Gianni Ristorante Bangkok Review: A 10/10 Penne, the Best Service in the City, $52 a Head (9/10)

The short version: Gianni is the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in Bangkok. It’s an Italian place set back off Wireless Road, in the lane beside The Athenee, a few minutes from the Okura. The pastas are the reason to go. A penne in tomato sauce I scored a 10, the first on this blog, and a pork bolognese at 9.5, both perfectly al dente, with sauces that have no acidity at all. The monkfish and the baby chicken were a 9. The bread, which I never rate, was a 9. Service is a 9.5, the best I’ve had in the city. Dinner for three came to about ฿1,709 ($52) a head. It’s Michelin-listed, and I think it deserves a star. 9 out of 10.

I had dinner here on November 7, 2026, with two others, and paid for it myself.

Arriving

Gianni is on the ground floor of Athenee Tower, at 63 Wireless Road, but you don’t walk in from the road. You turn into the lane that leads to The Athenee hotel’s entrance, past hedges strung with lights. The restaurant is on your left under an illy sign, with five Michelin plates in the window from 2019 to 2023. It’s quiet and peaceful back there, away from the traffic. The chef, Gianni Favro, is from Italy, and so is the manager, which makes sense: the food tastes authentically Italian and the room feels it too.

The setting: 8.5 out of 10

I really like it. It looks small from the door, but it’s pretty large: a room in front, then a bar, then another big room past it, with frosted arched windows and a beige stone look on the walls. The chairs are red velvet and very comfortable, with a little cushion in the seat I haven’t seen anywhere else. The cloths are white, and the whole place feels like a classy European restaurant you’d find in a European city rather than a mall in Bangkok. On the table is a glass bulb of olive oil with the balsamic in a second bulb inside it, which is a nice touch.

The food: 9 out of 10

The pastas are the strong suit: perfectly al dente, authentic, with sauces that are made properly and have no acidity. The portions are smaller than some places, with just the right amount of sauce, and I think that’s the point. The fish and the chicken portions are large.

It starts with the bread, which comes in a wooden box and keeps coming.

Bread: 9 out of 10. I normally don’t rate bread. This is an excellent selection: a whole-wheat sourdough, a squid-ink loaf, a tomato focaccia, a baguette and crackers, and they all pair well with the olive oil. It’s a 9 only because the cracker and the focaccia weren’t quite 10s.

Amuse-bouche: 8.5 out of 10. Three rounds of chicken liver pâté on toast with a berry gel, complimentary, and very good.

Penne, tomato sauce: 10 out of 10. Perfect al dente, and a tasty sauce. There’s nothing to it, and it’s the best pasta I’ve had in a long time. ฿590.

Spaghetti bolognese: 9.5 out of 10. Perfect al dente, and a very tasty sauce that’s unique here: it’s made with pork, not beef. Very well made, no acidity at all. ฿590.

Monkfish tail: 9 out of 10. The first thing you notice is that it looks big: a 450-gram tail under a very nice tomato sauce with capers and basil, and a Prosecco sauce. Very good tomato flavor with a nice sharp taste. It goes faster than it looks, because it’s soft and easy to eat; split three ways it was just the right amount. The big dish on the bill at ฿1,490.

Roast baby chicken: 9 out of 10. Very flavorful, tasty and soft, with roast potatoes and rosemary. ฿590.

Minestrone: 8 out of 10. Fresh and rich; we had a half portion for ฿145.

King salmon: 7.5 out of 10. Rich, with crisp skin on greens and a carrot purée, but not as tasty as the rest. ฿790.

Petit fours: 8.5 out of 10. They finish with a wooden tree of fruit on skewers, with chocolates and a brownie around the base, complimentary. All fresh and very nicely plated.

They also do a ฿1,990++ degustation menu, with a poached egg or tuna niçoise, a leek soup with clams, foie gras ravioli or swordfish pasta, barramundi or rack of lamb, and cheese or a semifreddo. The whole table has to take it.

