Eat the world without leaving Bangkok

Get your Filipino comfort-food fix

There’s actually quite a few options for Filipino food in Bangkok, but our pick has to be Kalamansi Kitchen in Thonglor. It’s more the homestyle choice, with family recipes like chicken inasal, pancit palabok and longganisa on the menu. Its sister spot Kalamansi Kafe in Sathorn is even more casual, but just as delicious. But one thing to know with Filipino food: bring friends. More people means more things you can steal a bite of, and it brings a very social atmosphere inside.

Kalamansi Kafe, 101/11 Suan Phlu Road, Sathorn. Call 088 952 2509 or message to book. Wed-Mon 10am-9pm; (closed Tuesdays)

Try not to wear the khinkali on your shirt

If you've never tried Georgian food, start with khinkali – big dumplings filled with meat and broth that are considerably harder to eat gracefully than they first appear. ARGO Georgian Bar & Grill on Sukhumvit Soi 8 is a solid place to start, with Georgian breads, grilled meat and plenty more alongside them. They even have a small, but interesting selection of Georgian wines (did you know Georgia was the birthplace of wine?). Back to the khinkali, just bite a little hole and drink the broth first unless you fancy wearing your dinner.

ARGO Georgian Bar & Grill, 4/26 Sukhumvit Soi 8. Call 088 686 4393 or book online. Tue-Fri 6pm-midnight; Sat–Sun noon–midnight; closed Mon. Kitchen closes at 11pm

Have pancakes for dinner, because why not?

The Dutch looked at pancakes and apparently decided breakfast shouldn't get to keep them all to itself. Dutch Pancake Café in Asok does proper Dutch pannenkoeken – big, thin pancakes that can go sweet or savoury. Bacon and cheese for dinner, Nutella and banana afterwards? Now you're thinking like a Dutch person.

Dutch Pancake Café, 20 Ratchadaphisek Road, Asok. Plain pancakes start from B120; most topped pancakes are around B200-280.Call 081 791 4969. Asok branch opens daily 7am–9pm

Fill the table (and your belly) Greek-style

Bangkok traffic outside, tzatziki and grilled seafood inside. Helena Greek Kitchen on Sukhumvit 51 is a good shout for Greek salad, dolmades, octopus and grilled fish, while Aesop's Bangkok is the livelier option if you want your Greek dinner with more of a night-out feel. Either way, bring friends – Greek food wasn't really designed for guarding one plate with your life.

Helena Greek Kitchen, Sukhumvit Soi 51. Mains start from around B360. Call 092 653 0351 or book online.

Aesops, Level 25, Column Bangkok Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 16. Dishes from B100 for sides; starters from B400 and mains from B600. Call 062 567 7751 or book online. Daily 5pm-midnight, last orders 10.30pm

Get your pastel de nata fix any time of day

Portuguese food in Bangkok's Chinatown? This article is starting to prove its own point. Cataplana Bkk serves its namesake cataplana alongside grilled meat, seafood and plenty of plates worth sharing. And downstairs you'll find Cafe de Nata dealing with the equally important business of pastel de nata – Portugal's famous flaky custard tarts, with crisp pastry and a creamy, caramelised filling. Dessert before dinner? We support it.

Cataplana Bkk, 2/F, 10/12 Soi Ram Maitri, Pom Prap. Wed-Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat-Sun noon-midnight (closed Mondays)

Ethiopian heaven is served on a pancake

If you've never eaten Ethiopian food before, Habesha in Nana is your go-to place to start. Stews, meat and vegetables come served on a massive injera – the big, slightly sour pancake that doubles as both your plate and your cutlery. Tear some off, scoop everything up and repeat until you've accidentally eaten half the thing your dinner was sitting on. Efficient, really.

Habesha Ethiopian Restaurant, Sukhumvit Soi 3, Nana. Call 080 045 4817. Open 11am-11pm

Wake yourself up with some zingy ceviche

Bangkok gives you two very different ways of doing Peru. Buenazo is the one to try when the food is the main event – start with ceviche and work from there. Above Eleven, meanwhile, takes things sky-high with Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei food on the 33rd floor of Fraser Suites. So you can have your ceviche with a rooftop view and pretend this whole thing is educational.

Buenazo – Cevicheria & Peruvian Eatery, The Commons Thonglor, Thong Lo Soi 17. Around B400-B1,000 per person, classic ceviche, lomo saltado and ají amarillo mixed ceviche are among the favourites. Call 089 164 4454, reservations available. Open noon–9.30pm

Above Eleven, 33/F Fraser Suites, 38/8 Sukhumvit Soi 11. Peruvian-Japanese dishes and sharing menus from around B500 per person, call 02 038 5111 or book online. Daily 5pm–2am; last food order 11.45pm (although the restaurant's official site currently lists daily service until 2am)

Go big on the steak

Argentina was never going to make it onto this list with a salad. Quilombo in Thonglor does the whole steak-and-Malbec thing inside a rather dramatic stone castle, while El Gaucho gives you a meatier option if you want Argentine-style steak somewhere a little easier to reach. Get the chimichurri involved and don't announce you're ‘not that hungry’ before ordering. Nobody believes you.

Quilombo, 105/2 Thong Lor Soi 5. Book online or call 062 987 9777. Daily 5.30pm-midnight

El Gaucho, 392/12 Sukhumvit Soi 20, Khlong Toei. Call 098 490 4408. Open 24 hours daily. Dine-in, takeaway and delivery available.

Turn up the heat mon

Reggae you've heard. Now try the food. Frying Pan Jerk Grill on Sukhumvit 11 serves Jamaican favourites including jerk chicken, brown stew chicken, curry goat, ackee and saltfish, rice and peas and fried dumplings. And maybe taste the jerk before confidently asking for extra heat – your ego doesn't need to order dinner for you.

Frying Pan Jerk Grill, Building 29, Sukhumvit Soi 11. Call 095 764 5993. Daily 11am-2am

Get everyone around the table

Palestinian food isn't really designed for eating alone. At The Levant on the 24th floor of Centara Grand at centralwOrld, the table quickly fills with mezze, hummus, smoky babaganoush, falafel, grilled meats and plenty of warm bread to scoop everything up with. The menu draws on food traditions from across the Levant, including Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, so bring friends, order more than you think you need and accept that everyone will be reaching across the table. 

The Levant, 24/F, Centara Grand at CentralwOrld. Call 02 100 6255 to book. Open daily noon-11pm

Get a taste of New Zealand in Sathorn

Kai New Zealand in Sathorn leans into Kiwi beef, lamb and seafood, with fish and chips, oysters and steaks all getting involved. If you're there on a Sunday, check out the roast – a suitably massive way to finish an article that has mostly involved encouraging you to eat too much.

Kai New Zealand, 142/40 Sathorn Soi 12. Book online or call 02 635 3800. Daily 11am–midnight

Prepare for a serious amount of cheese

Switzerland isn't exactly known for light dinners, and Chesa Swiss Cuisine isn't trying to change that. This long-running Sukhumvit restaurant goes all in on traditional Swiss comfort food, with bubbling cheese fondue, raclette, crispy rösti and plenty of hearty Alpine dishes on the menu. If you've never dipped bread into a pot of molten cheese and called it dinner, now's your chance. Just maybe don't make plans to move very quickly afterwards.

Chesa Swiss Cuisine, Sukhumvit Soi 20. Call 02 261 6650 or book online. Daily 11am–11pm.

Still hungry? Here’s the full list of countries we found and where to try them. We’re sure there are more besides, but save this as your go-to for when you get some far-flung cravings.