Thipsamai

It opened in the 1950s as a street stall and subsequently moved into a physical storefront in 1966.^[7] Owned by Sikarachat Baisamut, Thipsamai was named for his mother, Samai Baisamut, who opened the stall in Bangkok after selling pad thai with her mother on a boat on Phasi Charoen Canal in Samut Sakhon Province.^[1][8]

According to the restaurant's history, after selling from a boat along the Phasi Charoen Canal, Samai married her husband, Chote Baisamut. Later, Chote's fishing business did not do well, so the couple decided to move to Bangkok with the hope of opening a restaurant. They walked all the way to Samran Rat, commonly known as Pratu Phi ("the Ghost Gate"), and started with a small street-side stall. According to accounts, Pratu Phi at that time was very quiet and dark, with almost no people around. It was not long before the stall became known through word of mouth, and the business gradually improved. Eventually, Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the Prime Minister at the time, visited and tried the Pad Thai. He reportedly said, "This Pad Thai at Pratu Phi is what Pad Thai is truly supposed to taste like." This helped the stall gain widespread recognition as "Pad Thai Pratu Phi." As the business prospered, the couple later rented a shophouse and officially opened the restaurant in 1966. The business has since been passed down to the current generation of owners.^[9]

As of 2026, Thipsamai has a total of four branches. In addition to the original location at Samran Rat, the other branches are located at Iconsiam, Siam Paragon, and Phutthamonthon Sai 4, opposite Phutthamonthon, in the Salaya area on the western outskirts of Bangkok.