01Start with the classics
Pad thai is the dish everyone knows, and a good one is genuinely excellent — but it is a small part of what Thai food actually is. These are the dishes worth seeking out on a first trip.
- ✓Som tum — green papaya salad, pounded fresh, hot and sour
- ✓Tom yum goong — prawn soup with lemongrass, lime and chilli
- ✓Khao soi — northern curry noodle soup, best in Chiang Mai
- ✓Massaman curry — mild, rich and slightly sweet
- ✓Pad kra pao — minced pork or chicken with holy basil over rice
02Five more worth hunting down
Once you have worked through the classics, these are the next tier:
- ✓Khao man gai — poached chicken rice with ginger sauce
- ✓Larb — minced meat salad with herbs and toasted rice powder
- ✓Gaeng som — a sour orange curry, usually with fish
- ✓Mango sticky rice — the one dessert everyone remembers
- ✓Roti — the street-side pancake, best with banana and condensed milk
03How to order it the way you want it
Thai food is seasoned to taste at the table, and spice levels at tourist restaurants are usually dialled down already. If you want it genuinely mild, say "mai phet" (not spicy).
If you cannot pronounce it, show the Thai script — vendors are used to it and it removes the guesswork entirely.
