“Chang Thai Chang Thai Restaurant” is Kurashiki’s only Thai restaurant.
Every Thai dish prepared by the chef from Thailand is superb, and the restaurant is known for flavors you’ll never forget after just one taste.
It’s also much loved by its regulars, some of whom say, “It has to be Chang Thai.”
Thai cuisine, made with plenty of herbs, may open the door to a whole new world of food.
Why not enjoy Thai dishes with your choice of spice level, from Level 0 to Level 5?
Having become a big Chang Thai fan myself, I can confidently recommend it.
The information presented was accurate when this article was published in February 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Kurashiki’s only Thai restaurant: Chang Thai Restaurant
“Chang Thai Chang Thai Restaurant” is tucked into a quiet residential neighborhood in Hinode-cho, Kurashiki City.
This Thai restaurant gives priority to reservations for both lunch and dinner.
The restaurant is in the renovated family home of owner Kaori Miyawaki.
Even during our visit, it was bustling, mainly with regular customers.
We recommend making a reservation.
There’s also a tatami room, making it a relaxing space for families with children.
The floor chairs are so cute!
The tatami room also has a painting of a Thai landscape that a customer gave them.
There are other gifts from customers throughout the restaurant, too, making you feel that it’s a place loved by its fans.
The restaurant is filled with Asian goods and ornaments.
Many of the items were bought in Thailand, and there are lots of elephant motifs in particular.
“Chang” in Chang Thai means “elephant” in Thai.
Elephants are special animals to Thai people, and white elephants in particular are considered sacred.
This sign was made from bread given by the Kurashiki French restaurant Shukakuzuki when it reopened after renovations.
Apparently, the chef at Shukakuzuki has known them since they first opened.
It really is a much-loved restaurant.
Lunch menu worth trying in its entirety. Daily specials are a treat, too!
Here’s a look at the lunch menu at Chang Thai Restaurant.
In addition to the set menu, items A through F (900 yen, before tax), there are daily lunch specials that vary by day of the week (1,000 yen, before tax, on Mondays only; 900 yen, excluding tax, on other days).
Except for dishes that aren’t spicy to begin with or whose spice level can’t be adjusted, you can choose anything from Level 0, with no chili, to Level 5, Thai medium-hot.
One regular told us, “I started at Level 0, and before I knew it, I was at Level 4.”
You can add a drink for 150 yen.
You can get extra-large portions of rice, side dishes, or soup.
You can also swap the chicken for shrimp.
Mild and pleasantly spicy! Chicken green curry lunch
This is the “Chicken Thai Curry Lunch,” 900 yen (before tax). I chose Level 2, the hot option.
I wonder how spicy it’ll be. I’m a little nervous.
Green curry is naturally around medium to hot, so apparently the spice can be adjusted with chili powder up to Level 2, the hot option.
The set includes a bowl full of green curry, a blend of white and jasmine rice, a Thai-style omelet, salad, and chili sauce.
I love Thai curry so much that I always keep canned curry on hand.
Chang Thai’s Thai curry is exceptionally delicious!
The light broth, creamy coconut, refreshing herbal aroma, and spices come together, layering delicious flavors on your tongue.
The tingling, stimulating heat that arrives after you think, “Is it not that spicy?” is refreshing, too!
Eating it with the Thai-style omelet makes it even milder and easier to enjoy.
It’s packed with chicken, eggplant, basil, and chili peppers, and the eggplant goes especially well with the soup.
I added some chili powder imported directly from Thailand to make it even spicier.
Spicy! But delicious!!
This combination of heat, savory flavor, and herbal aroma is addictive.
By the way, from Level 3 onward, the chef adjusts the heat by adding fresh chili peppers.
Drizzle chili sauce over the omelet for an extra kick of heat!
The more you eat, the hungrier you somehow feel? It’s a curious sensation that makes you polish it off in no time.
Next time, I think I could handle Level 3—or even Level 4 on the Thai heat scale.
