Praya Kitchen — Restaurant in Si Phraya Subdistrict

Having returned to Praya Kitchen after a couple of years, I was curious to see whether it still lived up to its strong reputation. The answer is somewhat mixed. While certain elements remain outstanding—especially the quality of meat and seafood—some of the previous highlights have quietly disappeared, and with them, a bit of the charm that once made this buffet stand out.

Let’s start with what still works well. The buffet includes a beautifully curated meat station with chilled Australian Wagyu cuts—ribeye, chuck roll, picanha, flank steak—all well-marbled and grilled to order. Lamb chops and other premium cuts are also on offer, clearly showcasing the restaurant’s continued commitment to high-quality sourcing. The seafood selection is equally generous, featuring Korean oysters on ice, river prawns, blue crab, and even live lobsters cooked fresh with your choice of sauce. These stations alone provide excellent value for the 1,250 THB net price (with discount).

The service remains a strong point. Staff were consistently friendly, attentive, and professional, and the dining area is well-maintained, airy, and inviting. We were fortunate to be seated by the large floor-to-ceiling windows, which offered a striking view of Bangkok’s skyline at dusk—an added touch that elevated the overall ambience and made the evening feel special.

That said, there were some disappointing changes compared to previous visits. The once-popular sushi station, where chefs prepared nigiri and rolls on demand, has been removed. Instead, guests now find a much simpler display of pre-prepared items like octopus, crab sticks, and tamago—perfectly fine, but lacking the freshness and presentation flair of the earlier setup.

A similar trend was noticeable in the dessert section. Previously, it featured local favourites like mango sticky rice and crème brûlée. This time, the selection leaned toward Western-style cakes and sweets—red velvet, brownies, honey citrus cake. While attractive and competently made, they didn’t quite capture the same sense of variety or surprise.

One charming new addition was the DIY virgin mojito station with fresh mint, fruit, soda, and lime syrup—an interactive and refreshing touch, especially for younger guests or those skipping alcohol.

Overall, Praya Kitchen still offers good value and a high standard of food, particularly if you prioritise seafood and grilled meats. Yet for returning guests, there’s a noticeable scaling back of some of the details that previously made the experience feel more curated and locally grounded. A few small restorations—like the sushi chef or traditional Thai sweets—could easily bring it back to its earlier form. As it stands, it’s still a very pleasant place to dine, especially with those skyline views, but perhaps not quite as memorable as...

We checked tripadvisor for our dinner of four business people and the Praya Kitchen was rated very highly among the midscale options. However, we were a little disappointed. Maybe most reviews came from the very sumptuous and mildly expensive all you can eat buffet. While service was fine until the food was served, the a la carte food itself was very average and in parts sub-par. The dried shrimp in the Papaya Salad were hard and chewy. The papaya itself lacked freshness and crunch. It had set in the dressing for too long. The tofu as part of the Pad Thai was equally chewy, bordering on hard, and felt old and dried out. The egg on the Pad Thai was hard and cold. The musulman curry was the best dish, soft and tender meat, boiled potatoes, and a well-balanced sauce. The service had overlooked the request for a less spicy version of the noodle/veggies, but it was actually very tasty and 3/4 of our party could enjoy the dish. One person could not enjoy it, but that was ok. When the bill came, we split it, which the restaurant gracefully accepted. But the change came back 200 THB short. Once mentioned, the precise money we paid was brought back and we explained that we would like the difference of THB 200 back. The request was promptly complied with. Overall, not a restaurant I would ever expect to make the top 100 in a city...

Upon arrival, the buffet was serene until a large group of students joined, causing chaos at the counters. Despite the crowded conditions, the buffet offered a good variety of options including seafood, ready-to-cook meat, Thai dishes, and a dessert bar with pastries ranging from Western to Thai styles. The highlight for me was the dessert bar, which also featured ice cream and grilled butter toast. I appreciated the unique concept of selecting seafood and choosing a cooking method based on colored buckets, although I would avoid the snails as they lacked flavor. The meat selection was impressive, although the taste was ordinary. The limited pasta option was disappointing. The buffet also offered a variety of Thai soups, including tom yum tom kha, tom sap, and the special tom yum with many river prawns for those love the heavy taste. They all tasty. The sashimi was fresh but nothing exceptional. Some recommended dishes I enjoyed included self-picked mussels stir-fried with garlic, grilled meat, oysters, grilled river prawns, and the dessert options. The price of 1,4xx Baht on weekends was reasonable for a peaceful buffet experience. The service was exceptional, despite feeling slightly rushed when the large group arrived. Overall, Praya Buffet is a decent choice for those seeking a calm dining experience without...