Best Thai Restaurants in Edinburgh (2026): 23 Places to Eat

Edinburgh has a lot of Thai kitchens for a city of its size. You can eat a long dinner on a rooftop near George Street, queue for a bowl of noodles by the university, or pick up a curry on Clerk Street on the way home. Most places cook the classics, from pad thai to green curry, and the gap between them is setting, price and how far the cooking strays from the usual list. The best Thai food in the city is spread across several neighbourhoods rather than one street.

This guide covers 23 places we could confirm as open in November 2026, grouped into smart city-centre rooms, neighbourhood favourites and casual counters. Each listing gives the street address, the hours published by the venue and what it does best. Where a restaurant calls its own cooking authentic or traditional, we say so in its words rather than ours. We left out places that have closed or that we could not confirm as trading.

Updated 4 November 2026. Addresses, opening hours and prices come from each restaurant’s own website, official social account or ordering page. Hours change with the seasons and some kitchens close for Thai New Year in April, so confirm before you travel.

Thai Restaurants at a Glance

Prices are as published by each restaurant and exclude drinks and service. Areas are a rough guide; the full address is in each listing below.

Smart Thai Dining in the City Centre

These restaurants are the places to book for a birthday, a work dinner or a long evening with cocktails. Most sit in the New Town grid around George Street, a short walk from Princes Street.

Chaophraya (New Town)

This large Thai restaurant sits on the fourth floor of a Castle Street building, with rooftop views towards the castle and the Firth of Forth. It is part of a UK group that began with pad thai on the streets of Bangkok, according to the restaurant, and the kitchen mixes classic Thai recipes with signature plates such as the Weeping Tiger fillet steak and Thai basil fried rice.

Vegan and gluten free options are marked on the menu, and there is a children’s menu and a sharing set for two or more, served family-style. Private dining is available for groups. The restaurant says it is wheelchair accessible; add any access needs when you book. Castle Terrace car park is the closest parking.

Address & hours: 4th Floor, 33 Castle Street, EH2 3DN · Monday–Sunday 12–10pm · 0131 634 0023 · chaophraya.co.uk

Dusit (New Town)

Dusit opened on Thistle Street in 2002 and serves contemporary Thai cooking with local produce alongside herbs and spices from Thailand. The lunch menu is good value: any two courses for £19.95, every day until 3pm, with the full à la carte menu also available. To book a table you have to phone.

A private room seats up to eight guests. Note the house rule on young children: babies and toddlers who need a high chair, pram or buggy are not admitted after 8pm. Food can also be collected to take home.

Address & hours: 49a Thistle Street, EH2 1DY · Weekdays 12–3pm and 5–10pm, Saturday and Sunday all day; final seating 9.15pm · 0131 220 6846 · dusit.co.uk

Time 4 Thai (New Town)

A modern dining room in a Georgian town house on North Castle Street, open since 2005. The restaurant describes its menu as modern Thai with king prawns and seafood as a speciality, and says ingredients are flown in from Thailand every week. The room is split into four dining areas, which makes it one of the best choices for a quieter dinner.

Address & hours: 45 North Castle Street, EH2 3BG · Lunch and dinner; confirm hours when you book · 0131 225 8822 · time4thai.co.uk

Spirit of Thai (West End)

Open since the summer of 2006, Spirit of Thai is a short walk from the Lyceum, the Usher Hall and the Filmhouse, which makes it handy before a show. The room blends traditional and modern decor, with tiled floors and wooden beams, and the restaurant describes its food as an authentic Thai meal in a calm setting. It closes on Mondays.

Address & hours: 44 Grindlay Street, EH3 9AP · Tue–Thu 12–3pm and 5–11pm; Fri 12–3pm and 5–11:30pm; Sat 12–11:30pm; Sun 1–10:30pm; closed Mon · 0131 228 9333 · spiritofthai.com

Rosa’s Thai (New Town)

The Edinburgh branch of the London-born chain is on Frederick Street, less than ten minutes on foot from Waverley. It is family-friendly: the kids menu lets children build a mild meal of rice, noodles and curry, and the main menu includes pad thai, massaman curry and drunken noodles. Students get 20% off food all day from Sunday to Thursday.

Chicken comes from a halal supplier, and there are vegetarian, vegan and gluten free choices. A semi-private space holds up to 32 guests, and a feast menu for groups starts at £25 per person.

Address & hours: 43 Frederick Street, EH2 1EP · Sun–Thu 12–10pm, Fri–Sat 12–10:30pm · rosasthai.com

Ka Pao (St James Quarter)

Not strictly Thai, but close: Ka Pao opened on Level 4 of St James Quarter in March 2022 with a menu of sharing plates drawn from the cooking of Southeast Asia. It takes reservations and runs a waitlist, and it is one of the best options on this list if you are already shopping in the east end of town.

