10 Best Bangkok Street Food Restaurants You Must Try, Real Local Eats!

So you’ve been to a Western Thai restaurant and have taken a liking to Pad Thai or Green Curry and now you’ve booked a trip to Thailand eager to sample some of the greatest Bangkok Street Food. I get it Thai food is delicious and Bangkok is a heaven for foodies from all over the world.

Don’t worry if you are lost for lunch, Bangkok is full of Michelin starred restaurants and world famous eateries, so to make things easier for you, I’ve compiled some of the most legendary local street food restaurant in Bangkok that I personally recommend that you must try.

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Real Local Bangkok Street Food

bangkok street food stall — *Street food is a part of everyday life here in Thailand*

Alright before we get started, I want to pre-face by saying that I try to pick out non-touristy restaurants, there are some in there but some are also restaurants that REAL Thai locals (including myself) go to. And you know what they say, if a place has a lot of locals then it must be real good.

If you want an easy way to explore all of the delicious street food Bangkok has to offer, then tours like the Bangkok Midnight Food Tuk Tuk Tour is a great way to try much of Bangkok’s classic beloved street food offerings.

Also to note, these are my own personal recommendations that I share with a lot of my foreign friends who are visiting Thailand.

10. Nhong Rim Klong

First up, if you love seafood, more specifically crab, then you’ll LOVE Nhong Rim Klong. This local favorite Bangkok street food restaurant started off as a claustrophobic street food stall in a small alley in Ekkamai road. Nowadays Nhong Rim Klong has expanded into a full size restaurant.

You’ll need a big stomach because the portions here are huge and the price, while expensive compared to your regular one-plate Thai dish, is worth it for the amount of seafood you are getting.

My girlfriend and I are big eaters and even we struggle to finish all the food here. Some dishes I recommend are:

Soft Cooked Crab in Omelette
Crab Fried Rice
Drunken Stir Fry with Crab
Fried Mantis Shrimp with Garlic
Stir Fried Shrimp with Yellow Curry (my personal favorite)

When you come here, you better bring a second stomach.

Nhong Rim Klong Details

Location: 51 Ekkamai 23 Alley, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110

Phone: +66 86 044 9478

Opening Hours: 8:30AM - 3:30PM | Mon - Sat

Pricing: 300 THB | $$$

9. Thipsamai Pad Thai

Thipsamai is the absolute most famous Pad Thai restaurant in Thailand. Thipsamai started off as a humble street food stall that eventually grew up to become the most recognized restaurant in the country.

While I personally don’t like Pad Thai, I did enjoy Thipsamai’s Pad Thai, which is saying something. What makes them special is that they use shrimp head oils (known as tomalley) in their Pad Thai adding an extra rich, and shrimpy flavor. Another thing that I love is their hospitality, it’s superb, in fact they even won some awards for their impeccably friendly service.

You can read my Review of Thipsamai Pad Thai if you would like a more in-depth review.

If you like Pad Thai, I highly recommend you checkout Thipsamai, not to mention it is also right next to a world famous Bangkok street food restaurant that I will talk more about later ;)

Thipsamai Pad Thai Details

Location: 313 315 Maha Chai Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200

Phone: +66 2 226 6666

Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 12:00AM | Mon - Sun (Closed Tuesdays)

Pricing: 150 THB | $$

8. Wattana Panich

Now what if I told you that the beef and goat soup broth you see above has been stewing for over 50 years? Hold on, it’s not as gross or unhygienic as you think, because at the end of the day, Wattana Panich cleans the pot and stores a portion of the soup to be used as a base for tomorrow’s stew.

This “perpetually stewed” soup thus develops a deeply rich beefy aroma and flavor. The soup is then used for various noodle soup dishes and the meat is so tender you don’t even need teeth to chew.

Is Wattana Panich the best beef noodle soup in Bangkok? possibly, but what is certain is that Wattana Panich has a lot of history, the current owners are the 3rd generation of the family and the legendary restaurant is loved by the locals, some even come here every single day to enjoy the rich beefy noodle soup.

The best Bangkok street food is often found in humble family owned restaurants like Wattana Panich.

