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

Last Updated on April 3, 2024 by Leslie Stroud

Oh man, food in Bangkok!  I could happily eat in Bangkok for the rest of my life.  You can find anything you want and it’s all so affordable.  After five weeks in Bangkok, we got some great exposure. Some of the best food in Bangkok:

• 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!

• 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!

• Tip: Most smoothies are sweetened with coconut water, which I loved.  If you don’t love coconut, like one of our sons, you may not consider this one of the best foods in Bangkok.

• 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.

• The Canton House in Chinatown has some amazing Dim Sum, and it’s very affordable.

• Food Republic is one of our favorite food courts and we’ve seen it around Asia.  In Bangkok, you get credits on a card and use that around the food court.  You don’t exchange money directly with the food vendors.  This was true at all food courts.

• Food courts in general are delicious and super affordable.  Just head to a mall for dinner!  You’ll find all the local favorites at incredibly low prices.

• 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!

• 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.

• 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. 

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