ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง · khao niao mamuang
Mango Sticky Rice
Sweet sticky rice soaked in salted coconut cream, served with ripe mango and toasted mung beans or sesame. Thailand's most famous dessert, best in the hot-season mango months.
Khanom & Kreung Deum
Thai Desserts & Drinks
Coconut, palm sugar, pandan and ripe mango: how Thailand ends a meal and cools the heat.
Khanom · ขนม
The Sweet Side of Thailand
Thai desserts are built from a few humble ingredients, coconut, palm sugar, rice, tropical fruit and pandan, turned into something delicate and beautiful.
The Thai word khanom covers hundreds of sweets, from street-side coconut pancakes to the elaborate, jewel-like confections once made for the royal court. Many are steamed or boiled rather than baked; textures range from chewy and jelly-like to creamy and crunchy, and the sweetness is always balanced with a pinch of salt.
After a meal of chili and lime, a Thai dessert is the perfect cool, gentle finish.
Classic Thai Sweets
Desserts to Know
ทับทิมกรอบ · tub tim krob
Tub Tim Krob
"Crispy rubies": diced water chestnuts coated in tapioca and dyed red, served in sweet coconut milk over crushed ice. Crunchy, chewy and refreshing.
ชุดของหวาน · Elephant Ear
Our Thai Sweet Combo
A delightful trio: mango sticky rice, refreshing oolong tea and a light, creamy coconut jelly cake (woon maprao), for a perfect Thai dessert experience. $15.
Woon Maprao · Coconut Jelly
Layers of clear coconut-water jelly and creamy coconut-milk jelly, set with agar and served chilled. Light, subtle and very Thai.
Kluay Buat Chi · Bananas in Coconut Milk
The name means "bananas ordained as nuns", for the white coconut milk that robes the fruit. A homely, comforting sweet served warm.
Kreung Deum · เครื่องดื่ม
Thai Drinks: Cooling the Heat
Thai drinks are designed to soothe a chili-warmed palate and refresh in tropical heat.
- Cha Yen (ชาเย็น): Thai iced tea, strong black tea spiced with star anise and sweetened with condensed and evaporated milk, famous for its sunset-orange color. Ours is $8, also available as a Lychee Thai Iced Tea.
- Nam Maprao (น้ำมะพร้าว): fresh young coconut water, naturally sweet and hydrating.
- Nam Takrai (น้ำตะไคร้): lemongrass tea, fragrant, calming and traditionally served after a meal.
- Oolong tea, served with our Thai Sweet Combo.
The bar
Elephant Ear has a full bar with cocktails, beer and wine. Our long wooden bar, glowing beneath rattan lanterns, is a favorite spot for a pre-theater drink. Ask your bartender for a cocktail built on Thai flavors: lemongrass, lychee, lime and chili.
A Taste of Thai Desserts
Why Thai Desserts Are Worth Saving Room For
Thai sweets are lighter than most Western desserts: rarely buttery, often dairy-free, and built on coconut and fruit. The salty-sweet balance found in savory Thai cooking appears here too: a pinch of salt in the coconut cream makes mango sticky rice irresistible.
Read more in our journal: A Taste of Thai Desserts: Mango Sticky Rice and Sweet Thai Treats.