Plaza Khao Gaeng

Should You Book Plaza Khao Gaeng?

Yes, book it. Plaza Khao Gaeng is the most practical case for Southern Thai cooking in London right now: a Michelin Bib Gourmand two years running (2024 and 2025), a Google rating of 4.7 from over 3,000 reviews, and a price point (££) that makes the quality feel almost unreasonable. If you've been once and stuck to the curries, you're only halfway through what this kitchen can do. Come back with a plan.

The Venue

Plaza Khao Gaeng operates from the mezzanine level of the Arcade Food Hall on New Oxford Street — a JKS-backed space that draws from the energy of Bangkok street-food stalls rather than white-tablecloth Thai restaurants. The room is loud by design: strip lighting, counter seating, close-packed laminate tables, an open kitchen with no barrier between the cook and the diner. Service is swift, sometimes pressured. If your time slot is up, you'll know about it. That's not a complaint — it's the trade-off for pricing that keeps the bill reasonable.

Chef Luke Farrell's sourcing model is worth understanding before you order, because it shapes what arrives on the plate. Many of the Southeast Asian herbs and aromatics used here are grown in a tropical greenhouse in Dorset , kaffir lime leaves, jungle herbs, and other ingredients that most London kitchens can't get fresh. This isn't a talking point on a menu card; it's why the flavours read as more direct than the Thai food at comparable price points around the city.

What to Order (And When It Changes)

The menu anchors on Southern Thai curries and stir-fries, but the specials board and seasonal sourcing mean the smartest visit is one where you're paying attention to what's rotating rather than defaulting to the same dishes each time.

If you haven't tried the khao yam, start there: puffed rice with a crunchy, tangy vegetable salad served on paper with budu fermented fish sauce poured over it. It's assembled at the table, DIY-style, and gives a clean read on how the kitchen handles balance. For a second visit, the Miang Phuket (coconut and betel leaf wraps) is a better introduction to Farrell's herb sourcing than anything else on the menu.

The curries are the main event. The muu hong , braised pork belly, slow-cooked with spices and dark soy , is soft and aromatic without being heavy. The beef shoulder Massaman runs in a different direction: deeper, richer, worth ordering alongside jasmine rice, which arrives in a small enamel pot and is better than the version you'll get at most Thai restaurants in the city. The seasonal sour seafood curry appears on the specials and is worth ordering if it's available; the sea bream stir-fry, in a spicy sauce built with kaffir lime leaves, chillies, and fresh jungle herbs, is the dish that most clearly demonstrates what the Dorset greenhouse actually produces.

For something more challenging: the Khua Kling Muu (dry wok-fried pork) is fiery and intentionally uncomfortable. Order it if you want to test the kitchen's range. For groups, the Deep South sharing menu provides a broader sweep of the cooking without requiring you to make individual decisions across a table of four or more.

Finish with the young coconut pudding , served in a pink bowl with lychee and coloured tapioca pearls , which runs cooler and lighter than most dessert options at this price point.

The specials board changes with availability from the Dorset greenhouse and with the seasons, so regulars should check it before defaulting to the main menu. A second visit in a different season will produce a meaningfully different meal.

Practical Details

Plaza Khao Gaeng is easy to book relative to most Bib Gourmand-holding restaurants in London. The Arcade Food Hall format means there's throughput, and because tables turn, availability opens up more frequently than at destination restaurants of comparable reputation. That said, popular time slots on Friday and Saturday evenings fill quickly, so booking two to three weeks ahead for weekend dinners is sensible. Weekday lunch is the easiest entry point and worth considering if your schedule allows.

The venue is at 103-105 New Oxford Street, which sits at the edge of Covent Garden and within easy reach of Tottenham Court Road station. The Arcade Food Hall location means the space is accessible and casual in dress expectations; there is no formal dress code. The ££ pricing makes this a reasonable solo lunch, a practical date option, or a low-stakes group dinner. Large groups should ask about the Deep South sharing menu, which is designed for the format and avoids the awkward dynamics of splitting individual curry orders across a big table.

For Thai cooking at this level in London, there isn't a more direct value case. AngloThai and Farang operate at similar or slightly higher price points with different regional emphases; Kolae skews toward grilled Southern Thai and is worth comparing if you're more interested in that register. Long Chim covers broader Thai street-food territory but without the sourcing specificity Farrell brings here.

If you're thinking about Thai food in a broader context, Nahm in Bangkok and Samrub Samrub Thai in Bangkok are useful reference points for understanding where Plaza Khao Gaeng sits on the regional authenticity spectrum. For a full picture of where to eat and stay in London, see our full London restaurants guide, our London hotels guide, our London bars guide, our London wineries guide, and our London experiences guide.

Pearl Picks , Also Worth Your Time

• AngloThai , Thai-inflected British tasting menu; a step up in formality and price
• Kolae , Southern Thai grilling; good comparison if you want to contrast formats
• Farang , Northern Thai focus; different regional register to Plaza Khao Gaeng
• Poppy's , British comfort food; useful nearby alternative for groups with mixed preferences
• The Fat Duck in Bray , for when the occasion warrants the step change in investment
• L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood , if you're planning a UK restaurant trip beyond London