12 Best Bangkok street food Dishes and Where To Eat

The most iconic Bangkok street food dish, Som Tam is also called as Papaya Pok Pok. The dish is made from unripe papaya mixed with shrimp paste, peanuts, tomatoes and green beans. A few hot chillis to balance out the dish, is something that’s very common. However if you do not have a good tolerance for spice, you can request “mai pet” (meaning not spicy) – a tip that may come in handy quite a few times. Tani road serves some of the best Som Tam.

For the bacon enthusiasts, the three magic words could very well be “Grilled Pork Skewers”. Succulent and juicy pork meat grilled on hot coals, with fat dripping through the grill creating an inviting aroma. Is there a better way to experience a foodgasm with Bangkok street food? Moo ping is prepared with a special sauce that’s slathered on the meat and is best enjoyed with traditional sticky rice that acts as a natural balance for the heat. Sukhomwit and Chinatown are the best places to enjoy this Bangkok street food special.

As a tropical heaven, mangoes are a plenty and there is no better way to celebrate the king of fruits than Khao Niao Mamuang. A traditional desert recipe, the dish is prepared using fresh mango, palm sugar and coconut oil served with sticky rice. This dish is widely popular and mostly consumed in summers across all southeast Asian countries. If you are lucky to be in Thailand between February and June, the Bangkok street food stalls in Wong Wian Yi Sip Song Karkadhom neighborhood are well-known for serving the best Khao Niao Mamuang.

There’s no better feeling that sitting down for a nice bowl of noodle soup after a tiresome shopping day. The peppery spices that tingle your nose buds as you slurp down the broth is probably the best way to culminate your day at busy Bangkok. Kuay jab nam sai is a very common noodle soup served almost all over China town. The soup is made from pork bones and has a very intense flavor.

One that’s sure to be found on any Bangkok street food list, tom yum goong is quintessential Thai food – freshest prawns bathed in a soup seasoned with lime, lemongrass and chilli. The Bangkok street food vendors usually pick up the priced produce the same day in the wee hours at the local market. This dish is a must-try for spice enthusiasts. Tom Yum Goong Banglaphu is well known for this dish and is famed for having retained its authenticity and taste over the years.

This popular item on the Bangkok street food menu were originally sold on boats floating along the city canals (Hence the name). The best place to find this delicacy is at Victory Monument. The noodles come in small portions and a popular street food stall at Victory Monument offers free Pepsi if you’re able to slurp up 20 of them! The noodles are served in several flavors and the broth is typically quite thick (owing to its origin being served on boats, necessitating a spill-free experience on the ride.) Doy Kuay Teow Reua Boat Noodles is the most well-known place for this dish.

A regular feature on every “oriental” menu, having the chance to taste it in all its authenticity while you’re in Thailand is an experience not to be missed! After all it’s only going to stir up interesting conversations in boring dinner parties back home. A stir-fried rice noodle dish, Pad Thai is usually prepared with eggs and tofu. It is flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, chili pepper and sugar – in other words, the ultimate sweet-sour-spicy-umami combo. It is usually served with lime and peanuts to give the extra kick of flavor. For the vegans and vegetarians, it is possible that you would find a version suited to you with this Bangkok street food. For the best Pad Thai, head to Thip Samai as it is considered the grandfather of this Thai recipe.

If you’re out late soaking in all the nightlife that Bangkok offers, Khao Man Gai is probably the street food item you’d find for a quick bite before you a call it a night. Most stalls are open till 1-2 AM and conveniently place themselves close to the most popular hotels. The taste is fairly Hainanese but the dish is sure to fill you up quickly as Thai locals prefer their chicken to be on the drier side and the rice itself is also quite filling in itself. Maem’s Khao man Gai is extremely popular and she knows her crowd as her cart is usually serving until as late as 3 AM.

Hoy Tod is a popular dish across Singapore, Malaysia and Singapore. Hoy Tod is basically oysters lightly dipped in rice flour and egg batter, fried in oil until it crisps up. The fried oysters are served with more bits of fried batter and eggs. The texture of this dish is very similar to fried Korean pancakes. The dish can seem extremely greasy, but is definitely worth a try. Nai Mong serves the most famous plate of this dish in Bangkok. Other popular places include Daeng Racha and Chaw-Lae.

