Little Clove Kitchen, a Thai restaurant on Aigburth Road near Lark Lane, has been ranked 30th in The Good Food Guide's 100 Best Local Restaurants list, just one year after opening. The restaurant is owned by husband Isaret Pongop and wife Sipapar Lekdee, who are originally from Thailand and moved to Liverpool several years ago for work.
Couple's Dream Realised
The couple got the keys to the premises at 166 Aigburth Road in mid-June 2025 and opened on July 2, 2025. Sipapar, 35, who handles marketing, said: "It’s been Isaret’s dream for many years to have his own restaurant. After 15 years of working for other people, we found this nice location and were financially ready, so we jumped into the opportunity." The couple chose the location for its proximity to Lark Lane, benefiting from footfall while keeping costs lower.
They initially were uncertain about Liverpool but soon fell in love with the city. Sipapar added: "We weren’t sure about Liverpool before we moved here, but once we started living here and settled in, we found that it was quite similar to Thailand. Like Thailand, the people here are welcoming and open-minded. They accept other cultures. We would never move anywhere else. We love it here."
Good Food Guide Recognition
The Good Food Guide, often called the "food bible," compiles the annual 100 Best Local Restaurants list through public reader nominations and anonymous inspections. This year's list is ranked for the first time, with Little Clove Kitchen at number 30. Other Liverpool restaurants on the list include Belzan on Smithdown Road at number 65 and Chin-Zano on Aigburth Road at number 75.
Chef Isaret, 37, said he only hoped to make the list but never expected such a high placement. When he received the news via email, he read it "100 times" to confirm. He said: "To be ranked 30th in Great Britain by The Good Food Guide feels like a dream, and to find out during our very first anniversary month makes it unforgettable." He added: "We opened Little Clove Kitchen to bring traditional, high-quality Thai flavours to our community, and to be recognised as the first Thai restaurant in the North of England to achieve this standard is incredibly humbling."
Authentic Thai Cuisine
Little Clove Kitchen offers a limited menu with six mains and six starters, a deliberate choice by Isaret to ensure quality. He makes every curry paste and foundational flavour from scratch, avoiding off-the-shelf products. He explained: "You won’t find any off-the-shelf pastes here – just pure, authentic effort. The menu allows us to ensure that every dish that reaches your table is exactly what we dreamed it would be."
Isaret has worked in Thai restaurants across the UK, including London, Cambridge, and Southampton. He criticised many establishments for "copy and paste" dishes and emphasised his commitment to authentic Thai food: "We want to create food that is made by Thai people and for everyone, but with the real taste of what Thai people eat." The menu is regularly updated to give customers reasons to return.
Little Clove Kitchen is located at 166 Aigburth Road, Liverpool, L17 7BR.
