Where to find Thai ingredients in London
In the UK, especially in London, most necessary Thai ingredients are accessible. The list of Thai resources below is by no means comprehensive and my favourites are highlighted.
Thai supermarkets in London
The following are dedicated Thai supermarkets, where you will be more likely to have Thai staff who can answer questions and give you tips on Thai cooking.
- Khun Ya in Bermondsey is my favourite shop in London for Thai ingredients. The owner is friendly, helpful, and has a strong Thai customer base. Consequently she stocks a lot of ingredients you'll struggle to find elsewhere. The best days to go are Monday and Tuesday, when new stock arrives. Stock shifts quickly, so if you wait until the weekend there won't be much fresh stock left.
- Sriracha supermarket (formerly Thai Smile), Hammersmith. I haven't been here since it became Sriracha supermarket. This shop focuses more on frozen and shelf stable foods than fresh items.
- Art Muay Supermarket in South Kensington (Earls Court) has a decent stock of fresh ingredients. Prices are steep, but I'm sure their rent is too. If you're there, hit up Mali Vegan Thai for a meal.
- Tawana Thai Supermarket in Bayswater is my second favourite Thai supermarket to Khun ya. They import some quite specialist products. I've even seen roti sai mai. Expect West London prices.
- Paya Thai Market in Richmond is another quality shop, but I haven't visited in years so I'm unable to report much.
- Taste of Siam Supermarket in Camden is small, with limited fresh offerings, but you'll find the basics here.
Chinese and other East Asian supermarkets with Thai foods
The following are non Thai supermarkets that stock some Thai items. Most larger Chinese supermarkets will, at the very least, stock the important items such as Thai soy sauces and palm sugar.
- New Loon Moon supermarket on Gerrard Street in Chinatown has a decidely Thai produce section.
- Loon Fung, also on Gerrard Street and also in Stratford (smaller store), have small shelf section for Thai products, with a few other Thai brands here and there around the shops. They also sell some Thai produce.
- Hoo Hing stocks some Thai ingredients.
- Wing Tai, Brixton. Ditto above.
- Wing Yip (multiple locations). Ditto above.
- Chuang Lee in Charlton maintains a reasonable stock of Thai ingredients (including, sometimes, wine imported from Thailand), both fresh and ambient.
- Tazaki, also in Charlton, has a mainly Japanese focus, but you'll find the basics here.
- Tian Tian Market (numerous locations in London) is a Korean supermarket where you can find some Thai brands (e.g. Healthy Boy). The produce is mainly Korean.
Vietnamese supermarkets with Thai offerings
Produce wise there is a fair amount of crossover, so you can find quite a few Thai ingredients in Vietnamese shops.
- London Star Night in London Fields has a great selection of fresh herbs. There are a string of Vietnamese supermarkets along Mare Street, but this is the most reliably stocked of them all.
- Longdan (multiple locations) is a Vietnamese chain supermarket with locations around London and the South of England. They have a large selection of vegan products and a decent stock of fresh produce (some locations are better than others).
- Duc Tien Cash and Carry in Charlton.
If there's a particular ingredient you're looking for, feel free to get in touch and I'll let you know if I've seen it anywhere in particular.
Order Thai ingredients online in the UK
You can also order online from these UK Thai food retailers: