The best restaurants and cafes in Ekkamai

Joe Napol is back in the fine-dining scene with Nawa, a warmly-lit dining room in Ekkamai that aims to transform classic Thai recipes from the central region into progressive cuisine.

Tucked in the bustling Ekkamai stretch is this pad thai parlor which are popular among all-nighters after the clubs in the neighborhoods are closed. The highlight is the river prawn pad thai which comes out on neither too dry nor wet, served wrapped in omelet that’s filled with delicate smoky flavor and two jumbo size prawns with fresh sprout and bean curd served separately on the side (B150). For a budget option, a simple pad thai with dried shrimps is also a good choice for good old classic throwback. 

100 Mahaseth, the restaurant near Charoenkrung that has elevated nose-to-tail eating and given a gourmet twist to less appreciated meat cuts, has branched out to Ekkamai. The new dining room boasts a more casual bar vibe, and serves creative tipples to go with soulful dishes that celebrate locally sourced ingredients from the northern and Isaan region. Wooden details permeate the establishment’s two floors, giving the feel of one of those suan arhaarn eateries outside Bangkok. Chef/owner Chalee Kader wants this second branch to feel less formal, designing it as a casual dining spot before party-goers hit the watering holes and clubs in the area. There are plans to include more tapas-style bites in the menu but, for now, you can enjoy 100 Mahaseth’s popular fusion dishes such as American-style beef pho and sai oeur hotdog. The restaurant also gives Isaan food a creative twist. The som tum ponlamai (spicy fruit salad) mixes pineapple with plara (fermented fish sauce),cockles and sliced green taro. For heavier fare, order the grilled bavette (locally sourced) served with a sauce of bai ya nang (bamboo grass) and grilled onion flower stem, or the Western-style blood sausage with spicy larb. Pair these boldly flavored dishes with drinks that pile on Thai spirits. Chamchan is a heady concoction that combines Isaan rum and New Moon (a spirit made from fermented jasmine rice) with lemon juice, purple lemonade and a shot of M150. Equally fun is Nam Dang Lumyong, which brings back memo

The team behind Cocotte—the swanky steak-slash-ribs specialist on Sukhumvit 39—loosens up on its meat-centric concept by letting seafood co-star at a new Mediterranean spin-off in Ekkamai. An eye-catching two-story house painted in contrasting hues of white and yale blue accommodates the restaurant, which features interiors that play on the concept of sea and land—mar and terra in Latin—as seen in the combination of navy blue chairs and heavy wooden floor and tables. The open kitchen is populated by a team that’s hard at work wielding culinary magic on fresh ingredients such as oysters and Maine lobster. Italian chef Marco Pacetta, who used to work at Issaya Siamese Club, sends out an array of seafood dishes influenced by French, Italian and Spanish cuisines, including a paella and cooked in lobster bisque, and packed with succulent lobster, meaty chorizo and chicken (B2,400). The kitchen also oversees veg-heavy dishes like a light and crispy pizza soufflé filled with truffle-infused stracciatella (soft Italian buffalo cheese) and topped with grilled vegetables and truffles (B590)—a combination that screams creamy indulgence. The main dining area showcases a photogenic deli space that displays a number of cold cuts and more than 80 kinds of cheese. You can opt for the Artisan Board, which lets you select either three or five types of cheese and cold cuts (B980/B1,490). Try the delicious and rare Gruyere de Gruyere from Switzerland or the Italian Blu61, an infamous cherry-coat

Tucked away in Ekkamai Soi 23, this unassuming spot serves a crab meat omelette that’s anything but ordinary, alongside other seafood classics. Though calling it a “hidden gem” might sound predictable, it truly earns the title. The real draw is its local favourites, like the substantial crab omelette (B700) and a tom yum seafood (B260) that delivers on that essential spicy-sour kick. If you’re passing through from Khlong Tan station, this low-key eatery could be just the spot to pause, refuel, and savour some authentic flavours. 51 Ekkamai Soi 23, Khlong Tan Nuea. 086-044-9478. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-3.30pm. Closed Sun

