Samsen (Wan Chai)

Really nice atmosphere with authentic decor of the Thai hawker. The food was pretty good in general but maybe a bit spicy for the kids. Service was good too. Make sure to arrive early because there will be lineups. If you miss the first sitting, then you'll have to wait until the tables are done before you can eat.

We heard a lot of good things about Samson and it lived up to expectations. The menu is a lot more authentic than many Thai restaurants. Really amazing flavour combinations that pop out. The beef was of excellent quality. Service was amazing and, odd as it sounds, even the free cold drinking was delicious filtered and crisp tasting (not the usual mouldy tasting boiled water you often find).

+ love the decor - bits and bobs all over the place that blends in nicely and gives it personality. Not only it is a feast for the tummies but the eyes as well. Their use of enamel tableware also complements the decor. + good ambience + ordered Wagyu beef boat noodles soup (average), stir fried spicy wagyu beef & flat noodles (yummy), green papaya salad with salted egg (yummy) and lime soda. - no wok hei for the stir fried noodles. Both fried noodles and in soup was served lukewarm - disappointed. It’s as if they were prepared prior to placing - Serving of food was sadly not generous - Seating was cramp and uncomfortable, nowhere to place your belongings if you have a lot to carry with you - With the price tag that comes with each dishes, it doesn’t allow one to overstay once they deemed you have finished eating. The waiting staffs are so ever quick to clear the table. - Not MSG free, left us a tad parched after the meal. In a nutshell, it is overpriced albeit tasty. It’s the Michelin label we are paying for.

I think the boat noodles is definitely worth a shot. The other dishes we ordered, such as the wagyu fried rice and the watercress (vegetable) were kinda disappointing. The beef in the fried rice was too chewy, took quite a lot of effort to just bite it. Wasn’t really an issue with the boat noodle’s beef. Watercress was kind of underdone and tasted just a slight uncooked.

The soup was really interesting and definitely worth the wait — the spices were uniquely chosen and gave it a truly authentic flavor. The meat was a bit tough, though, despite being well-cooked. The shrimp salad was beautifully done, made with fresh ingredients and generously loaded with shrimp. Unfortunately, the crab omelet was a disappointment — heavy and greasy, with the sauce overpowering everything. The crab didn’t deserve to go out like that.

Waited about 30 min on a Monday around 1pm. Excellent food and service! Had the pad see ew, pork collar, and the wagyu beef version of pad kra pow. All were amazing! Some reviews noted khao soi but there was none today. Wish I had the stomach for more food!

The Wagyu boat noodles are indeed rich and flavorful. The Wagyu beef slices arrive slightly rare, and are cooked to perfection by the hot broth—tender, not greasy, and absolutely delicious. Each bowl comes generously packed with Wagyu slices, beef balls, and beef brisket. Just a heads-up: the broth has a bit of a spicy kick. $158 is pricey but worths a try.

We came here pretty late (9:30/10:00 so we didn’t have to queue, (but note that one dish was sold out), and it just made our day! The atmosphere was great, and the food was amazing! We had the spicy duck salad, chicken stir fry with noodles and stir fried beans with rice, I can’t explain how delicious it was! Worth the visit!

Really good quality food. The beef boat noodle was super flavorful and the beef was tender. The morning glory was also good but a small portion. The mango in the mango sticky rice was very sweet but the rice was a little undercooked.

I'm thrilled with both the ambiance and the culinary offerings here! The wait of an hour felt justified by the experience. The dishes not only pleased the palate but were also a feast for the eyes. Among my favorites are the pandan ice cream, chicken satay, and the beef Pad Kee Mao.

Came for dinner. Expect wait times. We got seated at bar. Haven't been to Thailand wouldn't really call it authentic but rather modern Thai food. We tried chicken curry as other curries were sold out and beef noodle dish. Spice level was a bit disappointing for thai levels even when asking for spicy. Dishes don't come with rice. Overall I found it tasty but very overpriced for what it is.

Amazingly great Thai food in the heart of Wan Chai Hong Kong. Be prepared for a little wait. But the staff is cherry and keeps the food coming with that famous Thai smile. The music is a but on the clubie side for my tastes but the food quality and quantity makes up for it. Overall fun atmosphere with great food makes every night feel like a party.

