Six Thai restaurants have earned Michelin stars, adding to a growing roster of places as a generation of young and passionate chefs help burnish the nation’s gastronomic appeal.
In addition to the six restaurants that were given a one-star rating, two fine-dining restaurants were upgraded to two stars, Michelin said on December 13 when it unveiled the 2024 edition of the Thailand Michelin Guide.
While French restaurant J’aime by Jean-Michel Lorain was awarded a Green Star tag for its sustainable approach, no Thai restaurant has managed to win the three-star rating so far.
There are now 35 restaurants in Thailand with Michelin stars. The company also added 28 new establishments to its Bib Gourmand list of value-for-money places serving high-quality food.
Thailand’s culinary attractions range from pricey fine-dining restaurants to diverse street-food stalls, and help draw millions of tourists annually. Nine Bangkok restaurants appeared on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list this year – compared to seven in Tokyo and five in Hong Kong.
Baan Tepa, a contemporary Thai restaurant helmed by Chudaree Debhakam, and Gaa, an Indian restaurant run by Garima Arora that combines old-school cooking with modern techniques and presentation, both received a second Michelin star.
The six new one-Michelin-star restaurants include Inddee, which serves cuisines from different regions of India and a set menu of food cooked on a charcoal grill, and Nawa, a Thai contemporary restaurant that dishes out central Thai cuisine and a seasonal tasting menu of finger food and small bites.
“Our inspectors have experienced the true diversity that Thailand has to offer, from modern restaurants pushing culinary boundaries to simple street food stalls – continuously reinforcing Thailand’s rich gastronomic culture and heritage,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said .
Michelin said a new breed of modern Thai restaurants, headed by a generation of young and passionate chefs, are pushing the boundaries of modern cooking. In addition, there has been a growth of reservation-only, counter dining operations serving modern and innovative tasting menus, it said.
Thailand’s culinary scene has also become remarkable for its growing number of female chefs and entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry, according to Michelin. Baan Tepa’s Chudaree was also chosen for the Michelin young chef award that recognises “exceptional talent and great potential”, it said.
New one-star restaurants
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Inddee
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Nawa
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Samrub Samrub Thai
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Mia
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Residence
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Wana Yook
