A western friend recently treated me to dinner at Neil’s Tavern Steakhouse in Bangkok, Thailand.
I love steak so was surprised I hadn’t heard of the restaurant, particularly as its been open for around 40 years. I was even more surprised when we got there, I ate my meal and discovered I’d just eaten the best steak I’d ever eaten in Thailand.
Yes, Neil’s Tavern in Bangkok is famous, and there is a reason for it. The food is wonderful, the service impeccable and the atmosphere is warm and cozy. If you haven’t eaten at Neil’s Tavern before, you really should give it a try and here is why.
The Atmosphere at Neil’s Tavern – Neil’s Tavern is interesting because, on one hand, it’s quite elegant but, with its color scheme of red brick walls, dim lights,dark wooden beams and an orange glow around everything, it’s also cozy and relaxing.
The three times I’ve eaten at Neil’s Tavern now, I’ve found the atmosphere to be warm and inviting and a wonderful place to enjoy a quiet, intimate meal for two as well as a great place for a large group. The booths especially are comfortable and private.
The Staff at Neil’s Tavern – The staff is attentive, making sure everyone has been served drinks, bringing appetizers and entrees quickly, and checking up to make sure each customer has everything, but not in a way that’s too intrusive. They also mostly speak pretty decent English, which is a distinct change from many restaurants in Bangkok where the staff speaks no English at all.
The Food at Neil’s Tavern – Neil’s Tavern is famous throughout Bangkok for its succulent steaks and superbly cooked seafood, but there are lots of other choices too. In the few times I’ve eaten there, I’ve tried the
baked sea scallops, the escargots (snails) and the shrimp cocktail for appetizers. They’re all delicious but especially the baked sea scallops which had just the right amount of cheese. Tasty cheese at that.
The soup menu is enormous with 23 choices of soup, including cream of lobster chowder (oh this is so delicious! creamy and flavorful), ox tail soup and lobster bisque.
The entree menu is also unbelievably huge with lots of steak options, prime rib, rack of lamb, grilled pork loin, pork chops, slow cooked duck confit, fried chicken, steamed lobster, king prawns (some of the largest prawns I’ve ever eaten), smoked cod, grilled salmon, soft shell crab and sea bass – to name just a few.
In fact, everything Neil’s Tavern serves is incredibly fresh, with flavors much more subtle than typical Thai cuisine, and with huge amounts of choices for each part of the menu. Try their freshly baked bread too, it’s scrumptious.
Much of their food is imported from Australia, the US and Japan which, in this case, means top of the line taste.
Prices at Neil’s Tavern – For Bangkok, where an average meal is $1-2, prices are steep with soup starting at $5 and entrees anything from $10 up to more than $30 for a steak imported from Australia.
Some of the US cod is pricey too, but compared to other high-end steak houses in Bangkok, Neil’s Tavern is actually quite reasonably priced for the quality of the food that you get.
If you are looking for an inexpensive meal then, of course, Neil’s Tavern is not for you, but if you don’t mind paying a little bit more for great food, you can’t do much better than eating there.
Neil’s Tavern also offers two set lunch menus that are an excellent deal if you do not want to try the more expensive evening meals. For between $8 and $12 you get a choice of soup, baked mussels or salad, chicken, sea bass, steamed halibut, beef stroganoff or spaghetti, cake or ice cream and coffee or tea.
If you like a good steak, succulent seafood or any number of other western dishes, Neil’s Tavern in Bangkok is sure to please.
You can also buy gift certificates so, if you’re looking for a gift for that special someone, why not treat them to a nice meal?
The original Neil’s Tavern is located at 58/4 soi Ruam Rudee Wireless Rd, Bangkok, with the newer and smaller branch near the Asoke BTS sky train station.