Thai food has effortlessly made an impression on the hungry hearts of diners around the world. Not to mention that dining in Thailand is one of the best (and most delicious) ways to engage in Thai culture.
But let’s not limit ourselves — Thailand’s food culture is more than just street food and snacks. Much like the other metropolitan counterparts, Thailand has welcomed a new wave of an elevated dining experience, sourced from as close to the backyard, or as far as the minds of Europe’s most creative chefs.
Michelin has noticed, and a generous handful of these soaring restaurants have been recognized for the Michelin Guide Bangkok, Phuket, and Phang Nga 2019.
Check our mini-guide for some of the new ones and their specialties, and visit Michelin Guide Bangkok for a full list!
Sühring: Two Star, Formerly One Star – Bangkok (European Contemporary)
Promoted from one star in 2018, Restaurant Suhring is now the proud recipient of a two Michelin Star title! For all the stupendous German cuisine, dining here truly feels like a return home with long-lost friends and family. Encased within a beautiful glass townhouse on a quiet side-street of Bangkok, the restaurant is built forth from the minds of brothers Mathias and Thomas Sühring, better known as the Suhring twins. Take the menu a la carte, or enjoy the 13-course ‘classic’ and ‘experience’ menus!
Canvas: New One Star – Bangkok (Innovative)
This restaurant is undoubtedly named after the expansive wall art stretching the length of the restaurant, but you’ll be much more focused on the artistically driven dishes that flow to your table. Though the restaurant is located in Bangkok, you’ll find plenty of ingredients sourced from a variety of provinces, with some delivered from as far as Chiang Mai. The restaurant also offers a tasting menu of 6 or 9 courses.
The two-floor layout lets you take a more private dining experience on the balcony above, or opt for an intimate kitchen-side counter dining area, from where you can view the tens of chefs stir, slice, piece, and plate together your dinner.
Methavalai Sorndaeng: New One Star – Bangkok (Thai)
Have you ever wanted to eat like royalty? Here, you can! Methavalai removes everything inedible from their dishes, keeping each dish as luxurious as it is easy to eat. The restaurant aims to provide a culinary return to the past both in Thai cuisine style and experientially. Servers and music ensembles envelop you in the essence of a truly old-town feel for the entire night, while each and every dish hums with the classic balanced notes of Thai Cuisine. The charm and menu is an obvious hit since the restaurant has continued to magnetize an audience of loyal customers for over 60 years.
PRU: New One Star – Phuket (Innovative)
You might be aware of the term “farm-to-table,” but PRU Thai brings this to a completely different level. PRU Thai presents a literal farmstead of ingredients right in their restaurant’s backyard, and what isn’t sourced independently is often planned, prepared and collected from trusted, long-standing sources found throughout Thailand, as seen below. It helps that in light of such meticulous restaurant planning and partnerships, that the food is just as meticulously crafted
Instagram: @cutto
Gaa: Michelin Plate, Turned One Star – Bangkok (Innovative)
If you’re looking to continue from PRU to another locally-sourced experience, look no further than Bangkok’s Gaa. Gaa crafts an eclectic mix of flavor through the power of their own local sourcing methods, as well as a solid hold on creating new flavor through fermentation. Don’t let either of those statements set you on an expectation for flavor, as the menu is just as delicious as it is unexpected.
The restaurant goes so far as to even create their own cheese! Make sure you get your fill before taking off from your table — you won’t find theirs at the local craft cheesemonger.
The menu is offered in a 10 and 14-course variants, including in a separate vegetarian format, making this a restaurant that can be tiered for any style of diner.
Instagram: @LeDuBKK
Le Du: Michelin Plate, Turned One Star – Bangkok (Thai Contemporary)
From last year’s accolade as a Michelin Plate, Le Du has found itself flying up to earn a Michelin Star!
Despite the suggestively French name, Le Du comes from a Thai word that means season. With a name like that, as you might expect, the menu rotates between different menu offerings throughout the year. Besides the beautiful dining area that so many of restaurants show off, it also provides for its menu through near exclusively locally sourced ingredients. Perhaps the first step for becoming a Michelin Star restaurant in Thailand truly starts from the ground-up.
R-Haan: New One Star – Bangkok (Thai)
R-Haan’s name is Inspired by an old Thai poem, “Nai Nam Mi Pla Nai Na Mi Khao, referring to the bounty of food and resource found throughout the country. The restaurant has created a way for these locally-sourced Thai ingredients to mingle together throughout the menu in a way that seems almost effortless. R-Haan captures the essence of both regional and royal Thai cuisine under the coinage of “The Wisdom of Thai Cuisine.” There’s no doubt because making a stop to dine here is a truly wise decision that will put you on the front doorstep to deliciously uncompromising Thai cuisine.
Ruean Panya: New One Star – Bangkok (Thai)
You know we’re all about hidden gems, and we’ll take Michelin’s word for it here!
The restaurant itself is spread across four different houses, and similarly to Restaurant Suhring, the location gives a truly homely impression that you’d get from visiting a faraway friend. The mind behind the restaurant is the steady hand at work behind each and every meal that leaves the restaurant’s kitchen. The restaurant is an authentic Thai culinary experience with an atmosphere that can challenge even the most iconic resorts and hotels. If they offered rooms, we’d stay for the food alone.
Saawaan: New One Star – Bangkok (Thai Contemporary)
‘Saawaan’ translates to Heaven in Thai, and if you visit this restaurant, you’ll find out why. The restaurant manifests Thai food with a modern approach, delivering a 10-course menu that takes a contemporary approach to the most prevalent cooking styles that exist in Thai cuisine, from fermentation to grilling and steaming. If you’ve been looking for a delicious and carefully curated crash course into modern Thai cooking, this is probably one of the best bets you can make in Bangkok.
Instagram: @sornfinesouthern
Sorn: New One Star – Bangkok (Southern Thai)
In a rebuilt townhouse, Sorn is reconstructing some of the oft-forgotten and lesser-known flavors found in Southern Thailand. Each and every menu item is a carefully considered mix of flavors, solidified by it’s opulent and equally meticulous atmosphere. From hand-crafting and pounding their own curry to slow cooking and double boiling their soup, there are no shortcuts to Thai cuisine here, only refined and authentic flavors.
Instagram: @banckok
Suan Thip: New One Star – Bangkok (Thai)
Looking for calm beyond Bang Krachao and temples in Bangkok? Before the Michelin Guide’s recognition, Suan Thip was like finding a small oasis of serenity hidden in the backroads of Thailand. Luckily, it still is. The establishment serves as one part restaurant and a second part cultural hub, offering visitors culinary classes and delicious traditional plates alike. The traditional Thai-style houses can host hundreds, making the location a Michelin restaurant that can double as a hosting space for even the most special of events in your life. Even without that, the scenic waterside views and lush gardens leave an awe-inspiring, overarching impression exemplifying the beauty and chameleonic nature of Thailand.
Want to discover more of Thailand’s best cuisine and long-standing Michelin restaurants? Visit our Thailicious travel itinerary or our food travel packages for more curated culinary adventures!
