Located inside the food court at Hong Kong City Mall, Anna Thai Food is a family-run stall that comes highly recommended by local Thai chefs. It’s one of the most authentic Thai restaurants in Houston, and its pad kra pow, pad kee mao, and tom kha gai absolutely cannot be missed. Anna Thai Food also has a mini market that’s stocked with essentials like Thai seasonings, snacks, and beverages.

The heat gets serious at this super chill half-market, half-restaurant run by Chomsy Saysane, who previously operated Thai Choice at Westheimer and Wilcrest. Pick “raging volcano” for some of the most absurd heat levels you’ve ever sampled, best shown in the fresh and crispy papaya salad. We particularly recommend the Tiger Cry (marinated and grilled rib eye with rice) and fried rice with nam (pork sausage). The spot is also BYOB.

Joyful, bright, and located smack in the middle of the Heights, Kin Dee features a menu inspired by Lukkaew Srasrisuwan’s childhood favorites. Dishes include a Southern-style green curry served with rice noodles and pad thai packed in an omelet, the way it’s done back home. Kin Dee is a great place to step away from Americanized chicken pad thai and explore the variety of this exciting cuisine.

A neighborhood favorite always filled with regulars, Rim Tanon is a reliable spot for panang curry, khao soi gai, and papaya salad in both Thai and Lao styles. Make sure to start with an order of the chicken wings, which are slathered in a garlicky-spicy sauce.

Owner Souli Phaduangdet is half-Thai, half-Lao, and so is the menu at her North Shepherd cafe. You should definitely try Lao specialties here, such as the boat noodles, a dish of 40 ingredients including rib eye steak, pork meatballs, and pig’s blood. But you can also find excellent Thai red curry and Thai chicken basil dishes here too.

Half-market and half–dining room (not to be confused with Asia Market Thai Lao Food, a similar concept in the same neighborhood), this spot transports you to the streets of Thailand. Squeeze into a two-top to share any number of authentic Northeastern Thai and Lao dishes like yum nam khao tod—pork sausage and fried rice balls in chile dressing—or an item from the street food menu like the pad kee mao with beef, which is made with stir-fried flat rice noodles, Thai pepper, basil, onion, and red bell pepper.

Take our word for it: This is the real deal. Benchawan Jabthong Painter (also known as Chef G) and her husband, Graham Painter, opened Street to Kitchen in 2020 in a tiny space that was formerly a Popeye’s. The restaurant became so popular it earned Chef G the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas in 2023 and led them to a bigger space in the Plant at Second Ward. At Street to Kitchen, you’ll find authentic, super-spicy dishes that Jabthong Painter ate growing up in North Central Thailand, such as grandma Pluentha’s eggplant fish curry and betel leaf crab curry.

Owned by Thai Changthong and Paul Qui, Thai Kun got its start in Austin before making its way to the food hall at Post Houston, specializing in authentic Thai street food. Standout dishes on Thai Kun’s menu include the waterfall pork with pork jowl, tomatoes, mint, onion, tiger cry sauce, and sticky rice; the beef panang curry served with jasmine rice, fried egg, and Thai basil; and the crab-fried rice.

Kin Dee owner Lukkaew Srasrisuwan is to thank for this new fast-casual restaurant that opened on Westheimer in June 2024. The spot offers a twist on traditional Thai cuisine, including snacks like crispy wonton pad thai—crunchy pork and shrimp wontons in a pad thai sauce—and shrimp nuggets served with sweet plum sauce. Or try a Tex-Mex fusion with the beef drunken chile dip with spinach tortilla chips.

Though it’s been around for more than 15 years, Vieng Thai still feels like a secret to those outside Spring Branch. You’ll find both familiar dishes—colorful curries, pad thai, and drunken noodles—and more adventurous fare like the nostril-tickling pad sar-tor and nam prik kapi, a chile-packed paste with steamed vegetables.