I'd have to say this is one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been. I loved every dish we ordered. We started with the green papaya salad with peanuts. The the dishes all came one after the other quite quickly. We ordered the khao soi with chicken, crab fried rice, massaman curry with beef cheeks and potatoes, and fresh made Roti to share with my daughter and son in law. The meal was so satisfying and filling. The curries were quite different from back in the USA. The massaman curry was aromatic and the beef cheeks were so tender. I think the cinnamon stick in the curry really added a great flavor. The crab fried rice was so flavorful and complimented the curries. Absolutely a place I'd love to visit again.

Very delicious and authentic thai food. Definitely must try if you are in the area. Be there early as it is easily crowded during peak period. Ambience is good and staffs are always friendly to assist you. The omelette with crab meat and their signature wagyu beef noodle are good that you must try. If you are a fan of chilli then go ask for the small chilli to really surprise your taste buds and supplement your food.

Very nice restaurant with authentic Thai Street Food. Small Menue - friendly and fast. Expect waiting times if you are coming after 6:30 pm.

Samsen had some amazing Pad See Ew and I got to try their famous boat noodles with Wagyu beef. I personally only like my Wagyu beef grilled; and not boiled. So the appeal of the Wagyu wasn't great for me. Although it was tender; it didn't seem much different from regular cuts of beef. The noodles that came with their boat noodles were very chewy and flavourful however. I always have a thing for Pad See Ew; so it was great for me to be able to try at this restaurant. It was flavourful; with chewy noodles and did not disappoint! The two dishes also came with complimentary drinks; so me and my cousin got an Lime Iced Tea as well as a Lime Soda. I personally enjoyed the Iced Tea more; as it had more of a sweetness to it; but the Lime Soda was nice and refreshing.

Really popular place to get your fix for Thai street food. They are known for their boat noodles but I've been here a few times now and you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The boat noodles have that sweet spicy broth you would hope for and if you like coconut milk then you will really enjoy this dish. Like a lot Thai dishes it's an absolute flavor bomb. The Khao Soi is not a regular menu item but will appear as a special on occasion. This dish is more heavy on the coconut milk than the boat noodles and also has a lot more of the fried crispy noodles. So I'm essence it's kind of a mixture between a dry and soup noodle. The best dish here is the pad see ew which is a fried flat noodle the Thai equivalent of a 干炒牛河. This dish is not as rich as the soup noodle dishes but the flavor and taste are fantastic. This is the best pad see ew I have ever had. Skip the pad Thai and order this. I've also had the beef rice plate, which isn't as good as the noodles. It is also quite spicy and if you can't take a lot of heat I would avoid.

I'll admit noodles + soup isn't my favorite food in the world, but a friend had been raving about this place for months, so I thought why not try it. Wagyu beef boat noodles = delicious. The broth was so good (they use real blood to make it) and the beef was amazingly tender. Drinks here are expensiveeeee. It was over $80HKD for a watermelon vodka. We went on a Saturday at around noon and had to wait about 30 minutes, but it wasn't so bad. This place is worth a try!

Great food and atmosphere. Queued for 30+mins and totally worth it. We had: - Thai watermelon juice - Fried eggs w/ chili jam - Duck salad - Spicy beef noodles (wagyu) - Beef fried rice (wagyu) - Mango sticky rice The food was excellent. I usually cringe when places use wagyu to replace regular beef in most dishes because it seems like overpriced restaurants think swapping regular beef for wagyu will make their boring food good. Also the wagyu used is often just a wagyu brand that's bred somewhere outside Japan (e.g. Australia) and lack the distributed marbling that makes the meat unique. And not many dishes need the extreme fattiness and sweetness of wagyu. So I make an effort to avoid these restaurants and dishes. BUT, the wagyu here really went with the noodles and rice. Not overly fatty and tender enough that it maintained the "meatiness" to the dish. Everything else we ordered was equally good. We had the counter seat which was really nice also as the guy prepping a lot of the food was super friendly. When he saw my girlfriend finding the food spicy, he immediately got us a bowl of chopped cucumber. He was very serious throughout the evening but still made an effort to smile and be nice. The interior was very nice also. Was a really pleasant night.

