Of all the types of European cuisine in Bangkok, Italian might be the most popular (sorry, French folks). Each year, BK Magazine hosts its annual Top Tables restaurant awards, which lists the top 100 venues in the city, regardless of cuisine type, for that calendar year according to a panel of journalists, restaurateurs, chefs, and foodies that we know get out and eat. Following that event, we break that top 100 down into region-specific lists like this to share to readers. The Top Tables entries are marked, alongside about 12 others that the writers at BK think you should know about. 

 

This is by no means a complete list (we need to cut it off at some point), but if you are looking for a new Italian restaurant to try in Bangkok this list will get you started. 

 

The eponymous Italian-Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco and team took the lush space at Capella Bangkok to make it a chic Chao Phraya getaway for the Bangkok fine diner. Helmed by chef Davide Garavaglia, this year Côte has kept things fresh with a new and accessible lunch menu. At Côte, everything starts with the ingredients—and that’s a reason to keep going back. What’s great about the French and Italian riviera-style fare here is that it’s adaptable. The obvious choice is the nine-course or seven-course tasting menu, but this spot boasts truly incredible service and attention to detail. 

 

Beloved among Thai and foreign foodies, the Italian  fine-dining restaurant from seasoned Italian chef Chris tian Martena has kept standards up since its inception  in 2019. The two-storey bauhaus villa is surrounded  by a sculpture-filled garden. Their tasting menu and  seasonal options balance carefully imported produce,  Italian flavors, and complex textures with finely tuned  service. The signature line up contains a classy blend  of Italian fare—think oysters, scallops, riso, spaghetti,  and steak. Their Seven Regions menu shows off even  rarer ingredients like otoro tuna. 

 

A dash of Phuket, a sprinkling of the Mediterranean—and you’ve got Acqua Bangkok. Alessandro Frau,  the mastermind behind Acqua, serves modern Italian  dishes with an innovative approach, using traditional  recipes to hone up cooking techniques with a wide  range of imported products from Italy, France, Spain  and Japan. The venue offers 60 seats in a room with  refined design, so customers can relax in an informal  and friendly atmosphere. Also, this is a wine list you  just don't want to miss.

 

The taverna vibes at this taverna-style eatery on  Sukhumvit Soi 31 are unmissable. Bangkok has every  level of Italian fare, but comfort is big at Appia. It’s  refreshingly simple without being careless. We can  recommend their crispy lamb ribs with rosemary  gremolata or the oxtail stew, but if you want to pop in  for a quick pasta, this is the sort of joint that gives you  that country, cared-for feel you rarely get at restaurants in Thonglor.

 

 

In charge of Bangkok’s hottest dining spots like Hor  Samut, Contento, and Rongros, Ou Baholyodhin's  latest venture is this four-storey Mediterranean resto  on Rama IV. Slang for “little boy” or “baby” in Italian,  the restaurant serves uncomplicated, easy-to-fall-in 

love-with comfort food whether it’s a reliable plate of  squid pesto gnocchetti, spaghetti vongole, or a wheel  of truffle pizza using the innovative Moretti oven (which  is currently the only one in Thailand). Their selection of  beer and cocktails cements a good time. 

 

Lenzi Tuscan Kitchen has remained one of Bangkok’s favorite Italian restaurants for years. Its sister project, Casa Lenzi, is all about bringing back the authentic flavors that are increasingly difficult to find. Since this is one of Chef Francesco Lenzi’s establishments, you can expect award-winning cheese and meat, some of which are sent straight from the chef’s family farm in Italy. Expect classics like seafood risotto, homemade meatball pastas, and wood-fired grilled selections from Australian angus tenderloin to Tasmanian lamb chop.

 

A new addition to Silom’s Italian dining spots, Cento isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel—presenting familiar comforts from truffle ravioli to the agnolotti seafood pasta. But the devil’s in the details with this one. The venue serves up high-quality ingredients culminating in mouth watering dishes like the hamachi crudo drizzled with yuzu, lemon, and a hint of wasabi as well as the dreamy 70 chocolate mousse which comes with vanilla gelato, a dash of salt, and olive oil. They also take their booze seriously, with their own wine cellar and a free flow mimosa and bloody mary station. 

