clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A plate of Thai-spiced shrimp with chopsticks laying across it next to a bowl of tofu, chopped nuts, and herbs sitting on a wood table.
The Thai restaurant in Nashville has expanded quickly over the past few years.
Degthai/Facebook

14 Top-Notch Thai Restaurants to Try in Nashville

The city’s finest pad Thai, drunken noodles, and more

View as Map
The Thai restaurant in Nashville has expanded quickly over the past few years.
| Degthai/Facebook

Nashville makes a solid (and ever-growing) showing when it comes to quality Thai restaurants. Americans love Thai staples like pad Thai or massaman curry — which many of the restaurants on this list serve wonderful renditions of — but Thai cuisine also encompasses a huge range of spices, herbs, and ingredients used in intricate, complex dishes. From extreme heat to tangy sweet plates, these restaurants offer a wide range of options for both the traditional and the adventurous diner.

Have a favorite Thai restaurant we missed? Tag it on social media or email us at Nashville@eater.com.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Smiley Thai and Sushi

Copy Link

It’s well worth a trip to Mount Juliet to sample the aesthetically presented Thai offerings that Chef Ao is dishing out at Smiley Thai and Sushi. Jumbo prawn-topped pad Thai, pla rad prik, panang curry, and Thai beef salad are all popular options at this festively lit restaurant (as is the sushi).

Smiley Thai and Sushi/Facebook

Thai Ni Yom

Copy Link

Located inside the L &L Market on Charlotte Avenue, Thai Ni Yom is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Popular offerings include pad see ew, beef salad, pad Thai, and Thai iced tea. Their stir-fried chicken, pork, or tofu lunch specials fill up your plate and your stomach for under $11.

Basil Chicken
Thai Ni Yom/Facebook

Thai Esane

Copy Link

With the move to Music Row, Esane has a bit more room to stretch its legs... along with its patio space and, more importantly, its bar menu. Walking into the elevated 3,500-square-foot location, diners are greeted with a six-foot-tall golden Buddha, shipped straight to Music City from Thailand. The menu will still feature favs from the 12 South location (hello, dumplings and papaya salad) along with new dishes from Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Singto also just added two new locations in Brentwood and at newly opened Fifth + Broadway for her long-time regulars.

Thai Esane/Facebook

King Siam Thai Cuisine

Copy Link

The new homey, comfortable Thai spot that replaced the old Thai Esane on 12th is popular with grad students and faculty — it brings the heat, so start with mild if you’re not ready to sweat. People rave about the King Siam sausage, Malaysian Street noodles, and panang curry.

Drunken noodles
King Siam/Facebook

International Market

Copy Link

Arnold and Anna Myint carry on their iconic mother Patti’s legacy of excellent hospitality in the revamped International Market with fresh, innovative takes on old favorites in a revamped interior. Local celebrity chef Arnold emphasizes locally sourced, seasonal ingredients such as using local trout instead of imported fish for the three-taste crispy garlic trout and applewood-smoked five-spice beef from Ashland City’s KLD Farms.

The Smiling Elephant

Copy Link

One of Nashville's more popular Thai restaurants, The Smiling Elephant packs in hungry patrons, serving up traditional Thai dishes like panang curry, shrimp pad see-ew, and a pad thai using green bean noodles. Just keep in mind a few house rules: no reservations and no BYOB.

Thai Kitchen

Copy Link

Located at the South Nashville juncture of the Wedgewood-Houston, Melrose, and Radnor neighborhoods, Thai Kitchen recently modernized its interior with unfussy lighting and simple wooden tables. They serve some of the best crispy basil chicken in town and a mouth-watering Larb gai (ground chicken salad).

This unassuming Woodbine restaurant serves up all the classics and packs a punch when it comes to flavor and value. Nearly all of the generous portions of classic Thai fare — like simmering bowls of Tom Gah Kai, crispy duck in a red curry sauce, and coconut massaman with beef — fall under $15.

Degthai

Copy Link

Former fan-favorite food truck Degthai joined the coterie of eateries that found permanent parking on Nolensville Pike. There, they opened a new brick-and-mortar location where their big cheeky logo watches over the shady outdoor patio and artfully painted interior. Popular options still remain the pad Thai, shumai-style steamed dumplings, and the spicy tom yum soup packed with shrimp.

Tiew tom yum goong
DegThai/Facebook

Siam Cafe

Copy Link

Tucked away off Nolensville Pike, Siam Cafe has been a trailblazer when it comes to Thai food in Nashville since the Silpacharn family opened it in 1972. Hit the buffet or grab a table on the full-service side of the restaurant for some can’t-miss hung ray curry, sweet and spicy Siam duck, or disco chicken.

Thai Papaya

Copy Link

This snug Thai-Lao joint right off Harding Place offers a range of Vietnamese, Lao, and sushi options as well as hearty Thai staples. Vegetarians shouldn’t miss their unique papaya fried rice with egg, onion, pineapple, and plenty of vegetables.

Lemongrass Sushi & Thai

Copy Link

This Thai staple in Bellevue has been going strong for several years, and with good reason — generous portions of creamy curries, filling noodles, light spring rolls, and their signature tray of sauces keep locals coming back for seconds and thirds. The tea menu is extensive, featuring soul-warming cups of chocolate hazelnut black tea, Moroccan mint green tea, and mango passionfruit.

