The 5 Best Bangkok Restaurants
Oct 19 , 2011
Thailand has a passion for food, from classic cultural staples to foreign additions to the country's restaurant repertoire. The 5 best Bangkok restaurants are perfect examples of Thailand's dedication to great food.
Supatra River House
Supatra River House is one of the 5 best Bangkok restaurants because it offers guests an authentic Thai dining experience in a beautiful setting. It is set alongside the banks of the Chao Phraya River, across from the Grand Palace. Call the restaurant ahead of time, and arrange for its teak-paneled boat to pick you up along the shoreline and ferry you to its front door. Once inside, you’ll get to marvel at the building itself, which is as much a museum as it is a dining establishment. Supatra River House resides in the former home of a local aristocrat, and the restaurant’s owner has included a collection of artifacts and items he has collected over the years.
As for the food, opt for the prix fixe menus at this Bangkok restaurant, which will guide you through a selection of Thai foods, both classic and contemporary. Main dishes are often comprised of fresh seafood, but Supatra River House also offers a number of vegetarian options. When you’re finished, hop back on the boat and continue your activities.
Eat Me
This bizarrely named Bangkok restaurant is popular for its modern take on regional fare (with an international twist), as well as for its art collection. The décor is decidedly contemporary, with dark woods and moody lighting drawing attention to the restaurant’s large amount of art. Even if the art aspect doesn’t interest you, the food surely will. Eat Me’s menu is uniformly delicious, with the tuna tartar, duck confit, and lemongrass chicken standing out as highlights.
Make sure to save room for dessert, because they may be the best items on the menu – the sticky date pudding and lemongrass-infused crème brulee are excellent.
Sala Rim Naam
Sala Rim Naam is also located on the Chao Phraya River, and it too is accessible by boat. Board the ferry at The Oriental Hotel, which takes you across the river, and indulge in a menu of upscale Thai selections. The food at Sala Rim Naam is very carefully crafted, and many of the items you’ll be served were at one point reserved exclusively for the country’s royalty.
This Bangkok restaurant has become popular amongst tourists (as it should, since it’s one of the 5 best Bangkok restaurants), but some complain that this has come at the expense of the food’s spiciness, thanks to less accustomed western palates. If you want true authenticity, just be sure to firmly impart on your server that you want your meal spicy.
Cabbages & Condoms
And here we have a Bangkok restaurant that is completely different. Part purveyor of local specialties, part source of community health development, Cabbages & Condoms offers an experience that you won’t soon forget. It was opened by a local senator as a way to fund local community health and rural development programs, and its food maintains this level of proximal dedication.
Try the locally caught whole grouper, or order the popular deep-fried boneless chicken in pandanus leaves. Cabbages & Condoms deserves its place amongst the 5 best Bangkok restaurants as an off-beat locale for great, simple Thai food.
Bourbon Street Restaurant
Did you expect to find Cajun food in Thailand, let alone in one of the 5 best Bangkok restaurants? Believe it or not, the Bourbon Street Restaurant serves up exquisite Cajun cooking, including all of the favorites, like jambalaya and blackened fish. In a country that favors spicy flavors and fresh seafood, Cajun cooking is right at home. Insider tip: Come for breakfast, during which delicious biscuits and gravy are served.
Now that you know where to eat, check out the top 10 things to do in Bangkok.

