Thailand is the ultimate food destination in the world. The capital city, Bangkok, the travel hotspot of Southeast Asia is very popular for its exotic cuisines and delicious tasting food. You can satisfy your appetite and enjoy the aroma of Thai food. You’ll definitely fall in love with the cuisine that focuses on texture, color, taste, and they also have health benefits. Bangkok is famous for its cheap mouth-watering street food. The authenticity of flavors makes it more popular among travelers. You can get street food all around Thailand from Khaosan Road, Bangkok to other corners of the kingdom.
Wander on the streets of Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, and Krabi. Identify the streets where you’ll get the best food and make your dream come true. You can satisfy all your cravings in Thailand.
Thailand is a country with a well-established culinary reputation for its subtle flavors and traditional dishes that attract people from all over the world. You can find the street food as well as royal cuisine with an exceptional palette of flavors. Known as the Food Paradise of Southeast Asia, the country serves the most delightful food. The aromatic food like soups, seafood, vegetables, meat dishes with ingredients like lemongrass, basil, coriander, coconut milk, etc. give a gluten-free diet. You can also find tofu that gives an alternative to meat in this land of Buddhist culture.
Are you curious to discover the best street food in this land of a smile? Let’s start the gastronomical journey of street food.
Most Iconic Dishes in Thailand and where to find them?
Bangkok is the food heaven for urbanities. The city offers legendary street foods with over 4 lakh street food stalls and excellent restaurants. It offers food with both traditional and modern touch that fuels both the old and the new generation.
1. Pad Thai: Street Fried Noodles
Pad Thai is a colorful dish that is served with cilantro leaves, yellow limes, shrimps and noodles. It is known as Thailand’s national dish. It is one of the comfort food in Thailand that you get in every part of the country. It is sour, sweet, salty, spicy, and has a very delicious taste.
Best place to have Thai Pad in Bangkok:
Thip Simai, 313 Mahachai Road
Ban Pad Thai, 21-23, Charoen Krung Soi 44
Pad Thai Ekamai, Sukhumvit 63, Soi 19
Pad Thai Mae Am, 2227 Rama IV Road, Khwaeng Khlong Toei
Rosabieng Restaurant, 102/5, Thanon Kamphaeng Phet 5, Khwaeng Samsen Nai
Wann Pad Thai, Phetkasem Frontage Rd, Khwaeng Wat Tha Phra
Nara, Erawan Bangkok lower Ground Floor
2. Som Tam: Papaya Salad
Som Tam is one of the popular dishes in Thailand that you’ll find at almost every street food cart in Thailand. The perfect balance of sweet, sour, and spicy, makes this food more popular among the tourists.
The dish looks green and shredded and is tossed with lime juice, chili, sugar, shrimps, tomatoes, green beans, etc. This gives you a tongue-tingling sensation. This is truly a worthy food in Thailand to have.
Best places to have Som Tam:
Soi 19, Udomsuk Road, Bangkok,
Somtum Der, Silom Road, Bangkok
Cherng Doi in Chiang Mai
3. Khao Pad: Thai Style Fried Rice
“Khao” means rice and “phat” means fried. Khao Pad is also known as Thai fried rice. Fried rice is a common dish for all Indians, But the Thai version is quite different. The jasmine rice along with the vegetables gives such a nice aroma when the Thai chefs prepare it. The proportions of all ingredients like salt, sugar, fish, sauces with cooked rice and vegetables gives a wonderful flavor.
You’ll get the non-veg fried rice by adding shrimp, egg, and fishes to it. You can find fried rice made by street vendors and fine restaurants alike. In Thailand, most of the restaurants and street stalls serve fried rice with basil chicken.
You can prepare Thai fried rice on your own. But the authenticity of Thai fried rice has a few distinct variations that you can ultimately feel while having it in Thailand. Just try it once and see for yourselves!
Bangkok street food tour is incomplete if you don’t have Khao pad on your list. This typical Thailand street food is a must-taste food for all travelers.
Best places to have Khao Pad:
Any stall in Petchaburi Soi 5, Bangkok
Food stalls along Ari Soi, Bangkok
4. Khao Mun Gai: Steamed Chicken on Rice
Khao Mun Gai is a simple and distinct dish packed with Thai flavor that gives comfort to every non-vegetarian. The chicken is poached with sugar and spice and is infused into tender meat and served with steamed rice, chili sauce, and broccoli. You can also try Khao Kha Moo which is known as steamed pork with rice. It’s really delicious.
Best places to have Khao Mun Gai:
Ko-Ang Khao Man Gai, Phetburi Soi 30
Tang Meng Noodle, Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok
5. Gaeng Kiew Wan Gai: Thai Green Curry
Thai Green Curry is popular globally. However, the mixture is too spicy when you try at any of the food stalls in Thailand. There are two types of dishes available in food stalls which include a Yellow Curry and a Red Curry. Yellow curry has yellow chilies and turmeric, whereas the red curry is entirely made of red chilies. You just need to choose your spices according to your spice-threshold.
A coconut milk-based curry, this item gets its vibrant hue from a bunch of green chilies, green peppers, coriander, kaffir lime leaves, and basil. The result is a smashing delicacy usually served on a bed of rice.
Best place to have Gaeng Kiew Wan Gai:
Any stall on Soi Petchaburi 5 and Khao Gaeng Ruttana, Nang Loeng, Bangkok.
6. Khao Niew Ma Muang: Mango Sticky Rice:
Khao Niew Ma Muang is Thailand’s most popular dessert item. It is a street food highlight in Thailand. The sweetened sticky rice is served with sweet mango, drizzled with coconut cream and sesame seeds. You can try various types of fruits with sticky rice. Each fruit will give you a different taste to the dish. It is a good option for dessert that gives you heavenly taste.
Best place to have Khao Niew Muang:
Boonsap Thai Desserts, Kor Panich, San Chao Pho Sua
Bua Loy Nam King, Chinatown
Most places in Bangkok
Best place in Bangkok to have Street Food:
Chinatown, the premier street for foodies in Bangkok is the best place for street food. The popular food in Chinatown is Barbequed Seafood.
Lek & Rut and T & K restaurants are the two famous places in Chinatown and it will be crowded all the time. Some of the popular dishes include oyster omelets, flat noodles in pepper broth, roasted chestnuts, ice cream, fruits, and various Thai-Chinese desserts.
Bangkok Old Town is a legendary destination where you will get famous street food in Thailand. The food is pretty much the best in the world. Come and have a genuine slice of Bangkok street food that is popular among the locals and the tourists.
Things to keep in mind while having food from street vendors:
- Most street vendors in the major places in Thailand speak and understand English. You have to specify which type of meat you want in your food. Always be careful while having non-vegetarian dishes.
- Every part of Thailand has different and unique tastes. Have your food from popular stalls for healthy and hygienic purposes.
- Consume only fresh food that is prepared in front of you.
- If you can’t have spicy food, ask for a milder version of chilies in your food.
- Drink only mineral water.
- Have the street food in less quantities as it is not healthy.
Final Thoughts:
Street food is an essential part of Thailand that you need to experience atleast once during your trip. While visiting the country, you’ll find plenty of food stalls on the busy streets of Thailand. You can also find different choices of meals that are open around the clock in certain areas of the country. The scrumptious street food in Thailand is a mixture of many ingredients that give a magical flavor. You can get the most out of it during your trip to Thailand. Unravel your foodie senses in Thailand. You’ll surely enjoy the food. It’s definitely worth trying. Bon Appetite!