Finding the best restaurants in Sukhothai was not an easy job. Sukhothai is not a large city and Old Sukhothai and New Sukhothai are separated by a twelve-kilometre road. Sukhothai is popular among tourists because of the Historical Park, but for young Thai, it’s not an attractive city due to the lack of entertainment. Other nearby cities such as Phitsanulok are much more interesting for young Thai. As the city is dependent on tourists, you will find a lot of touristy restaurants in Sukhothai with many tourist-favourite dishes such as Pad Thai, Chicken Cashew Nut and Fried Rice. It was a hard job, but we believe we still managed a decent amount of restaurants in Sukhothai that will excite your tastebuds. Also, as this city is a tourist hotspot, we select the very best tourist-orientated restaurants at the bottom of this article, in case you do crave some international food or you don’t like to eat any spicy food at all.
The best restaurants in Sukhothai are:
1. CHECK IN Eatery
CHECK IN Eatery is a restaurant located close to the city centre of New Sukhothai and can be seen as one of the best restaurants in Sukhothai. The reason why we choose this as our number one is that this restaurant serves incredibly tasty and affordable Thai food, including the local speciality Sukhothai Noodles and the restaurant is really clean and tidy. The menu of CHECK IN Eatery is limited, but the dishes that we tried were packed with flavours that excite both Thais and foreigners. Highlights are the Sukhothai Noodle (40 THB), Green Curry Chicken with Roti (60 THB), and the Kao Kra Prao Pookao Fai - pad kra pao covered in an omelette (60 THB). There are a handful of other restaurants in Sukhothai that offer the same quality of food and cleanness, but overall, the majority of the restaurants in Sukhothai are less modern. For more information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of CHECK In EATERY.
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2. Ta Puy Noodle
When you’re in Sukhothai, one of the must-do’s is trying the regional speciality, the Sukhothai Noodle. What makes Sukhothai Noodles different from other Thai noodles is the use of thin-sliced green beans, small pieces of salted turnip, and ground peanut which is sweeter and sourer than regular Thai noodles. If you ask locals where to find the best version of these noodles, the majority will direct you towards Ta Puy Noodle, although there are plenty of other Sukhothai Noodle restaurants that are always packed with hungry locals. Nonetheless, we can assure you that Ta Puy Noodle serves (one of) the best Sukhothai Noodles and visiting this local gem is highly recommended.
Highlights are Sukhothai Noodle Soup (40 THB) and the Sukhothai Noodles Dry (40 THB). In every Sukhothai Noodle restaurant, there is a soup and a dry version available of these famous noodles. The dry version has much more texture than the soup version, but the flavours of the soup are better mixed because of the soup itself. Ta Puy Noodle is located right between Old Sukhothai and New Sukhothai, which is a bit hard to reach if you don’t have your own transport. For more information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Ta Puy Noodle.
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3. Na Kothai
When visiting a new city, we always look for restaurants that offer regional dishes or an improved version of classic Thai dishes. In Ayutthaya, we searched for amazing boat noodles and jumbo river prawns, in Kanchanaburi we searched for restaurants that used Kanchanaburi Mushrooms and in Pattaya, we found restaurants that served amazing Squid Fried in Salty Egg Curry Sauce. Na Kothai is a restaurant that we luckily found that exactly does both - offer regional dishes and improved classic Thai dishes with local ingredients - and the results are exciting dishes that you won’t easily find elsewhere in Thailand. Keang Liang (120 THB) is a delicious Sukhothai fish soup that is packed with mushrooms, green beans, pumpkin and smoked fish. Although this sounds very heavy, the soup it quite subtle and reminded us of bean soup.
Another highly recommended dish is the Lab Sukhothai (100 THB), which is a laab salad with wild olives leaves, a local herb. Because of the use of this leave, the laab changes completely in flavour in a positive way. Other recommended dishes are the signature Kai Nakhothai (100 THB) and the Pak Chai Ya Nam Hun Hoi (80 THB), which is made with a local vegetable named Pak Chai Ya, which originates from China and got introduced centuries ago by Chinese merchants. For more information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Na Kothai.