Wattana Panich Details

Location: 336 338 Ekkamai Rd, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110

Phone: +66 2 391 7264

Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 7:30PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 70 THB | $

7. Bamee Kon Sae Lee

Bamee Kon Sae Lee is very special to me, I’ve been to this egg noodle stall since I was in High School and even back then this place was very, very popular. So popular in fact that a lot of the time I almost didn’t make it back in time for class because the queue was too long.

Bamee Kon Sae Lee is known to have some of Bangkok’s best Crispy Pork Belly (Moo Krob). And while I would say that the price is a bit expensive for what it is, it’s still very delicious.

From Wonton soups, to fried rice, and of course egg noodles, this stall is not just my favorite, but a local favorite for quick and easy Thai-Chinese food.

Although, Bamee Kon Sae Lee is famous for their egg noodles, my favorite dish is their Roast Pork and Chinese Sausage Fried Rice. Nevertheless, when you go to Bamee Kon Sae Lee, be sure to order an extra plate of crispy pork belly, trust me, you’ll want it.

Bamee Kon Sae Lee Details

Location: 1081 Sukhumvit Rd, แขวง วัฒนา Watthana, Bangkok 10110

Phone: +66 65 456 3625

Opening Hours: 6:00AM - 11:00PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 100 THB | $

6. Khao Gaeng Jek Pui

Khao Gaeng is a staple of everyday Thai food, fresh jasmine rice paired with your choice of curries, stir fries, and a fried egg to top it off. Khao Gaeng is known as the “Office Worker’s Lunch” because it’s quick, easy, and delicious.

The most famous Khao Gaeng stall in Bangkok has to be Khao Gaeng Jek Pui located in the Bangkok street food epicenter that is Yaowarat Chinatown.

Affectionately referred to by the locals as the Musical Chairs of Khao Gaeng due to the stall’s lack of tables, people usually come here to buy food to-go. Nevertheless, there is ALWAYS a huge line of people waiting for food.

It’s a humble stall with cheap price as the customers are locals who frequent Jek Pui every day. If you want a taste of a real everyday local Thai lunch, Khao Gaeng Jek Pui should be on your list.

Khao Gaeng Jek Pui Details

Location: 25 Mangkon Rd, Pom Prap, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100, Thailand

Phone: +66 2 222 5229

Opening Hours: 3:00PM - 7:00PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 80 THB | $

Discover Bangkok’s Best Foods and More!

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5. Thong Smith Boat Noodles

Ok ok, I know we’re trying to stick to real local Bangkok street food restaurants, but it’s impossible to talk about Thai food without talking about boat noodles, and the most famous boat noodles in all of Thailand is at Thong Smith.

Thong Smith is a restaurant with many chains across Thailand, serving up an upscale version and THE most expensive (but still affordable) bowl of boat noodles, full of tender Australian beef, Wagyu beef, braised ox tongue, and a rich soup broth combined with the chili paste and fried garlic will punch your taste buds full of flavor.

I know it’s not a mom and pop street food stall, but it’s honestly very delicious, the locals love it, the tourists love it, my dad REALLY loves it, everyone loves Thong Smith. And evidently so as there is always a long line of people waiting for a seat.

Portions might be a bit small but you won’t be disappointed. Order the ox tongue, simply divine.

Thong Smith Boat Noodles Details

Location: 999/9 Rama 1 Road, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330

Phone: +66 2 068 6588

Opening Hours: 10:00AM - 10:00PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 200 THB | $$$

4. Jeh O Chula

Jeh O Chula is famous for their giant Instagram-able bowl of Tom Yum instant noodles topped with crab, shrimp, meatballs, crispy pork, and a few raw egg yolks.

It’s an incredibly popular street food restaurant in Bangkok, mainly because it is located near Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University which in itself is located right in Bangkok’s Siam shopping district. Therefore you’ll mostly find this restaurant packed full of people.

While Jeh O Chula serves other dishes, people come here for the Tom Yum instant noodles, which started off as a simple humble dish served to the university students in the area, over time the dish became so popular that Jeh O Chula has become a legendary icon in the Bangkok street food scene.

It’s very delicious, the Tom Yum broth is the creamy variant and it pairs so well with the instant noodles, the egg yolks just makes the broth even more rich and creamy. The toppings are what makes it for me, also crispy pork is very good here.

You’ll want to come here really early to wait in line, the restaurant is always full of people and the wait times is incredibly long.

