Cuisine guide · data as of 8 October 2026
Thai food scores highest in London and New York, on the data
Across 381 scored Thai places, London and New York lead on average, while the best value sits in a few specific kitchens rather than any one city.
- Places scored
- 381
- Scoring 90+
- 11
- Cities compared
- 12
- Median Harry score
- 79
The ten best-scored thai places
Ranked by Harry score among places with at least 150 reviews. Chains are counted once. Scores are explained on the how-it-works page.
| # | Place | City | Harry | Worth it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wanjai Restaurant & Barthai | San Francisco, CA | 94 | 82 | Smart Spend |
| 2 | Weladee Thai Kitchenthai | Austin, TX | 94 | 82 | Smart Spend |
| 3 | Kub Kao Thaithai | London | 93 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 4 | AngloThaithai | London | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend · Michelin Guide · National Restaurant Awards |
| 5 | Spelling Thai Bistrothai | Los Angeles, CA | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 6 | Ler Lersthai | New York, NY | 91 | 80 | — |
| 7 | Siam Thai Expressthai | New York, NY | 91 | 80 | — |
| 8 | Valla Tablethai | New York, NY | 90 | 80 | — |
| 9 | Jan Jao Kha Thai Restaurantthai | New York, NY | 90 | 80 | — |
| 10 | Prung Asian Cuisinethai | New York, NY | 90 | 80 | — |
Is London or New York the better city for Thai?
London averages 84 across 49 places, and New York averages 83 across 62. That gap is small, and with a larger sample in New York it is the more convincing result of the two. Either city gives you a good chance of a strong meal wherever you land.
New Orleans comes third at 80.5 across 17 places, which is a thinner sample but a respectable showing. Los Angeles follows on 77.6 across 34. At the bottom of the ranking, San Jose averages 66.5 across 20 places and Miami 69.9 across 13. Those are not verdicts on every kitchen there, only a sign that the average pick is less likely to impress. If you are choosing blind, the top two cities are the safer bet.
Which city does it best?
Cities with at least twelve scored places for this cuisine, ranked by average Harry score.
| # | City | Places | Average | Best scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 49 | 84 | Kub Kao Thai |
| 2 | New York, NY | 62 | 83 | Ler Lers |
| 3 | New Orleans, LA | 17 | 80.5 | Thai'd Up Gentilly |
| 4 | Los Angeles, CA | 34 | 77.6 | Spelling Thai Bistro |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | 23 | 76.4 | Wanjai Restaurant & Bar |
| 6 | Melbourne, VIC | 24 | 74.9 | Thai Food Near Me |
| 7 | Austin, TX | 30 | 74.5 | Weladee Thai Kitchen |
| 8 | Sydney, NSW | 35 | 74.4 | Chuuan chim Sydney |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | 36 | 72.4 | Anna's Thai Kitchen Restaurant |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | 38 | 70.9 | Kanom Sai Cafe |
| 11 | Miami, FL | 13 | 69.9 | Bangkok City |
| 12 | San Jose, CA | 20 | 66.5 | Thai Soul Kitchen |
The top ten is not a London and New York monopoly
Ten places score 90 or above in the top-ten list, and they are spread across five cities. Wanjai Restaurant & Bar in San Francisco and Weladee Thai Kitchen in Austin lead on 94, ahead of Kub Kao Thai in London on 93. That matters because San Francisco averages only 76.4 and Austin 74.5. A city with a modest average can still hold a standout.
New York supplies five of the ten, including Ler Lers, Siam Thai Express, Valla Table, Jan Jao Kha Thai Restaurant and Prung Asian Cuisine, all on 90 or 91. Across the whole set, 11 places score 90 or more. The top end is narrow, and a score in the 90s is rare.
Best value in the data
Places scoring 70 or above on the Harry score, ranked by Worth It score.
| # | Place | City | Harry | Worth it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wanjai Restaurant & Barthai | San Francisco, CA | 94 | 82 | Smart Spend |
| 2 | Weladee Thai Kitchenthai | Austin, TX | 94 | 82 | Smart Spend |
| 3 | Kaew Jao Jormthai | New York, NY | 89 | 81 | Great Value |
| 4 | 7 Elephantsthai | New York, NY | 87 | 81 | Great Value |
| 5 | Kub Kao Thaithai | London | 93 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 6 | AngloThaithai | London | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend · Michelin Guide · National Restaurant Awards |
Where does the value actually sit?
The best Worth It scores cluster tightly. Wanjai Restaurant & Bar and Weladee Thai Kitchen both reach 82 on value alongside a Harry Hungry score of 94, which is the strongest combination in the data. Kub Kao Thai, AngloThai and Spelling Thai Bistro follow on 81 or 80-plus, and all carry the Smart Spend badge.
In New York, Kaew Jao Jorm (89 quality, 81 value) and 7 Elephants (87, 81) earn Great Value badges without reaching the 90s. That is a useful distinction: you do not need the highest quality score to get the best return. Price data is thin, though. Only 20 places have a confirmed $$ tier, so value here rests on the scores rather than on menu prices.
What does acclaim tell you that reviews do not?
Michelin Guide recognition appears 13 times across the Thai set, the most frequent source in the acclaim data. James Beard Foundation and Eater 38 each appear 3 times. Yet most of the top ten carry no acclaim at all. Only AngloThai in London lists any, with the Michelin Guide and National Restaurant Awards.
So the highest-scoring places are largely crowd-driven results, and critics' lists point to a partly different set of restaurants. Treat acclaim as a second opinion rather than a substitute for the score. It can flag somewhere ambitious that review platforms undersell, but it does not predict the highest ratings from diners.
When Google and Yelp disagree
Platforms do not always agree. Plue in New York sits on 4.8 on Google from 1,646 reviews but 3.8 on Yelp from 226. Myrtle Thai has the same split: 4.8 on Google from 3,917 reviews against 3.8 on Yelp from 271. Thai Food Express in Los Angeles shows 4.5 against 3.5, and Tiparos Thai Cuisine & Sushi Bar in Chicago 4.2 against 3.3.
A full point of difference suggests the two audiences want different things, or that one platform skews generous. The Google counts are large, so those ratings are not flukes. Read these places as popular, with a more mixed Yelp following. If a place is strong on both, that is a more reliable signal.
Where the review platforms disagree
Places with at least 150 reviews on both platforms and a gap of 0.4 to 1.0 stars. Yelp is used for US cities, Tripadvisor elsewhere.
| Place | City | Other platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plue | New York, NY | 4.8 (1,646) | Yelp 3.8 (226) |
| Myrtle Thai | New York, NY | 4.8 (3,917) | Yelp 3.8 (271) |
| Thai Food Express | Los Angeles, CA | 4.5 (444) | Yelp 3.5 (166) |
| Tiparos Thai Cuisine & Sushi Bar | Chicago, IL | 4.2 (419) | Yelp 3.3 (330) |
The short version
Start in London or New York for the best odds, but do not skip Wanjai in San Francisco or Weladee in Austin, which top the list on 94. For value, look for Smart Spend and Great Value badges, and check both Google and Yelp before trusting a single rating.
Every figure on this page is computed from Harry Hungry's own database on 8 October 2026; the commentary is written with AI assistance from those figures and checked against them. Scores blend Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor with editorial acclaim; see how they work. No placement on this page is paid for.