green curry can be boosted with heat if you ask nicely”.

“A real find” say fans of this “quirky” West London group, which combines eclectic decor of antique-shop knick-knacks with “really tasty Thai cooking” and the ability to BYO to provide a vibey “cheap ’n’ cheerful” experience. “Service is friendly and prompt but the atmosphere is very relaxed”. Top Menu Tip – “a really good green curry can be boosted with heat if you ask nicely”.

A US West Coast-style Thai diner in a branch of an east London boutique hotel brings some unexpected glamour to trafficky Shepherd’s Bush Green – LA-based chef Kris Yenbaroong’s menu may be “nothing very special” in itself, but a meal here is by most accounts a very “enjoyable experience”.

“A real find” say fans of this “quirky” West London group, which combines eclectic decor of antique-shop knick-knacks with “really tasty Thai cooking” and the ability to BYO to provide a vibey “cheap ’n’ cheerful” experience. “Service is friendly and prompt but the atmosphere is very relaxed”. Top Menu Tip – “a really good green curry can be boosted with heat if you ask nicely”.

“A bit mad and a lot great” – chef Luke Farrell’s tribute to the fun and flavours of Yaowarat Road, Bangkok’s Chinatown, goes down a treat in London’s Chinatown with its lurid cocktails and dishes using ingredients grown in the founder’s own tropical greenhouse. In July 2025, it spawned its first spin-off House in Portobello Road, a joint venture between backers JKS Restaurants and the Soho House group at The Electric Cinema. Formerly The Electric Brasserie (RIP): it looks set to remain a good place for local Trustafarians to work off their hangover… or to create one, as it will be open until 1am, complete with Thai pop and rock.

2023 Review: A plug from Tom Parker Bowles in the Daily Mail did no harm at all to this Thai concession in an attractive old pub opposite the building site once known as ‘Hammersmith Town Hall’, where the cooking is a cut above that in a typical boozer. Top Tip – “if you get the chance, eat in the sun in the cute beer garden at the back: with some delish salt ’n’ pepper squid, life is good!”