Best Pad Thai in Bangkok
Pad Thai was actually invented for about 60 years as part of a marketing campaign to introduce more noodle dishes to the people of Thailand during a rice shortage. A contest was held to come up with the best noodle dish, and Pad Thai was the winner, hands down.
Pad Thai is a dish of wok-fried, wun sen lek noodles. To the noodles, tamarind paste, shrimp, spring onion, tofu, bean sprouts, chili flakes, chopped peanuts, and sugar are added. The result became a hit with locals and foreigners alike. It’s now considered to be a must-try for visitors to Thailand. Here are the top three restaurants in Bangkok that specialize in Pad Thai.
Baan Phadthai
This unassuming little restaurant near Sapan Taksin BTS station has devoted itself to the preparation of an excellent Pad Thai by using high-quality ingredients. It also offers some twists on the classic dish that substitute crab and grilled pork for shrimp.
This retro-decorated restaurant in an old shophouse takes you back to the Thailand of the past, with wooden tables and cabinets, and old Thai folk tunes mixed with popular cover versions of the hits of the sixties serenading you as you eat your meal.
Pad Thai Thip Samai
This famous restaurant among the locals has been in business for almost 50 years. The place is located on Machachai Road, near Wat Saket and if you miss it’s bright, red sign, look for the queues of people outside waiting to dig in to plate of their famous versions of the dish.
Portions at this restaurant are generous. So take it slow and don’t over-order. Their signature dish of egg pad Thai includes an omelet covering the noodles that are cooked over a fragrant wood fire.
Pad Thai Ekkamai
Head up Ekkamai Road, and just before Soi 19, look for the red sign in Thai on your left. There you’ll find the Pad Thai Ekkamai restaurant specializing in large portions of succulent seafood with your Pad Thai.
You can order basic Pad Thai for 45 baht, but be adventurous. Oder their signature dish of ‘Pad Thai Ekkamai.’ This is a rich and filling dish of fresh squid, mussels, and two large king prawns cooked to perfection.