Anthony Bourdain in Thailand: The Complete Country Guide

Among Asian cuisines available to North Americans, Thai is perhaps one of the better known; Thai immigrants have settled around the world, and some choose to open restaurants that share their cuisine with the rest of us. For example, did you know that Fairbanks, Alaska, is considered to be one of the Thai food capitals of the world – with one restaurant for every 1,000 residents!

It is perhaps with this in mind that Tony Bourdain made sure to visit Thailand a few times during his career. Anthony Bourdain filmed four episodes in Thailand over the course of his career: two for A Cook’s Tour, one for No Reservations, and one for Parts Unknown. He visited 3-4 times* to film those episodes, and those were the only times we know he visited during his global travels.

*It’s likely the two episodes in A Cook’s Tour were part of the same trip, rather than two separate trips.

If you’re planning a trip to Thailand and want to travel to the same places visited by Anthony Bourdain in Thailand, you’ve come to the right place. This country guide covers the basics: which Thai cities Tony visited, as well as a list of all the restaurants open today that he at ate. It also links to two more in-depth guides I put together about the biggest destinations he spent time in.

So whether you love the classic dishes like Pad Thai and Tom Kha Gai or you’re more adventurous in search of Gaeng Keow Wan or Nam Prik Goong, let Uncle Tony be your guide to exploring all that Thailand and Thai cusine have to offer.

Table of Contents

Bangkok

Anthony Bourdain in Bangkok - Chili Clams

Bangkok is Thailand’s capital city, located in the southern part of the state. As is the case in most countries, the dishes you can find here are regionalized; in Thailand, there’s a clear distinction between southern and northern Thai foods. The places Anthony Bourdain ate in Bangkok – and the dishes he tried – reflect that regionalism. Here’s the list of spots:

For more info about each of these spots and what Tony ate at each one, take a look at my guide to the places visited by Anthony Bourdain in Bangkok.

Chiang Mai

Anthony Bourdain in Chiang Mai - Papaya Salad

While it’s only the second-largest city in Thailand, Tony spent a lot more time in Chiang Mai and ate at a lot more places; he made two trips, just as he did for Bangkok. Here’s a full list of the restaurants that are still open today:

If you want to dive into the list with more detail including what Bourdain ate at each of these places, be sure to check out my complete guide to the places visited by Anthony Bourdain in Chiang Mai.

While Anthony Bourdain didn’t visit as many places in Thailand as in other Southeast Asian countries, there’s still quite enough to be getting on with, don’t you think? Have any questions about the places visited by Anthony Bourdain in Thailand or where he ate? Let me know in the comments!