From next-level pastas, perfectly-crisp pizzas and unctuous stews to flavorful grilled meats and endless wine lists, Bangkok's Italian fine-dining scene has it all. With more choice than ever, we present the absolute best of the best, as determined by our Top Tables 2019 guide to Bangkok's 100 best restaurants.
Through a menu that charts in-house rotisserie meats, unctuous stews, Mediterranean seafood and incredible homemade pastas, chef Paolo Vitaletti’s home-style interpretation of Italian cuisine is as close as the city comes to true trattoria dining. Rarer, seasonal items come and go to complement the Roman family recipes, but what seemingly never changes is the restaurant’s mix of class and casual charm, only heightened by an excellent wine list.
20/4 Sukhumvit Soi 31, 02-261-2056. Open daily 6pm-10:30pm; Sun 11:30am-2:30pm
Venetian head chef Andrea Buson steps outside your usual Tuscan and Roman favorites. His green pea risotto bursts with salty strips of pancetta and fresh pea flavor. A slow-cooked octopus tendril showcases Venetian cuisine’s seafood roots, plated with chickpea puree and sweet, zesty lemon. Biscotti’s after-dark vibe of rich, lacquered woods is as grand as ever.
1/F, Anantara Siam, Rajadamri Rd., 02-126-8866. Open daily 11:30am-2:30pm, 6-10:30pm
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: Get 50% discount for 2 diners | Get 33% discount for 3 diners | Get 25% discount for 4 diners | Get 15% discount for 5 diners up to maximum of 16 diners | Get 20% discount for single diners for Citi ULTIMA only Today – 31 Dec 19 |
Enoteca has been among the top of Bangkok’s Italian restaurant scene for all the right reasons: delicate food bursting with traditional flavors, rustic dining room, huge wine list and personable service. Head chef Stefano Borra (formerly chef-owner of the one-Michelin-starred Ristorante VO) has kept up the reputation for comfortably priced degustation menus that aim for Piedemontese flavors. The huge wine menu spotlights Borolo.
39 Sukhumvit Soi 27, 02-258-4386. Open daily 6-10:30pm
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: Get 10% discount on food only Today – 31 Dec 19 |
Italian fine dining in Bangkok would not be where it is today without Gianni Favro. The longtime chef has delighted local rainmakers and power movers for the past 20 years with Mediterranean-inflected dishes, educating diners on the nuances of Dover sole, burrata and handmade pasta along the way. The refined setting echoes the restaurant’s reputation.
34/1 Soi Tonson, Phloen Chit Rd., 02-252-1619, 02-652-2922. Open daily 11:30am-2pm, 6-10pm
This downright comforting trattoria looks straight out of an Italian food movie. More important is the pizza pulled from a wood-fired red brick oven: a crust that’s wonderfully crisp yet pillowy, moist but burnt in all the right places; the zing of a good tomato base; bountiful toppings. These, without question, are upper-crust pies.
139/3 Sathorn Soi 7, 02-286-8805. Open daily 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30-11pm
At The St. Regis hotel, Italian fine dining is handled with a respect for the classics. Hearty pastas, crispy-based pizzas and a delicious choice of carne share the menu with more creative touches like spaghetti in clarified tomato sauce and gambas carpaccio prepared tableside.
The St. Regis, 159 Ratchadamri Rd., 02-207-7777. Open daily noon-2:30pm, 6-10:30pm
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: For Citi ULTIMA: Get 50% discount for 2 diners | Get 33% discount for 3 diners | Get 25% discount for 4 diners | Get 20% discount for 5 diners (limit up to 10 diners /card /table /sales slip) For Citi Prestige: Get 30% discount for 2 diners | Get 25% discount for 3 diners | Get 20% discount for 4 diners | Get 15% discount for 5 diners (limit up to 10 diners /card /table /sales slip) Today – 31 Dec 19 |
Head chef Andrea Ortu’s menu brims with serious D.O.P. produce scoured from the lengths of Italy—a rich Sicilian pistachio paste to cut through a plate of Brittany lobster and clam gnocchi, a Pecorino cheese foam atop unctuous lamb fragola. Old classics include founder Luca Appino’s black truffle cheese risotto and the buffalo mozzarella caprese salad.
2/F, Terrace 49, Sukhumvit Soi 49, 02-204-1731. Open Tue-Sun 11:30am-3pm; daily 5:30pm-midnight
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: Get a complimentary welcome drink and chef’s dessert valued THB 800 for Citi ULTIMA, Citi Prestige, Citi Premier, Citi Preferred and Citi Select card members (limit 1 set /card /table /sales slip) Today – 31 Dec 19 |
Come the cooler months, diners flock to the cozy outdoor terrace for the pick of the bottles from the wine cellar and chef Nino Scognamillo’s rustic-yet-refined Italian cuisine. Juicy grilled meats are joined on the menu by “nonna-style” gnocchi and premium produce like Cantabrian anchovies.
