Best Thai restaurants in London

Taking chintzy glamour to another level, The Crazy Bear serves up Thai food and cocktails in red-panelled booths concealed in little tunnels. This OTT décor may temporarily distract you from what’s on offer food-wise, but after getting a taste of the Alaskan king crab dragon rolls and Wagyu beef tartar in mini taco shells, the décor will soon fade into the background. Until you venture down the velvet staircase to the basement bar that is.

Housed in the Royal Lancaster, Nipa Thai is the place to go if you are looking for luxury Thai cuisine. Priding themselves on authenticity in every aspect, from an all-female kitchen to antiques sourced from Thailand for the décor, this is the closest you will get to fine-dining in Thailand itself. The menu highlights the best of the cuisine with a selection of ‘traffic light curries’, tom yum soup and of course Pad Thai. The views of Hyde Park also add to the luxurious experience.

Named after the vessels carried around by monks in Thailand, the Begging Bowl opened in Peckham in 2012. With flavours sourced from Bangkok and meats and fish sourced locally from Peckham's fish mongers, you can expect a plethora of traditional dishes that will transport you to straight to The Land of Smiles. Opt for the stir-fry clams with Thai basil or guinea fowl and crispy pork skin if you want something a little bit different.  

Housed in an old warehouse, Som Saa’s high bar stools and laid-back décor make for the perfect place to enjoy some fiery regional Thai food over a catch-up with friends in the City. The menu is short but full of exciting dishes that stray from the classics. Expect to find yam pack – a herb and vegetable salad – Thai-style fried chicken legs and gaeng juet het – a mild broth of Asian mushrooms.

101 Thai Kitchen may sound like you’re average Thai restaurant with everything you’d expect to find on the menu of a Thai place in London (green curry and pad Thai anyone?). And its true you’ll find all of the love classics on the menu, but there's more than meets the eye with this one. With events such as 'Bugs and Beer' held at the restaurant, you can try the most popular of Thai street foods right here in London. If that is too much for you, there are always the tasty classics to fall back on.

If you do manage to get a seat in the always-packed Kiln, expect to see chefs cooking on hot coals a mere centimetre from your face. Much less dangerous than it sounds and spectacular to watch, you’ll find dishes influenced by the borders between Thailand, Burma and Laos making for an interesting and exciting take on Thai cuisine. On the menu there is clay pot-baked glass noodles and stir-fried hake with garlic and chives. All arriving as and when they are ready, you’re sure to be impressed regardless of when the food hits your table.    

Expect regional delights mixed in with all your predictable dishes at Suksan in Chelsea. The Thai artefacts also aren’t anything new when it comes to Thai restaurant décor but makes for an all-round more authentic experience if you do decide to visit. On the menu you’ll find, gaigapraw – stir-fried minced chicken with fresh chillies and basil leaves, lobster pad karee, marinated sea bass in red curry paste and stir fried bean sprouts with tofu and ginger.

If you like to play things safe when it comes to Thai food, Kin + Deum (meaning ‘eat and drink’ in Thai), delivers no-fuss-or-frills Thai food. On the menu, expect Tom Yum soup, red duck curry and chicken skewers with a peanut dip. All housed in a minimal restaurant filled with dark wood and subtle and almost unnoticeable references to its Thai cuisine. Enjoy the Thai dishes we all know and love, executed to perfection.  

This family-run restaurant, named after a famous street food area in Bangkok, serves up traditional Thai food in a tiny restaurant located in Brixton Village. Expect to find a short but punchy menu filled with pad Thai, green curry and larb – a spicy minced pork salad. It’s BYOB, too, so pop to your local Tesco beforehan and grab a bottle of wine or some Thai beers to enjoy with your meal. PS: it's likely that you're meal will be under £20 per person, which is another plus.  

Starting off as a fashion brand in the 1980s, Greyhound Café decided to change its direction to food in the 90s making for a restaurant full to the brim with Thai dishes to choose from. Featuring some strangely named dishes such as ‘bugs in my salad’ and the DIY ‘complicated noodles’, it’s worth giving a try if only to see if the noodles really are as complicated as the restaurant claims. You’ll also find green curries and Tom Yum noodles if insects don't quite appeal to you.

Starting its life at various street food markets around London, Farang (set up by head chef of the infamous restaurants Smoking Goat in Shoreditch and Begging Bowl in Peckham) now has a permanent residency in Highbury. All the ingredients you will find in these dishes are fresh and authentic from Thailand, meaning you're in for a real treat. Try the Som Tam spicy green papaya salad or Pàk-ká-nàa – roasted cavolo nero crisps served with burnt chilli dipping sauce.

The clean-lined, minimal décor with subtle hints of Thai culture make for a laid-back atmosphere to enjoy your food at Sukho. The mostly neutral décor complements the coloured dumplings on offer and creates a nice surprise when purple and green parcels arrive at the table. To add to this, the sesame prawn toast, Tom Yam soup and pak choy pad hed are safe but tasty options to go for. If you want to go out of your comfort zone a little, the gang daeng is well worth a try. 

The stereotypical Thai restaurant décor at Patara makes for an authentic setting to enjoy your meal in. Despite being a chain, you will struggle to find your usual and slightly predictable Thai choices on the menu. Enjoy a menu filled with dishes such as ginger black cod, tamarind duck and beef cheek panang. With restaurants located all over the world, you can rest assured that whatever you order will be of the most authentic, and of the highest quality.

Hailed by some happy diners as the “best Thai restaurant outside Thailand”, this restaurant, although simple in its décor, features Thai cuisine exactly how it’s eaten in Thailand. The Pla Tord Nam-Pla – deep fried cod with fresh chilli and minced garlic – is well worth a try, and the Massaman curry and Rad Nah fried noodles will definitively fill the spot. All is served at a very reasonable price, too, which is never a bad thing. 

Housed in a sleek and modern restaurant with dark wood finishes and Thai lanterns for good measure, you can enjoy beautifully presented Thai cuisine at a reasonable price here. If it's seafood you’re after, Isarn has its fair share of fishy stir-fry dishes. Try the monk or sword fish if you want to stray from the usual dishes, but if you really can’t get enough of salmon, the Thai style salmon salad is for you.  

You’ll find two Thai restaurants with two very different takes on the cuisine at this Soho spot. On the ground floor is Wild Rice, featuring a menu full of small and exciting sharing plates like the MFC fried chicken and Plaa Salmon, using the freshest British Ingredients. If you’re looking to have more of a chilled out dinner however, head downstairs to the basement restaurant Mamasan. You’ll get more of a street food vibe here. Try the spicy larb fries with a selection of cocktails if downstairs takes your fancy.  

Originally opening its doors in Bangkok, you can now visit Mango Tree in Belgravia for an extravagant Thai meal in a sleek and modern setting. You don’t have to worry about getting bored here either because with dishes from so many different regions of Thailand, you’re bound to discover a new favourite here. On the menu, expect corn-fed chicken skewers, tuna Laab and Kow Pad Pu – an Alaskan king crab stir-fry with asparagus and Tom Yum Goong a spicy and sour prawn soup.