Good food can't complain but nothing amazing and a bit pricey for portion size and its quality

My favorite restaurant in Hong Kong! My friends and I came here for dinner on a Wednesday night and it was packed! Get here early if you can. The boat noodles and watermelon juice were to die for. I moved back to the US for work and think about this place every time I go to a Thai restaurant...

This restaurant came up on several of my searches for cheaper but great HK restaurants, so we decided to check it out. It wasn't too hard to find and when we got there, there was about a half hour wait, and they don't take reservations. We were able to wait outside, but the restaurant was pretty much open to the outside in the front so we were allowed to order drinks as we waited. The inside was very cozy and a small space, with a bar where you can sit and eat on one side and several tables on the other side. It was fun getting to watch the food being made at the bar from the outside while we waited. I ordered their special cocktail which was a mojito the night we were there, and it was delicious. We also tried a couple of beers. When we sat down, we asked for some of the recommendations on dishes. We ended up ordering the lettuce wraps, wok fried watercress, stir fry flat noodles with waygu and the pad thai for our appetizers and entrees. Warning: everything is pretty spicy. The watercress was spicy and cooked well. The noodles and pad thai were both incredible, as were the lettuce wraps. The wagyu was cooked perfectly. Everything was absolutely amazing, we were just sweating a little at the end of the meal. For dessert we got the coconut dumplings and the mango sticky rice. The dumplings were to die for and I've never had anything like them. The mango rice was also incredible. Recommend both!! Honestly this was the best take on thai food that I have ever eaten. You can't go wrong with any of the dishes on the menu. Definitely make this one of your dinners if you're in HK!

Oh my God wow. I have never had better Thai food in my life, and I don't think this fully sank in until I left the restaurant. I was enjoying the food so much that I couldn't process how good it was. Came for lunch with a friend. We split the Pad Thai set and the Wok Fried wagyu beef. Both were simply stunning. As you can see from the photos, they were served street food style, very simple and unpretentious. Even though the presentation was simple, it was clean and refined. My first bite into each dish was heaven, especially the beef. The flavor was intense, rich, deep -- it felt like it could be absorbed not only by your toungue, but by your entire body. Same with the Pad Thai. Will definitely come here again. Quaint decor, amazing food, what more could you want??

Good vibe. Good decor - both rustic/ hole-in-the-wall &hippie/modern. We came here for a late dinner on a week night and it was still pretty busy. It felt that it was a hip place, but still very casual/ cool. You can tell there are a lot of regulars here. Starters were on the smaller side. The main portions were also on the leaner side. It was a bit disappointing but the taste made up for it. We ordered two of each an appetizer and main for 2 people and it was just enough to satisfy out taste buds and hunger. The green mango salad was a killer - super tasty with a good spicy kick- really opened up our appetite. The boat noodle soup was to die for, it was thick and super savory, I have never tasted/ seen anything like it. It was just a pure dark brown saucy soup! The wagyu was not as tender as I hoped it would be, but the pork rinds made a really nice texture once dipped in the think soup. The type of noodle they used was also unexpected and a nice texture. I would definitely go back and try their juices/ drinks and dessert next time. All in all a great eating experience. It's not 5 stars because of comfort and service. I think the seating can be a bit more comfortable - as a 2 person table, we were seated on a 4-person table and you can pretty much hear the neighboring party's conversation. The service was slow - They were a bit understaffed and could not keep up with being attentive. Despite the criticism, the food is something that I'd definitely be back for.

Who knew Hong Kong had such great Thai boat noodles? This dish was the embodiment of balance on flavors and textures: There was crunch from the pork rinds to balance out the tender Wagyu beef. There was vegetal Siamese watercress to balance meaty braised beef. There were perfectly cooked rice noodles to balance the richly spiced broth. There were meatballs, because who doesn't love meatballs? The accompanying Thai milk tea was sweet and creamy, perfect for a hot, fall day in HK. After we ate, our friend took us up to meet the chef, who was nice and gracious, and working that line to dish out more beautiful bowls of boat noodles.

