Boat-access royal Thai restaurant in a restored riverside mansion, serving historic recipes from Siam’s old kingdoms in candlelit rooms.
Praya Dining is the kind of place that feels like a secret. You board a small wooden boat on the “city side” of the Chao Phraya, cross the river in a few quiet minutes and step straight into a Palladian-style mansion from another era. Inside, crimson walls, chandeliers and dark wooden floors set the scene; outside, a palm-framed pool and candlelit garden look back towards Bangkok’s skyline. The restaurant’s royal Thai set menus trace recipes from historic Siamese kingdoms through to modern Bangkok, turning dinner into both a story and a slow, atmospheric evening.
The experience begins at the pier. Because there is no road access to Praya Palazzo, guests cross by private shuttle boat; the city’s noise drops away as soon as the engine slows and the mansion’s cream-yellow façade comes into view. It feels a little like arriving at a private country house rather than a hotel, and by the time you walk up the steps and into the main hallway, your mind has already shifted gears from Bangkok pace to something more measured.
The building itself dates back around a century and was originally known as Baan Bang Yi Khan, later meticulously restored into today’s boutique hotel. Architectural details mix Italian-inspired arches and symmetry with Thai and Chinese touches: arched windows, shuttered doors, polished floorboards and rooms filled with old photographs and furniture. Praya Dining occupies a sequence of salons that feel intimate rather than grand; tables are set with white linen, old-style tableware and small floral arrangements, and the lighting is tuned for soft conversations more than quick table turns.
On the plate, the story is firmly royal Thai. The kitchen looks back to recipes from Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and early Rattanakosin, reworking them for today while keeping the structure and spirit intact. You might start with intricate canapés that show off the craftsmanship of old palace cooking, move into salads and soups that balance spice and aromatics, then finish with rich curries, stir-fries and refined desserts that arrive as part of a shared “samrub” set. It’s generous but not heavy, detailed without feeling fussy, and presented in a way that foregrounds the patterns of the china and the colour of the ingredients.
It helps that service leans into the house-party feeling. Staff introduce dishes with a sense of pride in the stories behind them, happily explain unfamiliar names and keep a close eye on pacing so that the evening unfolds steadily rather than rushing. Between courses, it’s easy to look up at the chandeliers, out to the garden or across the room and forget you are only a short boat ride away from the city’s traffic.
Praya Dining’s core is its royal Thai set menus, which are built to guide you through several eras of Siamese cooking in a single sitting. Guests choose between different samrub options depending on appetite and group size, then settle in as the kitchen sends out a sequence that might include rare old recipes alongside more familiar classics. The focus is on table-sharing: small bites to open, followed by salads, soups, curries and stir-fries that arrive in a rhythm designed for conversation, with rice and condiments refreshed as needed. This structure makes the restaurant especially easy for first-time visitors to Thai royal cuisine, because the decision-making happens once at the beginning, then the rest of the evening is handled for you.
Beyond dinner, the restaurant also leans into the property’s “hidden house” charm with special experiences. On selected days, Praya Dining hosts an afternoon tea that blends Western-style tiers with Thai sweets and savoury bites, served either in the main salon or on the garden terrace by the pool. It feels tailor-made for slow weekends, birthdays and low-key celebrations, especially when the light is soft and the river breeze reaches the courtyard.
Because the restaurant sits inside a fifteen-room boutique hotel, there is also the option to roll dinner and a stay into one. Guests can book rooms that open directly towards the pool and garden, use the riverside library and small public spaces during the day, and then drift downstairs for their evening set menu without needing to think about taxis or transfers. The hotel team handles boat transfers from a choice of piers, so even non-staying diners get a taste of that quietly curated arrival and departure.