Top 7 Bangkok Street Food Areas – And Best Dishes

Are you ready to eat the best street food in Bangkok?

There is no other place in the world more synonymous with street food than Bangkok. From food carts to hole-in-the-wall eateries to streets literally dedicated to various Thai, Chinese, and Asian dishes, the city is alive with the clikkity-clakkity sizzling rhythm of dishes being put together and a thick, spicy scent filling the air.

Thais love their food. And Thais are pretty darn good at making it. Bangkok is essentially a mecca for the best street food in Thailand. In a city of over 10 million food lovers, it comes as no surprise that the streets are spiked with some of the best cheap street food you can find.

TIP: “In Bangkok, where there’s people, there’s going to be street food. Train stations, outside BTS stations, near bus terminals, offices, these are all street food hotspots”

About Bangkok Street Food

Many tourists visiting Bangkok and Thailand for the first time avoid the street food. There is a few reasons why and I have listed everything below.

First impressions: Street food shops and carts are not going to be very inviting unless you’re already familiar with Asia. The shops are small, usually with tiled walls, plastic chairs (which are often filthy on the legs) and steel tables. And anything in the shop that doesn’t require cleaning such as ceiling fan is going to be downright filthy.

Hygiene: Food hygiene standards in Thailand are different from those in the West. It’s common to see meat being cut on wooden boards, and food is often prepared in full view of customers. The preparation areas, while generally well-maintained by local standards, may not meet the cleanliness levels that some visitors are accustomed to.

Where to eat: As a rule always eat at those places that have a decent amount of customers. That is a sign of good food and also the place has a high turn-over meaning the ingredients are fresh.

What to avoid: Along the streets of Bangkok you’ll find various fried food. Most of this will be ready cooked and then just quickly fried to warm it up. Avoid those things as there is no way of telling how long its been sitting there.

Food tip: Mondays are officially street cleaning days and in many areas, street food vendors are not allowed to operate during this time. You will see a decrease of street food stalls in Bangkok. However some will still be open.

Basically, it’s important to be prepared because hygiene standards are different over there. Another option is to book a →food tour that takes you to some of the best places and you’ll get to try a variety of dishes.

Dive into a Bangkok culinary experience

Savor Bangkok’s legendary street food during as you wizz your way through the alleys and backstreets on the famous 3 wheeled tuk-tuk. Sample sizzling roadside favorites like charcoal-fried noodles. You also experience attractions like the flower market. →book it here

Also read → The Thai Hot Guys Serving Sizzling Seafood in Bangkok

Where to stay in Bangkok

→ Or skip to best Bangkok street food

Properly choosing a hotel is just as important as deciding when to visit Bangkok. I’ve written a complete article about this subject, but personally I find Silom and Sathorn to be the most convenient, specifically the areas near the Saphan Taksin BTS stop where there is affordable places like Oriental Heritage Residence and the boho furnished SO Zen Hotel. There’s the skytrain that goes to Siam, a river shuttle service to the gorgeous Icon Siam mall, and getting to the temples is easy via the public boats since most temples are on or near the Chao Phraya river bank.

There is no shortage of high end hotels such as riverfront properties Shangri-La Bangkok and the chic Salil Hotel Riverside. And if budget is not an issue, the Mandarin Oriental.

Related – 2 Days in Bangkok Travel Plan

Michelin Street Food in Bangkok

A quick search for the best places to eat in Bangkok will result in finding out there is an unusual amount of Michelin rated and starred restaurants. Some are fancy fine dining restaurants but many are for ordinary street food places.

An example is Jay Fai, a 70 year old lady who sprung to fame after being the first street food vendor to receive a star for her crab stuffed omelette. Another place is Thip Samai for their Pad Thai. At Jay Fai it’s normal to have to wait for hours to get seated. I personally find this absurd and a case of extreme over hype. Whether you go to these places or not is entirely up to you. To be honest, I have never been to Jay Fai or any other place with these long lines. So I cannot say if it would be worth the wait. I love good food in Bangkok but not as much as I value time. The food would need to go way beyond any imaginable expectation for me to conclude it was worth waiting for hours in the scorching heat of Bangkok.

Best Bangkok Street Food

It’s impossible to narrow down the list where is the best street food in Bangkok to a single place. There is just so many places that are exceptionally good.

Despite there being stalls, carts and eateries everywhere in Bangkok, I have made this list that focuses on places that have a high concentration of food options. This way you get to sample various street food dishes in Bangkok in a single place.

1. Chinatown – Yaowarat

You may already know about Chinatown in Bangkok. It’s probably the most famous place in the city to enjoy delicious dishes. From fried noodles to seafood and everything in between. Along with delicious sweet treats like Yaowarat bread spread with custard or chocolate.

The highest concentration of restaurants is along Yaowarat road and the sois (Thai word for alley) branching off it. Be prepared however, some places like Nai Ek Roll Noodles and T&K seafood are famous and often have long lines. But the food in Chinatown isn’t just along Yaowarat road. In fact my favorite places to eat are about 10 minutes walk away. Heng Yod Phak serves wide noodle dishes in gravy sauce and nearby is Jae Eng Pork Satay for tasty chicken sticks. There’s a couple of cool cocktail bars in the same street.

Another place that I really liked is Tia Sua. It’s a traditional ‘fancy” Chinese restaurant 5 minutes walk from Yaowarat. The food is exceptionally good, I tried sea cucumber here which basically is like a tasteless piece of fat.

Where to eat in Chinatown ⤵

Seafood → T&K Seafood

Noodles → Heng Yod Phak

Chicken Satay → Jae Eng Pork Satay

Cocktails? → Wallflowers Cafe

Chinese Restaurant → Tia Sua

You may like → Best day trips from Bangkok

2. Soi Pradit

There’s something about local markets that offers a rather unique experience compared to the usual sit down street food eateries in Bangkok. Soi Pradit is a rather narrow alley in Silom. Vendors on either side tightly pack the street selling many things, but mainly. Mornings are busy with workers rushing along and grabbing something on the go.

There’s is just a couple of stalls that have a place to sit down. Mainly a stall selling stewed pork leg so tender it slips off the bone, and another noodle shop down the road.

Where to eat in Soi Pradit ⤵

Fish and Noodles → Mama Mia

Curry → Jae Som Curry Rice

3. Thanon Banthat Thong

Somewhere between Silom and Siam there is Thanon Banthat Thong. Time Out rated this as the coolest street in Bangkok. I would rate it the foodies street in Bangkok that westerners don’t know about.

There’s Thai, Korean, Japanese, Hot Pots, Dessert Shops, 9 inch fried banana stalls and loads of other oddly interesting restaurants, carts and stalls. It’s a compact area with an absurd amount of stalls and restaurants with crowds of people and long lines at some of the famous places. It’s a weird place because while packed, there was rarely any western face in sight. Come here with friends, get a hot pot, that’s the main street food highlight here. After dinner go to Tuay Tung Ice-cream, they have really good and photogenic desserts (if that is even a thing?)

Where to eat in Thanon Banthat Thong ⤵

Hot Pot → Tang Yuu

Rice → Haikee Kitchen

Thai Food → Jeh O Chula (very famous)

Dessert → Tuay Tung Ice-cream

Also read → Where to go after Bangkok

4. Bangrak

If you go to Bangrak and walk the street near Robinsons mall, you’re bound to end up making a beeline into one of the many places to eat. It’s a relative short road that connects Sathorn to Silom road parallel to the Chao Phraya river.

Jok Prince has been a long time favorite among locals. Their rice porridge with ginger and soft egg draw in hungry customers every morning before work. A short walk up the road there’s Prachak, another local favorite for there delicious duck dishes along with crispy pork. There’s a slew of other places that are often overlooked too like Boi Gia Niaw and their noodles and Heng Bang Rak’s for noodles in smokey flavored gravy.

Where to eat in Bangrak ⤵

Thai noodles and pork → Boi Gia Niaw

Noodles in gravy → Heng Bang Rak

Roast duck → Prachak

Rice porridge congee → Jok Prince

5. Pridi Banomyong 2 Alley – Phra Khanong

In the Phra Khanong area close to the BTS stop, Pridi Banomyong 2 Alley is a short street spiked with tempting Bangkok street food. It’s along the Sukhumvit BTS line but on the edge of the main tourist area so it’s mostly a local neighborhood.