Address & hours: Level 4, St James Quarter, EH1 3AE · Open daily from noon · 0131 385 1040 · ka-pao.com

Shamoli (Royal Mile)

A first-floor restaurant on the High Street serving food from Thailand and northern India, a sensible choice for a group that cannot agree. It opens every day from 2pm until 11pm, later than most places near the Royal Mile.

Address & hours: 105 High Street (first floor), EH1 1SG · Daily 2–11pm · 0131 558 1497 · shamolirestaurant.com

Neighbourhood Thai Restaurants

Away from the centre, smaller family restaurants do most of the cooking for locals. Several let you bring your own wine, which keeps the bill down.

Nok’s Kitchen (Stockbridge)

The original Nok’s Kitchen has served Thai food in Stockbridge since 2016, in a town house on Gloucester Street. The restaurant says its recipes come from the traditions of the owners’ homeland. Tables can be reserved online, but for a party of more than four you need to call. It is a good stop after a walk along the Water of Leith.

Address & hours: 8 Gloucester Street, EH3 6EG · Check current hours on its website · 0131 629 3031 · noks-kitchen.co.uk

Nok’s Kitchen On The Castle (Old Town)

The sister restaurant sits just below the castle on Johnston Terrace, close to the top of the Royal Mile, and cooks from family recipes. The menu lists a sharing platter of satay, prawn tempura, fishcake, spring roll and duck salad at £13.50 a head. Book online; a £10 fee per guest applies to cancellations within 24 hours and to no-shows, and parties of more than six should email.

Address & hours: 5A Johnston Terrace, EH1 2PW · Lunch and dinner daily; confirm hours when you book · nokskitchenonthecastle.co.uk

Thai Lemongrass (Bruntsfield)

A long-running Thai restaurant on Bruntsfield Place, a few minutes from the Meadows and the King’s Theatre. It opens every evening from 5pm, and its contact page lists midday opening on some days too.

Address & hours: 40-41 Bruntsfield Place, EH10 4HJ · Evenings from 5pm daily; lunch on selected days, so check · 0131 229 2225 · thailemongrass.net

Gratitude Thai Lounge Bar (Morningside)

A family run lounge on Morningside Road that pairs what it calls modern but authentic Thai small plates with cocktails. It feels more like a bar than a restaurant, so it works for a relaxed evening with friends. Tables can be reserved online.

Address & hours: 45 Morningside Road, EH10 4AZ · Check hours when you book · gratitudethailounge.co.uk

Bluerapa Thai (Haymarket)

A small family run restaurant near Haymarket station that takes pride in traditional Thai cooking in a homely room. You can bring your own bottle for £2.50 a head. Food can be collected or delivered, and it opens at noon on some rugby match days, so call ahead when Scotland play at Murrayfield.

Address & hours: 6 Torphichen Place, EH3 8DU · Evenings from 5.30pm · 0131 629 0447 · bluerapathai.com

Absolute Thai (Tollcross)

A neighbourhood dining room on Valleyfield Street, between Tollcross and Bruntsfield. It is BYOB, and it serves a pre-theatre menu as well as the main card, which suits a night at the King’s Theatre nearby. You can also eat at home: food is available to take away.

Address & hours: 22 Valleyfield Street, EH3 9LR · Tue–Thu 5.30–9.30pm, Fri–Sat 5.30–10pm · 0131 228 8022 · Absolute Thai website

Thailander (Newington)

A restaurant on Newington Road on the way south from the university that promises authentic flavours of Thailand with traditional recipes. The menu runs from a mixed starter platter of spring rolls, satay and fishcake at £8.95 a head, and mains include curries, stir-fries and seafood pineapple rice. You can eat in or order online.

Address & hours: 13 Newington Road, EH9 1QR · Daily 12–10pm · thailanderestaurant.co.uk

Mintleaf (Leith)

Thai and Indian dishes under one roof in a converted listed building on Bernard Street, close to the Shore. Two private rooms on the mezzanine floor make it an option for parties and celebrations.

Address & hours: 28 Bernard Street, EH6 6PP · Confirm hours when booking · 0131 555 5552 · mintleafrestaurant.co.uk

Thai Street Food and Casual Spots

For a quick, cheap meal these places do the job better than the sit-down restaurants above, and several call their food authentic Thai street cooking. Some are takeaway only, so check before you plan to sit down.

