Restaurant in Khon Kaen, Thailand
Two Michelin Plates, everyday prices, no occasion needed.
Song 24 Nor holds back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) for Thai cooking in Khon Kaen, at a ฿฿ price point that makes quality accessible without tasting-menu formality. With a 4.0 Google rating across 198 reviews and easy booking, it is the most credentialled mid-range Thai address in the city. A clear yes for returning visitors and first-timers alike.
Song 24 Nor is not a destination restaurant in the way visitors to Khon Kaen might expect. It sits at the ฿฿ price tier, it holds back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition for 2024 and 2025, and it serves Thai food on Nikon Samran Road in the city centre — but it does not carry the tasting-menu formality or the booking difficulty those credentials sometimes imply. If you have already eaten here once and left impressed, the case for returning is clear: this is one of the few Michelin-recognised addresses in Khon Kaen operating at a mid-range price point, and the Google rating of 4.0 across 198 reviews suggests the consistency holds across visits. Book without anxiety — this one is easy to secure.
The most common mistake first-time visitors make is treating Song 24 Nor as an occasion restaurant to be saved for a special trip. In practice, the venue's Michelin Plate status, awarded consecutively in 2024 and 2025, reflects kitchen quality rather than theatrical ceremony. Michelin Plates in Thailand are given to restaurants cooking food worth stopping for , they do not require white tablecloths or a prix-fixe structure to earn them. Song 24 Nor earns its recognition by doing Thai cooking at a level of care that stands up to scrutiny, at a price point that makes repeat visits sensible rather than extravagant.
For context on what Michelin Plate recognition means in the Thai dining scene: the Guide has expanded its Thailand coverage significantly beyond Bangkok in recent years, with Isan and northern regions receiving growing attention. Holding that recognition in Khon Kaen for two consecutive years puts Song 24 Nor in a small group of provincial restaurants that the Guide considers worth noting. Compare that to the broader Bangkok Michelin landscape, where places like Sorn in Bangkok or Samrub Samrub Thai in Bangkok hold higher star-level recognition, and you understand the tier correctly: Song 24 Nor is not in that league, but it is doing something worth your attention in a city where quality-tracked Thai restaurants are rare.
The editorial angle here is the counter or bar experience, which for a mid-range Thai restaurant in provincial Thailand typically means proximity to an open kitchen or a direct-service counter format rather than a destination bar program. If you are returning after a first visit, consider requesting counter or open-kitchen-adjacent seating where available. In Thai restaurants at this tier, proximity to the kitchen tends to change the atmosphere considerably: the ambient energy shifts from dining-room quiet to the sharper rhythms of service in motion, which suits solo diners and pairs better than groups looking for a long, conversational evening. The room at Song 24 Nor, based on its city-centre address and mid-range positioning, is likely more casual than formal in sound and feel , plan accordingly if noise level is a priority for you.
The 4.0 Google rating across 198 reviews places Song 24 Nor in a reasonable but not outstanding position on pure crowd-sourced metrics. That number is worth reading carefully: it reflects a broad cross-section of diners, including those who may not have been tracking Michelin coverage or comparing this against Bangkok benchmarks. For a diner who does track quality signals, the Michelin Plate held across two consecutive years is the more meaningful data point. Consistency year-on-year is what Michelin rewards, and that is precisely what a returning visitor should expect to find.
If you are building a Khon Kaen dining itinerary around quality-tracked venues, Song 24 Nor belongs alongside Krua Supanniga by Khunyai Somsie and Food by Fire as addresses worth anchoring a visit around. For a wider view of where to eat and drink in the city, the full Khon Kaen restaurants guide covers the range from street-level bowls to Michelin-tracked rooms. You can also find companion guides for bars, hotels, wineries, and experiences across Khon Kaen.
For those travelling wider across Thailand's Michelin-tracked provincial scene, the comparable addresses worth knowing are AKKEE in Pak Kret, PRU in Phuket, Aquila in Chiang Mai, and Anuwat in Phang Nga , each working different regions and price tiers, but all operating with a comparable quality signal behind them.
| Detail | Song 24 Nor | Praprai | Khun Jaeng Guay Tiew |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | Thai | Isan | Thai |
| Price tier | ฿฿ | ฿฿ | ฿ |
| Michelin recognition | Plate (2024, 2025) | Not listed | Not listed |
| Google rating | 4.0 (198 reviews) | , | , |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Leading for | Quality Thai, repeat visits | Isan specialists | Fast, budget Thai |
Address: Nikon Samran Rd, Tambon Nai Mueang, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen 40000, Thailand. No booking website or phone number is listed in current data , walk-in is likely the primary access method, consistent with its easy booking difficulty rating. Confirm hours before visiting, as these are not available in current records.
