The Best Thai Restaurants In London
London does a lot of cuisines very well. Some are well-known: You’re spoilt for choice with Indian, Japanese, and French, whereas you might need to search a little harder to find a great Mexican. But one of its most underrated strong points is in Thai cuisine, a hub of innovation in recent years, bolstered by some of the very best award-winning restaurants in the city. To kick off Songkran (AKA Thai New Year), we’re rounding up the standout Thai restaurants in London.
Plaza Khao Gaeng
Created by chef Luke Farrell, Plaza Khao Gaeng brings the flavours of southern Thailand to central London, taking inspiration from traditional khao gaeng canteens where fragrant curries and rice are served quickly and without fuss. The menu is bold, vibrant and unapologetically spicy, with rich curries, punchy stir-fries and plenty of herbs grown by Farrell himself in Dorset.
Whether you visit the Tottenham Court Road original, Borough Yards or the Covent Garden outpost, it’s one of London’s standout destinations for authentic Thai food.
Where: multiple locations
Website: www.plazakhaogaeng.com
Rosa’s Thai
You can’t go wrong with one of London’s most popular Thai restaurants, Rosa’s Thai, serving everything from a comforting green curry to crispy tempura and spicy soups. This affordable and vibrant restaurant offers authentic, flavour-packed food and a lively atmosphere making it a London mainstay.
You can’t go wrong with one of London’s most popular Thai restaurants.
where: across London
website: www.rosasthai.com
Khao Bird
Khao Bird has quickly cemented itself as one of London’s most exciting Thai spots, specializing in Northern Thai cooking with live-fire barbecue influences from across East Asia. Now settled into a permanent Soho home, the menu is bold, inventive, and already cult-status, with dishes like Shan BBQ meatballs, mutton chips inspired by Chiang Mai, and BBQ lemongrass chicken that quietly steals the show. It’s vibrant, unapologetic, and deeply flavour-led, a place that proves Thai food in London can still surprise.
My meal at Khao Bird was definitely one of my favourites of the year. The tofu is a brilliant dish and the mutton chips are deservedly keeping the name on the map. Couldn’t recommend it more.
Mallory, Junior Food & Drink Editor
Where: 24 Brewer St, London W1F 0SN
Website: www.khaobird.com
Khao-So-i
A northern Thai bistro located just a walk away from Oxford Circus Station invites guests for a night to remember — impeccable service and a delicious meal. Sit at the bar to watch your Khao-So-i noodles being prepared while sipping on their signature Kaad Margarita.
Sit at the bar to watch your Khao-So-i noodles being prepared while sipping on their signature Kaad Margarita.
where: 9–10 Market Place, London, United Kingdom W1W 8AQ
website: khaosoilondon.com
Kiln
Often considered not just one of the city’s best Thai restaurants, but one of its best full-stop, Kiln is known for its trademark open kitchen, wood-burning, and noodles. It was even named the best restaurant in the UK in the National Restaurant Awards in 2018, beating off far more expensive offerings.
The menu regularly changes, but the Thai barbecue concept remains ever-present. Their curries are outstanding, including the jungle curry with smoked kippers and the three-pepper curry. The dining area is small, and the counter runs on a walk-in, first-come-first-serve basis, so be speedy.
WHERE: 58 BREWER ST, LONDON W1F 9TL
WEBSITE: www.kILNSOHO.COM
Som Saa
Every menu item at Som Saa manages to pack a punch – whether it’s the Thai spin on a Negroni, a fresh salad, warming curry, or even stir-fried vegetables – you really can’t go wrong. Although the popular ‘must-order’ dishes – like the chicken skewers and whole deep-fried seabass – are tempting, we suggest the tasting menu. You’ll explore dishes you might not otherwise order, and you might find that these even turn out to be the hidden highlights.
There were so many brilliant dishes on this menu – my top recommendations are the coconut smoked 35 day aged sirloin salad, the aromatic tiger prawn curry and, to drink, the rak tong ham – a Thai twist on a spicy marg.
Natasha, Digital Editor
where: 43A Commercial St, London E1 6BD
website: www.somsaa.com
Speedboat Bar
One of the quirkiest and most playful entries on this list, Speedboat Bar is located in the middle of Chinatown and, well, does its own thing. Inspired by the Chinatown of Bangkok, it is the perfect spot for a late-night bite to eat, open until 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays, and also features a central bar, pool table, Thai pop, and rock beats.
Their Tom Yam Mama soup, inspired by a dish from a long-standing khao tom restaurant in Bangkok called Jeh O Chula, has gone viral online – not a surprise based on how good it looks.
Speedboat Bar is more than just a Thai street food restaurant; it’s a love letter to the iconic Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s Chinatown, with each dish directly inspired by one of the district’s legendary eateries.
Astrid, Contributing Fashion & Lifestyle Editor
where: soho & notting hill
website: www.speedboatbar.co.uk
Plaza Khao Gaeng
Plaza Khao Gaeng sits on a mezzanine on the second floor of the Arcade Food Hall and is a celebration of all things southern Thailand. Taking inspiration from one specific Bangkok café above a movie theatre, it is the brainchild of Luke Farrell (also known for Speedboat Bar) and part of the restaurant group JKS, whose portfolio is as hot as one of Plaza’s curries with Berenjak, Lyle’s, and Gymkhana also on the bill.
where: 103-105 New Oxford St, London WC1A 1DB
Website: www.plazakhaogaeng.co.uk
Kolae
Fire up your taste buds for Kolae, named after the culinary technique of marinating in coconut and charring over open flames, and now, one of London’s best restaurants.
From the team behind Som Saa, the industrial-chic restaurant is housed in a converted coach house on Park Street and serves up a small but spectacular menu of Southern Thailand-inspired dishes – a standout is the grilled mussel skewers.
WHERE: 6 PARK ST, LONDON SE1 9AB
WEBSITE: www.kOLAE.COM
Supawan
For a taste of Phuket in King’s Cross, Suppawan should be high on your list. Run by Owner and Executive Chef Wichet Khongpoon, it serves authentic and delicious dishes from Southern Thailand. Herbs and spices sourced from Thailand give the in-house paste and sauces a kick and freshness. The green chicken curry and an array of fresh, flavoursome salads are the stars of the menu in a crowded field.
where: 38 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DT
website: www.suppawan.co.uk
Farang
Modern Thai cooking with a British influence, Farang has become a neighbourhood favourite in Islington. Chef Sebby Holmes opened the venture in his parents’ old Italian restaurant, first as a pop-up and then as a permanent fixture. Its stuff is as fresh as possible, made from Thai and British ingredients, and they even sell their own home-made paste from the restaurant shop, for you to attempt to recreate at home.
Farang has become a neighbourhood favourite in Islington.
where: 72 Highbury Park, London N5 2XE
website: www.faranglondon.com
101 Thai Kitchen
With inspiration coming from the Northern region of Issan right down to Southern Thailand, the menu is full of dishes unique to 101 in the UK.
From the chicken satay, crispy prawn wontons, and whole, salt-crusted seabass to Southern Thai curries like the vegetable-based Gaeng Som Tai, this is a must-try for authentic flavour and technique.
where: 352 King St, London W6 0RX
Website: www.101thaikitchen.uk
