Being totally Foodies (but also working professionally as a Chef de Cuisine and Waitress) one of our strongest reasons to travel is to explore new food cultures. In this guide, you'll find some of the best food spots we discovered in Bangkok to eat Streetfood but also a quick stop in Buriram for Song Kran festive foods and some Resort food on the islands.
If you love the genuine and traditional food you can find in Streetfood throughout the world we hope you find this small guide from Sticks & Spoons helpful when traveling for food in Thailand.
Guest Blogger: Fredrik Goldhahn, Sticks & Spoons Food Travel
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Streetfood Hub near Nana Plaza and Siam Square
We traveled to Thailand in April (which is summertime in Thailand so it was pretty hot all the time) for a three-week-long vacation. We were jumping between the big city of Bangkok to Sticks small hometown Buriram in the North East part of Thailand, then to two of Thailand's Paradise Islands; Koh Chang and Koh Mak but to finish our Thailand trip once again back in Bangkok. So this Streetfood Guide will be covering some of the highlights of our journey.
We love eating; no doubt about that. It's pretty much the only thing we plan thoroughly back home before making a trip. And we use several ways to plan where to eat next. One of them is reading Food Blogs from equally devoted Foodtravellers like us and we also read a lot of Travel Guides and Magazines online. So; prepare for a food coma - let's eat!
#1 Exploring the Streetfood scene in Bangkok
Nana Plaza and Siam Square are great foodie spots to start at while exploring the vibrant Streetfood scene around Planchit Road and the City Centre! Here you'll find fresh fruit stands, food carts serving grilled skewers, and small open street-side restaurants cooking fresh fish, octopus, and shellfish over open fire coal grills with just some plastic chairs and tables directly on the street basically. We also had the luck to find a kind of Foodcourt (or Streetfood Hub) where a lot of locals eat their lunch and that's always a promising sign!
Fruit Vendor in Nana
Grilled fish and shellfish street food, Nana Bangkok
Really good ingredients for being Streetfood ones!
Chicken Stand
Delicious Quail Eggs on the Chatuchak Weekend Market
#2 Chatuchak Weekend Market
At Chatuchak Weekend Market you can buy almost anything at low prices making this market one of the most popular for shopping in Bangkok and a "must-visit" for tourists! You can go there by Skytrain. It's also famous for being quite a good food market. We actually didn't buy much more than food and some of the street food dishes were super! We had some really delicious quail eggs freshly fried with just salad and spices - so good! Another dish we enjoyed at the market (and several times on our Thailand journey) was Meang Kam!
Those small and spicy green packages are a favorite snack while strolling around Chatuchak Market. Don't miss the Nr 1 Duck Noodle Stand of Chatuchak or all dessert stands with traditional Thai sweets. Grab some lime ice tea (cha manau) and enjoy the crowdy and busy market!
Fish Quenelles on Chatachak Market
Succulent Duck from No 1 Duck Stand
Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand
#3 Chinatown
Chinatown in Bangkok is one of the oldest and biggest Chinatowns in the World. It was founded back in 1782 and is often just called or referred to as "Yaowarat" after the main road going through the entire area; Yaowarat Road. This place is truly a Streetfood Paradise! The amount of Streetfood stands is massive and you find everything within just minutes of walking on Yaowarat Road and the adjacent roads and alleys.
When going here we suggest you come hungry. Very hungry! The best and busiest time for street food is usually from five in the afternoon until late. Of course, you can go much earlier and avoid the most hectic times but then you also miss out on some of the fun with street food!
Narrow alleys with hidden gems
In Chinatown, most of the Streetfood is of a really good quality. You can find any kind of food here and you might need a second visit to be able to explore everything (at some time you get stuffed as well!). You should take some detours and go through crowded alleys (or even dark dens) to find gems. Some paths ain't pretty but can be worth daring walking!
Dried Squids in Chinatown, Bangkok
Streetfood Prawns on Yaowarat Road, Chinatown in Bangkok
Taking a longer walkabout from Chinatown we stumbled on a charming couple making super tasty squids and octopus. And having the coolest outfit!
#4 Buriram Song Kran Festival Streetfood
We went to Sticks hometown Buriram in the North East of Thailand for a family reunion! We had such a great time with her family and friends! And of course, that includes a lot of food! A lot. So much that even Spoons (who live and breathe food 24/7) went into a shock! The Buriram Food Eating Traditions are hard to beat! Read about that and eat the infamous Ant Salad here!
There are two big markets in Buriram; the Morning Market (starting as early as four!) and the Night Market (open late obviously). We went to both of course. Sticks made some "power shopping" on the Morning Market and for the Night Market, we were quite stuffed, to say the least, but had one of the better Streetfood dishes so far! A simple omelet with mussels and oysters became a food memory for life!
One amazing tasting omelet at the Nightmarket in Buriram, Thailand
A bowl of pure deliciousness
While celebrating the crazy fun Song Kran Festival(which should definitely also be experienced the traditional way) around the areas of the Thunder Castle Stadium, Chang International Circuit, and Buriram Castle we also visited the Festive Food Market. A huge area with people gathering and enjoying food. That seems like a good Festival, doesn't it?
An Umami Punch in the Taste Buds anyone?
We had an exceptional grilled Enoki Mushroom wrapped in bacon flavored with a traditional fish sauce and that dish needed two servings due to its deliciousness. We also had some crispy chicken, salads, and snacks with Sticks family at the Streetfood Market.
The Buriram Food Scene isn't as versatile as in Bangkok for obvious reasons but we had great traditional Isan food and good times with Sticks family so kind of sad as we went for the next food destination.
