Issaya is a 100-year-old house that stands proudly in the middle of a luscious green garden. With its wooden verandah and old-fashioned staircase, it instantly sets a romantic mood, making it a perfect place for duo dining.

This is not another pretty tourist place: Thais, expats and the few travellers who make the effort to discover it are unanimous – the combined charm of a heritage house, exceptional service and the renowned culinary flair of Chef Ian Kittichai makes Issaya Siamese Club an outstanding restaurant.

Recognised for many years as one of the best Thai restaurants in Bangkok, Bo.Lan is not your everyday local eatery. This is the kind of place to invite your discerning friends or for when you want to impress visitors who think they’ve ‘tried it all before’.

The name ‘Bo.Lan’ comes from the 2 chefs – ‘Bo’ (Duangporn Songvisava) and ‘Dylan Jones’ – who were both inspired by and worked under the supervision of Michelin-starred chef David Thompson at Nahm London.

Sala Rim Naam at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok combines all the essential elements to offer one of the best romantic Thai dining experiences in the city. This isn’t an easy thing to achieve, with so many great restaurants around town. Sala Rim Naam succeeds thanks to its amazing location by the riverside – not 2 metres from the water, but right next to your table! Another element is the legendary Mandarin Oriental service and, of course, all these would be meaningless without the key ingredient of a truly great place: the food.

Nahm serves Thai cuisine prepared according to ancient recipes with a focus on how the flavours and textures of premium quality ingredients interact together. It’s consistently ranked among the finest restaurants in the world, and with a Michelin-star chef at the helm.

Whether you are a longstanding visitor to Bangkok or it’s your first time eating traditional Thai food, Nahm will both surprise and delight you with fantastic dishes.

Long Table offers Thai fusion, so if you’re a fan of local food there’ll be dishes that you’ll easily recognise, at least in writing. Nothing looks quite like you imagine it to here, and we really appreciate the chef’s innovation.

Mouthwatering starters include a serving of 5 deep-fried tiger prawns lined up in a row, served on a fried betel leaf, with crispy, browned lemongrass sprinkled on top. You then drizzle them in a sweet-sour tamarind sauce. Each dish arriving at the table is pleasingly aromatic, and the flavours are distinctly Thai.

Fantastic views, delicious food, a warm atmosphere and friendly service come together at Saffron Thai restaurant, ensuring that every visitor gets an authentic taste of Thailand. All are served with Banyan Tree’s special brand of hospitality.

The restaurant is split over 2 levels, high above the city on the 52nd floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel on Sathorn Road. The closest station is Lumphini MRT, but we recommend taking a taxi; the hotel is well known to taxi drivers. There’s a smart casual dress code at Saffron restaurant, so no flip-flops, shorts, sportswear or open shoes for men.

Thanying is a delightful restaurant owned by M.R. Sorut Visuddhi, son of Princess Sulabh. Royal cuisine doesn’t mean overly complicated dishes but requires using only the best fresh ingredients, an elegant presentation and everything cut so that a guest never has to use a knife. The fish should be absolutely boneless and there are many other details that help to make the distinction between food and cuisine.

Thanying is set in a charming classic house with a small, shaded terrace on the side. The interior is elegant without being too sophisticated, with a lot of vintage wood furniture and chandeliers.

Steve Café combines several successful key ingredients: a great riverside location with no tall buildings blocking the view, thousands of silvery fish swimming around as locals feed them, and a permanent ballet of old-fashioned wooden boats passing by almost silently.

The second most important thing is, of course, the food – very Thai, using quality ingredients and cooked with passion. The menu even says that no dishes are cooked in advance, so some dishes can take time to prepare and, when the restaurant is full (which is every night), it can be a bit slow.

Owner Eh opened Supanniga Eating Room, inspired by his grandmother’s recipes. It serves an appetising range of traditional Thai dishes from both her hometown in Trat (by the east coast) and Khon Kaen (northeast Thailand), where the family is now based.

With comfortable but chic decor, an outside terrace and some strong martinis, this restaurant in Thong Lor is worth a trip along the road to Soi 8. It’s very easy to find, in an old shophouse just a few metres before the Ei8ht lifestyle mall on the right-hand side, if you are coming from the BTS (Thong Lor).

The House Of Smooth Curry is a Thai restaurant in Bangkok that serves traditional Thai dishes created with the finest ingredients in a warm and attractive dining room. The service and food quality are 5-star but the atmosphere is unstuffy, and once you’ve discovered this gem you’ll want to come back for more.

Smooth Curry is located on the 3rd floor of the Plaza Athénée Bangkok on Wireless Road. Getting there is simple: it’s only a 5-minute walk from the Skytrain at Ploen Chit and taxis will be familiar with the hotel name.