Sour, spicy, and delicious! “Tom Yum Goong Fried Rice”
This is the Tuesday-only daily lunch special, “Tom Yum Goong Fried Rice,” 900 yen (before tax).
Tom yum goong, Thailand’s signature soup, has been turned into fried rice.
It really does smell like tom yum goong!
Tom yum goong fried rice with shrimp, mushrooms, and herbs, topped with a soft-fried egg.
The color is somehow a little pink, and the red chilies peeking through whet your appetite.
The fried egg is perfectly runny!
The shrimp are plump, and it’s sour and spicy, with a full-on tom yum goong flavor.
The herbs add a lovely aroma here, too, making this fried rice easy to keep eating despite the heat.
Chang Thai’s sweet salad.
Apparently, it’s seasoned just like the salad at the chef’s family home.
It really is sweet, and I was surprised the first time I tried it, but it soothes your spicy palate and is just right.
For dessert, you can choose rambutan or coconut milk ice cream.
The rambutan is filled with pineapple.
The crisp pineapple and the pleasantly chewy rambutan make for an interesting texture!
Chef’s recommendation! Tom yum goong and chicken stir-fried with holy basil
This is the “Tom Yum Goong Lunch,” 900 yen (before tax).
Tom yum goong, Thai curry, and chicken stir-fried with holy basil (gapao rice) are Chang Thai’s signature dishes that you’ll definitely want to try.
This superb sour and spicy soup is packed with shrimp, straw mushrooms, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and more (you can choose the spice level).
And here’s my favorite dish, “Chicken Stir-Fried with Holy Basil,” 900 yen (before tax).
These days, it’s widely known as gapao rice.
It’s a simple dish of chicken stir-fried with basil, but it’s truly, truly delicious!
Maybe it’s the aroma of the distinctive Thai seasonings, or perhaps the generous amount of basil.
By the time you finish this dish, you’ll be sweating profusely and filled with a happy afterglow.
Dinner dishes are also available with advance reservations. I can’t forget how delicious the khao man gai was!
At Chang Thai Restaurant, dinner is also reservation-priority, and service ends when the food sells out.
Some dishes require advance reservations, so here’s a quick introduction.
This is “Thot Man Pla,” Thai-style fish cakes.
Dip them in the mildly spicy sauce, and they’re perfect as a snack with drinks.
Glass noodle salad, “Yam Wun Sen.”
This hearty salad is made with ground meat, shrimp, peanuts, tomatoes, onions, and herbs.
“Mu Daet Diao,” dried pork fried with aromatic seasonings.
The pork’s savory flavor deepens with every bite, making this an addictive dish. The sauce is delicious, too!
“Pad See Ew,” made with flat noodles.
Pad see ew requires an advance reservation.
This is a mild, non-spicy stir-fried noodle dish made with dark soy sauce.
Even children can enjoy it.
And then there’s “Khao Man Gai,” which I think is the most delicious dish I’ve ever eaten.
The combination of tender chicken, sauce, and jasmine rice infused with chicken broth is irresistible.
I love it so much that I’d like to declare, “Chang Thai’s khao man gai is what I want for my last meal!”
Chang Thai Restaurant has won over many fans.
I spoke with the owner, Kaori Miyawaki, about the restaurant and the appeal of Thai cuisine.
Chang Thai Chang Thai Restaurant Information
| Name | Chang Thai Chang Thai Restaurant |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-4-11 Hinodecho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 090-1186-5943 |
| Parking | Available 3 spaces in front of the restaurant |
| Hours | Lunch: 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (last order at 2:00 p.m.; reservations given priority; closes when sold out) Dinner: 6:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. (last order at 9:00 p.m.; reservations given priority; closes when sold out) |
| Closed | Wednesday Also closed on other irregular days |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Reservations given priority during both lunch and dinner; closes when sold out |
| Seating | 20 seats; tables: 4×2 and 2×2; tatami seating: 4×2 |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a search term to find articles on this site
