Shangarila Restaurant

A big favorite among the Thai-Chinese families whose moms or grandmas resolutely say no to farang food. The place has been around for more than 40 years and the décor is typically Chinese, with lots of red and lots of round tables. It’s loud, of course, being full of families and playing kids on weekends, and mostly businessmen on weekdays. The food is decent, too, with varieties of dimsum and a nicely balanced rad naa (noodles in gravy sauce, B150) that’s sure to remind you of your aunt yelling at you to eat your vegetables, when all you really wanted was the Peking duck (that’s still cooked to perfection, B900).
147/7-9 Silom Rd., 02-234-9147-9. Open daily 10am-2pm; 5-10pm. www.shangarilagroup.com

Bua

Before Bua hit the community malls, it was another of those family-friendly restaurants with outdoor seating and fish tanks for the kids to gawk at. The vast menu covers all the classic Thai dishes you could possibly think of, but we recommend going for the tao hu song krueng (stir-fried tofu in gravy sauce, B150) or poo pad pong kari (stir-fried crab with yellow curry powder, B1,700 for a kg). And why not head to the branch on the edge of Bangkok and combine it with a family moment in the suan arharn (food park).
5/1 Srinakarin Rd., 02-393-5876, 02-393-5877. Open daily 10am-10pm

Pan Pan

Back in the old days when Bangkok didn’t have so many osteria, the name Pan Pan was synonymous with Italian dining. We must admit to fond childhood memories of tagging along with our parents and their snappily dressed friends for a dinner in town. Since then, the Lang Suan outlet has closed and a thin layer of nostalgia has settled on the original restaurant’s unpretentious but, warm décor. Still, Pan Pan has some good-value treats, particularly if you like pasta and cheese. The macaroni with mushroom and cream sauce (B230) features al dente pasta and sliced mushrooms drenched in a super rich cream sauce, and the baked spinach (B220) is still covered in an overabundance of melted cheese that any kid would love.
Sukhumvit Soi 33, 02-258-9304. Open daily 11am-11pm

Nittaya Gai Yang

Growing up, many of us were told not to eat KFC. But our parents would compromise by taking us here where the grilled chicken (B90) is simply wonderful—cooked to a browned perfection. Even the grown-up dishes like gaeng kua hed tob (curry with star mushroom, B80) are rich and flavorsome (not to mention pretty hot). The place is quite baan baan with its tiled floors and big chicken statue out the front of most branches but that doesn’t dampen our enthusiasm to keep going back.
Try Prachachuen Rd., 02-591-1264-5. Open daily 10:30am-9:30pm. Find more branches at www.nittayakaiyang.com

Krua Apsorn

The draw is clearly not the two shophouse-wide dining room fronted by big windows with its cafeteria-like feel. And the simple menu, with just a few dozen standards, doesn’t hint at the miracles created in the kitchen. What makes these seemingly mundane dishes special is in part because they’re made the “old-fashioned” way from classic recipes handed down and fine-tuned over decades. The most scrumptious dish is the fresh chunks of crabmeat fried with yellow chilies, onions and string beans (B350). The crab is fresh and the flavors are well-balanced. A dish like the kai jiew foo poo (omelet with crabmeat, B85) is sure to ring a comforting bell from your kindergarten days. Krua Apsorn’s location in the Dusit area may be fairly forgettable, but its excellent flavors always demand a revisit.
Samsen Rd., 02-668-8788. Open Mon-Sat 10:30am-7:30pm. www.kruaapsorn.com