Thailand Food

The Best Food in Bangkok: Street Food, Restaurants, and More!

Best Food in Bangkok: Street Food, Markets and Family Favorites

After five weeks in Bangkok, we had plenty of food memories to share: Chinatown seafood, fruit drinks, Thai classics, food courts and sweet treats. Our companion film looks more broadly at favorites from seven months in Asia.

Our favorite foods from seven months in Asia · Full film (13 min 43 sec)

▶Watch full film 13 min 43 sec

This is a regional Asian-food film, not a Bangkok-only restaurant tour. The article’s Bangkok notes describe our own five-week stay, and film scenes may come from other stops. Prices, menus, opening times and payment systems can change.

Oh man, food in Bangkok!  I could happily eat in Bangkok for the rest of my life.  During our visit, we found a wide range of food and many options that felt affordable to our family.  After five weeks in Bangkok, we got some great exposure. Some of the best food in Bangkok:

This list comes from our five weeks in Bangkok. Our broader Asian-food film reflects a separate seven-month period in Asia and discusses favorites across several places, so use the notes below for the Bangkok-specific memories and the video for wider regional context.

Bangkok Street Food and Markets

• Chinatown has SO much delicious food.  Be sure to get here at least once.  Have some satay, a fresh fruit smoothie and some incredible seafood.  Mango sticky rice is plentiful, many Asian favorites such as fish balls and curry are everywhere.  We had a fresh squid, grilled over hot coals and drizzled with a sour, lemony, spicy, salty sauce.  Delish!

Fruit, Drinks and Thai Classics

• Fresh fruit carts are all over.  Grab some mango, pineapple, guava, rose apples (a new favorite of ours) and more.  It is super fresh and yummy.  It doesn’t last long in the intense heat, so eat up!  You might see a little pink spice packet with your mango.  This is like a chili spice and adds a nice kick.

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• Must have Thai classics: Pad Thai, Mango and Sticky Rice and Fresh Fruit Smoothies. We learned to make two of those in our cooking class!

Mango and Sticky Rice

Mango and sticky rice was one of the first favorites we brought up when we sat down to talk about food from our time in Asia. In this excerpt, our conversation moves into a food-court scene. It pairs with our Bangkok memory of seeking out Thai classics, without making every stop in the wider film a Bangkok location.

Mango and Sticky Rice in Our Food Film · Scene from our film (25 sec)

▶Watch scene from our film 25 sec

Watch our original related video on YouTube

• We enjoyed smoothies made with coconut water, but one of our sons was not a coconut fan. Ingredients and sweeteners vary by stall, so ask what is going into your drink rather than assume it will match one we had.

Fruit Shakes and Smoothies

We also talk in the film about how often we enjoyed fruit smoothies, especially in Thailand. The scene moves from our conversation to a stall blending a pink fruit drink, with cut fruit and serving shells on the counter. My own Bangkok favorite was a watermelon smoothie served in the watermelon.

Fresh Fruit Smoothies From Our Travels · Scene from our film (20 sec)

▶Watch scene from our film 20 sec

• Fresh fruit smoothie in the fruit itself!  A watermelon smoothie in a watermelon was my favorite.  You can also find this with ice cream. We had coconut ice cream in the coconut.  The meat of the coconut is broken up and mixed with the ice cream for a wonderful treat.

Food Courts and Restaurant Memories

• The Canton House in Chinatown had some amazing Dim Sum during our visit, and the prices felt affordable to us then.

• Food Republic was one of our favorite food courts, and we saw the name in other parts of Asia too. At the Bangkok food courts we visited, we loaded credit onto a food-court card and used that with the vendors rather than paying each one directly. Check the payment arrangement at the food court you visit.

• Food courts in general are delicious and super affordable.  Just head to a mall for dinner!  During our visit, the food courts we tried offered local favorites at prices that worked for our family.

• Hot Pot wasn’t as common, but still a great option

• You’ll find plenty of adventurous options.  We saw insects and scorpions as well as crocodiles! Check out the night markets to see some of this for yourself!

Thai Dishes and Sweet Favorites

• Papaya Salad is super common.  It’s my new favorite salad and by far some of the best food in Bangkok.  It is green papaya, and carrot smashed with sauces and other ingredients to be a fresh, delicious, cool, and (usually) spicy option.

• Fried chicken is popular here also!

• Roti.  Chris’ new favorite dessert!  It is like a crepe crisped up with tons of butter and mixed with many sweet or savory options.  He loved banana Nutella.

Chris’s Banana-and-Nutella Favorite

Roti made our film’s list too. Chris talks about choosing Nutella and banana, and the excerpt moves from that conversation to footage of him eating at a stall. That is the sweet combination he loved during this chapter of our travels.

Remembering Chris’s Favorite Roti · Scene from our film (25 sec)

▶Watch scene from our film 25 sec

• Noodles with BBQ pork is everywhere and a wonderful, quick option.

• If it’s your thing, you can find endless hot dogs and sausages.  They are all over 7-Eleven, foot carts, grocery stores and more.  Hot dog with fried rice is common.

• Fried pork (ground pork)and basil are super popular, and we loved them.  It can pack some serious spice with the chilies in it.

Overall, I’d say protein was very available in Bangkok, unlike some other Asian cities.  They eat plenty of meat.  Vegetables are a little more difficult to find when eating as a “tourist”.  Most of the local curries are going to have lots of fish and vegetables.  Many smoothies can have added milk, so be aware if you have an allergy. 

Getting Between Bangkok Food Stops

We also filmed a separate Bangkok tuk-tuk ride. It is transport context rather than a food review, and its fare and safety comments reflect that earlier trip. Check current local rules, fares and transport options before choosing your ride. Watch our separate Bangkok tuk-tuk film.

Enjoy the food on your visit to Bangkok and plan to pack away a few pounds as a souvenir- haha! And after your visit, let me know what you think is the best food in Bangkok!

All the best,

Leslie

Additional Reading

Bangkok with Kids: Top 13 Things to Do

Bangkok Travel Guide: 11 Tips, Tricks and Takeaways

Bali: Tips, Tricks and Take-Aways