On a weekend night, there’s always a crowd of hopefuls hanging around outside this popular Shoreditch spot looking to bag a last-minute table. And it’s easy to see why: music blasts out the door, cocktails fly from the big central bar, and the menu of Thai street food is so spicy that everyone is slightly giddy. This is food made for drinking and drinks made for eating: cocktails are strong and fruity and beers similarly refreshing—if you're making a night of it, be brave and order the Tray of Joy, a selection of six liquor shots from around the world.

Barbecued meat is certainly a favourite in Thailand, whether it is eaten on the rural roadside during a pit stop, or during lunch hour between skyscrapers. Within a dimly lit, smoky space in Soho, The Smoking Goat captures some of this essence, featuring meats and seafood combined with exquisite flavours cooked on a wood-fired grill. The sweet and sticky fish sauce chicken wings are a must-try, and will take any Thai native right back to the days when mum made them.

If you’re lucky enough to secure a table at Thai-inspired restaurant goliath Smoking Goat in Shoreditch, you’d be stupid not to order their chilli fish-sauce wings. Originally a Vietnamese dish, this extra-crispy, sticky and sweet rendition is sure to send you into a pleasurable state of bewilderment. The contrast of spicy emulsion with fresh chilies and onions delivers crunch, spice and sugar in all the right places.

This is Ben Chapman of Kiln fame’s Shoreditch offering and best summed up as “Thai drinking food”. This is most evident in the famous lardo-fried rice, cooked in pig fat with egg, chilli paste, garlic and coriander root. Like Kiln, the genre is “Thai barbeque” so deep in flavour and hot, hot, hot.

Smoking Goat’s chilli fish sauce wings are serious business. They’re sweet, they’re sour, they’ve got a crunch that can do serious damage to the top of your mouth. And the sauce—golden in colour and in feeling—is something we’d happily pour all over ourselves.

Trotting in on one of London's fleeting flavours of the week, Smoking Goat's modern Thai menu is top notch. The industrial-chic look of exposed brick,…

Ben Chapman’s east London sibling to Kiln is a very different beast: while Kiln is an intimate chef’s counter that feels like an insider secret (despite the queues), Smoking Goat is a big and boisterous canteen in the warehouse space underneath Brat, all tall windows, bare-brick walls and a bar dispensing cocktails as strong as the cooking is bold. Classics of fried chicken wings sticky with salty fish sauce never leave the menu, fish and animals served whole (fried plaice, five-spice braised chicken) are a speciality while the kitchen isn’t afraid to push diners’ boundaries with offal: barbecued beef heart with coriander and peanut salad, or nam tok salad with grilled duck liver both take nose-to-tail dining to a whole new level — as too egg-fried rice cooked in silky lardo, Shoreditch’s most essential side dish. Fast and frenetic and the perfect stomach-liner for an East London bar crawl after.

Since Ben Chapman and Brian Hannon opened the doors on Redchurch Street in 2017, after relocating from the Soho site they opened in 2014, Smoking Goat has built something of a cult following in Shoreditch – not least because Brian and Ben opened the now Michelin-starred Basque-inspired Brat above Smoking Goat in 2018. Smoking Goat itself serves interpretations of Northern and North-Eastern Thai BBQ dishes with a thoughtfully built supply chain of rare-breed meats and day-boat fish from small production farmers and fisherman guiding the menus. Their longstanding projects with innovative growers mean Thai chillies, herbs and fruits are grown here in meaningful quantities and used throughout the year.

Ben Chapman’s two London ventures, Smoking Goat and Kiln, both involve Thai grill cooking but the Shoreditch restaurant probably better corresponds to what most people imagine Thai barbecue to be like, not least because there are some seriously strong cocktails to cool the palate from the riot of hot and sour flavours. The namesake ruminant might appear as a barbecue goat turmeric massaman curry or there’s kra pow smoked mutton, barbecue beef heart and khua kling chicken livers: none of it for the faint-hearted, even before factoring in the spice levels. 64 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ, smokinggoatbar.com

Serving spicy meat and fish-based BBQ dishes with fresh and high-quality ingredients, Smoking Goat can be found in the heart of Shoreditch with queues of hungry punters out the door. Inspired by Thailand's open-air canteens, you'll find a rustic, communal dining space fronting brick walls and giving a warehouse feel. A trendy spot among locals and tourists alike, it focuses on meats, seafood and clay pots; the kitchen whips up goods like BBQ beef heart with a coriander and peanut salad (£12), 'ceviche' trout belly and flourish herbs (£13), plus massaman smoked short rib (£38).

A large central bar and an open-plan kitchen are at the heart of this industrial-chic, roomy Shoreditch incarnation of chef Ben Chapman’s Smoking Goat. Far larger than Soho's Denmark Street original, this restaurant (a sister establishment to Kiln) serves food inspired by Bangkok’s late-night dining scene. Diners can tuck into assured versions of dishes such as smoked aubergine salad or whole five-spice braised chicken for lunch or dinner, while weekends see a tempting breakfast menu added to the offering – think curried saffron eggs, with optional lardo.

What: Smoking Goat has been a smash hit from the minute it opened its doors back in 2014, serving Thai barbecue small plates and sharers. Dishes are made for sharing and include Massaman smoked short rib, lardo rice, barbecue beef heart with coriander and peanut salad, and kra pow smoked mutton. If there’s one thing you can’t do without at Smoking Goat, it has to be the fish sauce chilli fried chicken wings - they’re a firm contender for the best in London.Where: 64 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJBook now: Smoking Goat

Smoking Goat gets its name from its unique mix of smoking and barbecuing techniques infused with Thai cooking. A 60-seater heated and covered terrace is the place to be in the coming months, made all the more tantalising thanks to a selection of new Northern Thai dishes: carnivores can expect aged mutton laab muang or prik laab of chicken, while those looking for fish should opt for the mouth-numbingly spicy and garlicky clam som tum, using critters locally sourced from Cornwall.

