Top 10 Bangkok Street Food Joints You Should Not Miss
Bangkok is well-known the world over as a street food paradise, and with so many cheap flight tickets available from Singapore to the capital city of Thailand, it’s no wonder that Bangkok is one of the most popular destinations for Singaporean travellers. Whether you’re here for a weekend getaway or you have more time for your foodie trip, you’ll find that there’s great food everywhere you look in Bangkok, so BudgetAir® Australia has compiled a guide of the top 10 Bangkok street food joints that you should not miss!
1. Jay Fai
We start our list with the only street food joint to be awarded a Michelin Star in the 2018 Bangkok Michelin Guide. Jay Fai is a street food stall, that specializes in crab dishes, offering gourmet crab omelette and crab curries. You can also choose to order a bowl of drunken noodles or dry congee to go with the delicious crab dishes. Chef Jay Fai fries her signature dishes in a deep wok over a blazing hot charcoal fire and she’s known for the iconic safety goggles she always wears when frying. Located at 327 Samran Rat Intersection in the Phra Nakhon area, Jay Fai starts serving delicious food from 1:30 pm until 1:30 am daily.
2. Thip Samai Pad Thai
In a city with so many stalls selling Pad Thai, the iconic noodle dish of Thailand, Thip Samai stands out as one of the absolute must-try food joints, whenever you’re in Bangkok. Located near Chinatown and near to Jay Fai, you’ll know you have arrived at the right place when you see the long lines of hungry foodies waiting to try this specialty dish. The noodles and ingredients are first fried over a charcoal fire, before being wrapped in an egg omelette. Thip Samai is located on 313 Maha Chai Road, Samrat Rat within the Phra Nakhon district and is open from 5:30 pm to 1:30 am daily.
3. Polo Fried Chicken
On the list of honorees of the Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide, is Polo Fried Chicken, which serves up excellent food at budget prices. This street food joint has been in operation for more than 5 decades, and is well-known for its specialty dish, deep fried crispy chicken covered in fried garlic. The chicken is juicy, flavorful and tender making this a meal you will remember. If you’re heading there in a group of 2 or more people, make sure to order the whole chicken so you can all get your fill of fried chicken goodness. You can also order a plate of grilled pork, som tam or crispy catfish salad to go with your fried chicken. Located in Sanam Khli (or Soi Polo as the locals call it), the nearest stations are the Lumpini MRT or Phloen Chit BTS (10 to 15 minutes walking distance).
4. Hai Som Tam Convent
One of the most popular street-side dishes is Som Tam, or Papaya Salad. Located on Soi Convent along Silom Road (a short walk from Silom Station), Hai Som Tam Convent is one of the most famous places to eat Som Tam in all of Bangkok. Som Tam is made with shredded green papaya, garlic, long beans, tomatoes, chilli, lime and fish sauce and often topped with salted egg, crab or dried prawns. You’ll get multiple flavors in every bite: sweet, sour and definitely spicy. You can also order grilled chicken and sour soup with pork ribs to complete your meal.
5. Go-Ang Kaomunkai (Chicken Rice) Pratunam
Another stall listed in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand Distinction is Go-Ang Kaomunkai, one of the most popular chicken rice shops in the Pratunam area. Open for more than 50 years, Go-Ang Kaomunkai, serves up juicy white chicken with fragrant chicken rice, and with double boiled chicken soup on the side. You can also choose to add hard-boiled eggs and pork blood jelly to go with your chicken rice meal. Located near the popular Pratunam mall, you should definitely come here to recharge after a long day of shopping.
6. Ba Mee Slow (Egg Noodles)
Are you looking for a noodle fix late at night? Look no further than Ba Mee Slow, located at Ekkamai Soi 19, near the popular nightlife spots like DND, Nunglen and Escobar. They got their nickname Ba Mee Slow, because you should expect to wait some time for your food to be prepared as each bowl of noodles is carefully prepared and topped with sliced char-siew and a delicious lava egg.
7. Victory Monument Boat Noodles at Sud Yod Kuay Teow Reua (Pa Yuk)
If you’re a boat noodle fan, then a visit to Sud Yod Kuay Teow Reua at Victory Monument is an absolute must. With so many boat noodles shops in the area, we’d recommend Sud Yod Kuay Teow Reua because of its rich pork flavor. Served in small bowls, rice noodles are flashed cooked in a hot soup and then mixed with water morning glory, slicked pork and liver and meatballs and a splash of pig’s blood before these delicious meals are served to you.
8. Maevaree Mango Sticky Rice
Open daily from 6 am to 11 pm, Maevaree is one of the institutions where you can have truly amazing Mango Sticky Rice. Even though you can find this dish in many other food courts, street stalls or night markets, the Mango Sticky Rice served by Maevaree truly rises above all others. Having been around for 20 years or so, they use the best mangos that are sweet and juicy, their sticky rice has a chewy texture and the coconut milk adds depth of flavor to the dish. It’s located a few steps away from the Thonglo BTS Station and the mango sticky rice is packed in takeaway boxes for you to bring back to your hotel to enjoy.
9. Prachak Pet Yang (Roasted Duck)
Prachak Pet Yang is located along Charoen Krung Road, a short ride away from Yaowarat or a short walk from BTS Saphan Taksin. The roasted duck here is an absolute must-try, with its succulent skin, juicy duck meat and delicious sauce. We’d recommend you to order a bowl of crab ba mee as it goes very well with the roast duck.
10. Khun Dang Guay Jub Yuan
Located along Phra Artit Road, a few streets away from Khaosan Road, is the popular stall, Khun Dang Guay Jub Yuan, which serves rice flour noodles, with a thick black pepper soup, tender pork meat, sliced mushrooms, a soft egg and topped with fried onions and fresh parsley. A delicious bowl of Guay Jub Yuan here usually costs less than 2 SGD and brings in the crowds.