In the Mood for Love (Sushi)

Verdict

The name conjures a Wong Kar-wai film and a romantic evening — which is exactly the misconception worth correcting before you book. In the Mood for Love is, at its core, a serious sushi restaurant in Bangkok's Ekkamai neighbourhood, not a mood-lit date destination coasting on atmosphere. Three consecutive years on the Opinionated About Dining (OAD) Leading Restaurants in Asia list — climbing from Highly Recommended in 2023 to #276 in 2024, confirm that the kitchen earns its reputation on technique, not aesthetics. If you are looking for Bangkok's most credible omakase-style sushi experience east of the Sukhumvit corridor, this is a strong contender. If you want a splashy occasion restaurant with tableside theatre, look elsewhere.

Portrait

In the Mood for Love sits on Ekkamai 1 Alley in the Khlong Tan Nuea district of Watthana, a part of Bangkok where serious independent restaurants have quietly concentrated over the past decade. The address (PHHM+MXG) is not on a main drag, which means first-timers should allow time to locate it. This is the kind of venue that rewards the explorer who does the research rather than the walk-in who stumbles past.

The OAD ranking is the most useful trust signal available. OAD's methodology draws on a panel of frequent restaurant travellers and professional eaters rather than a single critic, which makes a consistent multi-year presence on its Asia list a meaningful signal of sustained quality. Rising from a Highly Recommended citation in 2023 to a ranked position of #276 in 2024, then adjusting to #337 in 2025, traces a trajectory of genuine recognition followed by a competitive field expanding around it, not a decline in quality.

On the wine program: sushi restaurants in Bangkok occupy a spectrum from sake-only counters to venues that have invested in proper cellar depth. Without confirmed list details, the informed position is this, any Bangkok sushi restaurant operating at OAD-ranked level and drawing a travelling food-and-wine audience is likely to have considered the pairing question seriously. For explorers who want wine with their nigiri rather than defaulting to sake, this is a venue worth asking directly at the time of booking. The editorial angle here is practical: confirm your beverage priorities when you reserve, be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed. Compare this to Sushi Masato, which operates at a higher price point and has a more established reputation for pairing depth, if that is your primary concern.

For context within Bangkok's sushi tier, Ginza Sushi Ichi and Sushi Ichizu represent the more formally Japanese end of the counter, imported techniques, Japanese chef credentials front and centre. In the Mood for Love sits in a slightly different register, where Bangkok's own dining culture inflects the experience. Fillets and Nikaku are worth knowing if you want a broader Bangkok sushi shortlist before deciding where to commit. If you are visiting from Tokyo and want a frame of reference, consider that venues like Harutaka in Tokyo or Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong set the regional benchmark, In the Mood for Love holds its own in the Southeast Asian tier without pretending to that level.

Hours and Booking

The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Tuesday through Friday, service runs 5–11 pm (dinner only). Saturday and Sunday extend to lunch: 11:30 am–11 pm. Booking difficulty is rated easy, which means you are unlikely to face the weeks-in-advance scramble required at Bangkok's most competitive counters. That said, popular sushi restaurants with OAD recognition can fill up on weekends, booking a few days ahead on Saturday or Sunday lunch is sensible rather than strictly necessary.

No phone number or website is listed in confirmed data. It is on a side alley in Ekkamai, so locate the address (PHHM+MXG, Ekkamai 1 Alley) before you leave the hotel. Booking is rated easy, the restaurant does not require weeks of advance planning, but reserving ahead for weekends is sensible. Price range is not confirmed in available data, so check directly when you book.