A green cake made from flour, salt, coconut and sugar, the star ingredient of this dish are the Pandan leafs. This sweet treat is most often served fresh off the skillet on order and are a delectable dessert for the young and old alike. Siam Pandan, Wang lang market and Rod Fai Night Market are the best places to find Kanom Krok Bai Toey. The amazing aroma that this dish produces is sure to get your mouth watering as you wait for your order to be prepared. Just watching the street food artists gracefully flipping each one of these tiny pillows is an entertainment in itself and is sure to get the whole family excited.

Evne if you’re not a street food enthusiast, this delicacy is sure to find its way to you! An answer from heaven to beat the heat, the humidity and get away from the crowd for a moment, this treat comes in many forms. You can even find places selling Thai Coconut Ice Cream between sandwich breads. Thai style Coconut Ice Cream stands apart, beaucse it uses coco cream as the base instead of milk. It usually has coconut shreds as a garnish or sprinkled through the ice-cream to give it a textural complexity. The most famous place to get yourself a nice coconut dose is Nattaporn Ice Cream at Phra Nakhon. Other places with many carts include Chtuchak Market and Baan Peeraka.

An Indian treat with a Thai twist, Roti Gluay is sold by the many peddle cart roti vendors across the city. Roti dough laid on iron skillet, topped with egg and banana slivers is essentially what Roti Gluay is. It is usually chopped up into little pieces after cooking and served with a good drizzle of sweet condensed milk. Head over to Soi Rangnam or Sukhumvit to find the best roti gluay vendors.

The main artery of Chinatown, Yaowarat can best be described as an endless line of trinket shops, street stalls, carts and restaurants all working in harmony. Singa beer is available on every street corner and the plastic tables and chairs are just waiting for you to get you seated after a hefty shopping spree. You’ll find all the Thai and Chinese delicacies and there’s something or the other that’s sure to get your senses singing. Shopping for the ladies and Bangkok street food for the men – guess the Thai’s do it the right way!

Dubbed the best Bangkok street food market, Wang Lang Market sits on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river. Part of the Old quarter, the place is brimming with local vibe. Although the market is a sizeable collection of clothing shops and other trinkets, the star product here is the food. Most stalls stay open till as late as 2 or 3 AM making it a good stopover after a long night in the party central. The most famous restaurants serving the best of Thai specialties are Khun Daeng’s Kway Jab Yuan, Sai Mai’s Egg Noodle Soup with Shrimp Wonton and Pa Tim’s Khanom Tang taek. You can also find several coconut ice creams stalls and carts. The best way to get to the market is by the Chao Phraya Express river boat.

Although Ari is most well-known for housing the rich and wealthy, Soi Ari is quickly trending as an unmissable street food spot in Bangkok. Apart from the usual, Soi Ari serves up some eclectic dishes like veggie dumplings and grilled bananas as well. You can try the ba-mii (wheat noodle soup) shop, khanom beuang (fried sweets) or even just a simple refresher like a fresh-squeezed tangerine juice here. There are several stalls that are open till late. You can also get your hands on some bubble tea or fresh fruits while you’re here.

This one gets missed by most tourists as it is a residential area far from the city center. As the locals would confirm though, it’s worth the travel just for the food. If you’re heading out to Taling Chan Floating market, you could combine the visit with Bang Khun Non as it is just a few minutes away by road. Traditional Thai dessert stalls are aplenty here. The place is brimming with stalls and shophouses serving anything from Dim Sum to Chinese buns.

Sukhumvit 38 is the place to be if you want to lure yourself into the world of Thai cuisine. Several stalls are open till the early hours of the morning and the street is busy with cheap and quick meal stalls. Most menus are available in English making it easy for you. Grab a table anywhere along the street and order from any of the closeby stalls! The waiters are happy to serve and will accommodate you even if you are ordering from other vendors as well. The place has a very well-settled rhythm to it and the stalls keep setting up and closing at different times through the day. The Pad Thai Fire Look stall is one of the most famous in the city. Condensed milk with pandan leaf custard dipping is also a must-try dish here for those with a sweet tooth. Do take precaution while visiting though, as the place is currently not running in full capacity due to a major construction in the area.

Bangkok street food finds its way to your heart just as much as your stomach in many ways; from traditional shophouses to carts on the side road all waiting to take you on a tripping venture.