Service: 9.5 out of 10

Excellent, and the best I’ve had in Bangkok. Everyone is friendly and attentive, always standing nearby if you need something but not hovering. They explain the dishes and know each one; when I asked how the bolognese and the pasta were made, they told me. The bread is complimentary and you can have as much as you want, a mix of all of them. The food came out fast and staggered, and nothing in the order was wrong.

What it cost

Dinner for three came to ฿5,125.84, about $155, or ฿1,709 ($52) a head, with the 10% service charge and 7% VAT. That was the two pastas, the chicken, the salmon, the monkfish, a half minestrone, a liter of water and a Coke Zero. The bread, the amuse-bouche and the petit fours weren’t charged. Without the ฿1,490 monkfish you’d be closer to ฿1,130 ($34) a head. Paid myself.

Value: 8 out of 10

Pricey by Bangkok standards, and not somewhere I’d go casually all the time. For scale, Up & Above at the Okura came to $39 a head; here it was $52, and for the extra $13 you get a better meal and much better service. You also get a lot thrown in: the bread, the amuse-bouche and the petit fours are all complimentary, the service is excellent, and the room is nice. Pasta portions are a little smaller, but the fish and chicken are large, so overall you don’t leave hungry. It’s great for a date night or an occasion.

Vs. the others

Against Up & Above, a few minutes away, it’s a similar classy feel in a similar area. The difference is focus: Up & Above has range and no specialty, while Gianni does one thing, Italian, and does it very well, with an Italian chef and manager. Service is a little weaker at Up & Above. Yamazato also specializes, in Japanese, and does it well, with very good service and the kimonos. If I could pick only one it would be Gianni, for the pastas, the service and how Italian it feels, but you can’t go wrong with any of the three. Thiptara and Salathip are trickier. They’re very Thai, on the river, with live music and dancers at Salathip and very good Thai food. I might pick those first, not because they’re better, but because if you’re in Thailand you may want the Thai experience.

Who it’s for

A date night first, or an occasion dinner; there are private rooms too. Anyone staying at the Okura, the Athenee or the Rosewood who wants a proper Italian meal a few minutes’ walk away. And anyone who takes pasta seriously.

Verdict: 9 out of 10

An exceptional restaurant, and the Michelin listing is truly deserved; I think it should have a star. The pastas are excellent, the monkfish is excellent, the service is a 9.5, and the setting is a classy piece of Europe off Wireless Road. I’d definitely go back. Get the penne.

Also near Wireless Road: Up & Above at the Okura, and Yamazato for Japanese. For Italian with a grander room, there’s Salvia at the Grand Hyatt (8), and for a quieter, cheaper one, Sala Rossa near the St. Regis (7.5). Gianni is in the lane beside The Athenee, which I’ve reviewed too (7).

Choosing between them? See Where to Stay in Bangkok, where I compare the Peninsula, the Okura, the Rosewood, the Conrad, the Athenee, the JW Marriott and the Grand Hyatt side by side.

FAQ

Where is Gianni Ristorante?

On the ground floor of Athenee Tower, 63 Wireless Road, in the lane beside The Athenee hotel. A few minutes’ walk from the Okura Prestige and Ploenchit BTS.

What are the hours?

Daily, 11:30 am to 2 pm and 6 to 10 pm, per the listings. Phone 02 168 8080.

How much does dinner cost?

We paid about ฿1,709 ($52) a head for three, with a ฿1,490 monkfish. Pastas are ฿590, mains ฿590 to ฿1,490, plus 10% service and 7% VAT. The degustation is ฿1,990++.

Does Gianni have a Michelin star?

No. It has been in the Michelin Guide since 2019, with the plates in the window, but not a star. I think it should have one.

What should I order?

The penne in tomato sauce, the pork bolognese, and the monkfish if you want a main. Say yes to all the bread.

Do you need a reservation?

We went at 6 pm on a Saturday and the room was full by 7. Book, and go closer to 6 if you can; that goes for most restaurants in Bangkok, which fill up nearer 7.