The Best Thai Food in Atlanta: 7 Essential Dishes to Try

Atlanta has no shortage of Thai restaurants, but finding the best Thai food in Atlanta means knowing what to order once you sit down. At Nan Thai Fine Dining, our menu is built on recipes Chef Nan Niyomkul carried from Bangkok to Midtown, refined over decades and recognized with 16 consecutive AAA Four-Diamond awards.

Whether it is your first visit or your fiftieth, these seven dishes show what royal-style Thai cooking is all about.

1. Tom Kha Kung

The dish many guests remember most. Our coconut soup balances galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime with sweet shrimp and mushrooms. It is creamy without being heavy, bright without being sour, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. If you order one soup in Atlanta, make it this one.

2. Kung Pad Thai

Pad Thai is the dish everyone knows, and it is also the easiest to get wrong. The version at our menu is made to order with tamarind, palm sugar, and fresh rice noodles, finished with plump shrimp. No shortcuts, no gloopy sauce, just the balance of sweet, sour, and savory that made this Thailand's most famous export.

3. Whole Snapper 3 Flavor

A Chef Nan signature and the centerpiece of many celebrations in our dining room. A whole red snapper is crisped and dressed in a sauce that hits sweet, sour, and spicy in a single bite. It is the dish our regulars photograph most, and the one Sports Illustrated praised when Chef Nan cooked the Champions Dinner at The Masters.

4. Lamb Hung Lay

Northern Thailand's answer to a slow braise. Lamb shank is simmered until it slips off the bone in a rich curry of ginger, turmeric, and tamarind. It is a dish you rarely find outside Thailand, and it pairs beautifully with a glass from our wine list.

5. Som Tum Kung

Green papaya salad with grilled prawns. Crunchy, fiery, and refreshing all at once, this is the dish to order if you want to understand why Thai food is famous for balance. Ask your server to calibrate the heat to your taste.

6. Larb Gai

A minced chicken salad from the Isan region, tossed with toasted rice powder, lime, and herbs. It is light, herbaceous, and often the sleeper favorite of the table.

7. Mango with Sticky Rice

When it is in season, there is no better ending. Sweet mango, coconut sticky rice, and nothing else. Simple, iconic, and gone from the table in minutes.

What Makes Thai Food "Fine Dining"?

Great Thai food is about precision: fresh herbs flown in weekly, sauces built from scratch, and heat used as seasoning rather than a dare. That is the standard Chef Nan Niyomkul set when she pioneered Thai fine dining in Atlanta, and it is why our kitchen prepares every dish to order.

Plan Your Visit

You will find us at 1350 Spring Street NW in Midtown Atlanta, serving lunch on weekdays and dinner nightly. Reserve a table online, or plan something bigger in our private dining room for up to 70 guests.