Dress casually. At the ฿฿ price tier in Khon Kaen, smart-casual is the ceiling , clean, neat clothing is appropriate and no formal dress code is indicated. If you are coming from a hotel in the city centre, what you would wear to a mid-range Thai restaurant anywhere in Thailand applies here. No data suggests this is a formal dining room.
Specific seating configurations are not confirmed in current data. For Thai restaurants at this tier in provincial cities, counter or open-kitchen seating is often available alongside table dining. If counter seating is a priority , particularly for solo diners or pairs who want proximity to the kitchen action , ask when you arrive rather than expecting to reserve a specific spot in advance.
No specific dietary restriction policy is available in current records, and there is no website or phone number to check in advance. As a Thai restaurant at the ฿฿ tier, expect the kitchen to have the flexibility typical of the format, but confirm on arrival rather than assuming. For complex restrictions, reaching out directly before visiting is the safer approach , though contact details are not currently available through Pearl's records.
It works for a low-key celebration rather than a formal milestone dinner. The Michelin Plate recognition for 2024 and 2025 confirms kitchen quality, and the ฿฿ price point makes it accessible for a celebratory meal without the cost pressure of a tasting-menu format. If you want a more theatrical special-occasion setting in Khon Kaen, consider pairing this with a visit to a cocktail bar from the Khon Kaen bars guide for the full evening. Song 24 Nor handles the food side of the occasion well; the room itself is unlikely to provide ceremony.
Yes, at the ฿฿ tier in Khon Kaen with back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition, the value proposition is clear. You are getting food that the Guide considers worth stopping for at a price point that does not require a special budget. Compare that to Praprai, which operates at a similar ฿฿ tier for Isan cuisine without Michelin tracking, and Song 24 Nor's external credential gives it a measurable edge for quality-conscious diners. The 4.0 Google rating suggests real-world consistency backs that assessment up.
For Michelin-tracked dining at a similar price tier, Song 24 Nor has no direct competitor in Khon Kaen's current Pearl data , it holds the only Michelin Plate listing in this dataset. For budget Thai and street food, Khun Jaeng Guay Tiew Pak Mor Kao Wang is the ฿-tier Thai option. For Isan cooking specifically, Praprai operates at the same ฿฿ tier and focuses on regional cuisine. If you want to explore the wider dining scene, See Na Nuan Café, Baan Heng (Thai-Chinese), and the full Khon Kaen restaurants guide cover a broad range of formats and price points.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Song 24 Nor | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | ฿฿ | — |
| Here Joi Beef Noodle | ฿ | — | |
| Jok Guay Jab Tom Sen Bat Queue | ฿ | — | |
| Kai Yang Rabeab (Khao Suan Kwang) | ฿ | — | |
| Praprai | ฿฿ | — | |
| Khun Jaeng Guay Tiew Pak Mor Kao Wang | ฿ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Keep it casual. Song 24 Nor sits at the ฿฿ price tier and holds its Michelin Plates as a neighbourhood Thai restaurant, not a formal dining room. Clean, comfortable clothes are appropriate. There is no evidence of a dress code.
Seating specifics are not documented for Song 24 Nor. Given its ฿฿ price point and Thai neighbourhood-restaurant format, counter or open seating is plausible, but arrival timing matters more than seating preference. Go early or expect a wait during peak hours.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is on record. Thai cuisine at this price tier typically relies on fish sauce, shellfish pastes, and meat-based stocks, so vegetarians and those with shellfish allergies should ask the kitchen directly before ordering.
It can work, but the ฿฿ pricing and casual format make it a better fit for a relaxed meal than a formal celebration. The back-to-back Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) give it credibility worth mentioning, but if the occasion calls for a more structured setting, Song 24 Nor may not match that expectation.
At ฿฿, yes — the Michelin Plate recognition two years running at this price tier makes Song 24 Nor one of the stronger value cases in Khon Kaen. You are getting inspector-acknowledged Thai cooking without the price premium attached to most Michelin-recognised venues in Thailand.
Here Joi Beef Noodle and Jok Guay Jab Tom Sen Bat Queue offer single-dish Thai formats at comparable prices if you want something faster and more focused. Praprai and Khun Jaeng Guay Tiew Pak Mor Kao Wang are worth considering for traditional Khon Kaen dishes. Kai Yang Rabeab is a strong option if grilled chicken is the priority. Song 24 Nor is the clearest choice if Michelin recognition matters to your booking decision.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
