Kowloon City has long been the heart of Hong Kong’s Thai community, and with the Kowloon Walled City drawing history-loving travellers, the neighbourhood’s food scene is having a moment. A new UFood guide rounds up nearly 10 essential Thai eateries for 2024, from decades-old family kitchens to new-generation Thai cafés built for the camera.
A Thai Enclave Shaped by Migration
Thai migrants have settled around Kowloon City for decades, creating a distinctly Thai cultural pocket. The streets of Fuk Lo Tsun Road, Nga Tsin Wai Road, Nam Kok Road, and Lung Kong Road are now packed with more than 200 restaurants, and roughly one in three serves Thai food.
The area has earned the nickname “Little Thailand” for good reason. Thai-language signs are common, and since April 2007, the district has hosted its own Songkran water festival, attracting crowds every year with live music, Thai boxing, and, of course, street food.
2024’s Essential Thai Eateries
Kam Thai BBQ and Kam Thai Sàtay
A 20-year fixture, Kam Thai runs two outlets: one sit-down barbecue restaurant and one takeaway counter famous for its grilled skewers. Chicken wings, pork jowl, and Swiss-style sausages are the regulars, best enjoyed with the house peanut satay sauce and a tangy chilli-vinegar dip.
Beyond skewers, the menu includes tom yum seafood noodle soup, pineapple fried rice, and curried clams. The queues move quickly, but locals say the wait is worth it. Both branches open daily from noon until 11pm.
Chao Phraya Thai Restaurant
This old-school spot first opened in the 1990s and was once the largest Thai restaurant in Hong Kong. After a short closure in 1997, it was reopened by a family member and now runs with a Thai-born head chef.
The signature boat noodle is the main reason to visit. The broth is simmered with pork bone, black garlic oil, coriander root, star anise, cinnamon, and galangal, following a family recipe. It is rich, heavily spiced, and often sold out before dinner service.
The menu also features crispy fried pork knuckle, iron-plate oyster omelette, and tom yum. Address: G/F, 19 Lung Kong Road, Kowloon City. Open daily from 11:30am to 10pm. Phone: 2382 4855.
More Names Worth Saving
The UFood guide also spotlights Kam Po Thai Restaurant, Thai Royal Court, Orange Elephant Thai Restaurant, Golden Orchid, BTS Food Station, and Long Jie Thai Food House. The list mixes traditional Thai-run restaurants with newer, Instagram-friendly venues, and several stay open until the early hours.
What to Know Before You Go
- Arrive early. Signature dishes such as Chao Phraya’s boat noodles can sell out before dinner.
- Bring friends. Thai dining in Kowloon City works best family-style, so you can try more dishes.
- Watch the calendar. The April Songkran celebrations turn the district into a full cultural festival, with water fights and street performances.
A Neighbourhood Worth Savouring
Kowloon City’s Thai restaurants are more than a postscript to a walk around the Walled City. They are living links to the Thai families who have made this district home. For visitors, they offer a taste of Bangkok without needing a flight; for the community, they are a way of keeping tradition alive, one plate at a time.