 

Inspired by Gianni Favro, Gianni Ristorante has been supplying the city with Italian fine dining since 1996. The cuisine, as you might have guessed, is Italian—very Italian—and it’s done to a high level of quality and with meticulous service. The interior is intimate and comfortable, with white fixtures and red furniture that gives off Mediterranean vibes. 

 

A boon to the Italian food lovers of Thonglor. Whether you’re out for a proper Neapolitan pizza to tiramisu, this venue effuses Italian vives all over, an adorable little space in the downtown whirlwind. The pizza is definitely a must-try, but the lobster pasta is an indulgent dish you won’t soon forget. For something lighter, try their crab and avocado salad. 

 

The eponymous chef Luca Appino has been a trailblazer of Italian dining in Bangkok. La Bottega di Luca is nestled right in the heart of the busy streets of Thonglor, and the rustic yet elegant establishment has been around since 2008. With head chef Marco Avesani joining in recent years, the venue has served up a steady flow of simple yet high quality a la carte. There are also special dishes like the Finanziera which is packed with traditional flavors found in royal Piedmont banquets.  

 

Peppina is the go-to spot for authentic Italian pizza in Bangkok, known for sticking to the strict guidelines of the True Neapolitan Pizza Association. With fresh, imported ingredients and a commitment to traditional Italian flavors, this pizzeria brings the rich heritage of Naples to the city. Try a signature pizza like their Peppina, topped with provola, pomodoro piennolo, and basil, but their homemade pastas like the Pappardelle al Ragù d'Anatra are also not to be missed. 

 

Located in the Four Seasons Riverside, Riva del Fiume channels the charm of Lake Como, offering a menu built around a 'food journey' concept. Chefs Andrea Accordi and Enrico Maritan collaborate to highlight authentic Italian ingredients like extra virgin olive oil from Tasca d’Almerita and Pantelleria capers from Sicily. The result is a taste of Italy in dishes like Tagliolini alla Carbonara di Ricci—tagliolini with sea urchin, cockles, and rocket sauce. Expect seasonally inspired, modern Italian cuisine.  

 

Chef Paulo Airaudo, who has garnered six Michelin stars across 14 restaurants worldwide, has opened a space in Bangkok with one of the coolest open kitchens around, crafting creative Italian fare with Florentine style. The flavors coming via Tuscany have a little splash of Thai and Japanese produce that elevate the Italian fare. While glamor is the watchword for the venue, to go with the current four-wine options to pair with the elevated Italian, there is a selection of cocktails and a fully stocked bar here.

 

If you’ve paid attention to Bangkok’s food scene for any amount of time over the past 5-10 years, you will already know the name Biscotti. The venue has been a staple on lists like this for at least that long if not more, and is often the landing pad for the World Gourmet Festival’s most anticipated guest dinners. Sicilian-born Giuseppe Bonura recently joined as the restaurant’s chef de cuisine bringing nearly half-a-decade of experience from his time at Rosewood Phuket. Signatures include garganelli (tuna tartare with bottarga, olives, caperberry, and parsley), risotto al branzino (a ea bass risotto with saffron, lemon, and chervil), and a longtime favorite of regulars, Amalfi lemonnzino (an Ivory white chocolate mousse, confit Amalfi lemons, and limoncello sorbet encased in a crust shaped like a lemon). 

 

At Garden Community Place, you’ll find a dark green sign marking Shoreditch. Serving up modern Italian fare inspired by the eponymous trendy east London neighborhood, you can expect hand-rolled pasta and selected wines. The quaint venue is largely known for its handmade fresh pastas and homey vibe. Their signature “Shoreditch” pasta features miso brown butter served with fettuccine, parmesan, and mushroom powder to add a tinge of umami to the simple-yet-impactful plate. The bisque risotto is another go-to, which uses shrimp stock to add a distinct richness to the arborio rice. With parking 100 meters from the entrance at Shoreditch, the restaurant is open from 11am, so you can get in for a quick lunch.

