Thai food is fantastic, but once you hit Bangkok after a month of island hopping in Thailand it’s very likely that you’ve build up a craving for a different kind of cuisine. To give you a helping hand, here’s our list of where to eat in Bangkok that serve everything else but Thai-food, whether it’s a taste of home, or a sample dish from your next travel destination.
All places are delicately picked from momondo places, our free Bangkok city guide. Download it to your iPhone today!
Roast
Just above the bustle of Seenspace shopping mall on Thong Lo Soi 13 is, without doubt, one of the best-known, most established and consistently acclaimed brunch spots in town.
Roast also has a dinner menu but truly, the notorious weekend queues are comprised of Westerners salivating for a rich, creamy eggs Benedict, while trendy Thais wait for freshly-roasted coffee and delicious, highly Instagram-able desserts. You’ll find a terrace perfect for lazy afternoons spent people watching – and a breezy inside space that’s a tonic in itself after a big night. You might have to wait up to half an hour for a table at busy times, so arrive before your hunger takes hold.
Where: Seenspace Thong Lo Soi 13
Tel: +66 2 185 2865
Nearest station: Thong Lo BTS
El Chiringuito
Aptly named El Chiringuito, which translates from Spanish as ‘a small business’, this place is among the unpretentious, rustic bars, cafés and galleries springing up along Chinatown’s artiest new enclave.
This small, cosy shophouse bills itself as a tapas joint – ‘Come and eat a tortilla or the patatas bravas’ they trumpet. They also serve up pizza and Greek salad from a menu as eclectic as the quirky decor and their rotating programme of photography exhibitions.
Pro tip: call to check before you trek over to Soi Nana, as the opening hours can be erratic – because of artistic temperaments combined with Mediterranean passions, one assumes.
Where: 221 Soi Nana, Chinatown
Tel: +668 512 600 46
Nearest station: Hua Lamphong MRT
Sensi
Tucked away down a sleepy, leafy side street, south of Sathorn, this is where loved-up foodies will find a slice of indulgent heaven. Sensi offers delicious Italian food served with French panache amidst understated, elegant interior.
From plates adorned with succulent scallops scattered with truffle sand, to wine selected and poured expertly from sculpted decanters, Sensi is designed to delight. It’s perfect for a special date, and the atmosphere is underscored by the welcoming hostess – incidentally the chef’s wife – who is utterly enchanting.
Where: Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Soi 17, Yaek 5
Tel: +66 2 117 1618
Nearest station: Chong Nonsi BTS
Charcoal
Start your night out right with some fuel from the fires. Plunge right into the heart and heat of Bombay with a visit to Charcoal. Here, jali prints tile the ceiling, tiffin tins line the walls and traditional colonial punkah fans keep you cool. Three enormous copper tandoor ovens burn warmly as delicious, juicy, traditional kebabs from India’s north-western frontier roast over the embers.
If you’re a big party, opt for a more dramatic dish and pair your feast with an expertly concocted cocktail. Round things off like a true Bombayite, with a traditional paan – a betel leaf with areca nut – from the resident paanwallah in his colourful kiosk.
Where: 5th Floor, Fraser Suites, Sukhumvit Soi 11
Tel: +66 89 307 1111
Nearest station: Nana BTS
Escapade Burgers and Shakes
Ask where to find the best burgers in Bangkok and the answer, from anyone in the know, will invariably point you in the direction of Escapade Burgers and Shakes.
Appropriately something of an escapade to find, its tiny entrance is tucked away in the trendy hipster district of Phra Athit. Once inside, pull up a stool and peer over the bar into the open kitchen. The shakes are famously naughty, as are the cocktails. Order your favourite tipple, or let the mixologists get creative for you, and tuck into a hearty burger.
Pro tip: call ahead as opening times are a bit erratic and nothing’s more disappointing than a failed burger hunt.
Where: 112 Phra Athit Road
Tel: +66 81406 3773
Nearest station: Hua Lamphong MRT
Seven Spoons
Ever since its recent expansion from a tiny converted shophouse in Bangkok’s Old Town, Seven Spoons has kept Bangkok foodies salivating.
Seven Spoons has an utterly delicious Mediterranean menu, which uses only the finest seasonal ingredients. Highlights include the filet mignon with gorgonzola cheese and lingonberry sauce, duck breast with juniper sauce, and mushroom fritti with masala dipping sauce. The drinks menu is elaborate as the food, with the signature house cocktail (Martini bianco, spiced rum, lime wedges and galangal) not to be missed.
Where: 22-24 Chakkrapatipong Road
Tel: +66 2 629 9214
Nearest station: Hua Lamphong MRT
La Monita Taqueria
This colourful, cosy little eatery is always packed. Perhaps this is due to its well-deserved reputation for having some of the best Mexican food in Bangkok, not to mention some of the city’s strongest margaritas.
Tucked down the side of a plaza, next to its sister tapas restaurant, La Monita is laid-back and informal. You’ll find the crowd here gobbling enthusiastically on the enormous wet burritos, faces buried in bowls of arroz or enjoying delicious quesadillas. As the evening warms up and more tequila-based drinks are consumed, the volume and atmosphere are heightened.
Where: 888/26 Mahatun Plaza
Tel: +66 2 650 9581
Nearest station: Phloen Chit BTS
The Fabulous Bar & Dessert Café
This sleek and stylish little café on Khao San Road makes a nice change from the worn out coffee shops in Bangkok’s rough and ready backpacking quarter.
Travellers sip their coffees at The Fabulous Bar & Dessert Café next to a splattering of young Thais, many of whom are university students making a stop-off on their way home. Most opt for a ‘cafe yen’, iced coffee, to cool off from the outside heat. Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find some of tasty desserts including crepes, French toast and tiramisu, alongside a selection of soft and alcoholic drinks, hence the inclusion of the word ‘bar’ in its name.
Where: 32, Khao San Road
Tel: +66 2 629 1144
Nearest station: Hua Lamphong MRT
Pala
Tucked under the escalator from the skytrain to the subway, this deceptive hole-in-the-wall is one of the best Italian joints in the city. You may have to wait for a stool at one of the tables at Pala but, as the regulars – many of whom are Italian expats desperate for a nostalgic taste of the old country – will tell you, it’s worth it.
The pastas, risottos and pizzas are made with authentic ingredients, and you’ll also find a deli counter stocked with wheels of cheesy goodness and hung with hocks of prosciutto. If you fancy pizza, don’t bother with the menu – just peep over the counter to see what’s fresh from the oven.
Where: Room 1 Sukhumvit Platform
Tel: +66 2 259 1228 – 9
Nearest station: Asoke BTS
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