Looking for Northern Thai restaurants in Bangkok? Look no further, because, in this article, we cover what we believe are the best Northern Thai restaurants in Bangkok. Craving for some Gaeng Hung Lay, Sai Oua, Nam Phrik or other Lanna food, at these restaurants you can imagine yourself being in the Northern province.
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Looking for the best Northern Thai restaurants in Bangkok? Keep reading!
The best Northern Thai restaurants in Bangkok are:
1. Ginger Farm Kitchen
Ginger Farm Kitchen is what we believe is the best Northern Thai restaurant in Bangkok for a couple of reasons. In 2019, the successful owners of the similarly named restaurants in Chiang Mai opened up their branches in Bangkok. Their formula is straight to the point: serving beautifully presented Northern Thai dishes made with homegrown vegetables for a fair price in a spacious, farmland-themed area. Their menu is extensive and has thirty-four pages full of all sorts of Northern Thai dishes. Each dish is served with their biological vegetables and you really feel that you eating clean, proper food without losing any authenticity when it comes to flavours. It’s this concept that makes it so successful and the reason why the restaurant is packed with both Thais and foreigners.
Some of our favourite dishes are the Northern Style Young Jackfruit Salad with Crispy Pork (225 THB), the Grilled Marinated Beef Tenderloin (225 THB), the Northern-Thai Laab (165 THB) and the Northern Style Pork Tomato Chili Relish (155 THB), but visitors can also order classic Northern Thai dishes such as Khao Soi (135 THB) and Hang Lay Curry (225 THB) or fusion dishes such as their signature Spaghetti with Crab Paste and Bacon (195 THB), which is made with field crab (a true delicacy). As a regular customer, I can truly recommend you to visit this amazing place for Northern Thai food in Bangkok.
2. Ong Tong Khao Soi
Ong Tong Khao Soi is another restaurant that opened its door in Bangkok after having a successful restaurant in Chiang Mai. The cosy two-story restaurant in Ari is often jam-packed during lunch and dinner time with hungry customers, most of them Thai. Avoiding these peak hours is recommended. As the name already suggests, Ong Tong Khao Soi is specialized in Khao Soi, the famous curry of the north. But luckily, there are (even) more tasty Northern Thai specialities you can try.
The menu of Ong Tong Khao Soi is limited, with actually five real dishes to choose from ranging from 69 THB to 109 THB. My personal favourite was the Stir-Fried Khaosoi with Thai Northern Sausage (89 THB), which was a dry noodle with Khao Soi flavouring accompanied by Northern Thai sausage (known as Sai Oua). As this was a dry noodle, the flavours were more intense than regular Khao Soi and much heartier thanks to the Sai Oua. It was absolutely amazing. The Crispy Pork with Green Chili Dip (79 THB), which is deep-fried pork with so-called Nam Phrik, was tasty too, especially in combination with one of their signature Khao Soi. If you have the chance, if it’s available, try their Broiled Field Crab (79 THB), which is the same delicacy as described at the previous restaurant. Broiled field crab has a unique and difficult-to-describe flavour and should be eaten with sticky rice. But the majority of its visitors come for the Chicken Khao Soi (69 THB).
3. Daradalay
When it comes to Khao Soi, there is one restaurant that stands out from the rest and that is Daradalay. This place is located a bit outside the city centre and is most definitely a hidden gem. Daradalay offers different varieties of Khao Soi including pork, chicken and a vegetarian mushroom version cooked with organic, homegrown produce. The fresh ingredients, relatively low prices and authentic taste make Daradalay a tremendously popular place among locals. If you fancy a Khao Soi, this is the place to be.
Keep in mind that the menu is completely written in Thai, but basically, everyone visits this place for Khao Soi (50 THB), although another Northern Thai speciality is on their menu as well, namely Khanom Jeen Nam Ngiao (50 THB). For obvious reasons, Daradaly is listed number one in our article about the best Khao Soi in Bangkok.
4. Kruajiangmai
Kruajiangmai is a hugely popular Northern Thai restaurant in Bangkok located in Thonglor and offers – similar to Ginger Farm Kitchen – a large variety of Northern Thai specialities, in contrary to the other recommended restaurants (a small variety). When you’re looking for not-so-common Northern Thai dishes such as Gaeng Pak Waan Sai Pla Haeng, a typical Northern Thai spicy soup with sun-dried fish, Kruajiangmai is the place to go. But the majority of foreigners visit this place for easier and more common Northern Thai dishes such as Hang Lay (150 THB), Khao Soi Beef (150 THB) or a plate full of Northern Spicy Sausages (170 THB).
5. Hann Khao Soi Lover
Starting as a street food vendor in the little alley between BTS Station Ari and Soi Ari 1, this hugely popular Khao Soi specialist moved to a new location Saliratthawiphak Road, a few hundred meters further away. Hann Khao Soi Lover is nowadays a restaurant but still offers the same handful of Northern Thai dishes. Although first-timers often go for the signature Khao Soi, other popular Northern Thai dishes such as Hang Lay Curry and Khanom Jeen Nam Ngiao are highly recommended to try as well. Prices vary between 40 and 70 THB per bowl.
Relevant articles:
There you have it, the best Northern Thai restaurants in Bangkok. We hope we inspired you with our recommendations and start exploring one of the Northern Thai restaurants in Bangkok that are known for its fragrant dishes.