 

This little slice of Emilia-Romagna on the back Sois of Sathorn provides the premium ingredients that made the region famous — parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar from Modena, and prosciutto di Parma — highlighted in dishes like the cotoletta alla Petroniana, a breaded veal topped with parma ham and parmigiano cheese. Keep an eye out for the seafood risotto and the hearty lasagna for some much deserved weekend treat.

 

Taking over the sprawling space on Soi Somkid that once housed the legendary Ouince, Tabula Rasa (a Latin phrase often translated as “clean slate”) tries to hit the reset button and draw in a the area’s fiercely competitive brunch crowd as an Italian taverna with careful European fare. Helmed by 23-year-old chef Daran Rungwatthanasophon, the venue’s concise four-page menu charts the essentials of the Italian cooking playbook—much of which staying within a very reasonable B300-500 range—including a sizable grill menu that sources much of its seafood and poultry from farms across Thailand. The folks behind Wine Garage are part owners here, so the list on offer is exceptional and carefully charts nearly every winemaking region in Italy alongside a few selections from wider Europe, the Americas, and Australia. 

 

It’s rare that a restaurant in Bangkok lasts more than five years considering the level of competition in this city and its affinity for Italian cuisine. Those are rookie numbers for Enoteca Italiana, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and is still very much one of the biggest names in fine Italian food. Head chef and Milan native Federico Orrù brings a wealth of Michelin experience to the table, including a stint at the legendary Restaurant Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France. The menu here is vast with choices, from traditional a la carte offerings and tasting menus to more exotic “omakase” experiences. 

 

Named after the Florentine lily, Giglio is all about traditional dishes of the Tuscan hills in a classic-looking Italian trattoria atmosphere. Inside, wooden tables and chairs fill out a room surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows partially covered with low hanging curtains. Sage-color banquets line cream-tiled walls decorated with old prints and pictures. Altogether, the décor creates a warm and inviting vibe. The restaurant focuses on the simple, classic cooking of Italy’s largest region and has a fantastic wine list to back it all up. 

 

Francesco Lenzi and his first namesake restaurant (his most recent, Casa Lenzi, is also included on this list) has been one of the most recognizable names in Bangkok’s Italian food scene for well over a decade. His first venture, Lenzi Tuscan Kitchen, projects an upscale Italian moodiness with its use of dark wood and starched tablecloths, but the tone here is kept light by the staff and occasional visits from Lenzi himself jovially interacting with guests. Cured meats and cheeses from Lenzi’s own family farm in Tuscany star alongside creative pasta dishes and wood-fired meats.

 

Chef Davide Calo knows a thing or two about southern Italian food—famous for rich pastas, many of the country’s fresh herbs and spices, and as the birthplace of pizza. His hometown of San Cesario di Lecce sits right on the heel of the country’s “boot”, surrounded by seemingly endless rolling hills bathed in green and orange. So it comes as no surprise that southern Italy is the star of the restaurant’s new menu offering—often drawing inspiration from family recipes. What makes this place so special is these quality southern specialities paired with the exceptional drinks list from Stanislav Andruskeviclab, who leads Kimpton Maa-Lai’s impressive cocktail line-up throughout the hotel—including Ruby’s adjacent to the restaurant and the award-winning Bar.Yard on the rooftop. 

 

Located within the Grand Hyatt Erawan in the heart of Bangkok, Salvia is a warm Italian trattoria with family-style dishes made for sharing. Warm lighting, potted trees and rattan furnishings create a homey atmosphere, supported by glass cabinets filled with Italian knick-knacks and polished wine glasses. Take in the neighborhood-inspired vibes as you make your way through the likes of spaghetti alle vongole (handmade spaghetti lathered in a white wine sauce with clams parsley and peperoncino) with a glass of Castello Banfi pinot in hand.