Glai Baan Is the Original Best Thai Place in Phoenix
Glai Baan
In a city filled with mediocre Thai food—mostly of the fast-casual variety—we almost aren’t worthy of something as delicious as Glai Baan. The flavors and smells are just out of control, and the cocktails are as unique as they are delicious. The only downside is that getting in can be a chore (make a reservation!) and the parking situation is a little wild. Maybe show up in a Lyft.
Camelback East - 2333 E Osborn Rd
Awards + Accolades
James Beard Awards
2024: Best Chef:Southwest | Pornsupak “Cat” Bunnag - Semifinalist
2023: Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program - Semifinalist
AZ Central
2024: 100 Essential Restaurants
2023: 100 Essential Restaurants
2020: Dominic Armato’s 100 Essential Restaurants
2018: Dominic Armato’s Top 100 Restaurants
Eater
2024: The 38 Essential Restaurants in Phoenix
Foodist Awards
2023: Best World Flavors - Winner
2023: Most Delectable Dessert | Mango Sticky Rice, Finalist
Reviews
Whatever the reason, even on nights when a couple of duds hit the table, this is a spot that deserves to be recognized for the step forward it is. And when Glai Baan is on, it has sizzle and spunk that stand out from the crowd.
We’re still just scratching the surface, but the fact that we can start to talk about Phoenix Thai in context with surrounding cities is a good thing.
- Dominic Armato, AZ Central
In recent months, however, my early ardor has been restored by Glai Baan, a small, charming Thai restaurant in central Phoenix, where chef-owner Pornsupak “Cat” Bunnag specializes in Thai street food and the specialties of her native Isan, a province in Northeastern Thailand. Though not particularly spicy, her soulful dishes seem brighter, fresher and more authentic than just about any Thai food in town. I think I’m in love.
- Nikki Buchanan, Phoenix Magazine
Glai Baan’s modest-sized menu of Thai snacks, stir-fries, and salads is approachable and quite often very delicious. Nothing here, probably, will strike casual Thai food eaters as particularly challenging. The menu, at least not yet, doesn’t delve too deeply into unfamiliar territory; you won’t come here for Thai deep cuts like funky offal, or the extra-pungent notes of Isan cooking. Glai Baan’s scope feels a little smaller than that. In its own way, though, Glai Baan is gently broadening the audience for Thai cooking in metro Phoenix in a way that feels propitious and long overdue.
- Patricia Escárcega, Phoenix New Times
What to Get
Kanom Custard
It starts when the steamer basket’s lid is removed to reveal a billow of steam and a bready, heady smell. Breathe it in. Considered street food in Thailand, this combo at Glai Baan seems simple enough — bread and custard — but the layered aroma tells a different story. The steamed coconut custard has a caramel-hued tinge and taste to match — and that’s a hint of pandan leaf hitting your nose, southeast Asia’s version of vanilla that smells beguiling and a little like bubble gum. Even the bread seems cake-like; steaming imbues it with a spongy softness, perfect for sopping up the dip — and you won’t waste a crumb.
- Allison Young and Megan Marples, Phoenix New Times
Kanom Jeeb (Pork Dumplings)
The menu is chock-full of traditional and tweaked dishes that all stand on their own, yet the pork dumplings (Kanom Jeeb) are a standout. Made with local Arizona pork, these steamed dumplings are outstandingly juicy and succulent, pairing perfectly with their scallion and ginger soy sauce.
- Mcconnell Quinn, Eater
Kao Soi
The dish I’ve found myself returning to is the restaurant’s take on kao soi, a chicken curry whose creamy, rich coconut base is deftly balanced with spices and aromatics. This is the Cadillac of northern Thai curries, richly layered with bright and savory notes, and fully loaded with two kinds of noodles – springy egg noodles and crispy fried noodles, which lend texture to a dish that practically convulses with flavor.
- Patricia Escárcega, Phoenix New Times
Kapro Gai Kao Dao
What a sweet, merciful relief. Do you have any idea how many Thai restaurants make a mess of this dish? It shouldn’t be rocket science. Minced chicken, garlic and chiles, a handful of basil, a little sauce and a lacy fried egg. But there are enough cloying, stewed, bell pepper-riddled versions out there to push you to the edge. Then a bright, fiery, sharply focused dish like the one Cat Bunnag serves at Glai Baan grabs you by the wrist and firmly pulls you back. Crisis averted.
- Dominic Armato, AZ Central
Laab Sided
Berlin has taken elements of the Southside (gin, lime juice and mint) and added savory flavors (cucumber, onion, shallot and fish sauce) commonly associated with the Laotian/Thai meat salad called laab (or, sometimes, larb). Fish sauce in a cocktail, you gasp? Yes, and it’s delicious, an umami bomb providing salty, oily richness and a touch of funk. The result is a light, refreshing cocktail that’s just right with spicy food.
- Nikki Buchanan, Phoenix Magazine
Mackerel Fried Rice
In this unprecedented journalistic feat, we ordered and ate each of the 23 items on our favorite Thai restaurant’s full-time menu, and ranked them here for you by excellence. Hey, obsession isn’t pretty, folks.
Phoenix Magazine
Mango Sticky Rice
Most Delectable Dessert, Finalist
- 2023 Foodist Awards
