How much is too much? Anyone who eats out at the best restaurants in Bangkok can tell you it’s a lot higher than B1,500. And that poses a problem for the old BK price scale on restaurant reviews. Just take a look:

THE OLD RATINGS:

B = under B500
BB = B500-1,000
BBB = B1,000-1,500
BBBB = Over B1,500

Frankly, B1,500 is more like the point of entry for any city center restaurant that opens its doors (don’t hate us—we only report the prices, we don’t set them). But there’s good news here. We reckon the low end of the market—under B500—has remained relatively unchanged. We know of and regularly eat at some truly amazing restaurants that cost much less than B500, some even in Top Tables, and we’re not just talking street food.

As for the rest of those price points, they look like they’re from another decade—which they are. BK last changed its price range sometime around 2008. That’s why, when you see BK’s B-scale pricing from now on, it will mean the following:

THE NEW RATINGS:

B = under B500
BB = B500-1,000
BBB = B1,000-2,000
BBBB = B2,000-3,000
BBBBB = Over B3,000
 

What does that include? Well, our traditional criteria of a starter + main + dessert + 1 drink + tax + service is feeling just as old as the ratings. Tapas bars, sharing plates and 20-course tasting menus have made the three-course menu just a small piece in this city’s culinary puzzle.

In response, we’re allowing ourselves to get a little more subjective here. Our pricing will reflect what we at BK predict it will cost a hungry, non-T total diner to visit the restaurant in question and leave full (if not always satisfied).

And yes, that still includes the plus-plus. Remember, B2,900++ is actually B3,393 after tax and service, and that’s the difference between BBBB and BBBBB.

Are we nostalgic that B1,500 no longer represents the pinnacle of fine dining in Bangkok? Not really. Just look at how far we’ve come as a foodie city: home to two winners of Asia’s 50 Best (Nahm, Gaggan), a L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, a Michelin-starred street food joint, and a growing list of Bangkok-born restaurants operating on their own culinary terms.

If all that’s not worth paying for, we don’t know what is.


Funky Lam, a BB-BBB restaurant

Top Tables 2019: Bangkok's 100 best restaurants