I showed up because I wanted to have a Thai-themed day of meals. I had my first Thai meal of the day at my favorite joint - shoutout to Nam Long Shan Cooked Food Market in Wong Chuk Hang. I was really intimidated coming up to the store - showed up 8 minutes before opening and the line stretched around the block! Somehow we were seated comfortably as soon as the place opened. At first glance the menu wasn't super special - a quick glance told me there were the usual noodle and rice selections that are customary at Thai joints. I went for wok fried wagyu beef, egg, onions and rice. I was feeling pretty saucy so I also threw in a pineapple and ginger fruit drink with a vodka shot, though rum and gin were also available. When it arrived, it didn't look super special but after getting some lime juice and some sort of spicy Thai sauce on there I reached Siamese nirvana. I'm not very descriptive with my feelings but I will say it was amazing! The service was fantastic as well. My boy Bernard was hilarious and helpful throughout the meal and knowing he's there, I'll definitely be heading back. Highly recommend! No reservations though so y'all better get ready to line up. Some Black-Friday-outside-Best-Buy lines out here!

Outstanding Thai food, which explains why there is such a long line of customers queued up before the restaurant even opens every day. Such fresh aromatic herbs in every dish, such plump crab meat, perfectly steamed rice. Perfection all the way around. The greens tasted like they were recently harvested. Pad Thai was generous with jumbo prawns. A must visit when you're in the area.

Came here for a weekend lunch and a line forms before they open at 12pm, so get there early! Food: I had the Wagyu beef boat noodles (with thin rice noodles, pork rinds and Siamese watercress) as recommended by a friend and it was a good rice. The beef and the meatballs were so good! They use thicker glass noodles that stuck together a little but flavor mixed with the broth was delicious! The pork rinds stayed crispy too. A good touch to mix in for some contrast in textures and flavor. It came with a drink of Thai iced lime tea, Thai iced milk tea or Thai iced coffee. I went with the Thai iced milk tea and it was a little sweet but quite good! We also had the fried fish skin and it was super crunchy and flavorful. Dipped in the soup noodles was even better!! I would definitely return! Love the different flavors. Definite reminders of Chachawan, which I still like, so it's good to know the Chachawan chef opened up Samsen for more options! Cost: $150 per person

In a food-obsessed city where eateries open and close more quickly than you can snag a table or settle for a countertop seat, Samsen is currently my favorite restaurant in Hong Kong. There, I said it. Of the handful of times that I've come here, I've not found a single thing to fault about this place - other than the wait times, which can extend to an hour and a half (they don't take reservations). Come, put your name down, go have a drink or three in an hour, and come back when they call you. I recommend Thaiwan or Ciacoe for your pre-Thai food sesh. The boat noodles are STUNNING - earthy, meat-forward broths with firm and tacky rice noodles, filled to the brim with meatballs, brisket, tendon, and the perfect receptacle for my spoonfuls of chili. The fried noodle dishes - see ew, pad thai, all utterly faultless. The stir-fried kale, pork, and beef dishes - amazingly salty, sour, sweet, acid, and always accompanied by that characteristic Thai crunch - whether that be from a sprinkle of peanuts, a handful of bean sprouts, or a ladle of crispy fried garlic. The layout is casual and steamy, since half the kitchen works at an open kitchen counter, and where you can see all the action happen. Samsen, in a town with a lot of mediocre Thai food, completely shines.

Trendy and over-priced, but excellent food. Service is a bit below average, but it appears that they get so busy with local lunch visits that they seem to take us for granted. Guaranteed to have to wait anywhere near lunch time. BUT again, the food was exceptional, so make your choice in or out!