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4. Agriculture Project Sukhothai Airport
If you are arriving or leaving by aeroplane, make sure to stop by the Agriculture Project Sukhothai Airport. Just five hundred meters from the tiny airport, you find this beautiful oasis of a farm where they grow their own vegetables and turn them into impressive farm-to-table Thai dishes. The absolute highlight of the menu is the 3 Styles Chilli Paste Dip with Condiments (150 THB), which are assorted vegetables including water lily stems with three different dips that are a feast for your taste buds.
Other highly recommended dishes are the Deep-Fried Catfish with Spicy Green Mango Salad (120 THB) and the Coconut Curry with Steamed Mackerel and Water Lilly Stems (90 THB), which are all very unique in its kind. It’s good to know that if you visit Agriculture Project Sukhothai Airport, the staff will bring you to the airport with a golf cart. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Agriculture Project Sukhothai Airport.
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5. Sweet Rice Cafe
Sweet Rice Cafe is one of the few great restaurants near Sukhothai Historical Park, as we believe the restaurants near the ruins are not always of good quality. The cafe is located on a street behind the main road, which makes it a little bit remote but also gives it a great view of the mountains and open grass fields. Sweet Rice Cafe is a beautiful cafe surround by plants and is decorated in an English-style tea house. The menu Sweet Rice Cafe is what you can expect from a cafe, with a large variety of drinks, desserts and Thai food that are all beautifully presented.
For us, the highlight was the Rice With Massaman Curry & Salted Egg (70 THB), as the chicken was so deliciously tender and the massaman well-flavoured. But other options such as the Chicken Satay (60 THB), Miang Kum (70 THB) or the Spaghetti Pad Thai (85 THB) were satisfying too. Make sure to leave some room for dessert as Sweet Rice Cafe make their own ice cream. We recommend you to try the Durian Ice Cream (70 THB), as it’s made of the notorious Thai fruit Durian. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Sweet Rice Cafe.
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6. Lung Choi
Lung Choi is a typically local Thai restaurant that serves authentically spiced Thai food that most foreigners don’t usually like. You can tell that as there are two different menus available, one for Thai and one for foreigners. The menu for Thai is much more exciting and we recommend you to try one of the following dishes at Lung Choi if you can handle a decent amount of spiciness. Highlights of the Thai menu are the Pad Cha Pla - Spicy Stir-Fried Fish (140 THB) and the Pad Ped Pla - Spicy Stir-Fried Fish (140 THB), which are both chunks of fried fish covered in herbs and chillies. If you really want something extraordinary, check out the Pla Rak Khluay Tod (140 THB), which are small deep-fried crispy acanthosis fishes that you can completely eat with the tiny fish bones. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Lung Choi.
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7. Lom & Fon Kitchen
Lom & Fon Kitchen is yet another of the few great Thai restaurants near Sukhothai Historical Park. The restaurant is located in an alley right before you enter the park and has quite a peaceful environment and atmosphere. Like many other restaurants in Sukhothai, the menu has plenty of classic dishes to choose from, such as Penang Curry (100 THB) and Tom Yum Goong (180 THB). But the quality of the food, as well as the restaurant, is much better than the average restaurant in this area, hence the fact that this restaurant is pricier than others.
The absolute highlight of the menu at Lom & For Kitchen is their Roasted Beef with Pineapple in Sweet & Sour Sauce (140 THB). This is the own creation of this restaurant and it has some similarities with the classic Thai dish named Chicken Cashew Nut, but the tomato-based, sweet and sour sauce makes it also completely different. We absolutely loved this dish and we highly recommend you to try all this deliciousness as well. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Lom & Fon Kitchen.
