Mezzaluna is Bangkok's most swank restaurant, and dining up here 65 floors above the Chao Phraya River and the Bangkok skyline is one of the top experiences one can have while in town, especially as the restaurant has been awarded two stars by the Bangkok Michelin guide, and features the palate-boggling cooking of chef Ryuki Kawasaki, who has manned Michelin kitchens in France, the U.S., and his native Japan, and was named Chef of the Year by the Escoffier Society while working at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire in Las Vegas.
Taking over the helm at Mezzaluna in 2015, Kawasaki has combined his superlative French cooking techniques with some of the most exclusively sourced ingredients to be found in Asia. Take the Niigata Murakami Wagyu beef for example, which Kawasaki brings exclusively to Thailand from Japan. The beef comes from a small breed of carefully selected, high-quality calves from Niigata Prefecture, which are raised on rice straw, hay, and premium compound feed, giving the beef a silky texture and absolute melt in the mouth taste. It is served here at Mezzaluna with black truffles and grilled over binchotan charcoal, and is the signature dish headlining an incredible seven-course tasting menu
Everything about the dining experience at Mezzaluna is done to utmost perfection. A bevy of staff hover around your table, never failing to notice whether you need more bread or water, constantly bringing palate refreshers before dishes, and giving detailed explanations of all the captivating creations. An expert sommelier comes out to explain each wine pairing served with the food, not only giving the origins of each bottle, but complimenting its highlights and flavor profiles, and the cellar here is one of the finest in all Bangkok, with several of the wines served being exclusive to Mezzaluna.
The menu at Mezzaluna is seasonal, changing every three months, although dishes like the Wagyu beef are always featured. Chef Kawasaki says, "My passion is to create experiences that inspire and leave lasting memories for the people I share them with, and our culinary journey at Mezzaluna consists of various textures, flavors, artisinal seasonal products, and cooking techniques."
This is an entire dining experience at its finest, from chef to server to table to ambience. At this point, the sky (and possibly even a coveted third star) is the limit for Mezzaluna and its all star chef.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For literally "high" end Michelin cuisine, Mezzaluna towers above the town.
Dave's expert tip: Reservations are essential here, and it is worth coming early for a sunset drink at the Sky or Distil bars, located just below the Mezzaluna. Note that there is a dress code, and that singlets, shorts, and flip flops are verboten.
This classy French restaurant on the top floor of The Oriental Hotel is a Bangkok institution, and the second Michelin Guide to Bangkok made it one of only six restaurants to get two stars. Fois gras and roasted Sisteron rack of lamb are just some of the menu highlights prepared by the visiting French master chefs in residence here, all taken in amidst elegance with views of the Chao Phraya River to boot. While dinner here is an absolute bank breaker, the set lunch provides a way for paupers to dine like princes and indulge in Bangkok's most sophisticated restaurant. An appetizer, entree, and dessert set menu goes for the steal of 1500 baht and introduces you to some world class cuisine.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For classy and fine French, Le Normandie is a star attraction in Bangkok.
Dave's expert tip: Reservations well in advance at Le Normandie are essential. If you aren't staying at the Oriental, the best way to get here is to take the Skytrain to the Saphan Taksin station and then hop aboard the Mandarin Oriental's free boat service along the Chao Phraya from the ferry pier.
There's a reason why Saawaan has been awarded a Michelin star by the prestigious Michelin Bangkok guide. Yes, the name of the restaurant means "heaven" in Thai, and yes, you are going to feel closer to the stars after a meal here, but you also can count on an intimate fine dining experience that features authentic and creative Thai cuisine that is simply some of the best in Bangkok, prepared by a wildly talented chef.
Saawaan's 10-course tasting menu is divided into dishes that represent all of the concepts and techniques found across the board in Thai cooking. You'll get to sample raw, fermented, dip, boiled, grilled, stir fried, curry, and sweet here, and the fun starts before you even get to the menu. The complimentary starter, an amuse bouche of "kai luk koei," a sous vide egg served with cream, tamarind sauce and chili oil, that comes served as if in a bird's nest. It's small and delicate, but packs such a wildly wonderful array of flavours, and sets the tone for what lies ahead.
Chef Sujira "Aom" Pongmorn, who runs a skilled kitchen team, has an incredible knowledge of Thai cuisine, and has put in time with some of Bangkok's most noted dining establishments, such as Sra Bua, Issaya Siamese, The House on Sathorn, Lord Jim at the Mandarin Oriental, and more recently running the show at the Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Baan Padthai. Here at Saawaan, she showcases regional dishes found at street level that have been elevated to some of the most delectable tastes you'll find across the country.
