The traditional food of Thailand has been influenced by
cultures far beyond the country's borders. Spices and techniques from Chinese,
Indian, Middle Eastern, and even European and Japanese cooking all made their way
into what is now known as Thai food. We are lucky in New Orleans to have so
many restaurants that keep up Thai culinary traditions with some of those restaurants
further infusing their food with new flavors.
When you visit these Thai restaurants in New Orleans, your
palette will be awakened with the rich flavors of chili, basil, lime, mint, and
more. These are the most popular Thai restaurants in town.
10 Best Thai Spots in New Orleans
1. Thai'd Up
1839 Gentilly Blvd., (504) 354-8202
thaidup.co
Located near the Fair Grounds, Thai'd Up serves modern dishes inspired by Isan Thai cuisine. First opened in 2022, the restaurant continues to be a fan favorite for Thai food lovers. The staff at Thai'd Up aims to provide the best eating experience, whether you dine in or order take out.
Lauded for their affordable prices and generous portions, Thai'd Up's menu includes well-known dishes such as Pad Thai and Tom Yum, along with their creative specials like Jalapeño Poppers, aka crab rangoons stuffed with jalapeño. Another highlight of their menu is the grilled meats, served with jaew (dried chili dipping sauce). Whatever you order at Thai'd Up is going to be created with passion and is sure to be a delicious meal.
2. Banana Blossom
500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997
504bananablossom.com
First opened in 2009, Banana Blossom focuses on health-conscious but still delicious Thai food. A lot of their dishes are inspired by New Orleans flavors, including the crawfish basil fried rice with Louisiana crawfish tails. Banana Blossom also collaborates with local restaurants Bearcat Cafe and Central City BBQ to create dishes featuring Bearcat's iconic grits and Central City's flavorful barbecue.
Diners should not miss Banana Blossom's Chiang Mai Noodles, egg noodles in yellow curry soup with dried noodles on top. With pickled mustard, crispy shallots, cilantro, and green onions, this dish is rich in flavor and sure to excite taste buds.
3. SukhoThai
Multiple Locations
sukhothai-nola.com
SukhoThai has two locations to choose from, 2200 Royal St. in the Marigny and 3701 Magazine St. in Uptown, and both have exceptional service and quality meals. Mirroring how Thai dishes are traditionally served, SukhoThai's menu items are served "a la carte," so bring your friends to enjoy this meal.
Along with their extensive menu, SukhoThai has a number of fully vegan meals that are made with equal care and flavor to non-vegan dishes. The Sukho Drunken Noodles are a fan favorite for a good reason. These wide rice noodles are stir fried in roasted chili paste with onion, bell peppers, cabbage, sweet basil, garlic, carrots, broccoli, and egg. Diners can choose to have this dish served with chicken, beef, veggies, seafood, or duck. If all the choices overwhelm you, patrons can order one of the chef's recommendations such as Cashew Shrimp and Scallops, Royal Pad Thai, and the Spicy Herbal Garden Whole Fish.
4. Pomelo
4113 Magazine St. (504) 442-9570
pomelonola.com
Pomelo is a boutique restaurant with a menu that is frequently changed, but you can bet that you'll always find great Thai fare and a daily Chef's Special that you can't get anywhere else. You may want to start off with the Thai Herbal Sausage, which is served with fresh helpings of pickled ginger and cilantro, or the Mango Salad with Grilled Pork Shoulder garnished with Thai celery, cilantro, onion, lime, and mint.
Pomelo is very proud of their curry. The Chicken Massaman has chicken thigh meat, potato, onion, and peanuts swimming in a mild, yet flavorful broth of cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise. The Seafood Green Curry has a mixture of seafood like shrimp and mussels with a lime and cilantro-flavored green curry broth.
5. Chill Out Café
729 Burdette St. (504) 872-9628
facebook.com/chilloutcafeuptown
This pretty little restaurant invites you to choose from their specialty noodle and rice dishes and have a long, satisfying meal on their patio. The Crab Fried Rice is a hit with the regular diners, but the Thai Fried Rice has a delightful combination of chicken, beef, and shrimp if one type of meat is just not enough for you. There's also a tofu option for non-meat eaters.
The traditional dishes are crowd-pleasers.
Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, and Yaki Udon are all good options for hearty plates. A bowl
of soup can warm you up if the weather is chilly. Try the Tom Kha Soup with
your choice of chicken, shrimp, or seafood. The Thai Noodle Soup has thin rice
noodles, diced celery, bean sprouts, cilantro, and green onion with your choice
of meat.
