Little Siam Bruges, Belgium – the best Thai restaurant in town!

We are always interested in trying out authentic Thai restaurants with good reviews.

Little Siam Bruges for example!

We do love Thai food.

A few year ago we lived in Thailand for 2 months straight.

And stayed in Bangkok numerous time.

We read about Little Siam not that long ago and put it on our to do list.

Bruges citytrip

We have friends from France visiting Belgium in a couple of weeks.

And they definitely want to see the beautifully medieval town of Bruges.

Have you been there?

We decide to stay there for a couple of days to go check it out ourselves.

It has been a while since we were in Bruges too and we are kind of curious to see what places are still left after the pandemic.

So here we go, we hop into our car one fine morning and head to Bruges.

Bruges is a one hour drive away from Antwerp, easy ride.

Before we get there we decide to have lunch at a famous Belgian restaurant in Damme, Siphon: you can read all about it here.

Little Siam Bruges

After lunch we hop back into our car and head to Bruges.

Check into our hotel, and start to explore the city.

To our surprise and relief not a lot has changed here over the years.

Popular tourist spots and attractions are still accessible, museums and churches as well.

The sightseeing boats on the canals are packed with people, and so are the typical horse carriage tours.

The city is buzzing with people and visitors but it isn’t overcrowded like it used to be before the crisis.

As much as we want to show our friends around in Bruges, we are also here for the food.

Belgian food.

And Belgian beer.

No tourist traps and such.

We checked out a few places and breweries online, but also stumbled upon another very interesting looking restaurant we definitely want to check out just the two of us.

A Thai restaurant called Little Siam in the heart of the city that claims to serve authentic Thai food.

Their menu looks splendid online, so a couple of days before we head over to Bruges we made a reservation.

We paid for our dinner at Little Siam Bruges and didn’t get or ask anything in return for this review.

Authentic Thai cuisine

That evening the July weather is balmy and very pleasant.

Little Siam Bruges is only a 10 minute walk from our hotel.

It is located in a quiet street near a busy square filled with restaurants and shops.

We step inside and are greeted by a gentleman who checks our reservation. On the left is a tiny and extremely tidy kitchen, a Thai lady stands behind the stove. On the right is a small dining area with a couple of tables.

The gentleman summons a waiter and he asks us to follow him upstairs where our table is.

This room is small as well, only a couple of tables just like downstairs.

We get the table right next to the window, great.

The waiter brings the menus and we dive into them.

Menu

And what we read makes our mouth water.

Classic dishes we loved such as tom yam khung, som tam, pad krapao phed, yam pla muk, laab salads and a couple of classic Thai curries.

Yum.

Choosing will be difficult.

But we manage to come to a unanimous decision: tod man pla (€11), sate kai (€9), nua yang naam tok (€22) and pad krapao goi (€24).

Luc chooses a crisp white wine to go with our dinner, Borgo dei Trulli – an Italian vermentino (€24).

Cooked to order

As we sit back and take in the black and gold decor, the tables around us get gradually occupied.

On their website it said that this place only has room for 20 people.

The owners of Little Siam Bruges have been active in the hospitality industry for over 25 specialising in traditional Thai cuisine. The lady chef in the kitchen cooks every dish to order with the freshest ingredients using authentic recipes and flavors. Only that way are they able to let you enjoy authentic Thai cuisine.

That is why the owners kept this restaurant very small to keep it doable. It might take a little longer for your order to arrive at your table because Thai food is prepared fresh and from scratch.

For that very same reason we now know why it is highly recommended to book your table because Little Siam Bruges was fully booked, a note said next to the entrance of Little Siam Bruges.

Starters

It takes about half an hour for our starters to arrive.

And we are super hungry, a little bite or cracker while waiting would have been good. Especially with the excellent Italian white wine in our glass that opens the appetite.

We ordered tod man pla (€11) and sate kai (€9).

Or fried fish cakes with lime leaves and and chicken skewers.

Pretty presentation, is what we both say at the same time.

And how does it all taste?

The fish cakes look rustic, and well fried. The filling is so juicy and flavorful. That lime leaf flavor is explosive! Gorgeous. With the fish cakes comes a mildly sweet and spicy dipping sauce.

Yum.

The chicken satay also look amazing: these are definitely homemade. The chicken is juicy and perfectly cooked. And that satay peanut dipping sauce is another delight.

Well balanced flavors, perfectly cooked ingredients.

Yes, you can definitely taste the freshness here.

Love the rustic homemade feel both our starters have.

Main courses

After our table is cleared, it takes another half an hour for our mains to arrive.

Which isn’t a punishment, our starter was so satisfying.

Here they come: we ordered nua yang naam tok (€22) and pad krapao goi (€24).

Or grilled steak salad with mint, lemongrass and chili – and stir fried clams with Thai sweet basil and chili. Served with rice.

We are both suckers for a good Thai lukewarm steak salad.

Unfortunately most Thai restaurants just don’t do it well.

Not here at Little Siam Bruges: this steak salad is impeccable.

The steak is a real steak, cooked as a steak and then sliced up. Not the other way around. And it is massive. It is hard to not finish it even though in the end we are totally stuffed.

The marinade, amount if chili and seasoning is top notch, perfection. Not too mild nor too spicy. And so are the raw vegetables and herbs that are served with it.

Amazing.

The clams are cooked to perfection and they are as fresh as can be, so flavorful again!

With the clams also come strips of sliced squid, again perfectly cooked and not rubbery or chewy.

Stir the clams and squid and that delicious Thai basil and chili sauce appears.

What a treat.

What a feast!

Dessert

If we want to order dessert?

They sure sound great: mango sticky rice, banana beignets and fruit spring rolls.

But we have to admit that the portions were so copious that there is no space left in our stomachs.

Shame though!

Would we go back to restaurant Little Siam Bruges?

Yes, definitely.

What a great evening we had!

Plain and simple Thai food cooked to order, what a pleasure to taste those fresh flavors and ingredients.

Little Siam Bruges serves straight up authentic cuisine.

Our dishes were moderately spiced, next time we would ask for extra spiciness but that it totally personal.

Prices are very reasonable for a city like Bruges. We paid €95 for our dinner with a bottle of very good wine and half a litre of water.

Sweet!

Would we recommend restaurant Little Siam Bruges?

Yes we do!

Do make a reservation a couple of days in advance or you will be disappointed to find that Little Siam Bruges is fully booked and doesn’t have a waiting list for walk-ins.

We definitely recommend this great Thai restaurant!

Address

Little Siam Bruges
Sint Salvatorskoorstraat 3
8000 Bruges
Belgium

Open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday until Sunday, closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Reservations only possible by phone after 4pm: +32 50 65 96 19

We paid for our dinner at Little Siam Bruges and didn’t get or ask anything in return for this review.