First Thai noodle bar in HK apparently! I guess I always took these for granted back home as Sydney has a thriving Thai community not only cooking up stir fries, fried noodles and grilled meats, but also delicious noodle soups like boat noodles and tom yum noodles. Since moving to HK I've missed my bowls of boat noodle as a midnight snack post drinks but the ever so evolving food scene of HK comes to the rescue. Coming here, you must order the boat noodle and their boat noodle is pretty epic. Either pork or beef are good, we had both and both were done very well. For the pork, you get an assortment of sliced pork, pork ball, pork rind with the noodle soup. DRINK THE SOUP!! The papaya salad with pork belly was also a star, pad thai with prawn was also pretty good though I thought the prawn was under-seasoned albeit very juicy and large. Dessert I was not a huge fan of and I usually love desserts! I found them all to be too sweet or too heavy. The coconut ice cream was too creamy and not as fresh as I had hoped. The coconut dumplings were SUPER sweet, even with the salty coconut soup. Mango and sticky rice, well, can't really go wrong there I guess but more carbs for dessert after a carby dinner tipped me over the edge. Go for the noodles, I am eagerly awaiting them opening for lunch esp with winter coming up! Definitely check it out, boat nooooooooodles for the win!

I came here with a friend a few weeks ago, and it was great! We got there about 15-20 minutes before opening, and there was already a small line forming to snatch a seat inside the small dining room. A few minutes after 6, we were let in and given the choice to sit in the dining room or at the bar. We decided on the bar, and it was the best seat in the house! We were right in front of the garnish station, so we were able to see all the food coming out and getting its last minute touches before serving. During the slow moments, we even had a nice chat with some of the chefs! Customer service is off the charts here, which surprised me a lot because a lot of Chinese restaurants generally don't have outstanding service, but I think because this was a more modern place and catered to young adults, especially those living in and around Wan Chai, Samsen was an exception. The servers spoke both English and Chinese, so communication was not a problem. They were very attentive, asked us if we needed more water and how the food was. They even offered to take our coats for communal hanging in the corner of the restaurant. But TO THE FOOD! We ordered the fried pork collar appetizer, crab fried rice, and the popular Waygu beef noodles to split. Everything was delicious. The pork collar was crisp with a slight kick, and it came with a side of a chili jam, I think, which added some sweetness to it. It was perfectly well rounded. The fried rice was pretty good, nothing amazing, but still worth it. Pour on some of the sweet/sour sauce and a squeeze of lime, and it can't get better than that. The beef noodles was slightly too spicy for my personal taste, but it was so good that I didn't mind it at all. The beef was so tender, the broth was packed with flavor, the noodles had a slight chewy bite to it, which I absolutely love. It was a bit pricey in my opinion. It was almost 500 HKD / 60$ something USD for the both of us, but the experience overall was worth the price tag. We were able to have a small conversation with the chef, telling him how great the food is, the service exceeded my expectations, and the restaurant was very cozy with great music. Definitely worth it!!

Best Thai food I've had outside of Thailand. I've also never been here when there is not a line of at least 20 people outside. I don't think they take reservations. Don't overlook the desserts. From the opening drinks (try the mango passion fruit) to the final coconut ball, you won't be disappointed.

Very enjoyable but make sure you get there early as there always seems to be a queue outside. Best Thai food in HK (along with Chachawan). The fried marinated pork collar was very good The wagyu beef bowl noodles were the absolute highlight of the evening & lived up to the hype. Seating is a little tight but service was fast, efficient & knowledgeable. Will be back (early).

In these testing times for F&B, I really wanted to support them by ordering deliveries/getting takeaway from small businesses. Unfortunately, some would rather not do business because they think they're famous enough. Their instagram post just two days ago said they're offering takeout 12-9pm. Well this is a lie because apparently their kitchen is closed from 5-6pm but it doesn't say anywhere that that's the case. I called ahead at 4:40pm to order takeaway and I must have called at least 5 times, ringing till the line died. No one picked up all along. So I drove over to order in person, only to notice two waitresses chilling and chatting among themselves aka not too busy to pick up the phone. By then it was already 5pm and their kitchen is closed. Then this manager Pae came out - super defensive, and said they're too busy to answer phones and update their instagram. He also said there's nothing he could do but I could sit there and wait an hour till their kitchen opens. Very unhelpful and rude. I messaged them afterwards and from their reply was empty and dismissive. Well, I've had their food before and while it wasn't bad, it's not worth putting up with snobby attitudes as well. The way their staff run things? Best of luck with the pandemic.