6. Thai D-Jing
93 5th St., Gretna, (504) 766-0681
thaidjing.com
Located inside of a bright pink "house," Thai D-Jing was opened in 2020 by chefs Suda Oun-in and Jeerasak Boonlert, who started serving Thai food in Greater New Orleans in 2013 through pop-ups and eventually serving out of a food truck in 2015. Their success led them to open Thai D-Jing's brick and mortar location and allowed them to perfect and curate their menu.
Their menu is quite extensive and even includes a kid's menu for the pickier eaters at the table. Along with their traditional Thai dishes, Thai D-Jing has a fusion section of their menu with unique dishes like Thai Nachos, a spicy meat salad with Thai seasoning, tomatoes, and crispy wontons.
7. Thaihey NOLA
308 Decatur St., (504) 354-8646
thaiheynola.com
One thing that sets Thaihey apart from other Thai restaurants is that they have a fully vegan menu, in addition to the regular menu. That vegan menu has starters, soups, salads, and entrees that vegans and anyone who just wants plant-based foods that day will love. The Khao Soi Tofu is a yellow curry soup with noodles, tofu, crispy soy protein, and lotus root.
The non-vegan menu is great for seafood fanatics. Crawfish Green Curry, Massaman Ribeye Curry, and Red Curry Frog Legs are impossible to find anywhere else in the city. One of the house favorites is Thaihey Drunken Noodle: squid ink pasta and jumbo shrimp are combined with bacon and spicy basil sauce.
8. Budsi's Authentic Thai
1760 N. Rampart St., (504) 381-4636
budsisthai.com
Budsi's places emphasis on making traditional street food that Thai locals would love, and they believe that the people of New Orleans will fall in love with it too. The Grilled Pork Shoulder is a "Thai bar favorite": strips of pork are glazed in a sweet and salty Northeastern Thai chili sauce. Issan Sausage comes from the Issan region: the sausage is stuffed with glass noodles, rice, and garlic and served with cabbage, cucumbers, red chilis, and pickled ginger.
For your entrée, vegetable-lovers will be interested by the Mushroom Larb. The dish features mushrooms and tofu seasoned with lime juice, cilantro, mint, roasted rice, green onions, and red onions. You can choose the protein in the Budsi's Royal Pad Thai with roasted peanuts, lime, and crushed red peppers.
9. Bangkok Thai
513 S Carrollton Ave., (504) 533-9254
Bangkok Thai sits in the Riverbend neighborhood and has been serving that area for nearly 20 years. People love going there again and again for great Thai noodle dishes, curries, rice dishes, and wok-fired dishes at fair prices. And several dishes are gluten-free like the Stir-Fried Eggplant Basil with Thai eggplant, bell pepper, and basil stir-fried with garlic, chili, and bean sauce.
You may want to start off your lunch or dinner
with the Chicken Curry Puffs: crunchy puff pastries filled with mild spice
curried chicken, potato, and onion. Then, graduate to the Sweet and Sour Jumbo
Prawn: stir-fried jumbo prawn, pineapple, onions, bell pepper, and green onion
with Thai sweet and sour sauce.
10. Thai Mint
1438 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 862-9001
thaimintnola.godaddysites.com
Thai Mint is known for their delectable seafood entrees, even though they've got amazing noodle, rice, and curry dishes, too. You can't beat the South Sea Shrimp with sautéed shrimp, bell pepper, carrot, celery, onion, and egg in homemade curry sauce. The Mango Catfish is one-of-a-kind: fried catfish served with spicy mango and lime-dressing salad.
There are so many soups to choose from that
you're sure to find something you love. The Hot & Sour Soup includes
bamboo, onion, mushrooms, tofu, chicken, crab, and egg simmered in chicken
broth. The Tom Yum Soup has a tangy lemongrass broth with chili, mushrooms,
cilantro, and tomato, and can either have chicken or shrimp.
Where to Get Thai Food in New Orleans
If these restaurants don't make you hungry for some Pad Thai
or Tom Yum Soup, then nothing will. Thai food is so full of flavor with every
bite that it can feel like your mouth is bursting. If you've never had it
before, now is the best time to expand your culinary horizon to this particular part of Asia. You can look at Where Y'at's restaurant guide for even more suggestions.
Did we miss the best Thai food in New Orleans? Let us know
where we can find it.