22 Sathorn Soi 1 Yaek 2 (Goethe), 02-287-2402. Open daily 11:30am-midnight
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: Get a complimentary Sicilian Cannoli valued THB 290 when spending via Citi credit card (limit 1 dish / card /table /sales slip) Today – 31 Aug 19 |
Head chef David Tamburini plates up delicious pastas using fresh-fromItaly ingredients (try the Sicilian red prawns and zucchini in a sesame broth) and perfectly roasted carne—the lamb saddle with caci e ova (a classic egg and cheese sauce) is a must. Amid these sultry and high-end surroundings, the tasting menus also feel right at home.
The Sukhothai, 13/3 Sathorn Rd., 02-344-8888. Open daily noon-3pm, 6-11pm
Dark wood and starched tablecloths project an upscale Italian moodiness, but the tone is lightened by the charismatic chef Francesco Lenzi, who works the room offering recommendations and doling out the occasional sample. Cured meats and cheeses from Lenzi’s own family farm in Tuscany star alongside creative pasta dishes and wood-fired meats.
Ruamrudee Soi 2, Wireless Rd., 02-001-0116. Open daily 11:45am-2pm, 6-10:30pm
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: Get a complimentary tiramisu for 2 persons valued THB 280 when spending via Citi credit card (limit 1 dish /card /table /sales slip) Today – 29 Feb 20 |
This venture from team Appia remains the go-to for authentic Naplesstyle pizza, made to stringent Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana rules. Starring a tangy and pillow-soft crust, only slightly chewy with charred bits from the blazing hot oven, even the simplest pies, like the Marinara with its perfectly acidic San Marzano tomato sauce, shine— though you’d be remiss not to take in a full multi-course feast of pastas and sharing steaks in this warm but well-polished space.
27/1 Sukhumvit Soi 33, 02-119-7677. Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-3pm; daily 6pm-midnight; Fri-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm. 6 other branches in Bangkok.
Italian chef Luca Appino (La Bottega di Luca) takes an Italy-meets-France approach to pizzas. Pumped out of two massive ovens from Italy, the pizzas here are delicate and refined affairs that often bear extravagant toppings. To that end, try the Mortadella truffle option with organic tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella and black truffle sauce.
15/1 Soi Ruamrudee, Phloen Chit Rd., 02-651-5091. Open daily 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30-11pm. Other branch: Sukhumvit Soi 49
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: Get a complimentary welcome drink and chef’s dessert valued THB 700 for Citi ULTIMA, Citi Prestige, Citi Preferred and Citi Select (limit drink 1 glass /person and limit dessert 1 dish /card /table /sales slip) Today - 31 Dec 19 |
This welcoming Sathorn back-street institution makes the most of its incredible produce. Aside from a la carte, chef Stefano Merlo’s tasting menus offer a fun, interactive version of Italian fine dining, pairing dainty creations like a burratta-stuffed tomato caprese salad with heftier meat and pasta plates, including darnnear the best lasagna you’re likely to find.
Narathiwat Ratchanakarin 17 Yaek 5, 02-117-1618, 02-676-4466. Open Mon-Sat 5:30pm-midnight
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: Get a complimentary dessert valued THB 340++ when spending via Citi credit card (limit 1 dish /card /table /sales slip, except special events and blackout dates are applied) Today – 31 Dec 19 |
Dating back to the ‘80s, Sorrento is one of Bangkok’s oldest names for Italian food, long before everyone became an expert on authenticity. Saving it from closure, Diageo World Class 2015 winner Pongpak “Ton” Sudthipongse and his partners keep the emphasis on grilled meats and the signature cacio e pepe pasta made in a cheese wheel. Reinvented classic cocktails are also well worth your while.
73 Sathorn Soi 10, 02-234-9933. Open Sun-Thu 11am-11pm; Fri-Sat 11am-midnight
| Exclusively for Citi credit card members: Get 10% discount on food only for Citi ULITMA, Citi Prestige, Citi Premier, Citi Preferred, and Citi Select card members Today – 31 Dec 19 |
The grand dame of Bangkok’s Italian restaurants draws patrons from around the region for authentic Piedmontese dishes inspired by its founding chef, Gianmaria Zanotti, as well as a great selection of pastas and the dependably tasty Florentine-style beef steak. There’s also an impressive wine list populated by venerable Old World domains.
1/F, Saladaeng Colonnade Condominium, 21/2 Sala Daeng Rd., 02-636-0002. Open daily 11:30am-2pm, 6-10:30pm
The full list of 100 restaurants is available as a free booklet inserted in BK Magazine Mar 29 issue and a downloadable PDF version.
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