How good are the food options in Bangkok?

[MrNeilThai]

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/21/foodanddrink/michelin-guide-bangkok/

 

I have always told people that Bangkok has amazing food. However the article above states that Bangkok is not known for great food. The argument is that Bangkok has lots of low end food(street food .. which by the way I think is amazing) and just a little in the way of high end restaurants.  When you consider what falls in between the high end and low end food is pretty mediocre here. 

 

Personally I love the food here but that is b/c I'm not afraid to get my feet dirty looking for food. From the standpoint of a high society type Bangkok offers only mediocre food b/c these types wouldn't be caught dead eating street food and they will exhaust their hi end choices pretty fast.

 

So the question is that when you consider only whats in between street food and high end is food is Bangkok pretty mediocre? I would say yes and no . But interesting that CNN actually wrote an article stating yes.

 

Opinions ....

[ezzra]

No city in the world can be renowned for high class food and street food,

while Thailand and BKK in particular are best known for the later, the former

however, is still good, but Michelin star good....

[Suradit69]

It's always amazing that some people have to be told what is or isn't good food or good wine or what to wear or which movies you must see, etc. Life choices shouldn't be dictated to you by the fashion fascists. That's just an elitist herd mentality.

 

I doubt the best Thai food is served in the higher end restaurants especially as judged by a French tire/tyre company. As for restaurants in Thailand that produce farang food, Michelin may be on sounder footing, but even in that arena, why do people feel obliged to be brainwashed by some paid judges as if they were incapable of deciding for themselves what they like or don't like.

 

There are plenty of good restaurants in Bangkok. Personally I think, speaking in generalities, Thai restaurants in Pattaya produce better quality dishes than the typical restaurant in Bangkok, but that's a personal prejudice formed without the help of a automobile accessory company. I expect that some Thai cuisine is best found in southern Thailand.

 

[seancbk]

Thailand has more high end restaurants than you'd ever be able to eat at.

 

[dotpoom]

Strangely enough....when I pull into a city this would be the last thing on my mind.

[lungnorm]

The Roast Lamb or Roast Beef at the Irish Pub in Nana is always good and so is the Beef Stroganoff at the German Pub and they do an excellent Big Breakfast there too.

[gemguy]

4 hours ago, seancbk said:

Thailand has more high end restaurants than you'd ever be able to eat at.

 

I think that means high priced......... not high end...lol

[bkkcanuck8]

Micheline means nothing to me.... because they judge on things that may be important to some, but have little importance to me (i.e. ambience, presentation / plating, etc.).  

 

Real restaurant chefs (vs your lay cook) are experts at things like consistency, consistent plating, volume preparation, managing stuff like that.... but it does not necessarily translate into tastier food in many cases.... though some that rely on "ambience" may translate that experience into tastier food.  

 

Spent many years on the road pretty well every day of the year on an expense account, eating at restaurants morning, noon and night -- paid for by others.

Edited April 25, 2017 by bkkcanuck8

[Chou Anou]

I think Bangkok is a GREAT city for food...but you need to understand its strengths.  Incredible Lao and Thai food, of course, but also Southern Thai (hard to find outside that region, especially at Thai restaurants in other countries).  Chinese goes without saying, if you go to the right spots.  Lots of top-notch Middle Eastern and Indian food as well.  The Japanese food, if you go to places that serve Japanese clientele, is quite authentic...I've had better ramen in Bangkok than I found in Tokyo, and there are some wonderful Izakaya places around.  I've had plenty of quite decent Italian food in Bangkok, too (but you have to be willing to pay the high prices).  Note that I almost never go to extremely "high end" restaurants in Bangkok, but if you were to seek them out, you could probably find decent French and other Western cuisines.  One can find passable German food as well.

 

What not to eat in Bangkok: hamburgers (unless you're willing to pay around 400 baht for one at a quality place), Mexican food (Tacos and Salsa on Sukhumvit on Sukhumvit soi 18 used to be quite good, but not lately...all other Mexican restaurants I've found have failed miserably, especially that awful Filipino-Mexican chain, Sunrise), reasonably-priced Western food in general at most places (I do enjoy a nice English breakfast, but as I'm not English, I'm not sure how authentic what i'm getting in Bangkok is).

[greatwhitenorth]

1 hour ago, Chou Anou said:

I think Bangkok is a GREAT city for food...but you need to understand its strengths.  Incredible Lao and Thai food, of course, but also Southern Thai (hard to find outside that region, especially at Thai restaurants in other countries).  Chinese goes without saying, if you go to the right spots.  Lots of top-notch Middle Eastern and Indian food as well.  The Japanese food, if you go to places that serve Japanese clientele, is quite authentic...I've had better ramen in Bangkok than I found in Tokyo, and there are some wonderful Izakaya places around.  I've had plenty of quite decent Italian food in Bangkok, too (but you have to be willing to pay the high prices).  Note that I almost never go to extremely "high end" restaurants in Bangkok, but if you were to seek them out, you could probably find decent French and other Western cuisines.  One can find passable German food as well.

