Bangkok Station

"Bangkok Station is a solid choice for any-size party looking to indulge in seafood-focused Thai dishes that are hard to find elsewhere. That includes an amazing goong ob woon sen with six giant butterflied shrimp overtop soy-drenched glass noodles. It's served in a giant clay pot and is the essential order here. Another winner is the spicy pla krapong manao, which feels like it comes with two pounds of flaky fish. And the Buckhead restaurant could win Atlanta's Pad Thai Presentation Awards (if we didn’t just make that up). Their delicious, peanut-heavy pad thai is beautifully plated with a folder egg and sauce drizzles." - jacinta howard, juli horsford, nina reeder

"For over 20 years, this Atlanta institution has offered an abundance of flavor-packed, richly textured Thai dishes on the menu. Order crab Rangoon, gyoza stuffed with chicken and vegetables served with a sweet mushroom soy sauce, and muk-yhang (whole chargrilled giant squid in a spicy lime sauce, along with Thai standards like pad Thai, cashew prik pow, and crab fried rice. Tip: a vegan menu is also available; other dietary restrictions such as gluten free are also clearly marked." - Carolyn Desalu

"Buckhead’s Bangkok Station is a solid choice for any-size party looking to indulge in seafood-focused Thai dishes in a low-key setting. A waiting area with a wall of brightly colored parasols opens to a warm, dining room that’s spacious enough to support your group of six friends who don't know the meaning of inside voices. White lacy tablecloths and upbeat jazz would ordinarily signal stuffy, but the overall vibe in here is more jeans and sneaks over suits and ties. So you'll see no set uniform, but it's very likely that every table will uniformly have a creamy curry or pad thai on top of it. We don’t fault those tables because these are respectable menu choices, but if you’re here, you should get the spicy goong ob woon sen or pla krapong manao, excellent dishes that other city Thai spots can’t match. Food Rundown video credit: Juli Horsford Sai Grog E-San Pork, garlic, rice, and pepper are packed into mushy (but in a good way) balls. Even with the rice, these balls taste meaty and rich. It’s worth an order, especially for sausage ball lovers. video credit: Juli Horsford Pad Thai With Tofu This dish would win Atlanta's Pad Thai Presentation Award (if we didn’t just make that up). A folded, thin egg patty sits on top of the noodles with an artful drizzle of peanut sauce and a tiny pile of crumbled peanuts on the side—and each bite is bursting with that signature peanut flavor that we love. photo credit: Juli Horsford Green Curry We get this curry with chicken because that mild protein lets the creamy basil-tinged sauce take center stage. This excellent version works in chunks of tender eggplant, which sop up the sauce nicely. photo credit: Juli Horsford Fried Rice Peas, carrots, bits of scrambled egg, and onions are peppered throughout the rounded mound of fried rice, which works better with no meat. It won’t make you fall in love, but it’s not disappointing either—it’s just fine. Goong Ob Woon Sen This is one of our favorite dishes. The shrimp is butterflied and sits on top of a massive portion of glass noodles doused in a soy sauce, and the best part is a spicy green sauce that comes on the side and has hints of lime, cilantro, and chilis." - Juli Horsford