Bangkok Restaurant Tips by jrs1234

Restaurant Name: Open-air food court on Soi 7

This is a handy place to sit down and eat, especially in the evening, when it's brightly lit, and the temperature outdoors is more reasonable.

There are several vendors competing for your business, so service is friendly and quick. All of them seem to specialise in seafood, but I noticed plenty of other Thai dishes on the menu too. It's pretty reasonably priced for Sukhumvit, too - dishes from around the 100 baht mark.

Favorite Dish: Personally I went for the simpler, less spicy stuff - the fried rice with mixed seafood was yummy.

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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Sukhumvit Soi 7
Directions: Close to Nana skytrain station.

Restaurant Name: Coffee World

When you're wandering around town on a hot day, an iced coffee goes down very nicely. Coffee World is a good place to find one; the stores are attractive and comfortable, and the airconditioning means that it's cool enough to enjoy a hot coffee if you are so inclined, too. There's a good range of cakes and pastries if you're feeling peckish, as well.


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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: about average

Address: Locations all over Bangkok
Website: www.coffeeworld.com

Restaurant Name: Street Foods

So far I've been reluctant to try these doubtless tasty fried insects - maybe on my next trip! Apparently most popular with Thais from the north-east of the country - you'll see quite a few fried insect vendors around Bangkok, and I've even seen cooked insects on sale at the Tesco-Lotus on Sukhumvit....

Mmmm - Insects (or maybe not!).


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Theme: Street Vendor
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: This particular vendor was on Sukhumvit Soi 7.

Restaurant Name: UCC Cafe'

As I'd arranged a VT meeting here (I got the idea from Yen - thanks, Yen!), I thought I'd check the place out the evening before - I didn't want to get lost on the crucial date!

Anyway, I stopped by for a drink and a bite to eat. There's a good range of hot & cold drinks, but the meals are more "snack size", so you may want to try elsewhere if you're hungry. The pork in curry sauce + rice I had was nice and tasty, though. Reasonable prices, for this part of town, too.

There's free internet access too, but it's tucked away in the corner - more useful for quickly checking your email than a long surfing session.


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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Siam Center, Ground floor
Directions: Ground floor, infront of Esprit Store!

The Siam Center is directly connected to the Central (Siam) Skytrain station by a walkway.

Restaurant Name: Inter Restaurant

Everyone who stuck around for the second half of the VT meeting felt hungry, and we ended up just over the road in Siam Square, ordering Thai food. The place was simply decorated; you wouldn't choose it for the ambience of the place, but fortunately the food was delicious. The company, of course, was first class :-)

If you're looking for good Thai food in Siam Square in unpretentious surroundings, then this place is worth a visit, especially since Thai food is a little thin on the ground around here - this part of town has probably the highest density of fast-food and western restaurants in Bangkok! The restaurant has 2 floors, so there's plenty of seating - we didn't need a reservation to get in.


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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: (02) 2514689
Address: 431/1-2 Siam Square 9
Directions: Just south of Siam (Central) Skytrain station.

Restaurant Name: McDonalds

The good news is - they haven't built all those McDonalds in Bangkok for you, the tourist - there's plenty of local demand. Of course you might succumb to a quick stop for an ice-cream or a soft-drink to cool down in the heat - and the fierce airconditioning will help you do that quite quickly.

It's noting that while McDonalds isn't the lowest cost option in town by some way. Even if you want to sit down to eat, you can usually get better value at one of the many food courts around town such as on the top floor of MBK. However it is cheaper than in most western countries - at under 100 baht for most meals, so it's not bad value.

I have to admit to enjoying breakfasts at McDonalds (in several different countries) - but this is one thing the branches in Thailand don't do, alas. Apart from that the menu is pretty familiar, with the addition of the sweet chilli dipping sauce as well as ketchup, and some interesting specials from time to time, such as the McSomTam - a toned down version of the famous green papaya salad. Most branches tend to open from about 10am until late.


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Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: All over Bangkok.
Website: http://www.mcthai.co.th/

Restaurant Name: Swensen's

Not remotely Thai, but there are times you just can't resist an ice-cream, especially in a hot and sticky place like Bangkok. The ice cream is good, although not gourmet - prices are reasonable, and there's plenty of choice on the menu - the only thing you have to really watch is that you don't order too much - some of the items on the menu are pretty big!


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Theme: Ice Cream
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Several branches across Bangkok

Restaurant Name: Food Loft

Right at the top of the huge Central Chidlom department store (on the 7th floor) is their take on the food court - but given the type of store it is, this is a much more refined kind of place than the average Bangkok food court. Rather than lots of small Thai food vendors that you'll see elsewhere, this place is made up of kitchen "islands", each with a different type of food available - there's Thai, Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese and more. What's on offer is marked up on blackboards - just queue up and order. While the Chinese food I tried definitely wasn't in the "wow" category - it wan't at all bad, I'll happily go back to this place.

You get a card with a barcode on it which gives you a 1000 baht credit - prices are keen though, so you'll have a hard time spending anywhere near that on most of the dishes. Just hand over the card every time you order something and pay as you leave, very easy.

Open from 10 am to 10 pm daily.


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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: (02) 655 7777 Ext. 3735-38
Address: 7th floor, Central Chidlom
Directions: Chit Lom Skytrain station
Website: http://www.central.co.th/foodloft/index_en.html

Restaurant Name: Starbucks

The locals seem to have taken to Starbucks in a big way - there are branches all over town (over 50 in Bangkok, according to the Starbucks website). Thais love coffee (to the extent that iced instant coffee from a can is a best seller), so it isn't entirely surprising. My last visit was to the branch in Central World Plaza, and in the middle of a hot afternoon the iced latte went down very nicely, especially with a free newspaper to read. Prices are aligned to what well-to-do locals can be persuaded to part with - but are a lot less than the outrageous sums that they demand in the UK, and if you factor in the comfortable seats and the aircon, it's not too bad a deal...


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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: All over town!
Website: http://www.starbucks.com/