Palytt Team · 2026-09-25

What to order at a Thai restaurant (a guide for first-timers)

At a Thai restaurant for the first time, order a mix to share: one noodle dish like pad see ew or pad thai, one curry like massaman or green curry, and one soup or salad like tom kha gai, with jasmine rice for the table. Ask for mild or medium spice until you know how hot the kitchen cooks. Thai food is built for sharing, so a few contrasting dishes in the middle of the table beat everyone ordering their own plate.

What are the best Thai dishes for first-timers?

These dishes are on most Thai menus, are easy to like, and are usually mild unless you ask for heat:

• Pad thai. Stir-fried rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts and a sweet-sour tamarind sauce, topped with crushed peanuts and a wedge of lime. It's the most familiar Thai dish for a reason.
• Pad see ew. Wide, flat rice noodles stir-fried with soy sauce, egg and Chinese broccoli. Savory, a little smoky from the wok, and not spicy.
• Massaman curry. A rich, mild coconut curry with potatoes, peanuts and warm spices like cinnamon and cardamom, usually made with beef or chicken.
• Chicken satay. Grilled skewers marinated with turmeric and spices, served with peanut sauce and a small cucumber relish.
• Tom kha gai. A creamy coconut soup with chicken, galangal, lemongrass and lime leaves. Sour, fragrant and gently spicy.
• Khao pad. Thai fried rice with egg, onion and your choice of protein, served with lime and cucumber. The safest order on the menu.

What are the main Thai curries, and how spicy are they?

Thai curries are mostly named by the color of their paste. From usually hottest to mildest:

• Jungle curry (gaeng pa). Made without coconut milk, so nothing softens the chilies. Very spicy; save it for later visits.
• Green curry (gaeng keow wan). Made from fresh green chilies, with coconut milk, Thai basil and small eggplants. Often the hottest of the common coconut curries, with a slightly sweet finish.
• Red curry (gaeng phet). Made from dried red chilies. Medium heat and a deeper, rounder flavor than green.
• Panang curry. Thicker and less soupy than red curry, with coconut cream, lime leaves and often peanuts. Rich, and mild to medium.
• Yellow curry. Colored with turmeric, often with potatoes. Mild and a little sweet.
• Massaman curry. The mildest of the group, with warm, sweet spices and peanuts.

Heat varies between restaurants, so ask your server how theirs compares.

How do you order the right spice level?

Many Thai restaurants ask how spicy you want each dish, on a scale from mild to "Thai hot" or on a numbered scale. Chili icons on the menu mark dishes that are spicy by default.

• Start one step lower than you think. It's easier to add heat than take it away.
• Use the condiments. Many Thai restaurants bring or keep a condiment set with chili flakes, fish sauce with sliced chilies, chili vinegar and sugar, so each person can season their own plate.
• Know which dishes run hot. Som tam (green papaya salad), larb, tom yum, drunken noodles and jungle curry are usually spicy even before you ask for more.
• Keep rice nearby. A bite of plain rice or a sip of Thai iced tea takes the edge off a spicy mouthful better than a glass of water.

What should you order once you know the basics?

After the classics, try these:

• Som tam. Shredded green papaya pounded in a mortar with lime, fish sauce, palm sugar, chilies, tomatoes and peanuts. Sour, salty, sweet and spicy in one bite.
• Larb. A warm salad of minced meat dressed with lime, fish sauce, chili, fresh herbs and toasted ground rice. It's usually eaten with sticky rice.
• Pad kra pao. Minced meat stir-fried with holy basil, garlic and chilies, served over rice and often topped with a fried egg.
• Tom yum. A hot and sour soup with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and chilies, most often with shrimp (tom yum goong).
• Pad kee mao. Also called drunken noodles: wide rice noodles stir-fried with chilies and basil. Bolder and spicier than pad see ew.
• Khao soi. A northern Thai curry noodle soup with egg noodles in a coconut curry broth, topped with crispy fried noodles and served with pickled mustard greens, shallots and lime.

How many dishes should you order at a Thai restaurant?

A common rule for Thai meals is one shared dish per person, plus rice, and one extra dish for groups of four or more.

Aim for contrast rather than more of the same:

• Something rich, like a coconut curry.
• Something fresh and sour, like som tam, larb or a salad.
• A noodle or stir-fry dish.
• A soup, if the table wants one.

Order jasmine rice to share, and sticky rice if you're getting dishes from northeastern Thailand like som tam, larb or grilled chicken. In Thailand most dishes are eaten with a spoon and fork, using the fork to push food onto the spoon. Chopsticks are mostly used for noodle soups.

For a general method that works on any menu, see our guide on how to decide what to order at a restaurant.

What should you drink with Thai food?

Thai iced tea (cha yen), a strong, sweet, orange-colored tea with condensed milk, is the classic order and pairs well with spicy dishes. Thai iced coffee, fresh coconut water and a light lager are other easy choices.

What should you know about allergies and dietary needs?

Fish sauce and shrimp paste are basic seasonings in Thai cooking, including many curry pastes, so a dish without meat isn't always vegetarian. Peanuts appear in pad thai, satay, massaman and panang curry, and are often sprinkled on salads. If you have an allergy or avoid animal products, tell your server before you order. Many kitchens can make tofu or vegetable versions, but ask what's in the sauce.

How can Palytt help you pick at a Thai restaurant?

A guide like this tells you what Thai dishes are. It can't tell you which ones a particular restaurant does best, or which ones you'll like. Palytt is a free iPhone and iPad app built for that part. Each restaurant's order guide sorts its dishes into get this, add on, popular here and maybe skip, and each dish gets a 0–100 match score based on your taste profile, so if you love sour and herby flavors, the larb may rank above the pad thai. Your friends' verdicts show up next to the dishes they've tried. Palytt covers fewer restaurants than the big review apps, because it focuses on places where people have posted dish recommendations, so it works best as the menu step after you've picked where to eat.

FAQ

What is the most popular dish at a Thai restaurant?

Pad thai is the best-known Thai dish outside Thailand. Green curry, tom yum, pad see ew and massaman curry are also on almost every Thai menu.

What is the least spicy Thai dish?

Pad see ew, pad thai, Thai fried rice, chicken satay and massaman curry are usually mild. You can also ask for any dish to be made mild.

Is green curry or red curry spicier?

Green curry is usually spicier than red, because its paste is made from fresh green chilies. Heat varies by restaurant, so ask your server how theirs compares.

How many dishes should I order at a Thai restaurant?

Order about one shared dish per person, plus rice for the table. Mix a curry, a noodle or stir-fry dish, and a salad or soup.