Restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand
Book if Thai food history is the point.
Aksorn is a Michelin-starred Thai restaurant on Charoen Krung Road drawing on historical cookbooks under the David Thompson and Takeshi Kaneko collaboration. Priced at ฿฿฿ — a tier below most starred Thai peers — it offers serious archival cooking in a room with open-kitchen and terrace options. Book 3–4 weeks out; dinner only, 6 PM–11 PM daily.
If you're comparing Bangkok's serious Thai fine-dining options, Aksorn sits at a different register from the city's heavy-hitters like Sorn or Baan Tepa. Those venues charge ฿฿฿฿ and lean into contemporary tasting-menu formats. Aksorn prices at ฿฿฿ and takes a more archival approach: the kitchen works from historical Thai cookbooks, reconstructing dishes rather than reimagining them. For diners who want to understand Thai food rather than simply experience a modern riff on it, this is the more instructive choice. For those after maximum spectacle or tasting-menu theatre, look elsewhere.
Aksorn occupies the fifth floor of Central's Original Store on Charoen Krung Road, one of Bangkok's oldest commercial streets. The setting matters here: Charoen Krung's heritage context is a reasonable physical counterpart to what the kitchen is doing conceptually. David Thompson — who built his reputation at Nahm and is one of the most documented scholars of Thai culinary history — drives the research agenda at Aksorn, with chef Takeshi Kaneko executing in the kitchen. The result is a restaurant whose menu is genuinely grounded in historical source material, not merely styled to evoke nostalgia.
The dining room gives you a view of the open kitchen, which is worth paying attention to if you're interested in how the food is made. The outdoor terrace offers city and street views, making it a stronger choice for a relaxed pace or a date where atmosphere carries some of the work. Aksorn has held a Michelin star since 2024 and appeared on La Liste's Leading Restaurants list in both 2025 (78 points) and 2026 (76 points). Those are consistent credentials that place it firmly in Bangkok's upper tier of Thai dining, though slightly below the 2-star territory occupied by Sorn.
The smoked kingfish relish with wild ginger is specifically cited by La Liste as the highlight dish , verified sourced data worth acting on. If you order nothing else, that dish is the clearest expression of what Aksorn is doing: a precise, flavour-forward preparation rooted in technique that predates most of Bangkok's current restaurant wave. The non-alcoholic Watsana drink, described as balancing sour notes with watermelon sweetness, is another named recommendation from the same source. On a warm Bangkok evening, that profile reads as a deliberate and well-calibrated counterpoint to the kitchen's more complex flavours.
Aksorn works leading as a special-occasion dinner for two or a small group with genuine interest in Thai food history. The ฿฿฿ price point makes it accessible relative to Bangkok's ฿฿฿฿ fine-dining set, but this is still a considered spend, not a casual drop-in. It is dinner-only, running from 6 PM to 11 PM every day of the week, which makes it a natural late-evening anchor: you can arrive at 9 PM and still have two comfortable hours in the room. For Bangkok's dining scene , where many restaurants wrap up earlier than international visitors expect , that 11 PM close is a practical advantage worth noting.
For solo diners, the open kitchen counter seating is a sensible choice: you get a clear view of the cooking and something to focus on without the social pressure of a full table. For groups, the terrace configuration provides more flexibility. Aksorn is not the obvious choice for a large business dinner where wine list depth and tableside service are the priority , for that profile, Sühring or Côte by Mauro Colagreco likely serve better. But for a celebration meal where the food itself is the event, Aksorn is a strong and slightly underpriced option relative to its peer group.
Compared to other historically-minded Thai tables in Bangkok , including Samrub Samrub Thai, Chim by Siam Wisdom, and Saneh Jaan , Aksorn's combination of Michelin recognition, a verified research methodology, and the Thompson/Kaneko collaboration puts it at the leading of that specific sub-category. If archival Thai cooking is the reason for the booking, this is the right room.
Reservations: Book well in advance , this is a hard booking given its Michelin star and La Liste profile; expect 3–4 weeks minimum for weekend slots. Hours: Dinner only, 6 PM–11 PM, seven days a week. Price tier: ฿฿฿ , meaningfully below the ฿฿฿฿ competition without a visible drop in quality credentials. Location: 5th floor, The Original Store, 1266 Charoen Krung Road, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate given the setting and price point; no verified dress code in the data. Google rating: 4.0 from 201 reviews , a modest count for a Michelin-starred venue, which may reflect its relatively short run since opening rather than any quality signal.
Bangkok's Thai fine-dining scene is more layered than most visitors realise before arriving. For a fuller picture of where Aksorn sits across the city's restaurant and hospitality options, see our full Bangkok restaurants guide, our full Bangkok hotels guide, our full Bangkok bars guide, and our full Bangkok experiences guide. If you're extending into the rest of Thailand, PRU in Phuket and Aeeen in Chiang Mai are worth considering. For Thai cooking outside Thailand, Boo Raan in Knokke and L'Orchidée in Altkirch represent the export of the tradition in very different contexts.
Aksorn is dinner-only, open 6 PM to 11 PM every day. There is no lunch service, so that question is settled. Dinner is the only option, and the late close (11 PM) makes it viable even if you're arriving from another part of the city.
The smoked kingfish relish with wild ginger is the dish specifically flagged by La Liste as the highlight and is the clearest statement of what Aksorn does. The Watsana non-alcoholic drink, described as balancing sour and watermelon-sweet notes, is the named drink recommendation from the same source. Beyond those two, the kitchen works from historical Thai cookbooks under the Thompson/Kaneko collaboration, so the broader menu follows a research-led logic rather than a greatest-hits format. Order with that in mind.