Take the "nam pu ma", served as the "dip" dish. This comes from rural Thailand, where farmers would make grilled paddy crab fat into a "nam prik" chili dip and eat it with sticky rice. Here, Chef Pongmorn has mixed the paddy crab fat with Thai herbs and grilled them in the crab shell, and it gets served with coconut steamed sticky rice.
Another total standout is the "gai kati khao luem pua," a chicken curry in which free range chickens from Nakhon Pathom are flavored with a Central Thai curry sauce and served with pineapple and bamboo shoot, alongside of what is known as "forget the husband" rice, so called because it is so good that the housewife serving it would forget her husband was also at the dinner table while she was eating it! From presentation to the creamy curry and perfect spice balances, this is the final course prior to dessert, and pretty much sums up the entire experience here, one of total dining bliss.
You'll also want to leave room for dessert, as Bangkok's most noted pastry chef, Arisara "Paper" Chongphanitkul, a graduate of the French Gastronomicom culinary school, lends her expertise to the sweets here, serving up pumpkin and coconut custards alongside of durian-flavored chocolate petit fours to close out the evening.
Add to this Bangkok's best wine pairings to be found, attentive service, and the intimate surroundings, which feature just six tables, dim mood lighting, and an open kitchen, and you've got all the trappings of one unforgettable "heavenly" evening.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For Bangkok's best combo of authentic and creative Thai cooking, intimate ambience, and Michelin-starred cuisine, Saawaan really does mean "heaven."
Dave's expert tip: There are only 24 seats here, so best to reserve in advance. Note that the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and that last orders are at 930pm. The closest BTS and MRT stations are Sala Daeng and Lumphini, but you'll still need to grab a taxi for the short ride over to Suan Plu. Saawaan is just on your left as you head down Suan Plu.
Thomas and Mathias Sühring are identical twins as well as master chefs. They have converted their beautiful old villa home in Bangkok into an intimate garden restaurant where they serve German and European fare inspired by their childhood memories and family recipes. Upgraded from one to two Michelin stars since the guide launched in Bangkok four years ago, the restaurant is comprised of a winter garden glasshouse, which looks out at the garden, along with a "living room" elegant dining area, as well as the kitchen, where diners can sit at a chef's counter and watch the 14 course set menu be prepared. There are also a la carte standouts like spatzle, a southern German egg noodle dish served with black truffle, or Himmel und Erde (Heaven and Earth), made with crispy potatoes, black pudding and green apples. The tasting menus run from 3000 baht and upwards.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For standout German fare in a homey environment, Sühring excels.
Dave's expert tip: Reservations are essential. The nearest BTS station is Chong Nonsi, but you'll still need to take a taxi from here about ten minutes.
Now at a new location, Michelin-starred Gaa features unique and eclectic takes on Indian fare, served up with exquisite presentations and creative techniques by head chef Garima Arora, who is the first Indian woman to receive a Michelin award. Innovative, elegant, and delectable, Gaa deserves to be on any Bangkok foodie and dining bucket list. The restaurant's Rasa menu combines a variety of little bits from all of India's varied cuisines, and features novel techniques and a mastery of kitchen-craft.
Arora hails from Mumbai, and left a career in journalism, opting instead for enrolling in Le Cordon Bleau, France's prestigious culinary academy, and then working at the esteemed Noma in Copenhagen as well as a stint with chef Gordon Ramsay at Verre in Dubai. She then came to Bangkok to work alongside of Gaggan Anand, whose 2-star Michelin Gaggan provided a launching pad for honing her unique and uber-creative techniques which she has put to full use at Gaa.
Gaa offers both a 10 and 14-course tasting menu in which modern techniques pair with age-old recipes, all of which are made using only fresh locally-sourced ingredients. While the entire evening is a real visual and tactile knockout, there are a few dishes that really stand out. The duck "donuts" are a play on Japanese takoyaki; small pastry balls that are stuffed with duck meat and vindaloo sauce, and just incredibly melt-in-your-mouth succulent (you'll want to see a daily food cart of these outside your house once you try them). Another winner is the signature young corn, in which baby corn is grilled with lime and chili and presented here with its charred skin, that peels away to some of the sweetest corn you'll ever have. The corn is served with a sweet corn and ghee emulsion dip, and Arora took inspiration for this from the grilled and spiced "bhutta," a popular Indian street snack.
In addition to the amazing culinary creations, there are superb wine pairings to go with the dinner, and even juice pairings for those who want to remain completely sober for one of Bangkok's most outstanding feasts.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For a dazzling new take on Indian food, Gaa is a Bangkok landmark.
Dave's expert tip: Reservations are a must at Gaa. To get here, the closest BTS station is Ekkamai.
