Nusara

Nusara is a small tasting-menu restaurant in the old town near Wat Pho, opened by chef Thitid Tassanakajohn, known as Chef Ton, who also runs Le Du in Silom. It is named after his grandmother, Nusara, and the menu is built around the dishes she cooked for the family, reworked with fine-dining technique and premium Thai produce. The dining room is small, calm and intimate, and the restaurant holds one star in the Michelin Guide Thailand 2026.

Dinner is a single set tasting menu served to every guest at the table, including children. It moves through a sequence of small bites and then a larger family-style spread of curries, relishes, soups and stir-fries served with rice, much as a home meal would be, followed by Thai desserts. The cooking relies on ingredients such as fish sauce, oyster sauce, shrimp paste, dried shrimp and coconut milk, and the kitchen states that it cannot remove or substitute them, so it is not suitable for diners who must avoid these. A vegetarian menu is available only by advance request.

Bookings are made online through TableCheck and require full payment in advance. Dinner lasts about two and a half hours, with last orders at 20:30. Tables are held for 20 minutes if you are late, and changes must be made at least seven business days before the booking. Dress is smart casual, with no flip-flops or tank tops. Space is limited, so larger groups need to contact the restaurant by email in advance, and private dining is available for small parties.

Nusara suits couples and food lovers who want an intimate, personal take on Thai home cooking, and those who appreciate a story behind a menu. It is a pricey special-occasion meal, but the setting near the temples makes for a memorable evening in the old town.

The restaurant is on Maha Rat Road in the Tha Tien area, a few minutes' walk from Wat Pho and Tha Tien Pier. Street parking is available in front, with paid parking at Wat Pho or the Royal Thai Navy Club. Sanam Chai MRT station is around five minutes on foot, and the riverside bars facing Wat Arun are close by for a drink before dinner.