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The Best Thai Restaurants in W1: Five Picks, From a Charcoal Counter in Soho to a Late-Night Chinatown Favourite

The best Thai restaurants W1 has to offer are mostly in Soho, within a few streets of each other. Kiln on Brewer Street grills northern Thai food at a counter. Speedboat Bar on Rupert Street serves until 1am at weekends. Platapian and Patara offer calmer sit-down dinners, and Rosa's Thai covers good-value comfort food. Here is what each does best, with hours checked in October 2026.

1. Kiln, Brewer Street, Soho

58 Brewer Street, W1F 9TL. Kiln is the place most Londoners name first. It cooks northern and north-eastern Thai food over charcoal grills, in woks and in clay pots, at a long counter facing the open kitchen, with more seats downstairs for booked groups. Expect skewers, grilled meats and fish, claypot noodles and fierce, sour, herby salads and curries that do not tone down the heat. The wine list changes often, which suits food this punchy. Kiln is listed in the Michelin Guide, and its prices sit in the guide's mid-range band.

The kitchen is open 12pm to 11pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm to 9pm on Sunday. The ground-floor counter keeps space for walk-ins, and you can book the counter for up to three people or the larger tables downstairs. Early evening is the easiest time to get in without a wait.

2. Speedboat Bar, Rupert Street, Soho

30 Rupert Street, W1D 6DL. On the edge of Chinatown, Speedboat Bar is the Soho restaurant from chef Luke Farrell, also behind Plaza Khao Gaeng. It is built for a loud night out: bright, packed, with big plates of stir-fries, noodles and grilled dishes made for sharing, beer, and a drinks list to match. It is the best Thai option in W1 for a late meal.

Soho opening times are 12pm to midnight Monday to Thursday (last food orders 10.45pm), 12pm to 1am on Friday and Saturday (last food 12.15am), and 12pm to 11pm on Sunday (last food 9.45pm). There is a second branch in Notting Hill. Book for groups; walk in if there are two of you and you can be flexible.

3. Platapian, Greek Street, Soho

15 Greek Street, W1D 4DP. Platapian took over the Greek Street site that was Patara Soho, and is listed by Patara as its sister restaurant. It describes its cooking as treasured regional recipes and contemporary dishes, pairing Thai ingredients with British produce. It suits a sit-down dinner before the theatre more than a quick bowl of noodles. Reservations: 020 3822 0329 or platapian@snpfood.com.

4. Patara, Maddox Street, near Oxford Circus

7 Maddox Street, W1S 2QB. Patara is a long-running London Thai group with branches in South Kensington, Knightsbridge and Wimbledon as well as this one, a short walk from Oxford Circus and Regent Street. The cooking is polished and the room is calm, which makes it a reliable choice for a business lunch in Mayfair or a meal after shopping on Regent Street. Book on 020 7499 6008.

5. Rosa's Thai, Dean Street and Warren Street

48 Dean Street, W1D 5BF, and 48 Grafton Way, W1T 5DZ. Rosa's Thai is a chain, and it does not pretend otherwise: it serves classic Thai comfort food, from pad Thai and pad kra prow to curries, tom yum and som tum, at prices that work for a quick weeknight meal. The Dean Street branch is in the middle of Soho; the Grafton Way branch near Warren Street in Fitzrovia has semi-private dining for up to 45. Phone Dean Street on 020 7494 1638 and Grafton Way on 020 3687 0171.

Reading a Thai menu in Soho

The newer Soho openings cook regional food rather than the all-purpose menus of older high-street Thai restaurants, and it helps to know the difference before you order.

• Northern and north-eastern (Isan) dishes lean on grilling, sticky rice, herbs and lime: grilled pork neck, larb (a minced meat salad with toasted rice, herbs and chilli) and som tum (green papaya salad). This is Kiln's territory.
• Central Thai dishes are the ones most people know: green and red curries made with coconut milk, pad Thai and tom yum. Rosa's Thai and Patara cover these well.
• Stir-fries and "made to order" plates, such as pad kra prow (holy basil with minced meat and a fried egg), are the backbone of Bangkok street food and of Speedboat Bar's menu.

Thai meals are meant to be shared. Order one dish per person plus rice, mix a salad, a curry and a grill or stir-fry, and ask how hot a dish is before you commit: in the regional places, "spicy" means it. Sticky rice is eaten with the fingers alongside grilled meats and salads, jasmine rice with curries.

How to choose

• For the most exciting cooking: Kiln. Arrive early or sit at the counter.
• For a late, lively night with friends: Speedboat Bar.
• For a calmer sit-down dinner: Platapian in Soho or Patara on Maddox Street.
• For a reliable, good-value meal: Rosa's Thai.

Thai is one of several cuisines we cover in W1. If you are eating with a group that wants something else, see our picks for the best Japanese restaurants in W1, the best Chinese restaurants in W1 and cheap eats in Soho and Chinatown, or start with our where to eat in W1 overview. Back to the W1 London homepage.

Addresses, hours and phone numbers from each restaurant's own website (Kiln, Speedboat Bar, Platapian, Patara, Rosa's Thai), checked 24 October 2026. Hours change around holidays; check before you go.