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Restaurant POTONG

Restaurants
 Bangkok, 10100

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Call: +66 82 979 3950
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About

Restaurant POTONG serves a single progressive Thai-Chinese tasting menu inside the five-story Sino-Portuguese shophouse in Chinatown where Chef Pam's family made traditional Chinese herbal medicine from around 1910. The name, 普通, means “ordinary,” which undersells a building that took more than two years and over 70 specialists to restore, with much of the kitchen equipment carried up through the old one-meter-square loading shaft.

It suits a special-occasion dinner that doubles as an evening inside Chinatown's history, for diners happy to hand the whole meal to the kitchen: there is one menu, served at staggered seatings from mid-afternoon. The restaurant stands where Yaowa Phanit Road meets Vanich 1 Road in Samphanthawong, about a five-minute walk from exit 1 of MRT Wat Mangkon, and the lane outside is too narrow for large vans, so the train is the easy way in.

The five elements

Chef Pam builds every course around five elements, salt, acid, spice, texture and the Maillard reaction, and the menu shifts with the seasons; from June to mid-November it features the roe of young mud crabs from Ranong on the Andaman coast. Guests can add courses from earlier menus, such as the rice rolled noodle with caviar and the dry-aged duck guests have praised since the restaurant opened. A dedicated fermentation room produces kombuchas from Thai-Chinese fruits and herbs, served alongside the wine list as a pairing of their own.

A building read floor by floor

The ground floor was the family's dispensary storefront, with a strongroom and a wartime shelter behind it; today it is the POTONG SINO Bar under the original century-old wooden ceiling. The main dining room occupies the second floor, where medicines were once prepared, with a small balcony over the street. The third floor was left unrestored around its family shrine, with hand-painted wooden panels hiding eight tigers. It is a building of stairs, which is why the restaurant suggests leaving high heels at home.

Recognition

The MICHELIN Guide awards POTONG one MICHELIN star. The restaurant also lists appearances on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, and Chef Pam was named The World's Best Female Chef by The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025, according to the restaurant.

Opium Bar upstairs

Opium Bar fills the fourth and fifth floors of the same building. The fourth floor, once the family's space for unwinding, now pours cocktails under the theme “Liquid Surreality,” with a private room called Black Jade at the back for groups with their own bartender. The fifth floor, where the family used to gather in the evening, looks out over the surrounding Chinatown rooftops. The bar runs its own reservations and suits a drink before or after dinner.

Sources: Restaurant POTONG, the building, reservations, tasting menu, Opium Bar, MICHELIN Guide. Checked September 25, 2026.

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Contact Information

Company Name
Restaurant POTONG
Phone Number
See Phone Number
Call: +66 82 979 3950
Location
422 Vanich 1 Road
Bangkok, 10100
Visit Website Reserve a Table View Menu

About Restaurant POTONG

Restaurant POTONG serves a single progressive Thai-Chinese tasting menu inside the five-story Sino-Portuguese shophouse in Chinatown where Chef Pam's family made traditional Chinese herbal medicine from around 1910. The name, 普通, means “ordinary,” which undersells a building that took more than two years and over 70 specialists to restore, with much of the kitchen equipment carried up through the old one-meter-square loading shaft.

It suits a special-occasion dinner that doubles as an evening inside Chinatown's history, for diners happy to hand the whole meal to the kitchen: there is one menu, served at staggered seatings from mid-afternoon. The restaurant stands where Yaowa Phanit Road meets Vanich 1 Road in Samphanthawong, about a five-minute walk from exit 1 of MRT Wat Mangkon, and the lane outside is too narrow for large vans, so the train is the easy way in.

The five elements

Chef Pam builds every course around five elements, salt, acid, spice, texture and the Maillard reaction, and the menu shifts with the seasons; from June to mid-November it features the roe of young mud crabs from Ranong on the Andaman coast. Guests can add courses from earlier menus, such as the rice rolled noodle with caviar and the dry-aged duck guests have praised since the restaurant opened. A dedicated fermentation room produces kombuchas from Thai-Chinese fruits and herbs, served alongside the wine list as a pairing of their own.

A building read floor by floor

The ground floor was the family's dispensary storefront, with a strongroom and a wartime shelter behind it; today it is the POTONG SINO Bar under the original century-old wooden ceiling. The main dining room occupies the second floor, where medicines were once prepared, with a small balcony over the street. The third floor was left unrestored around its family shrine, with hand-painted wooden panels hiding eight tigers. It is a building of stairs, which is why the restaurant suggests leaving high heels at home.

Recognition

The MICHELIN Guide awards POTONG one MICHELIN star. The restaurant also lists appearances on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, and Chef Pam was named The World's Best Female Chef by The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025, according to the restaurant.

Opium Bar upstairs

Opium Bar fills the fourth and fifth floors of the same building. The fourth floor, once the family's space for unwinding, now pours cocktails under the theme “Liquid Surreality,” with a private room called Black Jade at the back for groups with their own bartender. The fifth floor, where the family used to gather in the evening, looks out over the surrounding Chinatown rooftops. The bar runs its own reservations and suits a drink before or after dinner.

Sources: Restaurant POTONG, the building, reservations, tasting menu, Opium Bar, MICHELIN Guide. Checked September 25, 2026.

Restaurants Fine Dining Thai-Chinese Tasting Menu Michelin Star Chinatown Samphanthawong restaurants
Phone: +66 82 979 3950

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where is Restaurant POTONG?+
At 422 Vanich 1 Road in Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100, at the corner of Yaowa Phanit Road in Chinatown. From MRT Wat Mangkon, take exit 1 along Plaeng Nam Road, cross Yaowarat Road and follow Yaowa Phanit Road to the intersection; the restaurant says the walk takes about five minutes.
Q. How much is the tasting menu?+
The chef's tasting menu is THB 6,700 per person, plus 10% service charge and 7% VAT. Optional add-on courses cost THB 2,700 for the Legacy courses and THB 2,500 for the Revolution courses. Filtered water is charged at THB 220++ per guest.
Q. When is the restaurant open?+
Dinner seatings run from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and the restaurant is closed on Wednesdays. The full menu takes about two and a half to three hours, and each table is held for a three-hour window.
Q. How do I book, and is there a deposit?+
Book online through the restaurant's reservation page, via LINE Official @potong or by phone on 082 979 3950. A deposit of THB 1,000 per guest confirms the booking and is deducted from the bill. It is not refunded for cancellations or no-shows, but bookings can be changed up to 48 hours ahead.
Q. Is there a dress code?+
Smart casual. Men need long trousers and covered shoes, and flip-flops and slippers are not allowed. Because of the stairs, the restaurant suggests avoiding high heels and very short skirts.
Q. Can children come?+
Children aged 9 and over are welcome, and they have the same tasting menu as adults.
Q. Can the kitchen handle allergies?+
Not all allergies can be accommodated. Tell the restaurant about any food requirements at least 7 days before your booking.
Q. Can I bring my own wine?+
Corkage is THB 2,000++ per bottle, and spirits are not permitted. One corkage fee is waived when you open a bottle bought from POTONG.
Q. Where can I park?+
The lane is too small for large vans. Park at Wat Pathumkongka and call 085 521 8924 for the restaurant's shuttle, or park at Wat Chaiyaphum Karam and walk about three minutes. Both lots are independent and charge THB 40 per hour.
Q. When is Opium Bar open?+
Opium Bar, on the upper floors of the same building, is open from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. and closed on Wednesdays. It takes its own reservations.