Three-star Michelin chef Vincent Thierry (he led Caprice in Hong Kong to three stars) who hails from France's Loire Valley heads the team here at Bangkok Michelin's top two- starred attraction, upgraded from one to two stars in 2021. Set up on the 61st floor of the Lebua State Tower (now the only hotel in Bangkok to boast two Michelin-starred restaurants, the other being Mezzaluna), the showpiece here is a domed open kitchen set in the middle of the room, where 46 lucky diners each evening get to enjoy elegant modern French cuisine, all the while interacting with the chef as he bases dishes on diners' palates in a well choreographed dinner theater experience. Thierry sources fine quality ingredients from both France and Thailand, whether it be chocolate from Chiang Mai or fine langoustine lobsters from the Atlantic. There is no gimmickry here, just well prepared quality dishes, and as Chef Vincent states, "it is a fine dining theater with a fully open kitchen." The views are to die for, as is the cuisine, and it's both romantic and incredibly intimate.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For Bangkok's most intimate Michelin experience, Chef's Table certainly excels and charms.
Dave's expert tip: Reservations are essential here, and it is worth coming early for a sunset drink at the Sky or Distil bars, located up on the roof. Take the BTS to Saphan Taksin and walk up Charoenkrung Rd 5 minutes to the corner of Silom, where you'll find the Lebua.
Canadian chef Andrew Martin has created a signature tasting menu at 80/20 that not only features the best locally sourced ingredients (the restaurant is named after its adherence to using 80% local ingredients and 20% chef's creativity), but also an array of dishes that Martin came up with based on personal adventures, and the result is some of Bangkok's best creative Thai cuisine set in an unpretentious industrial shophouse in the old-school and artsy Charoenkrung neighborhood.
Since opening in 2015, 80/20 has risen quickly in the Bangkok foodie scene. The restaurant boasts being ranked in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants several years running, and has now received a Michelin star three consecutive years. This isn't surprising given the creativity, presentation, and top notch ingredients being used to create the impressive tasting menu.
Take for example the Stormy Sea appetizer that features squid, mangosteen, and chili. This was based on a fishing trip Martin took where his boat ran into a storm, a vivid purple sunset, and plenty of fresh squid. Or the aptly named Suan Maphrao dessert, meaning coconut farm. Martin created this one after being in a coconut grove where the owner led him to a hive filled with local honey and abundant guava trees, hence the combining of all these ingredients in the sweet delight.
Many of the top Michelin and fine dining experiences to be found in Bangkok these days can be very over the top, set in elegant hotels or rooftops, surrounded by glitz and neon where you probably will feel pretty out of place if you didn't bring your tux along on vacation. There's none of this at 80/20. The restaurant occupies the interior of a rather nondescript ground floor Charoenkrung building. The broken wall in the middle of the restaurant has been there since it opened, and you won't find any shopping malls or bright lights in this part of the city. Chinatown and its labyrinthian alleys are just down the road, and it's one of the few parts of Bangkok left where it's pleasant to walk, which you may need to do after sating yourself on the feast to be found here.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For outstanding creative cuisine in an unpretentious environment, 80/20 is superb.
Dave's expert tip: The tasting menu here costs 3500 baht per person and you can opt for a wine pairing option to go with it (2500 baht). You can easily walk here from Hualamphong MRT station or else from the Sri Phraya ferry pier on the Chao Phraya river.
The Michelin Guide to Bangkok predominantly features either creative takes on traditional Thai cuisine or else refined versions of classic and contemporary French, especially amongst the restaurants that have been awarded stars. While they are all well earned, it's a much needed diversification in the most recent 5th edition that the Four Season's Yu Ting Yuan received a star for its outstanding Cantonese cuisine, especially noteworthy in a city full of Chinese restaurants that are lauded for their authenticity, with a discerning Thai Chinese population awaiting to pass judgement should they not live up to expectations.
Chinese Chef Qiu Xiaogui heads a team here that turns Cantonese favorites into works of art, with sublime presentations of traditional dim sum items, Peking duck, or other Chinese cuisine staples, using fresh, high end ingredients to elevate the food to a spectacular dining experience. Take the dim sum offerings led by the steamed lobster dumpling that combines Boston lobster with a scallop, crab, and fish mix, uses a spinach sauce for the dumpling skin, and is topped with salmon roe, or an abalone puff where fresh abalone sits on a puff made from diced chicken, mushrooms, and barbecue sauce.
The seafood here is as fresh as it gets, with a live tank in the kitchen, and you'll find Canadian lobsters alongside of the largest and most succulent prawns you can get in town. The double-boiled fish maw soup is particularly pungent, and comes served with black truffles, one of Chef Qiu's few indulgences towards Western sentiments. As he says, "Cantonese cuisine is all about flavor, so here we must get that right as well as elevating it with our presentations. " Qiu adds that the awarding of a Michelin star has also pushed his team to strive even harder to make sure their renditions are perfect, and the restaurant seems to be in good hands for the upcoming food guide's 6th edition coming in the winter of 2022.
