Plaza Khao Gaeng opens its second London restaurant in Borough Yards, bringing its Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognised Southern Thai cooking to a new setting beneath the historic Stoney Street arches. Following the success of the original Tottenham Court Road site, this new chapter sharpens the restaurant’s identity: fast, fragrant, and rooted in the everyday curry-rice culture of Thailand’s southern provinces.
Co-founder Luke Farrell keeps the spirit direct: “A railway arch feels like the right place for a Thai curry-rice joint—lively, fragrant, and close to the markets that inspire it.” His menu follows that principle with a focused collection of dishes from regions rarely represented in London. Expect the signature pairing of soy-braised pork hock and gaeng som sour curry, alongside seafood curries, crisp whole fish, spicy stir-fries, and bright salads. Desserts keep the same balance and simplicity with coconut pudding, palm sugar, and tropical fruits. Drinks take cues from the South too, offering rum, mango-infused tequila, watermelon spirits, and fresh herbs in a short list of sharp, tropical cocktails.
Everything begins at Ryewater Nursery in Dorset, where Farrell cultivates Thai herbs and aromatics — think betel leaf, kaffir lime, wild turmeric, lemongrass, galangal, and an array of basils — giving the kitchen a direct line to the flavours defining the menu.
Inside, the Borough Yards site unfolds through a series of atmospheric spaces. Guests enter a bright, functional dining room built around a custom-made Kha Muu cart, before following a narrow alley under a blue tarpaulin canopy in a quiet nod to Thailand’s street markets. The route leads into the shell of a former cinema, echoing Bangkok’s original Plaza cinema with flashes of 1970s character blended with stainless steel counters, fluorescent light, and an open kitchen.
With 78 covers set across shifting levels and passages, Plaza Khao Gaeng Borough Yards captures the rhythm of a true raan khao gaeng with generous plates and communal eating. A vivid new addition to Borough Yards, this deeply authentic diner is set to continue the Plaza Khao Gaeng story of success.
@plazakhaogaeng
@lukiefarrell
@chaiyorestaurants
Photography, courtesy Plaza Khao Gaeng Borough Yards.
