Today we’d like to take you to Ratchada, a cozy, authentic Thai restaurant tucked away in the center of Munich. It has a discreet entrance, so it’s easy to miss. Once you go down the stairs, you’ll see a spacious dining area with a slightly bar-like vibe — a mix of dim, sultry lighting and a touch of nightclub flair. The restaurant attracts many Thai patrons, including our Thai friend who introduced us to this spot.
Restaurant Profile
🏷️ Name of the Restaurant: Ratchada Thai Restaurant & Bar (incl. menu)
📍 Adress: Schwanthalerstraße 8, 80336 München
🍜 Style: Thai Cuisine – soup, curry, fried food, stir-fries, rice dishes, noodles, hotpot, salad, vegetarian dishes etc.
💰 Price: around 20 – 30 EUR per Person (incl. Drinks and Tips)
The moment you settle in, they pour you a cup of toasted barley tea, free of charge. Its mild, nutty sweetness wraps your stomach in comfort. Simple, grounding, and subtly earthy – it’s a nice little prelude to the bold flavors ahead.
Phak Toad – vegetables tempura with sweet and sour sauce
This starter is a Thai version of fried veggies. Unlike the Japanese tempura, this dish wraps zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers, mushrooms, and leeks in a thick, shatteringly crisp batter—heartier and more substantial.
It’s served with cool, crisp cabbage strips, lettuce, and radish, as a refreshing contrast.
The highlight is the sauce – roasted peanuts crushed into a creamy dip, laced with a bright zing, a sugary depth, and just enough chili to tingle the lips. Pair it with the crisp, golden Phak Toad, and let the teeth break through the craggy shell. As a sweet aroma of just-fried veggie escapes, you taste juicy zucchini, snappy bell pepper, and tender cauliflower – each glazed with the toasty, umami-packed sauce. A satisfying mix of crunchy, creamy and spicy all at once.
Gob Gratiam – fried frog’s legs with garlic sauce and vegetables
This dish is packed with crispy, umami, golden-fried frog legs. They crackle with a shatteringly crisp outside. The inside is tender and almost chicken-like—but richer, slightly sweet, and silkier.
The legs are drenched in a spicy, garlic sauce, piled high with veggies, like cauliflower, pak choi, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, napa cabbage, bamboo shoots, and crisp bean sprouts.
Frog meat is lean, delicate, and subtly sweet—like a mix of chicken thigh and flaky white fish. When fried, it stays juicy inside while the skin turns paper-crisp.
The base is a garlicky, soy-infused glaze—lightly sweet, tangy, and a little spicy.
Here’s the kicker: fatty meats mute heat, but frog’s lightness lets chili sing—which is why we asked for extra spices: the super-spicy green fish sauce for a pure endorphin rush, and the saltier, brighter red fresh-chili sauce.
The mountain of veggies underneath adds crunch and relief. It was worth the sweat, and pairs perfectly with steamed rice, which helps tame the heat.
Tom Yam Mor Fai – Thai hot pot
You can choose between shrimps, seafood, or chicken. We went for the seafood edition.
Mor Fai (meaning “fire pot”) is Thailand’s version of bubbling hot pot. Most Tom Yam may be clear and punishingly spicy, but Mor Fai is richer, gentler and more comforting. The broth simmers with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and chilies. So it’s still sour from lime and tomatoes, still fragrant with lemongrass, but surprises with a light creamy, milky richness that soothes as it excites.
The heat is subtle, warming, not brutal—letting the natural seafood sweetness come through.
Dive in, you’ll find umami, sweet crab legs & crab meat, sweet, plump shrimp & giant prawns, tender squid, oceanic, briny mussels & shells, springy fish cakes, and crunchy, slippery silver ear mushrooms.
Though not a common Thai hot pot ingredient, silver ear mushrooms are prized across Asia—believed to boost skin health.
The broth reduces as you eat, becoming richer with every dunk of seafood. The protein collagen and fat meld into a “milky” gloss. The soup tasted so good that we finished every last drop.
Priced similarly to the more upmarket Pad Thai Restaurant, Ratchada is still seen by many Asians living in Munich as the go-to spot for delicious Thai food in the city center. If you’re lucky, you might get to try the house-made coconut ice cream, prepared by the owner herself. Other dishes on the regulars’ hit list include fried chicken wings, duck with stir-fried morning glory, and sour-spicy baby squid hot pot. And if you stick around past 11 PM, you might catch a live karaoke session, with just the right, relaxed and welcoming vibe.
I agree. Many Thai restaurants serve plain sticky rice, but here they color it, adding extra fragrance. The mango next to the rice makes it more appealing. They don’t skimp on the mango either – it’s a whole, very fresh one. That freshness is key for this dish. Sometimes, they also add apple slices and grapes. The sticky rice is topped with crispy fried mung beans, contrasting with the soft rice. Paired with the salty-sweet coconut sauce and smooth, juicy mango, the dish has layered texture and flavor – I absolutely recommend!
This Thai restaurant is quite good, especially the mango sticky rice. However, the indoor lighting is very dim — there’s only a small table lamp on each table.
Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to more recommendations for Munich.
I have to say, the location is a bit rough…
Thanks for the tip! The frog dish isn’t really my thing, but the hotpot looks amazing!
It’s really hard to find the entrance, especially in that area…
Thanks so much for sharing this! Finally found a place where I can get Thai hot pot!
I recommend Nua Gratiam Prik, beef stir-fry with vegetables. This dish has relatively light flavor, not too spicy. The beef is top, seared with such a fragrant aroma, and the portion is generous.
Great food, most of the guests were Asian, so I guess that’s a pretty good sign. They mixed up our bill at the end, but we got it all sorted.
I personally prefer Pad Thai Restaurant, also because it’s in a nicer neighborhood. And their prices are pretty similar.
They have an extensive menu with lots of dishes. I’m kind of a regular there. Except for their curry dishes, which are a bit too heavy, I really can’t complain about the rest.
Food is good, but unfortunately a bit too pricy for what you get.
Very original Thai food—they don’t hold back on the spice!
Not bad for a Thai restaurant in Germany—cash only though, and the staff don’t speak much English.
Not sure if we ordered the same dish, but our tom yum soup didn’t have so much seafood. Nevertheless super tasty Thai food, excellent service, plus free tea and unlimited rice refill. Worth a visit!
It’s indeed a great Thai place with lots of delicious dishes. However, it can smell a bit at times, probably because it’s in the basement and doesn’t have good ventilation.