It's not only just the cuisine that sets the tone at Yu Ting Yuan, as the restaurant features floor to ceiling windows that sit facing out to a zen-like reflecting pool courtyard that is filled with metal art sculptures which gets lit up in the evening. Diners can opt for a chef's tasting menu with 8 dishes, a Yu Ting Yuan menu experience that features 7 dishes, or else just order a la carte, as the regular menu is rich in Cantonese classics from pork belly to abalone, and of course the spectacular steamed and fried dim sum items, which are only available for lunch. Yu Ting Yuan also features a fabulous selection of premier Chinese teas in addition to wine pairing options for the menu choices. Chances are you are going to need at least one day and night dining session here to cover the best that Yu Ting Yuan has to offer, as it is one welcome addition to the growing list of Bangkok Michelin experiences, and well worth a visit.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For exquisite fine dining Chinese, Yu Ting Yuan is the best in Bangkok.
Dave's expert tip: Reservations are essential at Yu Ting Yuan. The easiest way to get here and avoid Bangkok traffic is to take the BTS skytrain to Saphan Taksin, and then the free shuttle boat that goes to the Four Seasons from the nearby ferry pier.
Chef "Ton" Thitid Tassanakajohn heads up this Thai influenced relaxed fine dining experience, putting his skills honed at New York's Eleven Madison Park to work as he does contemporary takes on Thai classics. The restaurant name is a take on the Thai word "ru du" meaning seasons, and indeed the tasting menus here get a heavy dose of seasonal produce and ingredients, all sourced from local farmers, fishermen, and more. The presentations are exquisite, and as Chef Ton is a professional sommelier as well, needless to say the wine pairings from around the globe are world class. Le Du has received endless awards, ranging from a Michelin star from the Bangkok Michelin Guide to being ranked 4th on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2021. Four and Six course tasting menus are offered here, with exotic dishes like squid and ink, pork blood pudding, and even the most humble variety of Thai bananas getting the most creative and delectable treatment. Tasting menus run from 3,000-3,600 baht and are a highlight for any foodie visit to Bangkok.
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: For innovative fresh Thai cuisine, Le Du is a standout and well worth a splurge.
Dave's expert tip: To get here, take the BTS skytrain to Chong Nonsi, head out Exit 4, and make the short walk up to Silom Soi 7. Reservations are a smart idea.
Mauro Colagreco needs no introduction to connoisseurs of fine gastronomy. The Italian-Argentinian was the first non-French chef to receive the prestigious Chef of the Year award from Gault & Millau, and his restaurant Mirazur, on the French Riviera, went on to be awarded 3 Michelin stars in addition to being voted the best restaurant in the world by San Pellegrino's "The World's 50 Best Restaurants".His latest project brings his fabulous reinterpretations of the traditional recipes of the French and Italian Riviera to the banks of the Chao Phraya River, and Côte, located inside the swank Capella Bangkok hotel, was awarded a Michelin star in just its first year in town.
The show here is run by longtime Colagreco sidekick Davide Garavaglia, who has put his own stamp on the amazing set menu in which everything is left up to the chef's imagination and diners are treated to a dazzling feast that focuses equally on presentation and taste with every dish coming as a surprise, although fresh seafood features heavily. You'll be started off with several amuse-bouches, which feature intricate and exquisite creations such as beetroot macaron with goat cheese or saffron mussel tempura. Every one of these bites is eye-catching, Instagram-worthy, unique, and delectable. A bevy of seafood comes next, with outstanding dishes like Brittany crab with burrata cheese and tomato sorbet or brill fish served with Kristal caviar and sake sauce.
Guests can opt for five, seven, or nine course experiences (or 4, 5, and 7 for lunches), there are fabulous artisan wine or grower champagne pairings to go with the superb food, and the dreamy views of the Chao Phraya outside just enhance the magical experience.
The menu at Côte states, "As the epitome of trust between our guest and the restaurant, this menu offers you the luxury of choosing not to choose, allowing the chef to present the best of his art," and while this might not work elsewhere, at Côte you can be assured that you are in good hands. The ingredients are of the highest quality, the decor is refined, and both the presentation, creative renditions, and tantalizing tastes on offer will leave you ready for an encore
Recommended for Restaurants with Michelin Stars because: In a city full of Michelin options, Côte by Mauro Colagreco truly excels and is not to be missed.
Dave's expert tip: Reservations are essential here. The easiest way to reach Côte is to take the free shuttle boat for the Capella Bangkok and Four Seasons hotels, which leaves every 30 minutes from the Saphan Taksin boat pier (which connects to the BTS skytrain)