Ting Thai (Teviot Place and Lothian Road)

Ting and Ae Tapparat first cooked at the Edinburgh Festival in 2012, then opened a small restaurant near the university with their family of Thai chefs, and the place still draws queues. Expect Thai and wider Southeast Asian street dishes served fast at shared tables. The founders call it authentic street cooking.

Teviot Place is walk-in only, so it is best visited outside peak hours. The Lothian Road restaurant has its own page to book a table. Both also do takeaway.

Address & hours: 8-9 Teviot Place, EH1 2QZ and 55-57 Lothian Road, EH1 2DJ · Sun–Thu 12–10pm, Fri–Sat 12–11pm · tingthai.co.uk

Street Box (Stockbridge)

A small cafe on Raeburn Place that describes its cooking as authentic Thai street fare from across the regions of Thailand. You can sit in, collect or have it brought to your door, though there are only a few seats, so it is best for a casual dinner. The menu lists stir-fries, curries such as green curry, and spicy drunken noodles.

Address & hours: 53 Raeburn Place, EH4 1HX · Tue–Thu 5–10pm, Fri–Sun 12–10pm, closed Mon · streetboxedinburgh.co.uk

Thai Express Kitchen (St James Quarter)

A fast-casual counter in St James Quarter for curries, noodles and rice bowls between shops. It opens earlier than most restaurants in town.

Address & hours: St James Quarter, EH1 3AD · Sun–Thu 11:30am–9pm, Fri–Sat 11:30am–10pm · thaiexpress.co.uk

Manorah Thai Halal Street Food (Southside)

A Thai kitchen on Clerk Street, in the unit that used to be Soi 38. It serves rice plates, stir-fries and curries to eat in or order through the main apps, which makes it useful for students in the Southside.

Address & hours: 38-40 Clerk Street, EH8 9HX · Confirm hours before visiting · Manorah on Instagram

Kai Thai (Easter Road)

A newer cafe on Easter Road that says every dish is made with halal ingredients. Expect crispy golden prawns and fragrant curries, served in a simple setting.

Address & hours: 178A Easter Road, EH7 5QQ · Afternoons and evenings; confirm hours · 0131 563 1818 · kaithai.co.uk

Papaya Thai Street Food (Prestonfield)

A takeaway on Dalkeith Road built around what it calls authentic Thai recipes. The online menu has duck spring rolls, chicken satay from £7.25 and Bangkok pork ribs, and plenty of vegetable dishes.

Address & hours: 194 Dalkeith Road, EH16 5DU · From 4pm, closed Tuesday (per its Facebook page) · papayathaistreetfood.co.uk

Thai2go (Southside)

A small counter on the Pleasance that cooks traditional Thai street dishes to collect or order through the main apps.

Address & hours: 201 Pleasance, EH8 9RU · Confirm hours before visiting · 0131 667 5000 · thai2go.net

Bangkok on the Walk (Leith Walk)

Formerly Thai Bowl on the Walk, this small kitchen changed its name in 2025. Order online to collect or eat at home; stir-fries such as pad krapao with holy basil and chilli, and pad khing with ginger, start at £7.95.

Address & hours: 12 Albert Place, Leith Walk, EH7 5HN · 0131 554 9830 · bangkokonthewalk.com

What to Order

Most restaurants in the city follow the same broad plan: starters to share, soups, salads, curries, stir-fries, noodles and rice. If you are new to the cuisine, these are the best dishes to start with, and you will see them almost everywhere.

• Pad thai – stir-fried rice noodles with egg, tamarind and peanuts; a safe first order.
• Green and red curry – coconut curries built on fresh chilli paste; green curry is usually the hotter of the two.
• Massaman – a milder, richer curry with potato and peanuts, often made with beef or chicken.
• Tom yum – a hot and sour soup scented with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf.
• Satay and spring rolls – the usual starters, served with peanut or sweet chilli sauce.
• Pad krapao and fried rice – quick stir-fries with holy basil, garlic and chilli, often served over jasmine rice and topped with a fried egg.

Tips for Eating Thai in Edinburgh

• Ask about the spice level when you order. Kitchens will often make a dish milder or hotter on request.
• Several smaller restaurants close one day a week, such as Spirit of Thai and Street Box on Mondays, so check before you travel.
• Fish sauce and shrimp paste turn up in many curries and dressings, so check if you need a fully vegan meal.
• Book ahead on Friday and Saturday nights and in August during the festivals. Teviot Place is walk-in only, so arrive early.
• BYOB places such as Bluerapa and Absolute Thai can cut the cost of an evening; check the corkage charge first.
• Several kitchens close or change hours around Thai New Year in mid-April. Spirit of Thai, for example, closed on 13 and 14 April in 2026.
• The best way to try a lot of dishes is to go as a group or family and share, which is how food is eaten in Thailand.

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