6 Ways to Use the Michelin Guide Thailand (2025 Edition)

Featured image: Nicolas Lannuzel, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr.

What the Michelin Guide Thailand covers

Michelin Guide Thailand rates restaurants in Bangkok and well beyond it. Its 2025 edition added Chon Buri, with 20 entries. Nonthaburi and Phang-Nga also appear through newly starred restaurants. Our spokes cover Krabi and Koh Samui. Counts below come from that 2025 edition. The official Thailand selection shows the current list. Prices and hours checked November 2026: no baht figures are quoted here, because each venue sets its own.

Michelin tiers compared: which one fits your trip

Each tier answers a different travel question. Stars point you to a planned splurge. Bib Gourmand points you to value. Selected entries give you safe, recommended options when your schedule is loose. Green Star adds a sustainability signal on top of another rating.

6 Ways to Use the Michelin Guide Thailand

Pick the routes that match your trip length and budget. Figures reflect the 2025 edition.

1. Book one starred splurge

Starred restaurants total 36 in the 2025 edition: 1 Three Star, 7 Two Star and 28 One Star. Sorn, led by chef-owner Supaksorn "Ice" Jongsiri, serves Southern Thai cuisine and moved up to Three Stars after five consecutive years at Two. The Two Star list also holds Baan Tepa, Chef's Table, Gaa, Mezzaluna, R-Haan, Sühring and Côte by Mauro Colagreco.

Côte, a Riviera-inspired Bangkok dining room, was promoted from One Star that year. Browse the full list in our Michelin star restaurants guide. Skip this route if one dinner would strain your food budget.

2. Eat on the Bib Gourmand route

Bib Gourmand is the value tier, with 156 venues in 2025, 20 of them new. For most first-time visitors it is the better starting point than a tasting menu. You can eat several Bib meals for the commitment of one starred dinner.

Chon Buri contributed 5 of those entries, so a Bib meal is possible outside the capital too. Our Bib Gourmand picks sort them by area and style. Skip it only if you want the full set-menu ritual.

3. Chase casual eateries and street food

Michelin's 2025 press release noted a good number of simple restaurants and small eateries that pass recipes down through generations. Inspectors said these places show Thailand offers exceptionally good food at reasonable prices. The 270 Selected entries add further options when you want a recommended meal without a star.

Street-style and family-run places suit short layovers, since you can walk in without a long tasting menu. See which stalls and small shops earn recognition in our Michelin street food guide. Skip this route if you want air-conditioned, reservation-only dining.

4. Go beyond Bangkok to Chon Buri, Nonthaburi and Phang-Nga

Chon Buri debuted in the 2025 edition with 20 entries: 5 Bib Gourmand and 15 Selected. Two of the four One Star newcomers sit outside Bangkok. AKKEE in Nonthaburi serves bold regional Thai dishes in a dimly lit room, and its owner-chef Sittikorn "Ou" Chantop won the Young Chef Award.

Aulis in Phang-Nga runs a chef's table tasting menu built on native ingredients. Each extra province adds ground or air travel to your day. Skip a second province if you have only one or two nights for food.

5. Add one special meal to a beach trip

A beach holiday suits one planned dinner rather than a daily schedule of reservations. Flights or ferries to an island eat into eating time, so choose a single meal and build the day around it. Read our Krabi Michelin restaurants page for the Andaman side.

Our Koh Samui dining guide covers the Gulf island. Check the official guide for the current list before you book transfers. Skip it if your trip is Bangkok-only.

6. Read the Green Star and special awards

Green Star marks sustainability work, and 4 Thai venues held it in 2025: PRU, Haoma, Jampa and Baan Tepa. Baan Tepa grows herbs and edible flowers in its own garden, composts food waste and runs community programs. Four special awards also guide your choices: Young Chef (AKKEE), Opening of the Year (Åre), Service (Yupa Sukkasem of Baan Tepa) and Sommelier (Thansith Wasinonth of Côte).

Åre opened in early 2024 and serves a 30-course menu. Use awards to choose between two similar restaurants, not as a replacement for a tier. Skip this route if you only care about price and speed.

How to book and budget for Michelin restaurants in Thailand

Starred venues work as planned events. Åre's 30-course menu shows how long a set format can run, so reserve the evening and not just a table. Reservation windows, deposits and dress codes differ by restaurant, so use each venue's own site or booking channel. Compare costs by tier: street-style eateries cost least, Bib Gourmand sits in the middle and a starred tasting menu costs most. With 156 Bib Gourmand venues, you can afford to skip a star on a modest budget.

• Mistake: booking a tasting menu without checking dietary options first. Raise allergies and restrictions when you reserve.
• Mistake: assuming every venue serves lunch and dinner on the same menu. Compare both services.
• Mistake: stacking two starred dinners on consecutive nights. Space them out.
• Mistake: treating the 2025 counts as permanent. The guide updates each year.

Sample Michelin food plans for Thailand

Treat these as decision frames, not fixed itineraries. A Bangkok-only weekend works well with one Two Star dinner, chosen from 7 options, and Bib Gourmand lunches around it. A value-first food trip leans on the 156 Bib venues and the 270 Selected entries, with no star reservation at all. A Bangkok plus beach split keeps the capital for the splurge and uses one island meal as the highlight of the coast. Short layovers fit a single casual meal near your route.