Description: The Cajun food here would sell in New Orleans, it’s that good. Seafood gumbo, jambalaya and blackened fish are all outstanding; they also make a mean chicken fried steak and pecan pie. Mains are served with side orders of fried okra, potatoes au gratin, green beans, and of course cornbread. Attached to a bar and boutique hotel, the Bourbon Street Restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2006. Breakfasts of biscuits and gravy will have you wondering if you’ve landed in the American southeast, and the Tuesday night Mexican buffet is a popular draw.

 

Description: This classy French restaurant on the top floor of The Oriental Hotel is a Bangkok institution. With views of the Chao Phraya River you can savor excellently prepared French cuisine and pay handsomely for it. But you won’t complain because it’s worth every baht. Many of the ingredients are imported from France and there’s an extensive wine list. Visiting French chefs often take up short-term residence here, presenting their specialties, but the menu always includes the restaurant’s classic dishes. It might seem odd to come to Bangkok for a memorable French dinner, but it can be done here. Men must wear a jacket and tie.

 

Description: A lovely restaurant that’s a favorite among Thais, especially for entertaining foreign guests. The dining room is tastefully done, with antiques and paintings from the local region. Traditional Thai food is prepared with skill – ask if you like it spicy – and the staff are charming.

 

Description: Bangkok has an overabundance of good Indian restaurants – connoisseurs of this cuisine are spoiled here. Rang Mahal is arguably the best though, and in a wonderful setting with views of the city. There is a large main dining room, filled with Indian music, or you can request one of the smaller, more private rooms. They serve standard Indian mainstays, including a decent selection of vegetarian. You can find cheaper places, but for the whole package of great food, atmosphere and setting you can’t beat this one.

 

Description: Part of The Oriental Hotel and best at night, when they stage traditional Thai dance in the fancy dining room. Ask for the time of the show so you’re there to see it. To get here, use the boat service run by the hotel that takes you right across the Chao Phraya River. The food is excellent and meticulously prepared – some of the dishes were in the past reserved only for royalty – and the set menu is a great introduction to Thai food. Many consider this to be one of Bangkok’s best restaurants.

 

Description: Bangkok has an oversupply of good Chinese restaurants, but this one stands out as one of the best, with good food, good service and a comfortable though not posh setting. The Peking duck and pork dishes are recommended, and the lunchtime dim sum menu is also good. This place is a small, two-storey restaurant, not to be confused with the hotel of the same name down the street.

 

Description: The set menus for between B800 and B1200 are a great introduction to Thai cuisine for the uninitiated, or you can order from the menu with help from the staff. The food is very good, but this restaurant, in an old house across from the Grand Palace on the Chao Phraya River, is as much about the experience as the dinner. It includes a small museum of items the owner, who founded Bangkok’s river express boat service, has collected over the years. Friday and Saturday night there’s dinner theatre.

 

Description: The Australian lamb here is fabulous but the best meal is probably their “entrée tree” of six tasting dishes. Soothe your sweet tooth by following up with the “dessert tree.” Also a wine bar, there’s an extensive selection of wines from France, Italy, Australia, California and South Africa and fantastic views to be had of the city out of the floor-to-ceiling windows from the restaurant’s 37th floor location.