Aksorn's ฿฿฿ price tier makes it one of the better-value Michelin-starred Thai tables in Bangkok. Compared to ฿฿฿฿ peers like Sorn or Baan Tepa, you are spending less for credentials that include both a Michelin star and consistent La Liste placement. The format is well-suited to diners who find the historical research angle interesting , if you want pure tasting-menu spectacle, the ฿฿฿฿ options offer more production. At Aksorn's price, the value case is strong for what it is.
Group bookings are possible, and the terrace provides more spatial flexibility than the kitchen-counter seats. No private dining room is confirmed in the available data. For large business dinners where private space and service formality matter, venues like Sühring may be a better operational fit. Smaller celebratory groups of 4–6 should do fine at Aksorn with advance notice.
At ฿฿฿, yes , Aksorn is priced a tier below its Michelin-starred Thai peers and delivers a historically grounded cooking program backed by verified La Liste and Michelin recognition. The comparison that matters: you are paying less than at Baan Tepa or Sorn for a different kind of experience , more archival, less theatrical. If that framing appeals, the price is fair. If contemporary Thai tasting menus with more elaborate production are the goal, the ฿฿฿฿ options justify their premium.
Yes. The open kitchen counter is the obvious solo seat: you have something to watch, and the format suits a single diner eating with focus rather than as part of a group occasion. Bangkok has few Michelin-starred tables where solo dining feels natural rather than awkward , Aksorn's counter format is a practical advantage here. Book in advance even for solo slots; the restaurant's profile makes it competitive regardless of party size.
For Southern Thai at a higher price point and with 2-Michelin-star credentials, Sorn is the comparison. For contemporary Thai at ฿฿฿฿, Baan Tepa. For historically-minded Thai at a lower profile and more accessible booking, Samrub Samrub Thai and Chim by Siam Wisdom are worth considering. For fine dining outside the Thai format entirely, Sühring (German) and Gaa (modern Indian) round out Bangkok's top-tier options. See our full Bangkok restaurants guide for a broader view.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aksorn | Thai | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 76pts; Inspired by old Thai cookbooks, David Thompson revisits the culinary lives of different chefs. See the action in the open kitchen from the dining area or opt for the outdoor terrace to take in the city and street. The highlight dish features smoked kingfish relish with wild ginger. Try the refreshing Watsana, a non-alcoholic drink that perfectly balances sour notes with the sweetness of watermelon.; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 78pts; Inspired by old Thai cookbooks, David Thompson revisits the culinary lives of different chefs. See the action in the open kitchen from the dining area or opt for the outdoor terrace to take in the city and street. The highlight dish features smoked kingfish relish with wild ginger. Try the refreshing Watsana, a non-alcoholic drink that perfectly balances sour notes with the sweetness of watermelon.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Sorn | Southern Thai | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Baan Tepa | Thai contemporary | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Côte by Mauro Colagreco | Mediterranean, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Gaa | Modern Indian, Indian | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sühring | German | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Dinner is your only option — Aksorn opens at 6 PM every day of the week and runs through 11 PM. There is no lunch service, so planning around an evening slot is non-negotiable. Factor that in if you're working around Bangkok's afternoon heat or an early flight the next morning.
The smoked kingfish relish with wild ginger is the documented highlight dish and the one item worth prioritising. For drinks, the Watsana — a non-alcoholic option balancing watermelon sweetness against sour notes — is worth ordering alongside. Beyond those two, the menu draws from old Thai cookbooks curated through chef David Thompson's research, so let the kitchen lead rather than picking around it.
At the ฿฿฿ price point and with a Michelin star plus back-to-back La Liste placements (78pts in 2025, 76pts in 2026), Aksorn justifies the spend if Thai culinary history is genuinely interesting to you — not just as a backdrop, but as the reason you're there. If you want contemporary Thai without the intellectual framing, Gaa covers different ground at a comparable price.
Aksorn works for small groups — the fifth-floor space includes both an open kitchen counter and an outdoor terrace, which gives some flexibility in seating configuration. For larger parties, check the venue's official channels well ahead of time, as the venue's demand (Michelin-starred, fully booked most weekends) means group slots require advance coordination. Parties of six or more should not assume a table is available on short notice.
Yes, with one condition: you need to be interested in the concept. Aksorn's ฿฿฿ pricing is consistent with Michelin-starred Thai fine dining in Bangkok, and the La Liste recognition (two consecutive years in the global top restaurants list) backs the kitchen's standing. If you're comparing on value alone, Sorn delivers a deeper southern Thai focus at a similar tier — but Aksorn's cookbook-research approach is its own distinct case for booking.
The open kitchen counter makes Aksorn a reasonable solo option — watching the kitchen at work adds something when you're eating alone. The ฿฿฿ price point is a real consideration for solo diners, but given the Michelin star and the specific food-history concept, it holds up as a solo spend if Thai cuisine is a serious interest rather than a casual night out.
Sorn is the sharpest alternative for serious Thai fine dining — it goes deeper into southern Thai tradition and has its own Michelin recognition. Baan Tepa offers a garden-estate setting with a different emotional register if atmosphere is a priority. Gaa covers contemporary tasting-menu territory with Indian-inflected technique. Sühring handles European fine dining at the top of Bangkok's non-Thai tier. Aksorn's specific edge is the David Thompson cookbook-research concept, which none of those replicate.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
