Best: Bua Thai
This year marks the second year in a row that Bua Thai has taken first place in the Best Thai category.
Perhaps it’s because this restaurant, located just off Jasper Avenue, is unrelenting with the flavours it can pack into just one dish. Nothing illustrates this better than the rice.
Bua Thai serves what is likely the best coconut rice in town. Be warned: It’s sweet. And the coconut flavour can overpower the more delicately flavoured dishes – so use the coconut rice responsibly. That being said, if you pair it with a strikingly sweet green curry, the flavours marry together quite well. Or try coating it in the phat phed kung (stir-fried prawns with mushrooms, eggplant, green peppercorns, red bell peppers, kachay root and basil, slathered in a red curry paste) for some spice to balance out the sweet. –Cory Haller
10049 113 St., 780-482-2277, buathairestaurant.com
Runner-Up: Boualouang
This Thai/Laotian spot, located in the heart of Chinatown, made an appearance in Avenue‘s January issue for its excellent Tom-Yum-Gah-Tee soup. But this place is about a lot more than an excellent, spicy broth. You’ll find great version of Thai staples, like curries and, of course, pad Thai. The stuffed chicken wings, which are chock full of clear “glass” noodles, are a great way to start off the meal. I used to go to Boualouang a decade ago, when it was a real hole in the wall a block north of where it is now. It’s wonderful to see how it has evolved. –Steven Sandor
10569 97 St., 780-423-4207