Central Ohio's Thai lane runs through strip-mall plazas from Pickerington to Dublin, with the deepest bench still parked inside the city itself. These nine rooms cover the range: quick lunch counters, family dinner spots, and the plate that made each one worth naming.
№ 01
Thai Paradise
Pickerington $$
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Thai Paradise holds down a Pickerington storefront with the straightforward menu that keeps a strip-mall Thai kitchen running for years: curries, pad Thai, the usual noodle and rice lineup done at a fair price. No frills room, quick service, the kind of place that earns repeat weeknight trips without needing to announce itself.
№ 02
Jasmine's Thai & Sushi
Pickerington $$
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Jasmine's pairs a Thai kitchen with a sushi counter in Pickerington, and the pad Thai and spring rolls get named alongside rolls and miso soup on the same table. General Tso chicken shows up too, a sign the menu leans crowd-pleaser. The raspberry lemon drop cocktail gets specific mention as a reason to stay for a second round.
What to ordersushi, pad thai, spring rolls
№ 03
Bangkok Grocery & Restaurant
$$
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The Pad See Ew and chicken wings are the order at Bangkok Grocery & Restaurant, with a side of sticky rice non-negotiable according to the regulars. It runs as a straightforward Columbus counter operation: quick turnaround, friendly service that remembers faces, and portions that justify the price point. A steady name in the city's Thai lineup for years.
What to orderPad See Ew, chicken wings, sticky rice
№ 04
Thai Grille
Westerville $$
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The tofu curry draws the loyalty at Thai Grille, a Westerville room built for lingering over a meal with friends. The kitchen holds a consistent standard across the menu, and the room stays clean and welcoming enough that regulars keep coming back. Expect a longer wait for food during busier hours, the tradeoff for a kitchen working from scratch.
What to ordertofu curry, pad thai, green curry
№ 05
Chi Thai Restaurant
$$
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Basil Shrimp ordered with a side of hot chili oil is the customizable move at Chi Thai, a Columbus room that also runs Kung Pao Chicken and Mapo Tofu, a menu that reads as much Chinese-American as Thai. Service has stayed a strength through the years even as some longtime patrons note the kitchen isn't quite what it was under earlier ownership.
What to orderBasil Shrimp, Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu
№ 06
Erawan Thai
$$
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Erawan Thai anchors Thai cooking on Columbus's east side, with pad Thai, curry, and som tam, the shredded green papaya salad, forming the backbone of the menu. Some regulars order pho here despite the dish's Vietnamese roots, a sign of how the kitchen has broadened its lineup. Weekend lunch service runs efficiently, with good food and good service both getting cited.
What to orderpad thai, curry, som tam
№ 07
Siam Orchid Thai Restaurant
Dublin $$
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Siam Orchid in Dublin turns out a Crab Rangoon substantial enough to be the dish people mention first, paired with a well-built dipping sauce. The Thai Chicken Bowl and cashew chicken round out a menu built for regular weeknight rotation rather than special occasions. Delivery holds up, and the room draws returning customers on a biweekly rhythm.
What to orderCrab Rangoon, Thai Chicken Bowl, Cashew Chicken
№ 08
Bamboo Thai Kitchen
$$
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Drunken noodles and the mini Thai rolls are the standing order for regulars at Bamboo Thai Kitchen, a Columbus room that runs both Thai and Vietnamese dishes, including banh mi, under one roof. The pad Thai gets singled out after a search through several other Thai kitchens in the area. Consistency across repeat visits is the room's calling card.
What to orderPad Thai, drunken noodles, banh mi
№ 09
Royal Thai
Heath $$
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Royal Thai sits in a Kroger parking lot plaza in Heath, a room that reads smaller from outside than it seats. Tofu pad Thai is the dish regulars point to, and the dinner seating area holds more capacity than the storefront suggests. Service and food both get called out as reasons to make the drive from Columbus.
What to orderpad Thai, curry, spring rolls
Frequently asked
What is the best Thai restaurant near me in Columbus?
It depends on which part of Central Ohio you're in. Bangkok Grocery & Restaurant, Chi Thai, Erawan Thai, and Bamboo Thai Kitchen sit inside Columbus proper, while Thai Grille (Westerville), Siam Orchid (Dublin), Thai Paradise and Jasmine's (Pickerington), and Royal Thai (Heath) cover the ring and outer towns. Each entry here is ranked by its Insider Score, and no restaurant pays to be listed.
Which Thai restaurant has the best pad Thai in Columbus?
Pad Thai comes up as a strength at several rooms, including Jasmine's Thai & Sushi, Thai Grille, Erawan Thai, Bamboo Thai Kitchen, and Royal Thai, where the tofu version gets specific praise. Compare their Insider Scores in this guide to see how they stack up against each other; the scores are independent and unpaid.
Is there good Thai food outside the city of Columbus itself?
Yes. Thai Grille sits in Westerville, Siam Orchid in Dublin, Thai Paradise and Jasmine's in Pickerington, and Royal Thai in Heath, well outside the Outerbelt. Each is its own municipality, not a Columbus neighborhood, and each holds its own Insider Score based on the same standards applied citywide.
Do any of these Thai restaurants also serve other cuisines?
A few do. Jasmine's Thai & Sushi runs a sushi counter alongside its Thai menu, Chi Thai leans into Chinese-American dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, and Bamboo Thai Kitchen serves Vietnamese banh mi alongside pad Thai. That crossover is common in Central Ohio's strip-mall Asian kitchens, and it doesn't affect how the Insider Score is calculated.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Tommy Vu
Staff Writer · Top of Columbus
Tommy Vu is the Corridors and Heritage Editor at Top of Columbus. He grew up rolling silverware in his parents' pho shop in a Bethel Road plaza and has been eating his way through the city's strip-mall corridors ever since. If the best kitchen in the plaza has handwritten specials taped to the register, he has already ordered them.
