For most Bangkokians, roadside dining is a way of life. For decades, street food in Thailand has fascinated, nourished, and satisfied those looking for delicious, quality food.
Dotted around almost every street in Bangkok, food stalls are open all day, and, in some areas, all night. These round-the-clock street-side delights offer an amazing array of food ranging from rice with curries to various noodle dishes, from Som Tam and grilled chicken to fresh seafood. And make no mistake, they are just as good as the dishes found in “proper” restaurants. The difference is the experience when dining at a roadside stall or shop, where a whole new culinary adventure awaits.
A few tips for enjoying roadside food stalls: Bring cash, as most of the vendors on the streets do not accept credit cards. Look for food stalls with a crowd – a good indication of delicious food. Choose stalls where customers can watch the food being cooked, and avoid raw seafood or precooked food that has been sitting in pots all day. (Some vendors display a “Clean Food Good Taste” sign, signifying certification by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.)
Call yourself a foodie, an epicure, or a food connoisseur: if you dream of pleasing your palate while traveling in Thailand, you’re in luck because the country prides itself on being one of the world’s gastronomy hubs.
Whether you’re a fan of street food or fine dining, Thailand has you covered. If you’re interested in learning how to prepare local dishes yourself, the Land of Smiles has plenty of programs to have your preferences fulfilled.
Thailand has perennially ranked among the top rice exporting nations for years, and its superb quality jasmine fragrant rice, delicious fruits, and delectable cuisine have well-established reputations around the world. Dishes like green curry, Massaman curry, som tam, tom yum kung, and Pad Thai are some that are widely appreciated worldwide. They’re chosen continuously among CNN’s World’s Best Foods year after year.
A food haven like Thailand not only leaves you spoiled for choice, it also prepares you to go the extra mile by learning how to master your favorite Thai dishes at a cooking school while experiencing the country’s best street food, the extravagant world of five-star dining, and the wonderland of Michelin Star eateries.
Let the gastronomy journey begin.
BANGKOK: Street Food Capital
Bangkok Night Market | Shutterstock
Being one of the world’s top destinations, Bangkok has some of the tastiest and affordable street food in the country.
Just like other major tourism cities, Thailand’s capital has neighborhoods, including the walking street, where visitors with discerning palates enjoy a variety of delicious snacks and bites as they go along any food market. Bangkok has developed itself from a city of food hawkers and peddlers to a world-renowned center of roadside stalls and eateries.
In the City of Angels, it goes without saying that where there are people, there is food. Here are some sanctuaries to allow traveling gastronomes to eat their way through Krungthep as it is called in Thai.
Image: Shutterstock
Yaowarat
Part of the Chinatown neighborhood, Yaowarat is synonymous with ‘yummy,’ if you ask food connoisseurs. Bustling by day, the area is equally crowded by night, drawing food-seeking visitors with a variety of tastes, the best of which is served here. There are a lot of star dishes to pinpoint, and each stall and eatery is worth trying. From seafood and dumplings to all kinds of noodles and sweet treats, you can take advantage of the area’s source of delicious food from early morning till late at night as much as your stomach can accommodate.
Ratchawat
Ratchawat and nearby Sriyan have been favorite neighborhoods for the people of Bangkok to come and savor sumptuous dishes on both sides of the road. With nothing to sightsee, unlike other areas like Charoen Krung, food is the main attraction. Top eateries in Ratchawat include Ma Yod Pak Rad Na (+662 241 1860) drawing diners who are obsessed with their Rad Na (rice noodles with gravy) cooked over charcoal stoves like in the old days. Chicken noodle that is served in a shophouse close by is worth a try as well. In Sriyan, a small Kaeng Pa Restaurant (+662 241 4216) serves the highlight dish of the namesake, which is hot curry with finger root, black pepper, and chili never fails to please patrons with home-style cooking.
Charoen Krung & Bangrak
From Taksin BTS Station, an influx of smells of all sorts of food along the main street and small alleys is too much to resist. You’ll always leave a visit to Bangrak and Charoen Krung Road with a full stomach. Foodies will get carried away by the mix of the tempting fragrance of steamed dumpling, stir-fried chili, and holy basil. The sight of colorful fruits on display and bowls of fish maw soup will urge you to join awaiting patrons on roadside eateries. Prince Congee Bangrak (+6689 795 2629), Prachak Roasted Duck (+662 234 3755), and Jay Lee Noodle with fish balls (+02 234 2791) are unmissable for serious street food connoisseurs.
Sukhumvit 38 | Shutterstock
Sukhumvit 38
Being an oasis of cheap and affordable dishes in one of the most expensive spots in Bangkok, Sukhumvit 38 is crowded every night with hungry locals and tourists who know the neighborhood as being a street food center with value. Across the street is Thonglor alley, which is worth checking out too. The eatery serves Pad Thai and fried muzzle, one of the best in Bangkok, and is a popular spot.
Pork Satay | Shutterstock
Soi Ari
From Ari BTS Station, you are only a few steps away from a street food neighborhood where price ranges from a couple of bucks to US$10+ each. From pork satay and somtam from a simple stall to an eatery specializing in congee and a relaxed restaurant serving Isan, Soi Ari has it all. A cluster of stalls selling rice and all kinds of curry, chicken rice, and noodles with fish balls on the early part of the alley is usually crowded with patrons throughout the day.
