The “house noodle soup” at this tiny spot is actually boat noodles, rich from blood in the broth. Among the other dishes are hits like tom yum, pink-colored yen ta fo, excellent pad kee mao, and delectable chicken with panang curry sauce. Prices are elatively low, and the spice levels are satisfyingly high.

Those on the north side of Seattle know that this restaurant, hidden from the street, serves up excellent Thai food. Recommended: the brilliantly pink noodle soup known as yen ta fo (here called Red Sea Noodle Soup) along with the braised pork leg with mustard greens.

This is a stand next to a Shell gas station in Lake City with no website, so it might be closed on no notice. That warning out of the way: The menu is short and includes mainly the Thai takeout classics everyone knows, they’re just done exceptionally well here. The pad see ew noodles have that just-off-the-wok crispiness and the vegetables are fresh; the Bangkok fried rice is aromatic and sweet enough to balance out the spiciness. Speaking of spiciness, the spice rating system here is not to be taken lightly — don’t go above a three (out of five) unless you are prepared to embark on a journey.

The food at this industrial-chic spot features sour, funky, spicy, flavors from northern Thailand, with its Lao influence. Kor moo yahng (grilled pork collar), som tum (papaya salad with pickled crab and anchovies), excellent shrimp dishes, and rotisserie-cooked game hen dominate the menu.

This new restaurant in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood, with older locations in Kirkland, Lynnwood, and Queen Anne is the brainchild of a Thai couple who partnered with friends at popular local chain Bai Tong to bring more cuisine from the Isarn region to the area. Dishes include mushroom fritters and an excellent curry with crab and vermicelli.

Eating at this Ballard spot can be like taking a tour of Thailand — it serves dishes from all different regions of the country, from northern sausage to spicy southern curries. There’s a ton of seafood on the menu, but you can trust pretty much anything will be good. The panang curry is thick and delicious and it’s almost over the top to put slow-cooked strip loin in it, but we’re not going to say no.

This U District counter service gem serves many popular dishes, from the mellow khao mun gai, with its poached chicken over ginger rice, to the fiery pad krapow gai kai dao, with its minced chicken, Thai basil, and chilis.

Established in 1984, this Uptown (lower Queen Anne) spot claims to be Seattle’s oldest Thai restaurant. The drunken noodles are silky and well-balanced, and the Massaman curry is satisfying with big, soft chunks of potato, but the tom yum stands out for its unbridled flavors — sour, and spicy, with generous amounts of lime leaf.

Buddha Ruksa has been a popular destination for dining in West Seattle for more than ten years. "Bags of Gold," fried dumplings filled with shrimp, chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and water chestnuts, are a good starter, while dishes like whole fried trout served lemongrass, lime juice, and fresh vegetables and the grilled marinated flank steak served with sticky rice dazzle as entrees.

It looks like just a grocery store from the outside, but treasures (and a handful of tables) await inside Vientiane Grocery in Hillman City. The food items for sale are also raw materials for the kitchen to serve some interesting Thai (and Lao) dishes. Diners can enjoy pad ka pow (ground pork with holy basil stir-fry) and kuay jap: a hearty soup with rolled rice noodles and pork intestines. The pad thai has dried shrimp (as it should) and the green papaya salad has real heat (as it should). Best of all is that it’s all available for late breakfast.

Vashon Island’s celebrated Thai restaurant is so good that many Seattleites make the trek over by ferry just to sample the food. Chef-owner May Chaleoy serves up entrees with bright flavors like fried whole fried trout alongside mango salad flecked with mint and cashews as well as satisfying appetizers like grilled pork skewers marinated in yellow curry. She also offers versions of ubiquitous Thai dishes with elegant twists, like pad thai served with turnips and banana blossom or tom yum soup with oyster mushrooms.