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8. Obey Restaurant
We discovered this local gem by accident as we noticed that every morning, as soon as the doors opened at half-past five, the restaurant was already packed with hungry locals. This is a typical indicator that something exciting is happening in the kitchen. For Obey Restaurant, it’s Khao Moo Grob (30 THB), Khao Man Gai (30 THB) and Chicken Noodle Soup (30 THB) that make the customers come back. Khao Moo Grob is a rice dish covered with crispy fried pork and sweet gravy. Khao Man Gai is steamed chicken with flavoured rice and a slightly spicy soy dipping sauce. Obey Restaurant is located in the area where most hotels are located, making it an excellent place to grab breakfast before heading the Historical Park or one of the other top things to do in Sukhothai. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Obey Restaurant.
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9. Ban Mi Hom HUG Sukhothai
Ban Mi Hom HUG Sukhothai is a perfect combination of great Thai food and an entertaining evening. What do we mean by that? This place is actually a bar where you can enjoy live music and some ice cold beers. But there are a few Thai food options available as well in case you get hungry. To our surprise, the food that was served at this bar was excellent and also very fair-priced, so we had to put this restaurant on this list. There were two dishes that completely stand out, which are the Tom Yum Seafood (139 THB) and the Deep-Fried Ruby Fish with Herbs (149 THB). The deep-fried ruby fish is filleted, then deep-fried and covered in a soy sauce that completely is caramelized around the crispy batter. The fish is then topped with all sorts of herbs, such as lemongrass, ginger, chilli and garlic. Each bite is one big taste explosion in your mouth. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Ban Mi Hom HUG Sukhothai.
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10. Sahachai Nahmi Kiaoo Moodaeng
The opening times of this local restaurant in Sukhothai are a little bit odd, as it opens at two o’clock in the afternoon. But from that moment on, this noodle shop keeps attracting customers. The main reason why people visit this place is to get a bowl of dumplings with noodles. You can choose between pork, crab and fish dumplings and our favourite was the Crab Dumplings (40 THB). A great alternative to the dumplings is their Khao Moo Dang (40 THB), which is a bit similar to the Khao Moo Grob that we recommended earlier, however, instead of crispy pork, roasted pork is being used. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Sahachai Bahmi Kiaoo Moodaeng.
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11. Mai Klang Krung
Mai Klang Krung is a Thai restaurant in Sukhothai that is specialized in noodles and Thai desserts. The restaurant is located a little bit outside the touristic area, but the ten-minute walk is definitely worth it. The restaurant itself has a nice ambience with traditional Thai music playing from the speakers and some lovely decorations. The restaurant is only open between eight in the morning and three in the afternoon and therefore only suitable for breakfast and lunch. In the early morning, the restaurant gets already crowded and popular dishes such as the Khanom Buang - Thai Omelette (40 THB) and Sukhothai Noodles - both as soup as dry (40 THB) are served to the majority of the tables.
Make sure to save some room for dessert: Lod Chong with Crispy Pomegranate (30 THB) is a refreshing coconut-milk-based dessert with crushed ice, Kaw Krep Park Mor (30 THB) are steamed wontons topped with sesame seeds and warm coconut milk. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Mai Klang Krung.
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12. Giant-T Cafe
Giant-T Cafe is a relatively new, modern cafe located in New Sukhothai that attracts both locals as foreigners with good looking and tasting, clean Thai classic dishes and a handful of international dishes such as steaks and salads. One of the highlights of the menu is the Deep-Fried Spring Rolls (70 THB), which is an enormous portion. Another bestseller is the Fried Noodle with Chicken in Soy Sauce (60 THB), which is a Pad See Ew, a savoury version of Pad Thai that is packed with stir-fried veggies. But the menu at Giant-T Cafe is large enough to have a tasty option for every type of customer. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Giant-T Cafe.