Street Vendor at Silom Road | Shutterstock
Silom Road
A frequent visitor to Bangkok should get used to the sight of locals and tourists having some quick meals in different sois and alleys during day time at Silom Road. At night, foodies are often seen in front of roadside stalls waiting to order, especially when all the bars are closed, and clubgoers are outside. It doesn’t guarantee to fix their hangover the next morning, but it definitely keeps their stomachs well-fed.
Banglamphu/Khao San
Visitors know that hostel neighborhoods like Banglamphu and Khao San Road are like the plaza of roadside eateries, and you can enjoy affordable street food at almost every street corner, with Pad Thai and fried spring rolls being the most popular dishes.
Ramkhamhaeng
Home to apartment complexes mostly rented by students, Ramkhamhaeng Road has long been a hub of good-price meals for Bangkokians, although not known for anything in particular.
Sam Yan & Saphan Lueang
At the Sam Yan Intersection from Lumphini Park along Rama IV Road, Saphan Lueang is on the left and Sam Yan area on the right. Each side is filled with clusters of stalls and eateries serving yummy food at an affordable price, from noodles with fish balls and kuay jub (rice roll noodles in soup) to satay and sukiyaki.
CHIANG MAI
Saturday Night Market in Chiang Mai | Shutterstock
Chiang Mai prides itself on being the diner’s paradise with distinctive delectable dishes that one can’t leave without trying.
Here is what and where tasteful travelers should consider checking out.
Khao Soi & Khanom Jeen Nam Ngeow
For epicureans, northern local food makes Chiang Mai one of the most visited tourist spots in Thailand. It’s the hub of the north, which means you can enjoy khao soi (coconut curry noodle) and khanom jeen ngeow (is rice noodles with hot and spicy soup) as much as you like. Both Khao Soi Khun Yai, or Grandma’s Khao Soi (+6686 712 4314) and Khao Sai Mae Sai (+6653 213 284) are famous for both dishes.
Sai Ua
This classic northern-style sausage infused with lots of spices and herbs, including lemongrass and kaffir lime, is not to be missed. A widely available street snack, its taste, and texture can vary. Some can be dry and spicy, while some can be oily and mild in flavor. Try shophouses like Pa Pan, or Aunt Pan (+6698 789 0955) on Sitthiwong, behind Miami Hotel. Their grilled sausage is one of the best in town.
Chang Phuek Gate & Chiang Mai Gate
Of the five gates protecting the old city of Chiang Mai, the Chang Phuek and Chiang Mai gates should be on top of the foodies’ list, since each has food markets where diners wish their stomachs had more space.
Starting from late afternoon, the Chang Phuek Gate will become lively with stalls of street food, and food lovers from all directions will swarm to the area ready to try various types of food. The eatery selling stewed pork knuckles has been one of the more popular stalls in the market.
The night food market at the Chiang Mai Gate starts around the same time, and judging by the number of stalls, you’ll have a lot of options to choose from for dinner.
Huen Phen Restaurant
One of the well-known local restaurants, Huan Phen is a must-visit if you want to try home-style cooking at its finest in a home-like ambiance. Its menu consists of all kinds of local curry with a wide selection of other yummy delights. Their khao soi with beef is second-to-one. Huen Pen (+6653 814 548) is located in the old town close to Wat Phra Singh. It’s open daily from 8.30am – 10pm.
Pad Thai at Lan Pad Thai
This small eatery on Sitthiwong Road (+6689 955 0883) serves delicious Pad Thai cooked over a charcoal stove by a lovely old lady and a team of her peers. Their fried noodles taste, unlike others’ and takeaway orders, are wrapped in banana leaves with fresh vegetables that are carefully prepared.
Jok Somphet
This restaurant (+6653 210 649) close to Chang Phuek Gate mainly serves congee, as the word Jok means in Thai, but also has a variety of food and drink is available, including dim sum, fried rice, boiled rice with all kinds of meat, and fresh coffee. Whenever you feel like having a newly prepared meal, head here as it’s open 24 hours and is usually very crowded in the morning.
Phuket
Thai Street Food in Phuket | Shutterstock
Breakfast Like Locals
As a melting pot of diverse cuisine cultures, with Malay, Chinese, and Indian influence mixed with Thai to create a fusion of flavors, Phuket provides unique foodie experiences admired by locals and international visitors.
Locals have a unique way when it comes to the first meal of the day. If you want to eat like locals, get up early and head to any eatery serving quintessential dim sum. That’s what locals prefer as their brekkie. Steamed pork dumplings, rice noodles with shrimp or minced pork wrapped in seaweed and other small variations of dishes locally called as ‘siew boi’ remain their favorites for decades. Boonrat Dim Sum (+6676 212 034) and Juan Hiang (+6676 210 795) in downtown are two of the famous dim sum eateries in the area.
Khanom jeen, a dish of cold fermented rice noodles in a rich and creamy coconut-based curry sauce, as well as roti with curry come close as alternatives. Khanom Jeen Pa Mai and Khanom Jeen Mae Ting (+6695 190 5049) are among the best eateries of their sort while Roti Thaw Nam (+6676 210 061) and Chao Fah Roti (+6676 221 771) are two of the locals’ preferred options.
Local islanders love to finish their breakfast with kopi, which is a thick glass of strong coffee with sweet condensed milk. Try it if you feel like getting your caffeine fix.
The remarkable food scene here was part of the reason why Phuket was selected as the City of Gastronomy in UNESCO’s World’s Leading Cities of Gastronomy in 2017.
For other kinds of food, make your way to lanes and streets of Phuket Town where you can find and savor most authentic street food available on the island.
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