Great thai food place in the middle of southern China! This place is very popular and definitely gives off a modern/hipster vibe. You'll see a lot of foreigners here, but that shouldn't deter you. You get extremely quality thai food here, and if you like spicy, the food is extremely spicy! I was hoping to try the Wagyu Boat noodles but wasn't able to get a seat (the wait was 50 minutes!) so decided to do take-away. Ended up getting the wagyu flat noodles which was non-soup based because you aren't allowed to order the soup-based noodles as take-away. Anyways.. the dish was awesome, super flavorful, and did I mention SPICY? Super spicy! The prices were pretty high considering what I'm used to paying for thai food. I paid about 17 USD for my plate of flat noodles. Sure it had wagyu beef, so I wasn't deterred by the price. But considering HK's super modest food prices, this place is not by any means cheap.

Absolutely pleasant experience at Samsen. One of the best Pad Thai I've had so far ( and I travel extensively to Bangkok). Ambience is super chill, prices are considerably cheaper than most thai restaurant of its caliber. Must try-s : Pad Thai and Pandanas Coconut Dumplings

This was my favorite restaurant in Hong Kong. The fresh juice drinks were the perfect start to the meal. We had the marinated pork collar and crab fried rice which were both amazing. We also had the pork boat noodle which was good but not my favorite of the night. To end the night we had the pandan dumplings, which is still the best dessert I've ever tried. So good we ordered a second!

Loved this place. Had a really hard time choosing but I picked the flat noodle with chicken and it was incredibly satisfying.

Our last night and probably the best meal (definitely in top three) during our two week trip to Phuket, Singapore and HK. The food was amazing and the service was fantastic. This family of 5 had the chopped duck salad, pad Thai noodles of tiger prawns, stir fried flat noodles w/ Wagyu and more Wagyu...stir fried w/ jungle curry paste. So good! There was a wait to be seated so we went next door to Elmo's Bistro and Bar, which was fabulous! Elmo and his Aunt were so friendly and welcoming to us and our boys, we went back for drinks and tunes after dinner as well!

Great thai food in cool location. Place was hopping with a line but worth the wait. Fresh flavours great balance and just damn yummy.

Grabbed some takeaway after giving up looking for the entrance to another restaurant nearby.. looks pretty modern but food was delicious. I had the entree squid and a prawn Pad Thai. I can't tell if it's "traditional" or "modern" but it wasn't super weird, and it was really nice.

Was planning for sometime to go this restaurant. Finally went with my son after long waiting which was evert penny worth. We ordered Pad Thai and Crab Fried rice. One of the best Thai food I had after a long time. To top it their lime team was simply mind blowing. I will definitely go to this restaurant many time in coming year. As its close to my office.

The food was okay. Nothing special. The tables are tiny. You have to rub shoulders with strangers next to you. More hype then anything else.

Went there for lunch. I arrived at 11:50 and was in line with about 10 other people, by the time it opened there was a line of 50+ people. I was seated at the bar where they prep the food. Everything looked fresh and clean. I ordered the beef dish and was not disappointed! This was some of the best Thai Food I have had anywhere in the world. I was full but still opted for the coconut Ice-cream dish. WOW, if you like coconut you do not want to miss this generous serving. It also helps cut thru the spice from the main course. I think I will return for dinner :)

This is literally my favourite restaurant in Hong Kong- their fried rice is to die for (I haven't tried anything else because I am just obsessed with the rice). So I wait a whole year to go back because I'm not in Hong Kong often, and when I do I bring my parents. However, there was a line when we got there. I approached the woman taking names and I guess I rubbed her off the wrong way, she was so rude to me. She asked everyone waiting if they wanted to order drinks and proceeded to give everyone a menu except my family like she got some personal vendetta. I asked her how long we had to wait and she looked so annoyed despite her having just given the same speech happily to the white man before me. I guess the woman had been working for a while and was having a bad day but not sure what I did or said that offended her. Was so excited to eat but left because of the rubbish vibes that killed my mood and appetite.