 

What not to eat in Bangkok: hamburgers (unless you're willing to pay around 400 baht for one at a quality place), Mexican food (Tacos and Salsa on Sukhumvit on Sukhumvit soi 18 used to be quite good, but not lately...all other Mexican restaurants I've found have failed miserably, especially that awful Filipino-Mexican chain, Sunrise), reasonably-priced Western food in general at most places (I do enjoy a nice English breakfast, but as I'm not English, I'm not sure how authentic what i'm getting in Bangkok is).

Where would you recommend for sausages?   

[Chou Anou]

58 minutes ago, greatwhitenorth said:

Where would you recommend for sausages?   

You have been reported to the moderators.

[natway09]

The selection is unlimited but beware the prices at some top restaurants are unlimited as well!!!

[Ulysses G.]

To me, the Western food in Bangkok is decent, but almost never great. However, compared to mediocre restaurants in California, the ones in Thailand can be a better deal. There are reasonably priced restaurants in America that are exceptional, but they are few and far between. 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Ulysses G.

[Thainess]

They're pretty dire, really. If you like Thai food, you'll find some decent Thai food places in Bangkok (obviously), but for any other type of food, Bangkok is not on the list. Almost nobody in Bangkok knows how to cook western or Japanese food properly. Sure, there are plenty of western chefs in Thailand, but they are third-rate nobodies who couldn't make it as a chef in Europe or America so they come over here to try their luck, where people have a rather less discerning palate. My advice is that you should stick to Thai food while in Thailand. Apart from being low quality, non-Thai food is also seriously overpriced in Thailand, especially in Bangkok.

[buick]

a friend and i were just discussing the food situation in BKK and HK.  20 yrs ago, i could only eat at a handful of places outside of hotels in these two cities.  now, i can find a decent meal (usually western) all over the place.  i don't mind the mexican food at la monita (emquartier).  absolutely hate sunrise tacos.  when i want a burger, i go to firehouse on soi 11.  roadhouse BBQ on surawong is fantastic.  i could eat dinner there every night.  i also enjoy the places where you can cook your meat right at your table.  there is one in jasmine city (gyu gyu tei).  these are all 350-550 meals but well worth the price. 

[smutcakes]

31 minutes ago, Thainess said:

They're pretty dire, really. If you like Thai food, you'll find some decent Thai food places in Bangkok (obviously), but for any other type of food, Bangkok is not on the list. Almost nobody in Bangkok knows how to cook western or Japanese food properly. Sure, there are plenty of western chefs in Thailand, but they are third-rate nobodies who couldn't make it as a chef in Europe or America so they come over here to try their luck, where people have a rather less discerning palate. My advice is that you should stick to Thai food while in Thailand. Apart from being low quality, non-Thai food is also seriously overpriced in Thailand, especially in Bangkok.

You should tell that to the 100's of thousands of long term Japanese expats who live in Thailand who eat out at restaurants daily, who seem to enjoy the Japanese food.

There are many excellent western restaurants as well, expensive yes, but some compare to top restaurants you get anywhere in the world.

[MrNeilThai]

There are plenty of places that I like to eat Western/ Thai/ or Asian. However, very few actually give a portion size that fills me up.  To eat out in BKK 200 baht will likely suffice. However to get full I think about 500 is more like it.

[smokie36]

On 25/04/2017 at 0:42 PM, lungnorm said:

The Roast Lamb or Roast Beef at the Irish Pub in Nana is always good and so is the Beef Stroganoff at the German Pub and they do an excellent Big Breakfast there too.

 

Hilarious to consider in all of Bangkok that is probably the height of farang cuisine for many.

 

 

[anotheruser]

6 hours ago, RonniePickering22 said:

 

Hilarious to consider in all of Bangkok that is probably the height of farang cuisine for many.

 

 

 

To be fair it was asking what is between low and high. On the low end you have disgusting botulism sausages left open to the heat. So people say that the Michelin people are coming. The first restaurant would be something like Gaggan which serves Frankenstein food to people who are intimidated to dine there. Fish heads in chocolate with garlic, served in a test tube.

 

I would say in the middle I could eat in the USA for around the same cost.  The low end would be illegal in most places for obvious reasons.