A champion of egg noodles with barbequed pork and soft-boiled egg, this old-school noodle shop morphed from a simple pushcart and is probably the most famous eatery of its kind in Ekkamai. Waits are notoriously long (its name translates to “Uncle Slow”) but the food is definitely worth it

Maynard Seekala’s humble eatery in Ekkamai is undoubtedly 2022’s most promising pizza spot. Hype is centered around its 48-hour sourdough bun, which is topped with sauces and seasonal ingredients from all over Thailand. Best of all is the restaurant’s unpretentious no-frills vibes. 

When talking about dumplings, we bet most of you quickly imagine a hot stack of steaming bamboo baskets filled with dim sum in a Chinese restaurant. But the Chinese don’t have a monopoly on these tasty little bites. Almost all countries, in fact, have their own way of making these scrumptious morsels, using ingredients and cooking methods that encapsulate the essence of their culinary culture. Russia’s pelmeni is one dumpling we don’t encounter too often in Bangkok. Mostly recognized as the heart of Russian cuisine, this dumpling doesn’t differ much from the Cantonese wonton—it’s basically meat stuffed in thin wrapping paper. To boost the flavor of pelmeni, the Russians add condiments such as sour cream. These Russian dumplings are the specialty of new cloud kitchen Dumplings Bangkok. Founded earlier this year, it is run by the folks behind Alexander’s German Eatery in Ekkamai.  Ordering involves two easy steps: pick the filling and then the sauce of your choice. Dumplings Bangkok currently has four main fillings on offer: pork, chicken, potato and cottage cheese.  The fun part is choosing the sauce. The kitchen has come up with almost 10 options, each one named after a country. Russia, to start with, is simply butter topped with dill and some sour cream. Austria is an assorted mushroom gravy, while Italy hits you with a tomato-heavy Napolitana sauce. North Pole tops pan-fried pelmeni with apple purée and raisin, while Switzerland flavors up the dumplings with a sauce made wi

For those craving a high-end Thai dining experience, this stylish, barn-inspired eatery offers a tasteful take on classic Thai dishes, including its own spin on the famous crab meat omelette. Here, a tasting menu starting at B3,500 showcases a refined selection like rich lamb massaman curry, fragrant tom yum koong, and Khao’s signature crab roe chilli paste. With a focus on preserving authentic flavours without modern twists, this spot is sure to captivate serious Thai cuisine lovers. 15 Ekkamai Soi 10, Khlong Tan Nuea. 098-829-8878. Open Daily 11.30am-2pm & 5.30pm-10pm

It’s been over two years since Jay Sangsingkaew, a former chef at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Bangkok, moved on from the much-respected, yet short-lived, restaurant to launch her own venture. No longer a young hopeful aspiring to break through Bangkok’s culinary scene, Chef Jay pays homage to French cuisine at Restaurant Stage (pronounced “staj”), a name that alludes to the culinary term for unpaid internships.  When she opened Stage in 2020, the Europe-trained chef was committed to using only imported ingredients to create a series of multi-course menus that are assigned a number that suggests the restaurant’s constant progression. Recently, Chef Jay unveiled Stage Experience 7.0 (B4,500++), a 10-course set that, instead of solely focusing on international produce, emphasizes the use of local ingredients sourced from producers across Thailand, such as king prawns from Surat Thani and sweet potatoes from Phetchabun. The meal starts off with a four-bite amuse bouche that includes taramasalata rosette, egg mimosa, duck confit puff, and wild boar. Following closely is a delicate white asparagus dish with razor clams. In the third course, Ox & Bone, Chef Jay uses different parts of the animal to create a series of small dishes, namely oxtail terrine, bone marrow croquette, and tarragon emulsion. The potatoes from Phetchabun figure in the next dish, cooked using a special method that gives the root crop a different texture. Three seafood dishes follow, featuring king prawn, soft-sh