Tony Roma's is a famous rib restaurant with over 200 locations worldwide. There are now two Tony Roma's locations in Bangkok, Thailand, one on Sukhumvit Road and one in the Siam Paragon shopping complex. Famous for their baby back pork ribs since opening in 1974, they also serve steaks, seafood and more, though ribs remain the signature dish. The onion ring loaf appetizer is highly recommended for its combination of sweet onion, crispy batter and salt. Large portions of ribs like the original, Carolina honey or spicy Red Hots varieties satisfy big appetites.

1. Probably the most famous rib restaurant in the entire world is Tony Roma’s. If you haven’t heard of Tony Roma’s or never had a chance to visit one their 200 restaurants in 27 countries around the globe and you visit Bangkok you’re in luck. Bangkok now has two locations that are very convenient to get to – one on Sukhumvit Road between sois five and seven (the original location) and one in the Siam Paragon shopping complex across the street from Siam Square. Their slogan is “Famous for Ribs” and they have been for 36 years now ever since Tony opened his first restaurant in North Miami. Baby back pork ribs were the house specialty then and they still are today. Although you can now get steaks, seafood, burgers, BBQ chicken and salads, ribs are still the big draw. I’ve eaten in Tony Roma’s a number of times over the years in places as far afield as the state of Maine in the U.S. to Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and here in Bangkok and the flavors always seem to be the same which is one of the marks of a well-managed chain. A personal favorite of mine is the onion ring loaf which has to be the best onion ring taste in the world. The rings are all tangled up somehow in what actually looks like a loaf of bread, size-wise anyway, and the onions are thin-cut and sweet which, mixed with the grease flavor from the deep-fried batter and salt produces just the right flavor. It’s the ultimate junk food – fat and salt – with the sweetness to balance it and there’s probably thousands of calories in one loaf but who cares? It tastes fantastic although you have to be careful you don’t eat too much before the ribs come because it’s hard to stop eating these. When the ribs do come you do need to have a good appetite, especially if you’ve ordered a full rack. There are several variations of ribs available too, including St. Louis ribs and a beef variety. The St. Louis ribs come in four varieties: Original, Carolina Honey, Blue Ridge Smokies and Tony Roma’s Red Hots. I’ve never had the Red Hots but if they really are spicy I’m sure I’d like them since living in Thailand for 13 years has had an effect on my taste buds. And, as with all the portions here, these are large servings of food so be prepared to bring a doggy bag home. As mentioned above there are a lot of other menu choice but if you try the ribs and the onion rings you’ll get a real taste of the essence of Tony Roma’s and see why they’ve been around for 36 years and are still going strong.