Ban Thai

Ban Thai occupies a peculiar position in Reykjavik's dining landscape. It is a tiny Thai restaurant on the upper stretch of Laugavegur, away from the tourist centre, with no views, no designer interior, and no particular ambition to be anything other than what it has been for over two decades: a place that makes extraordinarily good Thai food. The result is one of the highest-rated restaurants in the entire country, across all cuisines and price ranges.

The Food

The menu is traditional Thai, and it is executed with a skill and authenticity that puts Ban Thai in a different category from the city's other Thai restaurants. The curries — green, red, massaman — are made from scratch with proper paste preparations, fresh herbs, and the kind of aromatic depth that only comes from a kitchen that truly understands Thai flavour profiles.

The pad kra pao (holy basil stir-fry) is a benchmark dish. The wok work produces the intense heat and flavour that this dish demands, and the holy basil adds the distinctive, slightly peppery aroma that separates a genuine version from an imitation. The tom kha gai — coconut chicken soup — is creamy, fragrant, and balanced with the precision of a kitchen that has made it thousands of times.

Every dish on the menu shows the same level of care. Ingredients are fresh, seasoning is confident, and the balance of flavours — the interplay of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and bitter that defines great Thai cooking — is consistently achieved. This is not Thai food adapted for European palates. It is the real thing.

The Space

Ban Thai is small. Very small. A handful of tables in a modest space that makes no concession to aesthetics or grandeur. The decor is basic, the lighting is functional, and the tables are close enough together that conversations from neighbouring parties will occasionally merge with your own. None of this matters. You are here for the food, and the food more than compensates.

The Reputation

Ban Thai regularly appears at the top of review rankings for Reykjavik, competing with restaurants that charge three times as much and seat ten times as many. The loyalty of its regular customers is fierce, and the word-of-mouth recommendation network is how most visitors discover it. If someone who has lived in Reykjavik tells you where to eat Thai food, they will say Ban Thai. Every time.

Practical Tips

Reservations are essential. This cannot be overstated. The restaurant is tiny, the demand is enormous, and walk-ins are almost always turned away. Book at least two to three days in advance, longer during summer. Dinner only — the kitchen opens at 17:30. The location on upper Laugavegur requires a 10-minute walk from the city centre, but the walk is pleasant and the food at the end of it justifies the effort entirely.