Jay Fai (Raan Jay Fai)

In a crumbling shophouse on Maha Chai Road in the old town near Khao San, Supinya Junsuta — known as Jay Fai (meaning "Aunt Fai") — has been cooking over two blazing charcoal fires since the 1970s. She wears ski goggles to protect her eyes from the intense heat and works entirely alone, turning out dishes that earned her Bangkok's first Michelin star in 2017.

Her signature dish is the kai jeow poo — a thick crab omelette the size of a dinner plate, wrapped around a mountainous amount of fresh crab meat in an impossibly light egg shell. She also makes exceptional drunken noodles (pad kee mao) and tom yum soup. Prices are high by Thai standards (800-1,200 THB for the crab omelette) but the quality is extraordinary. Arrive before opening and join the queue — reservations are not possible and waits can exceed 2 hours.