The Bottom Line
Some of the best Thai dishes in town are served at Thai Bird, the Chinatown stalwart whose two locations -- a convenient snack bar and a cozy restaurant -- are both just minutes by foot from Central Station. Their typically Thai menu is enhanced with the impeccably fresh flavors and expert preparation that have kept them in the business for nearly 20 years.
Pros
- Delicious, fresh Thai meals
- Modestly priced for its class
- Choice between an informal snack bar or a sit-down restaurant
- Ten minutes' walk from Amsterdam Central Station
Cons
- Often crowded
- Spice lovers will want to ask the chef to turn up the heat
Description
- Restaurant
Address: Zeedijk 72-74
Phone: +31 (0)20 620 1442
Open daily, 5 - 11 p.m. - Snack Bar
Address: Zeedijk 77
Phone: +31 (0)20 420 6289
Open daily, 2 - 10 p.m. - Location: Amsterdam Chinatown, close to Central Station.
- Directions: Head south from Central Station (Stationsplein) and make a left on Prins Hendrikskade, which branches off into Zeedijk; follow Zeedijk south to number 72-74. By metro, take line 51, 53 or 54 to "Nieuwmarkt, and head north on the Zeedijk. The two locations are across the street from one another.
- Attire: Casual, both at the snack bar and restaurant.
- Décor: Cheerful chaos at the snackbar; dimly-lit, romantic ambiance at the restaurant.
- Payment: Major credit cards accepted.
Guide Review - Thai Bird - Amsterdam Restaurant Review
Thai Bird is a pioneer on the Zeedijk: the first Thai restaurant to open on the street even before it was the tidied-up, picture-perfect lane that visitors see today. Thai Bird staked its claim on the Zeedijk when Chinatown was still a rather slummy, undesirable neck of the woods, and as survivors of that period can now celebrate the district's Renaissance.
But this doesn't mean Thai Bird now sits back on its haunches. Instead, the restaurant and its snack bar still serve up the same aromatic Thai classics that helped them survive the Zeedijk's troubled times. From the ubiquitous pad thai to the more seldom, Isan Thai dishes -- from Thailand's northeastern border with Laos -- Thai Bird offers a diversity of tastes from across the country.
The choice between a snack bar for quick eats in an informal environment and a sit-down restaurant for more leisurely meals is certainly a welcome one, as visitors can drop into whichever one suits their needs -- note that the snack bar, however, is often filled to capacity. The two menus are quite similar: some snack bar dishes are cheaper, however, while there's somewhat more variety in the restaurant menu.
On our last visit, my dinner companion and I opted for the serenity of the restaurant, whose interior is adorned with reminders of Thailand. The dishes we ordered were authentic, but spiced down for Western palates; we loved the tahoe pad ped, or red curry with tofu, a coconut milk-based curry best savored over a mound of bamboo-steamed sticky rice. This is Thai Bird at its best -- vibrantly flavored, classic Thai dishes that have sated diners for nearly two decades.
