Luke Larsson is a chef primarily associated with the Kemptown Project and several restaurants in Brighton, UK, including Lucky Khao, Lucky Beach, Redroaster Brighton, and Khao Bird. His culinary work appears to span...
Khao Bird is a Thai restaurant located in Soho, London, specializing in Northern Thai BBQ, curries, noodles, and small plates. It operates in the former Sunset Cinema building, offering a buzzy dining room with a great vibe. The restaurant originated as 'Lucky Khao' in Brighton, then had a pop-up at the Globe pub in Borough Market before settling in Soho. It serves both lunch and dinner, along with a selection of wines and cocktails.
Customers are consistently impressed, often describing the food as 'blown away' and 'the best food I have ever eaten,' highlighting its unique and flavorful dishes. The Northern Thai cuisine is praised for being well-spiced, fragrant, and made with top-quality produce, offering original dishes not commonly found elsewhere. While the food and ambiance receive high marks, some reviews suggest that service can occasionally require a little more attention. It's considered a great spot for pre-theatre dining, friends, and family, offering good value at around £50 per person.
Additional Details
The restaurant is situated on Brewer Street, conveniently close to Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho Theatre, and the West End. The venue's history includes a past life as an adult-themed cinema on its first floor, with the 'hot atmosphere' now restricted to the spicy food served.
Khao Bird is open Monday to Saturday from 12 PM to 11 PM, and Sunday from 12 PM to 9 PM, making it suitable for both lunch and dinner. It's particularly recommended for Friday lunch or pre-theatre meals due to its Soho location.
Absolutely blown away by KHAO bird , simply put this is possibly the best food I have ever eaten! Went for my birthday and it was truly a most memorable treat, I was lucky enough to try a large selection of the menu and every dish was uniquely special in its own right from beef and Campari larb crackers to the onglet steak curry myself and my partner were thrilled and the boa bun doughnuts were a great way to finish . The khaolada cocktail and the sticky mango cocktail were also stunning and all beautifully served . You can taste the love and dedication in every single mouthful and sip ! Cannot wait to return ❤️
We popped into this place very randomly and we were quite impressed with the food. The dishes we tried were all very unique in packed with full of flavours - my favourite was the steak tartare - this was super spicy but on the right point with the spices and seasonings and the texture. Our other favourite was the squash curry dish which was creamy, full of rich flavour and perfect for a chilly day. We ordered dessert and was waiting for more than 20 minutes after which we asked for an update and they realised the order wasn’t put through. We had to leave as was going to a theatre. The service needed a little more attention but otherwise the food was good.
I booked online in advance and arrived here one Friday lunchtime a little earlier than planned. No problem. Iain (the owner?) directed me towards a small table overlooking the partly open plan kitchen out the back.
Not knowing the food so well here I requested expert help in selecting the best dishes. Again, no problem. I went for the chilli margarita (nice and spicy), the crispy pigs ears, raw beef larb, Khao Soi with extra brisket and plenty of tap water. All was delicious even if I had real hot lips by the end of the meal.
The food comes as it's ready.
At the end the bill came with an automatic plus 12,5% restaurant charge. In total I left just under 60 pounds for the whole northern Thai experience.
By the way, the cramped toilets are down a flight of stairs and on the first floor there used to be an adult themed cinema as you might expect in Soho. Nowadays the hot atmosphere is restricted to the spicy based food here :-)
If you fancy great quality Thai Food with a bubbly bar feel atmosphere Khao Bird is the place. Delicious sharing plates with real flavour. Perfect for pre-theatre, friends and family. We particularly enjoyed the BBQ Lemongrass Chicken and Hung-Ley Pork Curry.
A walk to Soho for lunch at Khao Bird.
A Northern Thai Barbecue restaurant that began life in Brighton. Then known as Lucky Khao, it later ‘popped-up’ at the Globe pub in Borough Market before moving to Soho.
The food was excellent. A great mix of snacks, starters, mains and sharing plates, some well spiced, others more fragrant. Very tasty with top quality produce. Some really original dishes many I’ve never tried before. Surprising, as we’ve eaten a lot of Thai food over the years.
Friendly service, buzzy dining room with a great vibe this was a top notch, laid back lunch.
Decent enough value at about £50 a head. Well worth a visit if you’re in the West End.
Thoroughly recommended.
