Food

Looking for an Exceptional Street Food Tour in Bangkok!

July 24, 2014

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Bangkok has been ranked as one of the foodiest cities & no doubt it deserves this position. Street food in Bangkok is widely popular just like any other south-east Asian country, people tend to eat a lot more outdoors and that’s one of the reason Bangkok has so many food markets (Ta-laad in Thai).

Thais love having long dinners, chit-chatting with friends and family. These are one of the few things you can do in Thailand because of its Sabai-Sabai (laid back culture). Here’s the list of street food you can find in any part of Bangkok.

Just grab a table in a restaurant and the friendly owner will serve you one of the best multi-sensory food which might be spicy but you still keep on eating.

Thai food is different in 4 regions of the country which could be divided into:

Southern Thailand (influenced by Malaysian cuisines as it touches border to Malaysia)
North Eastern or Isaan food (Influenced by Laotian food)
Central Food
Northern Thailand (Influenced by Chinese people)

Here are some suggestions on restaurants to check out:

Baan Bkk

A family restaurant in Bangkok located in Lumpini the center of the town.

Khao Mon Gai

The restaurant is on Petchburi road near central world near a footbridge. It is popular for Stew rice, sauce and many other dishes.

Thong lor soi 38

The soi is popular for roadside vendors selling amazing Thai food from the last many years. Due to a condominium construction all roadside vendors were asked to remove within a deadline but there are still some street vendors in this soi.

Supanniga in Thong lor

Try some of the rare Northeast rare food in this pricey restaurant in one of top neighborhoods of Bangkok.

Jeh-O restaurant

One of the best mama noodles and crispy pork is found in this restaurant. Make sure you are prepared for the long queue for this popular restaurant.

These are the common dishes that could be found in almost any part of Thailand:

Tom Yum Krung

The most common dish you can find almost anywhere. It’s Thai soup with flavor of lemon grass, ginger, chili peppers and lime juice mixed with ingredients of shrimps or mushroom.

Noodles

Easily the most consumed dish in Thailand and by far the most healthiest as well. Noodles came to Thailand from China but during the years have transformed them into Thai style because of the ingredients they use like the fish sauce, chillies, vegetables, meat balls, fish balls, beef slices etc. You can choose from rice noodles, egg noodles or white flour noodles. The choice is all yours!

Som Tum

Also known as Papaya salad with shrimps on top is famous among Thais or Tourists. It could be served in different ways – dried shrimps or pickled crabs.

Pad-Thai

Pad-Thai fried noodles which could cost somewhere around 30 baht – 50 baht in a street shop and it’s very delicious than the one you pay in a western country. It’s noodles mixed with dried shrimps or prawns.

Grilled meat/pork/fish

When you see or smell smoke somewhere in the streets, there’s a huge possibility that it’s because of the grill meat balls, barbecue or pork neck or belly or probably a smoked fish.

Dessert (Mango with Sticky rice)

This is probably the best combination of a fruit with rice.

Fruits

Warm tropical climate is good for fruits and you can see loads of street selling food vendors on every corner of the street. If not fruits, you can easily find someone selling orange juice or coconut water.

Bangkok also has some famous markets

Khlong Toei

There is no better place than Khlong Toei in Bangkok. While walking in the small, smelly alleys you could see Thailand from a real perspective. Try some Pork belly with sticky rice, braised pork trotter and intestine (so soft that it will melt in your mouth), don’t miss the sticky rice with mango dessert , skinned frog or even live ones if you prefer, pigeon barbecue and crabs of course. You can find endless varieties of seafood, chilies, fruits, vegetables especially durian. The small, dirty alleys will make you feel happy and proud to have witnessed something special. Also, check out this video of Andrew Zimmern who goes to Bangkok and his first stop was Khlong Toei market.

Jatu-Jak (Pronounced as Chatu-Chak in Thai)

You can buy anything here and food is just a bonus. It’s famous among tourists and locals and have thousands of visitors every day making it a great place to have Thai street food. It’s not as “raw” as Khlong toei but it has it’s own quality. You can find noodles, pork belly with rice, endless buffet shops, grilled meat balls, fruit shops, ice-cream (believe me you have to try this – it’s made of coconut and topped with corns), mango ice-cream and other snacks are easily available here.

Or Tor Kor Market

It’s completely different from the other markets mentioned above. We would suggest to bring a camera to take pictures of the fresh vegetables and fruits available in the market. It has been ranked as one of the most fresh markets in Asia. As always now it’s your turn to go to these places and try these wonderful dishes to know about the diverse Thai culture. Remember that’s the best way to learn Thai culture and make new friends.