• 4
• Yes, obviously

The best places to get vegan Thai food in Bangkok are among the food stalls along Chinatown sois. Years ago I located a vegan noodle stall on Thanon Charoen Wiang that was so good I ate one meal a day there for six months. In the late 90s even the MBK food court was a regional mecca for vegan Thai dishes—seriously, people flew in from Vietnam. I have purposefully *not* reviewed such sites precisely because they are so damn excellent. Bangkok vegetarian/vegan restaurants, on the other hand, and in particular the ones that claim to cook Thai food, simply suck. These are famous restaurants that are always full with backpackers in the evening, that give cooking classes, that are favorably reviewed on HappyCow and elsewhere. They suck. What is on the menu at such places is the equivalent of Thai cuisine to the extent that the average Euro-american shopping mall Chinese restaurant serves real "Chinese" food. (This analogy does not quite work because strictly speaking there is no such thing as "Chinese" food, but I digress...). Khun Churn is a true exception amongst the Krungthep dregs. I've eaten at their various branches maybe 100 times? It is a relaxed (air-con) environment offering delicious, and dirt cheap relative to quality, vegan Thai food, with an emphasis on Northern/Lanna dishes (Khun Churn is a chain; the original is in Chiang Mai. They have branches in Nonthaburi and Thonburi. All excellent). Bangkok Mediplex surely is one of the spookiest places in the city (take the elevator to the 13th floor, see for yourself), but the journey into its basement is well worth it. Try the mieng kham and laap.