The Restaurants

With Michelin storming into Bangkok, the options for fine-dining have never been more exciting. But there’s more to this city than stars, the guide has given plate and food nods to classics all over town, from traditional outposts serving unadulterated local favorites to innovative newcomers bringing influences from around the world to the ever-blossoming food scene. Here, a shortlist of our Michelin favorites, covering a variety of cuisines.

Gaggan

The showplace of the inventive Indian-born chef Gaggan Anand, Gaggan is a two-star restaurant often described as progressive Indian—but such a portrayal is far too limited if you ask us. Gaggan’s 25 bite-size courses are as whimsical as they are delicious, described on the menu with a series of emojis that depict the prominent ingredients. It’s theater as well as gastronomy.

German Sühring

Named after its two chefs, twin brothers Matthias and Thomas Sühring, the lauded German Sühring is one of the most popular in the city for its critically acclaimed modern German cuisine, served in eight- and 12-course menus. Unlike the food, the setting is downright simple: The one-Michelin-star restaurant is set within an old townhouse in the quiet neighborhood of Khwaeng Chong Nonsi.

Paste Bangkok

An exceptional bastion of Thailand’s own cuisine, Paste Bangkok is a one-Michelin-star restaurant known for its classical interpretations of rediscovered recipes. Helmed by the chef couple Jason Bailey and Bee Satongun, the menu is full of Thai pride, from the produce sourced from local growers to dishes like the crispy pork leg that utilize centuries-old cooking techniques.

Gaa

Though Gaa received only a plate in Bangkok’s first Michelin guide, the restaurant is worth mentioning for Chef Garima Arora’s personal and hard-to-classify dishes blending various Asian styles with her native Indian cuisine. Plates like duck-curry-filled cumin doughnuts and pork ribs with pomegranates thrill the palette in the restaurant’s 10- and 14-course tasting menus. Arora—who is an alum of Copenhagen’s Noma and Gaggan (Anand is one of her backers—is aware that she’s hardly alone as a newcomer on the scene.  “It seems like a new restaurant opens every second day,” she says. “When the dust settles, I hope that we become trendsetters, not trend followers, the next culinary spot for ideas.”

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Mural inside Gaa

Photo: Panya Leardvisetkul

Corn dish at Gaa

Photo: Panya Leardvisetkul

Cauliflower Bread at Gaa

Photo: Courtesy of Gaa