It would be foolish not to order the spicy fish-sauce wings at the Thai-inspired restaurant Goliath Smoking Goat in Shoreditch if you’re fortunate enough to get a table. This version of the original Vietnamese meal, which is extra-crispy, sticky, and sweet, is likely to leave you in a delightful state of confusion. Crunch, spice, and sugar are offered in just the perfect proportions by the contrast of a hot emulsion with fresh chilies and onions.

In the small Soho quarters that used to house a dive bar, Smoking Goat wanted to replicate that energy and so play vibrant music in the Thai BBQ restaurant. They specialise in rare produce and use English chestnut wood to burn the fire which gives everything a warmth and sweetness. The flavours are sharply contrasted but excellently executed - particularly the crispy pork belly with pickled watermelon and picanha beef with lemongrass and chilli.

Word of warning: if you’re not a fan of spice, Smoking Goat isn’t the place for you. It’s all about the heat at Ben Champan’s buzzing Thai restaurant, which opened following the success of the now-closed smaller Soho original. Thai barbecue small plates and seafood are the focus ­– think tamarind smoked lamb ribs, stir fried pork, grilled mackerel and chilli fish sauce wings, paired with some of the best fried rice in town.

Smoking Goat offers Bangkok-style revelry in this gritty, industrial-style space serving up ice cold beers, Southeast Asian cocktails and a raft of barbecue bites that go hand in hand with the booze. Think fish-sauce chicken wings, lardo fried rice, pork-fat skewers and and a damn good duck laab that’ll send you sideways with its heat. One of London’s all-time greats when it comes to Thai restaurants, for sure.

The list of the Top 10 Best Thai Restaurants in London 2022 is incomplete without Smoking Goat in it. Certainly, this fantastic central bar and open-kitchen restaurant are located in the industrial-chic and spacious Shoreditch area of the capital. Chef & owner Ben Chapman is fond of making experiments in cooking and makes interesting ingredient swaps to offer unique & delicious Thai flavours.

After setting up shop in Soho, Shoreditch is now the place to come for smokey, BBQ Thai food inspired by the grub you’d get in late-night canteens in Bangkok. We love their freshly made rotis, goat krapow, turmeric crab curry and lardo fried rice. It’s all a world away from cheap pad thai and prawn crackers and has been part of a wave of restaurants that woke London up to proper Thai food.

Smoking Goat is a popular choice amongst the city’s Thai food enthusiasts (of which there are many). Creating authentic Thai meals with a little twist and the freshest ingredients, it’s easy to see why people come back for more. The dark exposed brick walls, and overall relaxed atmosphere and good music, make this trendy eatery a popular spot to head out for an evening with friends.

Smoking Goat: Tiny, self-consciously hip (and the older brother of Kiln), this Thai barbeque restaurant feels almost more like a bar than a restaurant. The restaurant is named after its keynote smoked goat shoulder for two, and you can smell the smoke from the kitchen the minute you walk in. The food is excellent, the tamarind-smoked pork ribs to die for.

We’ve been huge fans of Smoking Goat since its raucous, ramshackle days on Brewer Street, Soho. Rest assured; since the Thai barbeque restaurant’s move to Shoreditch, the vibe remains rowdy, the chill levels still Scoville baiting, and the aroma of smoke even more pervasive, in the best possible way of course. This is food designed to reinvigorate.

Try local Thai delights with a quirky twist, including Kra Pow smoked mutton and crab egg drop curry at Smoking Goat, a laid-back restaurant set in trendy Shoreditch. Check out the brilliantly named cocktail list, including a melon, mezcal and coriander concoction called ‘Snake Eyes’. Where: Shoreditch (64 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JJ)

Smoking Goat is an intimate, cosy restaurant that specialises in fragrant BBQ Northern Thai cuisine. With a warm and dimly-lit vibe, it provides the perfect setting to indulge in their menu, which is designed for sharing. The tangy fish-sauce chicken wings steal the show and have gained a bit of a cult following over the years.

Smoking Goat burst its doors open in 2014 with a fanfare of sizzle, spit and smoke. This Thai restaurant is a place to roll up your sleeves, grab at least 20 napkins and prepare to really get involved. It’s loud, it’s small, it’s quite dark and you might have to queue to get in, but blimey, the food is worth it.

This restaurant tends to attract a particularly trendsetting crowd, thanks in part to its menu of fantastic and indulgent dishes, but also due to its laid back atmosphere and décor. The Thai barbecue has proven to be a sensation, and all of the meals can be washed down with a few equally indulgent drinks.

I recently had one of the best meals that I've ever had in London at the Smoking Goat Chicken Shop. Both the menu format and the dishes really blew my mind. It's the perfect place to go in, over-order and smash loads of beers alongside spicy Thai food.” – John Javier, The Tent (at the end of the universe)

Smoking Goat Shoreditch is a relaxed spot in London that focuses on Thai-inspired cooking using British ingredients. Its unpretentious vibe makes it welcoming for both solo dining and casual get-togethers. The menu stays true to straightforward flavors, making it a simple yet satisfying place to visit.

Smoking Goat has a cult status in London for its Thai dishes, which fuse tradition with modern Bangkok cooking. Clay pot dishes, grilled meat and seafood keep guests coming back again and again, and their terrace on Redchurch Street means the doors will be open once again.