You don’t usually expect a restaurant in Hong Kong to choose to open their second location next door, but Kowloon City’s modern Thai restaurant Thonglor has just done that.
Gentrification in the Thai-dominant neighbourhood has filled the news over the years. When a legacy Thai restaurant has shuttered, a modern block has popped up months after. Yet, most of the food options along the perpendicular streets are aging with grace.
The first Thonglor location came to the neighbourhood in spring 2025, founded by Kowloon City local Henry Pattanin Leung. Henry brings with him recipes that are typical with his neighbours’ restaurants – pad thai, pad see ew, som tum, and mango sticky rice – but modernising his offerings with a funky interior.
His 2.0 version opens in a more spacious interior with a grungy Bangkok-style theme, street snacks, and even more drinks options, including a deconstruction of everyone’s favourite dessert – the Mango Sticky Rice (HKD88). This cocktail is so much fun to drink with its frothy mango topping that blends well with a coconut-forward rum and vodka clarified mix as the main body.
But for the food, it all came out fast and steaming hot, first beginning with the pad see ew wagyu (HKD108).
As one of my favourite Thai dishes, I always bemoan when a Thai restaurant fails to infuse the thick glass noodles with a sticky, sour, and salty soy sauce-fish sauce mix, but Thonglor perfects this. Mixed in with the soft beef cuts and crunchy broccoli florets, the noodles come served with a pickled flavour and a heavy salty hit to your palate.
Next landing on our table came the new northern sauce (HKD58) and esan sausage (HKD58) snacks, both juicy and salty, emanating a smoky fragrance, alongside the chicken satay (HKD68, six pcs). I am a sucker for chicken satay so this plump skewer paired well with the slightly-spicy satay sauce.
The papaya salad with fermented fish (HKD78) came lacking a punch that the other dishes brought. I wished the fermented fish flavour was stronger to counter the sweetness of the papaya, with an addition of peanut crumble welcome to bring in new textures.
The main and salty section of the meal ended with the khao soi (HKD128). The beauty of the dish comes together with perfectly boiled egg noodles, the crackle of the dry egg noodles, dollops of chili, shallots, and pickled vegetables, and the magnificent chicken leg.
The soothing and heavy curry, glorious to slurp up and taste its addictive peanuty flavour, brings the chicken to a crumbly texture as the meat and skin come falling apart, waiting for you to pick at it.
Of course, we had to end the meal with the non-deconstructed mango sticky rice (HKD68). Whilst I wish the mango was slightly tangy or sour to counteract the sweet sticky rice and salty coconut foam dolloped on top, this was one of the better versions served in the neighbourhood. It is clean and addictive!
Our verdict of Thonglor 2.0
Visit Thonglor 2.0 for a dinner that will include drinks and require more space to host a larger crowd and stretch your legs. It is affordable, if compared to Thai restaurants elsewhere, and effortlessly authentic owing to Henry’s Thai background.
Thonglor 1.0 & 2.0, G/F, 19-21 Lung Kong Road, Kowloon City, 2382 4855
| Order this: pad see ew, mango sticky, rice, chicken skewers, khao soi Menu: N/A Price for two: HKD300-HKD450 | Atmosphere: spacious and hip, with nods to Bangkok’s grizzly street vibes Perfect for: clean, modern Thai plates with drinks inspired by the Southeast Asian country |
This review is intended to offer an individual perspective on the dining experience and should not be considered as a definitive judgement of the restaurant’s overall quality or reputation. The views expressed in this review are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of Foodie.
