How to read a Thai menu.

Thai script, inconsistent spellings in English and a spice scale that starts where others end. Here is how a Thai meal works, how to order the heat you want, and the dishes worth knowing.

How a Thai meal works

A Thai meal is shared. Order several dishes for the table, such as a curry, a stir-fry, a salad and a soup, plus rice for everyone, and eat them together. Dishes come out as soon as they are ready, not in courses. Rice is usually ordered separately: khao suay is steamed jasmine rice, khao niao is sticky rice, eaten with your hand in the north and northeast.

Ordering the heat you want

Phet: spicy.
Mai phet: not spicy.
Phet nit noi: just a little spicy.

At hotels and upscale restaurants, prices marked ++ get a 10% service charge and 7% VAT added on the bill.

"A little spicy" in Thailand can still be hot by most standards. Som tam and larb are made fresh to order, so you can ask for fewer chillies.

Dishes you will meet

Thai is a tonal language, so a respelling can only get you close. In MenuSnapp, tap the speaker to hear the name with its tones.

ผัดไทย Pad Thai pad taiStir-fried rice noodles with egg, tofu or prawns, bean sprouts, tamarind and crushed peanuts.
ต้มยำกุ้ง Tom yum goong tom yum goongHot and sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and chilli.
ต้มข่าไก่ Tom kha gai tom kah gaiChicken soup with coconut milk and galangal. Milder and creamier than tom yum.
ส้มตำ Som tam som tumGreen papaya salad pounded with chilli, lime, fish sauce and peanuts. Often very hot.
แกงเขียวหวาน Gaeng kiew wan gaeng kee-ow wahnGreen curry with coconut milk, Thai basil and aubergine. Also spelled kaeng khiao wan.
แกงมัสมั่น Massaman curry mat-sa-manMild, rich curry with potatoes, peanuts and warm spices, usually beef or chicken.
ผัดกะเพรา Pad kra pao pad ga-praoMinced meat stir-fried with holy basil and chilli over rice, often topped with a fried egg (kai dao).
ลาบ Larb lahpMinced meat salad with lime, chilli, herbs and toasted rice powder, from the northeast.
ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง Khao niao mamuang kow nee-ow ma-muangMango with sweet coconut sticky rice.

Why word-for-word translation fails here

Thai dishes are spelled in Latin letters in many different ways (gaeng, kaeng, kang), so the English column of a menu often does not match what you have read elsewhere. MenuSnapp reads the Thai script itself and gives you the common name of the dish, what is in it, and how spicy it is likely to be.

Useful phrases

Check bin: the bill, please (said with a writing gesture).
Mai sai…: without… (for example mai sai prik, no chilli).