Jeh O Chula Details

Location: 113 ซอย จรัสเมือง Rong Muang, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330

Phone: +66 64 118 5888

Opening Hours: 4:30PM - 12:00AM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 150 THB | $$

3. Maan Muang Lanna Cuisine

Now this Bangkok street food restaurant is a bit different, instead of central Thai cuisine Maan Muang is a Michelin Guide restaurant serving up delicious northern Thai Lanna Cuisine (my favorite cuisine in Thailand) the type you’ll find in Chiang Mai.

If you don’t know Lanna cuisine, it’s packed full of intense pungent flavors and mainly focuses on grilling. The portions at Maan Muang is small but that’s alright because you are meant to order a lot of different dishes to eat with sticky rice. Though the price is a little bit expensive.

It’s surprisingly difficult to find any restaurant in Bangkok serving Lanna Cuisine, but Maan Muang does it incredibly well. I don’t see many tourists here, it’s more like a hidden gem. Nevertheless if you want to try something different to your usual order of Pad Thai, Maan Muang is something to look forward to. If you’d like to know more, I have a Review for Maan Muang you can check out.

Maan Muang Details

Location: 165/7 ถนน รามคำแหง Saphan Sung, Bangkok 10240

Phone: +66 86 007 5020

Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 9:00PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 100 THB | $$

2. Daeng Racha Hoi Tod

Hoi Tod is a Thai adaptation of a centuries old Chinese dish making use of eggs and fresh oysters. You’ll find many a Hoi Tod vendors in Thailand but Daeng Racha Hoi Tod is considered the best amongst many locals.

Daeng Racha Hoi Tod has had a long history, it’s a family run business that has been serving customers for over 100 years! could you believe that?

Your plate of Hoi Tod will come with a crispy egg and rice flour pancake topped with a generous helping of fresh oysters fried in a smooth and creamy egg batter.

This is as local and classic as it gets, Hoi Tod is like a comfort food for many here in Thailand and you’ll be missing out if you didn’t get a chance to sample it here.

Daeng Racha Hoi Tod Details

Location: 342 Sukon 1 Alley, Talat Noi, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100

Phone: +66 81 345 2466

Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 2:00PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 100 THB | $

1. Kuay Jub Mr. Joe

Ask any local and they’ll likely say that Kuay Jub Mr. Joe has the best Crispy Pork Belly in the Bangkok (but I still think Bamee Kon Sae Lee is better).

Kuay Jub is a rolled noodle soup dish topped with various porky toppings like the previously mentioned crispy pork belly, organ meat, pork balls, and much more.

It’s a classic breakfast/lunch dish in Bangkok enjoyed by many, I love the Kuay Jub noodles, their rolled nature makes the texture more chewy and the dish feels more filling.

The soup broth is also very comforting and soothing to the soul. Kuay Jub Mr. Joe, a great way to start your sweltering hot day in Bangkok.

Kuay Jub Mr. Joe Details

Location: 313/7 Chan Rd, Wat Phraya Krai, Bang Kho Laem, Bangkok 10120

Phone: +66 2 213 3007

Opening Hours: 7:30AM - 4:30PM | Mon - Sun

Pricing: 80 THB | $

Bonus: One Michelin Star Raan Jay Fai

Of course, I can’t talk about Bangkok street food without talking about the most legendary street food stall in the entire world, the one Michelin Star Raan Jay Fai.

Now as legendary as Raan Jay Fai is, I cannot, in good conscious, recommend you go to Jay Fai’s. I have a pretty negative view of Raan Jay Fai, I respect her hustle but I cannot comprehend the extreme price gouging for her food. I mean 1,500 THB for a simple crab omelette??? Insane.

Raan Jay Fai is overrated and extremely overpriced, likely due to her status of having a Michelin Star.

As much as I dislike Jay Fai’s, I know that she is probably the most famous chef in Thailand and so having the chance to visit her street food stall is like a tourist attraction in of itself. Plus her restaurant is located literally right next to the previously mentioned Thipsamai Pad Thai.

Raan Jay Fai Details

Location: 327 Maha Chai Rd, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200

Phone: +66 2 223 9384

Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 7:30PM | Wed - Sat

Pricing: 2000 THB | $$$$$

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