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13. Sinvana Restaurant
Sinvana Restaurant is a popular restaurant located near Sukhothai Historical Park and is in business for decades. The restaurant looks stunning and attracts both locals and tourists thanks to its reputation. The menu of Sinvana Restaurant is large with a good variety of not-so-common Thai dishes. Among these dishes is the Crispy Rice Noodle in Sweet Red Sauce (80 THB), which is a Thai appetizer that has been served since Sinvana opened up its restaurant decades ago. This rather unusual appetizer is not something foreigners often order, but if you are up for something new, we recommend you to give it a try. For more spiciness, we recommend the Stir-Fried Fish in Chili Sauce (180 THB), which is one of the most-ordered dishes at Sinvana Restaurant. Other recommended foods are the Tom Kha Gai (120 THB) and the Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashew Nut (120 THB). More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Sinvana Restaurant.
The following restaurants in Sukhothai are either international restaurants or restaurants that focus mainly on foreigners:
14. Pizza House
If you are craving for pizza, Pizza House is by far the best option you have in Sukhothai. Although the menu of this popular eatery does offer more international options, such as spaghetti, steak and burgers, the vast majority of the customers come here to eat their delicious wood-fired oven pizzas. With seventeen different pizzas and six different calzones, there is a tasty option for everyone. We tried both the Pizza Tuna (300 THB) and the Pizza Italian Salami (250 THB) and both tasted excellent. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Pizza House.
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15. Taste of Hatai
For a good cup of coffee and a delicious piece of pie or cake, head over to Taste of Hatai. This beautiful looking, French-style shop serves the best cakes in Sukhothai and is a great place to visit if you’re craving something sweet. In the first years of opening, the owner had to adjust the recipes of a few pastries to make them more popular among Thai as their taste palate is different than foreigners. The result is that Taste of Hatai serves a variety of pastries that are more focussed on Thai and some more focussed on foreigners. A good example is the Orange Cake (80 THB), which is the bestseller among Thai. This cake is almost too sweet for foreigners, yet Thai absolutely love this cake. During New Year, when Thai love to buy cakes for their family, this shop sells hundreds of Orange Cakes and not the small version of it. Other highlights are the New York Cheese Cake (79 THB) and our personal favourite Mango Mousse with Sticky Rice Tart (105 THB). More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Taste of Hatai.
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16. Poo Restaurant
Poo Restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in Sukhothai for foreigners as it offers a variety of tasty Thai classics that are not spicy as well as typical foods that foreigners simply love. The portions are enormous and the food is fair-priced. The absolute best-seller at Poo Restaurant is the Massaman Curry Chicken (120 THB), but there are plenty of other good options too, such as the Chicken Cashew Nuts (120 THB) and the Fried Chicken (85 THB). More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Poo Restaurant.
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17. Cafe de Tree
Cafe de Tree is a beautiful cafe just outside New Sukhothai that offers a wide variety of Thai and International dishes. The cafe is perfect for a quick breakfast or lunch, but also has an air-conditioned dining area where you enjoy a nice dinner. If you’re craving for some Western food, Cafe de Tree offers a few great options, including their De Tree Steak (199 THB). This pork fillet is nicely flavoured, served with good French fries, cooked veggies and two different sauces. Another recommended dish is the Beef Spaghetti (99 THB), which is a portion of spaghetti with well-seasoned, herby meatballs. We do have to admit that the taste of the spaghetti is far from authentic Italian, however, for a place like Sukhothai, the food is decent and it attracts plenty of customers. More information about this restaurant, including the opening times, the location and other TopTravelFoods users’ reviews, check out the TopTravelFoods review page of Cafe de Tree.
There you have it, the best restaurants in Sukhothai. As you can see, there are still enough restaurants in Sukhothai that offer interesting food options. And you are craving for a Pad Thai, Chicken Cashew Nuts or a Massaman Curry, you can still visit one of the restaurants listed above. When you’re in Sukhothai, make sure to try Sukhothai Noodles as well as a few typical Sukhothai dishes that you won’t easily find elsewhere in Thailand. All the restaurants, and many more, can be found in our food recommendations app named TopTravelFoods. Instead of recommending good restaurants, we recommend the best food these restaurants have to offer. This way, you can explore the Thai cuisine to the fullest during your holiday in Thailand. The app is available for both iOS and Android and is completely free.
Joost Beijers 