Right at the start of the street you’ll find a small restaurant set up in a narrow alley selling melt in the mouth pork. On the opposite side is a stewed pork shop and drizzles their dishes with one of the tastiest gravies. And a short walk down the road a muslim restaurant serving not commonly found noodles with beef. If you do come here you may also want to look for a lady and her husband that have a small set up next to a 7 Eleven shop and make a really good Pad Thai or fried rice. This place seems to be set up on random days, so take the chance if open.

Another advantage of coming for street food when in Bangkok is W Market, an open air food court with various stalls selling international cuisine including Chinese, Mexican, Indian, burgers and meats.

Where to eat in Phra Khanong ⤵

For anything → W Market

Street food → Pridi Banomyong 2 Alley

Most of the street food along Pridi Banomyong 2 Alley aren’t on google maps. My suggestion is to go there and if it looks good, eat it.

6. Sook Siam – Icon Siam

I mentioned earlier in this Bangkok food article that most tourists will find the local street food shops not so appealing. That’s normal. In fact, this was me when I first visited Bangkok.

In that case I would suggest visiting Sook Siam inside Icon Siam. It’s a beautiful mall, (my favorite in Bangkok for its exceptional views over the Chao Phraya river) and the ground floor is dedicated to food. There’s a set up of various stalls selling delicious food from 77 provinces in Thailand. These include regular and also rotating restaurants, it rarely gets boring there. From boat noodles to crispy pork, fried rice and tom yum and all in a comfortable place with air condition. While the food may be slightly different and adapted more to suit western tastes, it’s a good way to introduce yourself to the local cuisine.

To get there, take the Icon Siam shuttle ferry from the Bangkok Sathorn ferry pier near Saphan Taksin BTS stop.

Location → Ground floor Icon Siam

7. Petchaburi Soi 5 – Phaya Thai

Petchaburi Soi 5 is tucked away in a narrow side street branching off the main Petchaburi road. It’s a rather convenient place to go and try some really good street food in a local neighborhood that is pretty diverse from the nearby Siam and all the luxurious and modern malls.

This narrow street is busy all day long. However, evenings is when most stalls and carts set up. There’s a variety of noodle vendors, lots of fried chicken, grilled fish, salads and fruits. Mostly take away places with no place to sit and serve as a quick way for workers heading home to grab something on the go.

Also hidden away in this street is Pe Aor, a popular Tom Yum shop that is always busy. It goes to show that regardless how hidden away, good food is always going to attract a number of customers.

Where to eat Petchaburi Soi 5 ⤵

Pe Aor Tom Yum Kung Noodle

There’s countless stalls and shops along this street but are not on google maps.

Questions and answers

What are the best dishes to try in Bangkok?

The best dishes to try in Bangkok will depend on your preference. Personally I love any type of pork because they make it so good especially the stewed pork leg with spoon tender meat. Also Pad see ew, it’s a fried noodles similar to pad thai. The best Pad see ew is when its cooked on a wok on extremely high heat. This gives the noodles a smokey flavor.

Where should I eat street food in Bangkok?

There are many places to eat street food in Bangkok. Chinatown is the most famous. Specifically along Yaowarat road there is dozens of shops and stalls selling delicious dishes. A rule of thumb is to avoid any places that don’t have any local customers as it may just be a tourist trap.

Is ice safe in Thailand?

Yes ice is generally safe in Thailand to consume. The ice in Thailand is made with filtered water.

The bottom line

Bangkok is one of the most oversaturated places when it comes to food. You’ll find street food vendors on the side of the road, near train stations, bus stations, pretty much anywhere with high traffic is going to be a hotspot. Some places have so many options that it can be hard to decide where to eat. In that case just go where the locals are, that’s usually a sign of good food. If you have any questions leave a comment below. This article is constantly being updated as I mostly live in Bangkok since the end of 2023.

You may also like ⤵

How to get around Bangkok | BTS – MRT

What is the best time to visit Bangkok

Where should you go after Bangkok