#5 Koh Mak "Streetfood"
We had to have this entry in our Streetfood Guide! Going to Koh Chang and then Koh Mak was more about chilling on the beach, diving, sunbathing, and exploring the islands but especially at Seavana Beach Resort we had great food! The food was like a refined version of traditional Thai kitchens but also with a Streetfood feeling on some dishes.
The restaurant at the hotel and resort is brilliant and we managed to eat our way through the menu in just two days!
One instant food favorite was the Meang Kam (once again) and the spicy prawns. We made a short stop again on Koh Chang after Koh Mak enjoying Island Life before going back to Bangkok and a real Streetfood Gem!
Spicy Prawn Soup
#6 The Queen of Streetfood in Bangkok - Raan Jay Fai
We had read so much about Jay Fai online, heard stories, seen video clips, and were more than psyched to visit her side-street restaurant and experience her street food. Known as the most expensive Streetfood at the time we didn't get discouraged more than our own expectations of her might be too high. We couldn't be more wrong! This 71 year young Lady (she's 72 now) has been cooking at the same spot for over 60 years - her Mom owned the Restaurant at first and Jay Fai was only 11 years old when she started to cook! And the last 30 years every day in her now iconic outfit with ski googles and knitted cap she has made this restaurant legendary! We ordered the infamous Crab Omelette and the Drunken Noodles from the menu and sure it was expensive but then, of course, the show is included!
While Spoons were mesmerized and in awe over Jay Fai's respect for the ingredients and perfect timing (with just two woks!) Sticks were amused hearing her gabble and nag in Thai on her team while cooking! And the food...we were blown off the chair! It was truly something we hadn't experienced on a Streetfood level before and we were just overwhelmed by the taste, texture, THE SIZE of those dishes, and the love put into them. For us as professionals in the restaurant business LOVE is the "6th Ground Taste"! We know; it's not even a "taste" yet it's crucial to make an ordinary dinner extraordinary and almost as hard as Umami to put a finger on. We have thought about it as a "Ground Taste" for a long time. There's magic happening when a chef love to cook; with the balance that unfolds in the depths of tastes, within the perfectly shaped ingredients and perfectly timed textures that pervasive the actual presentations. That's the closest description we've come up with yet on what we think is one of the most elemental of Ground Tastes. We came up with it while eating at another lovely establishment; Paste in Bangkok but Jay Fai put this Ground Taste to new and higher levels. So for us, it wasn't strange at all when Jay Fai was awarded one Michelin Star 2018! So. Whatever you do when in Bangkok; be sure to take that extra cash from your travel budget and put it on some heavenly executed and utterly delicious Michelin Starred Street food at Raan Jay Fai! It's totally worth it!
A Crab Omelette out of this World!
Worth every one of the 800 baht (might be more now) that it costs!
Excellent Drunken Noodles with Prawns the size of thumbs!
Another forever food memory was that we had a long chat with Madame Jay Fai afterward dinner! She had gone for some own food after service but Spoons insisted that Sticks had to tell her in Thai what a "halleluja moment" we have had eating her food.
Even though she rudely was interrupted by us during her meal she instantly laid the bowl aside and took us to the kitchen, explained how she thought about food, showed how her kitchen was equipped, and just talked about things that made her happy; good health, family, wonderful guests, the small things in life that gave her energy to continue and other trivial things.
This Lady! From Chef to Chef you are a true inspiration and we are your biggest fans!
After dinner, we went back to the hotel in silence with goosebumps. Our respect and admiration for Jay Fai had even deepened and we hope that she has many, many years of great cooking to come, blessing her guests with deliciousness!
Our dinner at Raan Jay Fai is one of the better food memories yet and we hope we can go back soon again! RELATED POST: Jay Fai - The Queen of Bangkok Streetfood
Funny to find that Streetfood Enthusiast and Super YouTuber Mark Wiens (2,1 million subscribers!) went to Jay Fai and eat the same dishes we did! It's worth watching for sure and he describes the dishes brilliantly as always!
Sticks & Spoons Best Streetfood Explorer Tips!
Keep an eye on where the locals eat if you want to experience genuine, traditional Thai Cuisine! Some streetcorners with food stands are empty of locals while others are packed and people stand in lines - there's a reason for that! Don't know what to eat if there are several selections? Ask anyone in the queue or even the chef for their own favorite to eat or cook! That usually pays out. While asking; ask also if they can give you any tips on other great Streetfood Spots! Be Bold and Adventurous! You can always eat "anything" at least once! Use common sense and don't eat where it's obvious that hygiene isn't the vendors' first priority or where food seems to have been ready for hours on the side of the heat. Otherwise - go for it if it looks tasty! If cooked at the order it's probably as good as eating in a restaurant - if not even better!
Join a Streetfood Tour! Even if it's exciting to discover Streetfood on your own - joining a Local Guide can be a great move. And enjoying food with Foodies like yourself can bring memories and new friends for life. Don't judge the Book by its Cover! Some places may look a little sketchy or even shabby. We have seen our fair share of those places. But they can also be a hidden gem in their roughness so be open-minded and you'll often get rewarded! Hope you enjoyed our Streetfood Guide to some of our Gems in Bangkok, Buriram, and Koh Mak!
Jane and Fredrik Goldhahn are Food Travel Writers blogging on Sticks & Spoons Food Travel; two devoted Foodies and a Travel Couple from Sweden, travel for food. Recently joined by their daughter in their mission to Travel to every new Destination to Explore Food. Visit Sticks & Spoons Food Travel and follow them on Instagram!
Streetfood Guide Thailand
Capitol of Streetfood; Bangkok in Thailand, together with Streetfood Foodie Spots in Buriram and Koh Mak Island in Thailand, is covered in this Streetfood Guide. Find Streetfood in Bangkok and Thailand here.
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