King Market Cafe

Copy Link

King Market flies a bit under the radar thanks to its off-the-beaten-path Antioch location, but its authentic Lao-Thai cuisine makes for one of the more interesting meals in town. Case in point: fried pig intestine, pork ears, and blood cake are all standard menu items.

Bangkokville Thai Restaurant

Copy Link

Venture down Nolensville Road and you’ll find Bangkokville tucked away on a side street. This cozy hidden gem offers homestyle Central Thai cuisine like Mee Kati (steamed thin rice noodles with ground chicken in made-from-scratch coconut soy paste gravy) and crispy duck in panang curry at affordable prices.

Smiley Thai and Sushi

It’s well worth a trip to Mount Juliet to sample the aesthetically presented Thai offerings that Chef Ao is dishing out at Smiley Thai and Sushi. Jumbo prawn-topped pad Thai, pla rad prik, panang curry, and Thai beef salad are all popular options at this festively lit restaurant (as is the sushi).

Smiley Thai and Sushi/Facebook

Thai Ni Yom

Located inside the L &L Market on Charlotte Avenue, Thai Ni Yom is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Popular offerings include pad see ew, beef salad, pad Thai, and Thai iced tea. Their stir-fried chicken, pork, or tofu lunch specials fill up your plate and your stomach for under $11.

Basil Chicken
Thai Ni Yom/Facebook

Thai Esane

With the move to Music Row, Esane has a bit more room to stretch its legs... along with its patio space and, more importantly, its bar menu. Walking into the elevated 3,500-square-foot location, diners are greeted with a six-foot-tall golden Buddha, shipped straight to Music City from Thailand. The menu will still feature favs from the 12 South location (hello, dumplings and papaya salad) along with new dishes from Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Singto also just added two new locations in Brentwood and at newly opened Fifth + Broadway for her long-time regulars.

Thai Esane/Facebook

King Siam Thai Cuisine

The new homey, comfortable Thai spot that replaced the old Thai Esane on 12th is popular with grad students and faculty — it brings the heat, so start with mild if you’re not ready to sweat. People rave about the King Siam sausage, Malaysian Street noodles, and panang curry.

Drunken noodles
King Siam/Facebook

International Market

Arnold and Anna Myint carry on their iconic mother Patti’s legacy of excellent hospitality in the revamped International Market with fresh, innovative takes on old favorites in a revamped interior. Local celebrity chef Arnold emphasizes locally sourced, seasonal ingredients such as using local trout instead of imported fish for the three-taste crispy garlic trout and applewood-smoked five-spice beef from Ashland City’s KLD Farms.

The Smiling Elephant

One of Nashville's more popular Thai restaurants, The Smiling Elephant packs in hungry patrons, serving up traditional Thai dishes like panang curry, shrimp pad see-ew, and a pad thai using green bean noodles. Just keep in mind a few house rules: no reservations and no BYOB.

Thai Kitchen

Located at the South Nashville juncture of the Wedgewood-Houston, Melrose, and Radnor neighborhoods, Thai Kitchen recently modernized its interior with unfussy lighting and simple wooden tables. They serve some of the best crispy basil chicken in town and a mouth-watering Larb gai (ground chicken salad).

Ginger

This unassuming Woodbine restaurant serves up all the classics and packs a punch when it comes to flavor and value. Nearly all of the generous portions of classic Thai fare — like simmering bowls of Tom Gah Kai, crispy duck in a red curry sauce, and coconut massaman with beef — fall under $15.

Degthai

Former fan-favorite food truck Degthai joined the coterie of eateries that found permanent parking on Nolensville Pike. There, they opened a new brick-and-mortar location where their big cheeky logo watches over the shady outdoor patio and artfully painted interior. Popular options still remain the pad Thai, shumai-style steamed dumplings, and the spicy tom yum soup packed with shrimp.

Tiew tom yum goong
DegThai/Facebook

Siam Cafe

Tucked away off Nolensville Pike, Siam Cafe has been a trailblazer when it comes to Thai food in Nashville since the Silpacharn family opened it in 1972. Hit the buffet or grab a table on the full-service side of the restaurant for some can’t-miss hung ray curry, sweet and spicy Siam duck, or disco chicken.

Thai Papaya

This snug Thai-Lao joint right off Harding Place offers a range of Vietnamese, Lao, and sushi options as well as hearty Thai staples. Vegetarians shouldn’t miss their unique papaya fried rice with egg, onion, pineapple, and plenty of vegetables.

Lemongrass Sushi & Thai

This Thai staple in Bellevue has been going strong for several years, and with good reason — generous portions of creamy curries, filling noodles, light spring rolls, and their signature tray of sauces keep locals coming back for seconds and thirds. The tea menu is extensive, featuring soul-warming cups of chocolate hazelnut black tea, Moroccan mint green tea, and mango passionfruit.

King Market Cafe

King Market flies a bit under the radar thanks to its off-the-beaten-path Antioch location, but its authentic Lao-Thai cuisine makes for one of the more interesting meals in town. Case in point: fried pig intestine, pork ears, and blood cake are all standard menu items.

Bangkokville Thai Restaurant

Venture down Nolensville Road and you’ll find Bangkokville tucked away on a side street. This cozy hidden gem offers homestyle Central Thai cuisine like Mee Kati (steamed thin rice noodles with ground chicken in made-from-scratch coconut soy paste gravy) and crispy duck in panang curry at affordable prices.

Related Maps