Thai Restaurant: Koh Phangan

Stockholm, Thailand?

Now for something a little different! When it comes to eating out in Stockholm, it isn't all about Michelin star, Nordic cuisine hotspots. Just about every world cuisine is represented in Stockholm's culinary scene: Italian, Japanese, Greek, American, French, Indian, South American, etc. One of the most popular is Thai cuisine. Thailand has long been the top tourist destination for sun crazed Swedes and, because of this, there has been a healthy exchange of culture and peoples between the two countires. There are Thai massage salons and Thai restaurants found throughout the city.

Nua Pat Kratiam

One restaurant which has long been Stockholm's most popular Thai restaurant is Koh Phangan with their catch phrase "same, same, but different". Stockholmers have flocked here for years, not only for good, inexpensive Thai food but also for the ambiance. The restaurant is decorated just like a beach-side restaurant on an island in Thailand with blinking lamps, bright colors and questionable (taste-wise) bamboo decor. This is probably as far from Nordic minimalism as you can get... which is probably why Swedes find it so exotic.

Thai wall decoration?

 The original restaurant is located in the SoFo neighborhood, a hop, skip and a jump from the Rival Hotel. However, they recently opened at a second location in the Östermalm neighborhood. It was this restaurant I recently visited with a friend. Good food & prices! They used to not take table reservations, just drop-in guests... but they recently changed ownership and now they seem to be more willing to take reservations. Another fun option for Thai cuisine in Stockholm is the Thai Boat. This is an actual boat, moored along the southern waterfront of Södermalm. Less "blinking lights" decor than Koh Phangan, it still has a taste of authenticity with its own man-made beach adjacent to the bar. During the summers Stockholmers come here to put their feet in the sand, drink cocktails and relive their recent vacation in Thailand. Click for other restaurant reviews.

Beach at the Thai Boat...