LDNGuide
The 12 Best Thai Restaurants In London
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
For every mediocre pad thai in London there is a whole deep-fried sea bass chilli fest that will leave you questioning why you settled for some sad, dry noodles for so long. From an old-school Soho spot with a lamb curry that will have you contemplating whether 'Patara massaman' is a catchy name for your firstborn to the ultimate place for a moo krob KO group meal, here are the Thai restaurants that are worth your time.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Singburi is hot in every sense of the word. Getting a table at the cash-only, BYOB Thai spot in Leytonstone is no mean feat. Nor is powering through its legendary daily changing specials board. Everything on that board is sensational. The famous moo krob, a plate of perfectly rendered cubes of crisp, fat pork belly, coated in a fierce and pungent mixture of chilli and basil, is addictive and will turn everyone at the table into hyenas. In fact, there's not much time nor point in conversation at Singburi. Fantastic and fiery food is the focus.
Kiln isn’t just one of the best Thai-influenced restaurants in London. It’s one of the best restaurants in Soho full stop. The bar is where you want to be at this spot on Brewer Street, where the clay pots sizzle on open flames in front of your eyes, and a bead of sweat forms on your forehead as you take another bite of ox heart laab. It’s fully charged, chilli-heavy stuff and perfect whether you’re with a friend sharing a duck curry and pork and crab glass noodles, or pitching up on your own.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
On the mezzanine level of the bustling mania of Arcade Food Hall is Plaza Khao Gaeng. It’s a Thai spot decked out to the nines in the stuff you find in roadside spots all over Thailand. There’s officious light, lurid plastic tablecloths, and a cocktail so neon you might well suggest sprinting home from Tottenham Court Road. At least, until the food comes out and you realise you need to stay put and eat much more. Miang phuket, a starter of coconut and cashews mixed with palm sugar, is excellent, while almost all the curries are fierce and the drinks are guaranteed to flow.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
A picture’s worth a thousand words. Sometimes, a sausage is too. We could write a whole essay on the glorious salt factor of the traditional Isaan sausages that are handmade at 101 Thai. We won’t—the world isn’t ready—so instead we’ll whittle it down to this: when the oil of the skin hits the garlic pork inside, you’re in for a real good time. They’re unmissable but so is the panang curry. And the had yai ‘HFC’ fried chicken. And the crispy pla plaa style lao fish that is an ode to all the reasons fried red sea bream and lime leaves are soulmates. You’re going to have to make some very hard decisions at this casual Hammersmith spot.
What happens when you combine a relaxed Peckham neighbourhood restaurant with some of the best Thai food in London? The Begging Bowl, that’s what. This place is all about modern takes on Thai classics involving everything from fermented yellow beans with stir-fried hispi cabbage to the ultimate zing factor of combining rhubarb and green mango with cured cod. Expect upbeat service that will help you make the crucial decision between a deep-fried whole sea bass and the chilli beef rump. Or just bring a group so you can try as much of the menu as possible.
When it comes to recommendations, Supawan is a spot that comes out of our mouths again and again. The understated Thai restaurant in King’s Cross is not all singing and dancing on first glance, but once you have a bite of the yum khoa tod—a crispy rice salad that tastes like a live rendition of Luck Be A Lady is going on in your mouth—you’ll get what’s going on here. Phuket-style paneang curry is deeply peanutty and peek gai yad sai are lemongrass-packed chicken wings you will not want to share. But that’s the way to do it here. Share, share, share.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Restaurants with designated waiting areas can spell frustration but at Addie’s, a locals’ Thai favourite in Earl’s Court, it only adds to the anticipation. Once past the faux-lemongrass scent of this little area, the moody corridor-shaped restaurant swaps natural light for buzzing tables and a crowd-pleasing menu. A deep-fried whole sea bass smothered in chilli sauce is on every table and an array of enlivening spicy salads are essential, particularly the rocket fuel goong numpla (raw prawns). Standard dishes like pad thai and green curry are decent if unspectacular, so you’re best off leaning into the seafood.
photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch
Chinatown is one of London’s guaranteed late-night eating areas and, in Speedboat Bar, it has one of London’s most fun and cosplay-ish Thai restaurants. The bar-cum-restaurant is from the same people as Plaza Khao Gaeng and there’s a similar feel of Thai paraphernalia everywhere you look. Only, here, combined with an upstairs pool table and pastel plates of bitingly spicy and soy-stained drunkard’s noodles. Come Friday and Saturday the Bangkok-inspired spot is open until 1am. If you’re look for something more sedate, the downstairs canteen is a great place for melting beef tongue and tendon curry before a must-order deep-fried 7/11 pineapple pie.
photo credit: Jamie Lau
Esarn Kheaw is one of the OG Thai spots in London. It’s been open since the ‘90s and unlike the cultural zeitgeist surrounding scrunchies and Tammy Girl, this Shepherd's Bush restaurant has remained reliably popular. For the indecisive, prepare yourself for the fact that the menu spans six pages. Our advice is to forego the pad thai and really get stuck in with the bamboo shoot salad, deep-fried whole sea bass, and the aptly named Tiger Cry feisty chilli steak number. Basically, anything with ‘Esarn speciality’ next to it on the menu, you want on your table.
If you don’t order the lamb shank massaman at Patara, then you’re doing it wrong. Please excuse us whilst we get a little M&S food ad, but this lamb actually melts in your mouth. The massaman is rich, nutty, sweet, with a dash of heat. Of course, if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or in need of halal options, rest assured that this old-school Thai mini-chain has also got you covered with the purple flower facade chor muang and chilli-lime-papaya party som tum. Patara has locations in Knightsbridge, Hampstead, Wimbledon, and Mayfair, but it’s the Greek Street flagship that’s your best bet.
Ever since opening as a pop-up before becoming permanent, Farang has been a neighbourhood favourite in Highbury. Small plates like the miang bites (betel leaves stuffed with prawn and pomegranate) and the curries combine British produce with sweet, sour, spicy, and salty Thai flavours. The space, once an old-school Italian spot, feels very much like Farang's now. The outside facade has been painted black while tables inside provide bright colours courtesy of dishes like prawn and herb-laden jungle curry and lurid-looking gai prik—deep-fried chicken in a blood orange fish sauce glaze.
photo credit: Giulia Verdinelli
There’s something uniquely British about a brown wood, burgundy-hued, bungalow pub in Paddington where the carpets smell like the memories of a trillion pints too many. Only the food at The Heron isn’t remotely British, it’s some of the best Thai food you can get in London. Fierce, sour, and spicy seafood salads will do their best to keep you warm, but if not, an enormous bubbling tom yum will do the trick. It’s the perfect spot for a big group celebration—even if the karaoke and eccentric interiors of the past are no more—with its whopping pub garden and, most importantly, the rousing Thai fare downstairs.