 

The middle places would be lucky to pass code. Compare dominos USA to the Pizza Company there is no doubt which wins. Dominos in the USA offers deals you can get a pizza for $6.99 they are actually cheaper. any place like Fatty's in Bangkok would be buried by their American counterparts for cheaper. They try but that is just the way things are. 

 

You can not get 5 star ingredients here. What we get in places like Villa are the rejects. Many of the products will say export only. 

 

Dominos would be better than most custom made pizzas in Thailand anyway.

 

If you want really cheap food Thailand is a good place. On the top end I am not convinced it is over priced because everything will be subject to tax. Japan has the most Michelin rated restaurants in the world other than France, so it is possible for Asian countries to excel.

 

If your idea of a good middle of the road meal is some lamb chops that have been thawed and frozen about a million times than the Brit pubs are solid. 

 

I prefer my meat to be a bit fresher. Every corner has western food but virtually nowhere does it well. Look for a good sandwich in Bangkok. I rest my case.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2017 by anotheruser

[MrNeilThai]

Is there any restaurant in Bangkok comparable to firehouse subs in the US?

 

BTW Subway is not comparable.

 

 

[buick]

i dream of the sandwiches back in the US.  i'm still looking for a decent sandwich in BKK, subway is not very good.  i got a meatball sandwich at firehouse soi 11 that was good.  roadhouse bbq does a great brisket of beef sandwich.  but never had a decent 'deli style' sandwich, sliced meats, veggies, etc...

[smokie36]

12 hours ago, anotheruser said:

 

To be fair it was asking what is between low and high. On the low end you have disgusting botulism sausages left open to the heat. So people say that the Michelin people are coming. The first restaurant would be something like Gaggan which serves Frankenstein food to people who are intimidated to dine there. Fish heads in chocolate with garlic, served in a test tube.

 

I would say in the middle I could eat in the USA for around the same cost.  The low end would be illegal in most places for obvious reasons.

 

The middle places would be lucky to pass code. Compare dominos USA to the Pizza Company there is no doubt which wins. Dominos in the USA offers deals you can get a pizza for $6.99 they are actually cheaper. any place like Fatty's in Bangkok would be buried by their American counterparts for cheaper. They try but that is just the way things are. 

 

You can not get 5 star ingredients here. What we get in places like Villa are the rejects. Many of the products will say export only. 

 

Dominos would be better than most custom made pizzas in Thailand anyway.

 

If you want really cheap food Thailand is a good place. On the top end I am not convinced it is over priced because everything will be subject to tax. Japan has the most Michelin rated restaurants in the world other than France, so it is possible for Asian countries to excel.

 

If your idea of a good middle of the road meal is some lamb chops that have been thawed and frozen about a million times than the Brit pubs are solid. 

 

I prefer my meat to be a bit fresher. Every corner has western food but virtually nowhere does it well. Look for a good sandwich in Bangkok. I rest my case.

 

 

 

 

Good sandwich in Bangkok involves a trip to Holey Artisan for the bread, a stop off at Emquartier for the fixings and I make it myself.

 

Can't think of a place I would gladly eat a sandwich however.

 

There are places to buy good pies or quiche however and the jammy donuts at the aforementioned bakery are superb.

[lungnorm]

19 hours ago, RonniePickering22 said:

 

Hilarious to consider in all of Bangkok that is probably the height of farang cuisine for many.

 

 

Yeah coz Thai food is crap all except Pad duk Foo and that's even hard to find well made in Bkk. Best I had was in Muang village at The Green Restaurant.

[richard_smith237]

IMO - Bangkok has some of the greatest food...  we are spoil for variation, quality and choice. 

 

From extremely cheap street eats to high end international cuisine, the offerings are vast and in general the price cheaper than the equivalent standard in other global capitals....

 

From the highest end... Le Normandie, to excellent standard eats such as Cocotte, Face... to great steak places such as Arno, Argentina Steak house etc...  Wonderful Japanese restaurants such as Honmono, Tensui...  

 

I feel so spoilt for choice whenever choosing somewhere to eat... 

[lungnorm]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

IMO - Bangkok has some of the greatest food...  we are spoil for variation, quality and choice. 

 

From extremely cheap street eats to high end international cuisine, the offerings are vast and in general the price cheaper than the equivalent standard in other global capitals....

 

From the highest end... Le Normandie, to excellent standard eats such as Cocotte, Face... to great steak places such as Arno, Argentina Steak house etc...  Wonderful Japanese restaurants such as Honmono, Tensui...  

 

I feel so spoilt for choice whenever choosing somewhere to eat... 

Beats bread and water huh ?

[Thainess]

5 hours ago, MrNeilThai said:

Is there any restaurant in Bangkok comparable to firehouse subs in the US?

 

BTW Subway is not comparable.

 

 

Subway.