No need to fly abroad！Thailand’s must-visit restaurant NARA Thai Cuisine lands in Taiwan

▲Beautifully crafted butterfly pea flower-scented rice.

Reported and photographed by Chen Hanyin / Taipei

NARA Thai Cuisine, a popular Thai restaurant on the must-visit lists of many foodies, is now available in Taiwan without the need to travel abroad. Dishes such as spicy and sour seafood salad and Tom Yum Goong soup can be enjoyed locally. NARA Thai Cuisine grandly opened its doors today (the 3rd) on the 11th floor of the Zhongxiao Building at Far Eastern SOGO Department Store Taipei, becoming its first branch in Taiwan.

NARA is a well-known trendy restaurant brand in Thailand, operating four brands in Bangkok: NARA Thai Cuisine, APINARA, LADY NARA, and EVERYDAY THAI. It also has overseas branches in Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, and Sri Lanka. Recognizing Taiwanese people’s preference for spicy and sour flavors and their high acceptance of Thai cuisine, the brand chose to enter Taiwan’s food market.

▲The two founders, Ms. Narawadee Srikarnchana and Ms. Sirisopa Chulasewok, cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony in Taiwan.

The founders of NARA Thai Cuisine are two women passionate about cooking. The dining space is designed to be comfortable and stylish, with a total of 90 seats. To ensure that overseas branches can fully replicate the soul of the restaurant — its “curry” — the exclusive curry recipe has been imported from Thailand, using the same spices and ingredients as the flagship store. In addition to the signature curries, the stunning blue butterfly pea flower-scented rice is another eye-catching delicacy not to be missed, offering Thai cuisine lovers yet another new option.

▲Classic sour and spicy dish: lemon fish.

▲Moonlight shrimp cakes tailored to Taiwanese tastes; money bag shrimp cakes are also available for 350 NT.

Location: 11F, 45, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City (11F, Zhongxiao Building, Far Eastern SOGO Department Store Taipei)
Business hours: Weekdays and holidays 09:00–22:00; day before a holiday 09:00–22:30
Dining time limit: 90 minutes; reservations and walk-ins are accepted.
＊For the first month of opening until December 3, get one free Thai milk tea with every purchase when checking in on Facebook.