Mercure's travel guides

If you think you know Thai food from your local restaurant back home, you have a seriously spicy surprise in store. Tastes depend on regional influences: northern cuisine is rich and meaty, central cuisine is sweeter and may use tropical fruits, while southern dishes feature seafood and heavy use of chilli. Street food is an institution in Bangkok – try grilled grasshoppers if you dare but be careful to choose a stand that looks hygienic. As well as authentic Thai food – traditionally eaten with a fork and a spoon – Bangkok's restaurants cater for Chinese, Japanese, Indian and other international tastes.

Lemongrass

5/1 Sukhumvit, Soi 24, Bangkok, 10110
02 258-8637 - 02 259-4244

Description:

A lovely restaurant that's a favourite among Thais, especially for entertaining foreign guests. The dining room is tastefully done, with antiques and paintings from the local region. Traditional Thai food is prepared with skill – ask if you like it spicy – and the staff are charming.
Daily 11am-2pm, 6pm-11pm
Visa, MasterCard, American Express

Prachak

1415 Charoen Krung, Bangkok, 10500
02 234-3755
http://www.prachakrestaurant.com

Description:

A little cubbyhole of a restaurant off noisy Charoen Krung, often referred to as New Road, that's a favourite among locals. The setting is simple and cramped, with big heavy tables and wooden chairs, but it's the red pork and roast duck – often sold out before closing time – plus the bargain prices that keep the crowds coming back for more.
Daily 7:30am-8:30pm
Cash Only

Supatra River House

266 Soi Wat Rakhang, Bangkok
02 411-0305 - 02-411-0874
http://www.supatrariverhouse.net/GeneralInfo.htm

Description:

The set menus, which cost between B800 and B1200, are a great introduction to Thai cuisine for the uninitiated. You can also order from the menu with help from the staff. The food is very good, but this restaurant, in an old house across from the Grand Palace on the Chao Phraya River, is as much about the experience as the dinner. It includes a small museum of items which the owner, who founded Bangkok's river express boat service, has collected over the years. Friday and Saturday night there is dinner theatre.
Daily 11am-2pm, 5:30pm-10pm
Visa, MasterCard