Last week, I waited an hour and forty-five minutes outside a Thonglor restaurant that had blown up on Instagram. The concept was "Mexican omakase" — yes, you read that right. The chef had 80k followers, the photos were immaculate, and the tasting menu was priced at 3,500 baht. What I actually got: lukewarm tacos with Norwegian salmon and ponzu sauce. I paid up, smiled politely, and on the way out grabbed a 50-baht pad kra pao from the corner stall that was infinitely more satisfying.
After seven years in Bangkok, I've learned one thing: restaurant openings here are a national sport. Hundreds pop up every year. Most close within 18 months. Some aren't worth crossing the street for. But a handful — a small handful — genuinely deserve the trip. Here's my unfiltered, unsponsored rundown for 2025.
The real gems: my early-2025 favourites
Let me start with the good news. Three places have genuinely impressed me since January, and I've gone back to each of them voluntarily — which, as far as I'm concerned, is the only metric that matters.
Khao Yai Kitchen (Ari, soi 4) — A Thai-Australian couple who left Melbourne to open a modern Isan restaurant. No fuss, 12 tables, a short menu that rotates weekly. Their laab ped (duck) is the best I've had anywhere in the city. The nam tok moo uses free-range pork from Chiang Rai — and you can genuinely taste the difference. Expect to spend 350–500 baht per person, drinks included. They're closed on Mondays and don't take reservations. Show up before 6:30 pm or accept your fate.
Ferment BKK (Sathorn, soi 10) — A bar-restaurant built entirely around fermentation. The chef, Pim, worked at Gaggan before vanishing for three years. She's back with a concept that's nerdy but approachable: small plates ranging from 120 to 280 baht, each one anchored by a house-fermented ingredient. The green mango kimchi with grilled pork is something I won't forget anytime soon. The space is tiny — a converted garage — and the vibe is genuinely relaxed.
Rung Charoen 2.0 (Yaowarat) — Technically, this isn't a "new opening": the founder's granddaughter took over the family shophouse and renovated the whole thing. New oven, new menu, but grandma's ba mee recipes stayed put. The five-spice braised duck soup alone is worth the trek to Chinatown. And the price hasn't budged: 70 baht a bowl.
The honest table: notable openings compared
| Restaurant | Neighbourhood | Cuisine | Budget / pers. | My verdict | Worth the queue? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khao Yai Kitchen | Ari | Modern Isan | 350–500 ฿ | ★★★★★ | Yes |
| Ferment BKK | Sathorn | Fermentation / fusion | 400–700 ฿ | ★★★★★ | Yes |
| Rung Charoen 2.0 | Yaowarat | Ba mee / braised duck | 70–150 ฿ | ★★★★★ | Absolutely |
| NAMI Rooftop | Sukhumvit 24 | "Premium" Japanese | 2,500–4,000 ฿ | ★★★☆☆ | No |
| Côte Bangkok | Langsuan | French bistronomic | 1,200–2,000 ฿ | ★★★★☆ | If you book ahead |
| Bao District | Thonglor | Bao / Taiwanese street food | 200–400 ฿ | ★★★☆☆ | No, overhyped |
| The Green Collective | Ekkamai | Vegetarian / vegan | 300–550 ฿ | ★★★★☆ | Weekdays, yes |
The overhyped openings: save yourself the trip
I'm not going to make friends with this section, but so be it. A few places that have flooded my Instagram feed since January honestly don't deserve the buzz.
NAMI Rooftop — Yet another "premium" Japanese rooftop on Sukhumvit. The view is nice, sure. But 3,200 baht for an 8-piece omakase where half the fish comes from the same supplier as Gourmet Market supermarkets? No thanks. Sushi Masa on Convent Road does it better at a third of the price, without the pretension.
Bao District — The concept looked great on paper: artisanal baos with creative fillings. In practice, the dough is too dense, the portions are laughably small for the price, and on weekends the place has become a photo studio for influencers. It's a good-looking space, I'll give it that. But I go to restaurants to eat, not to do a photoshoot.
My personal test: If I don't feel the urge to go back within two weeks, it probably wasn't that good. The thrill of novelty often masks mediocrity. I always wait at least 10 days before forming a definitive opinion.
The French surprise: Côte Bangkok
As a Frenchman, I'm always wary when a French restaurant opens in Bangkok. It's usually either way overpriced for what it is, or a caricature of a Parisian bistrot with checkered tablecloths and canned foie gras.
Côte Bangkok, on Langsuan, caught me off guard. The chef, Antoine, cut his teeth in Lyon's bistrot scene before moving out here. He was smart enough not to try importing everything: he works with local producers. His roast Korat chicken with jus and baby potatoes is simple and perfectly executed. The beef tartare uses Thai grass-fed beef — and honestly, it holds its own against what you'd find in Paris.
The lunch set at 590 baht (starter-main-dessert) is outstanding value for cooking at this level. In the evening, the bill climbs quickly once you add wine — but that's the case everywhere in Bangkok thanks to alcohol taxes. My advice: go for lunch.
The real insider tip: shophouses you won't find on Instagram
The best openings of 2025 aren't on your feed. They don't have a logo designed by a creative agency, no "Instagrammable" neon signs, and sometimes not even a menu in English.
In On Nut, down soi 44, a lady who ran a khao man gai cart for 15 years has finally moved into a proper shophouse. She kept exactly the same recipe. The chicken is poached to perfection, the rice is fatty and fragrant in all the right ways, and the ginger sauce has just the right amount of kick. 50 baht. No English name — look for the yellow sign with a hand-drawn chicken.
In Bang Rak, a former hotel cook has opened a tiny khao tom (rice soup) restaurant that's only open from 10 pm to 4 am. Six dishes on the menu, not one more. The fish steamed in banana leaf with herbs is extraordinary. I only stumbled on this place because my Bolt driver recommended it one night when I was starving after a red-eye.
Practical tip: To find the best local spots, forget Google Maps in English. Use Wongnai — it's essentially the Thai TripAdvisor — and filter by recent ratings. Thai diners are far more critical and honest in their reviews than tourists on Google. If a restaurant scores above 4.2 on Wongnai with 200+ reviews, just go.
What I wish I'd known
If I had to give one single piece of advice to someone arriving in Bangkok in 2025 who wants to eat well, it would be this: don't trust the hype. Instagram and TikTok algorithms don't reward food quality — they reward photogenic décor, aesthetics, and buzz. And in Bangkok, buzz is an industry.
The best restaurants in this city often aren't "new." They've been around for decades and never needed your attention to exist. But among the recent openings, there are a few pearls. Khao Yai Kitchen, Ferment BKK, Côte Bangkok at lunch, and the nameless shophouse in On Nut — that's my short list for 2025.
Something else I wish I'd known: trendy Bangkok restaurants have a very short life cycle. The spot everyone's talking about in March will be half-empty by September. If a place genuinely interests you, don't wait six months. And conversely, if a restaurant survives its first year without dropping in quality, that's probably a very good sign.
One last thing: sit at the counter whenever you can. That's where you see the cooking, chat with the chef, and figure out whether a place is the real deal or just set dressing. In seven years here, every single one of my best meals has been eaten perched on a wobbly stool, not sunk into a designer armchair.
See you next week. And if you've got addresses I've missed, drop me an email — I'll try everything.