Whether at the Visutkasat or Dinsor branch, it’s still impossible to get a seat during lunch hours unless you put on a fight with the Bank of Thailand/UN officials. Call to book in advance and you "may" get in.
Samsen Rd., 02-668-8788. Open Mon-Sat 10:30am-7:30pm
2. T&K Seafood and R&L Seafood
No matter whether you choose the green shirts or the red shirts, both of the Chinatown seafood strongholds are always packed with Chinese tourists—but the big chunks of crab can make the wait worthwhile.
Soi Texas, Yaowaraj Rd.
Expect at least a 30-minute wait to get a table at most branches of this now-chain sushi specialist. (On our last visit at Ratchapreuk we were told “20 queues ka.”) Our tip: try The Eight Thonglor branch.
The Eight Thonglor, Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor), 080-080-4951
4. Jeh O
The crowd just gets crazier over their “
Mama Oho.” Jeh definitely got the social media marketing down right. Wait till around 5pm and you’ll see a sexy new dish just off the pan.
11 Charan Muang Rd., Pathumwan, 081-682-8816. Open daily 5.30pm-2am
You don't get ranked no. 1 restaurant in Asia without drawing some serious attention. Even David Beckham popped in for dinner the other night. We wonder if he had the same minimum one-week wait as the rest of us.
68/1 Lang Suan Rd., 02-652-1700. Open daily 6pm-midnight
Eight years old and still the no-reservations, wait-your-turn policy at this super-sweet dessert specialist means a crowd of 20 students and salarymen at every branch, all after the same thing: honey toast.
Try 323/3 Thonglor Soi 13, 02-712-9266. Open daily 11am-midnight
Easily the best rack of smoky ribs in town means wizened American expats meet craft-beer-swilling local hipsters in equal measure at Silom’s always-packed barbecue savior.
88 Surawong Rd., 083-029-7598. Open Tue-Sun 5pm-midnight
People are calling it the best steak in town—and that means there’s a three-week wait to eat here. Part of a new wave of Bangkok butcher-slash-restaurants, this one comes from a French chef who buys his meat by the cow.
2080/2 Narathiwas Soi 20, 02-678-8340. Open Tue-Sun noon-11pm
9. Sweettime
This nam kang sai (icy dessert) favorite is the place to hit after a street-food feast—as you can tell by the sweating crowd. The place is now so famous that it's found a home in a luxury mall at Eatthai.
Yaowaraj Rd.
