Are you wondering what to eat in Bangkok? Follow along as we eat awesome Thai food during an action-filled Bangkok street food tour with A Chef’s Tour.
Bangkok is the best street food city in the world. It’s also one of the best food cities in the world.
We don’t make this statement lightly after eating on the streets of cities like Delhi, Hanoi and Osaka. These days, it’s difficult to think of a global city without a vibrant street food scene.
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But Bangkok is in its own league when it comes to the sheer quantity and quality of tasty food sold by street food vendors throughout the city at all hours of the day and night. A veritable army sells edible wares like fried chicken, slow cooked pork and grilled salt-crusted fish on sidewalks, in markets, in hawker centers and in shacks.
Not limited to Chinatown and backpacker haven Khao San Road, Bangkok food vendors are literally everywhere in the Asian mega-city. Visitors will have no problem finding Thai street food wherever and whenever they feel like eating from gritty night markets to luxury malls like Central World.
During our two-week visit to Bangkok, we ate street food on busy streets, on secluded alleys, under overpasses and at floating markets. Our challenge wasn’t finding good street food; rather, it was knowing where to find the best Bangkok street food.
Pro Tip
Check out a Bangkok floating market for a different ‘street’ food experience. The floating market of Damnoen Saduak is particularly popular with travelers.
We could have happily filled our bellies with ridiculously cheap Pad Thai and skewered Juicy Sour Isaan Sausage sold by friendly vendors near our apartment, and we did do that on many nights. But, as obsessive food travelers, we wanted to dig deeper and eat with locals.
That’s how we ended up taking a Bangkok street food tour with A Chef’s Tour.
Bangkok Street Food Tour
Sometimes it’s best to leave things to the experts and that’s exactly what we did during our Bangkok street food tour. In this case, the capable hands belonged to Chef Nutthasetth Samerwomg from A Chef’s Tour.
Samerwomg is more than a typical tour guide. He’s also an experienced chef and restauranteur in addition to having his official Bangkok street food tour guide license. Plus he’s a cool cat who digs food.
Within moments of meeting Samerwomg at the Palladium shopping mall, we were speeding down Khlong Saen Saeb in a klong (river bus). We had skipped breakfast and were ready to eat!
Pro Tip
Come hungry to any Bangkok food tour. You will want to taste a lot of different Thai food favorites during your food-focused Bangkok tour.
Thai Food Highlights
Popular around the world, Thai food is a global phenomenon best experienced at the source. Though most first-timers to Bangkok dip their toes into the city’s street food pool by eating standard dishes like Pad Thai and Banana Roti, these popular street foods represent a tiny fraction of the variety readily available on the streets of Bangkok.
Discover our Thai food favorites.
A Chef’s Tour took us off the beaten path to the city’s longest-running food market located in a hidden old town neighborhood. During the tour, Samerwomg regaled us with stories about the history and culture of Thai cuisine while keeping us well fed and hydrated.
Talking a tour with a local Thai food expert enabled us to dig deep into the heart of the city’s street food scene while eating our way through one of the best markets in Bangkok. We sampled a seemingly endless parade of local dishes until we couldn’t take another bite.
These were our favorite dishes:
Thai Beef Noodle Soup (Kuay Teaw Nua)
Starting the food portion of our Bangkok walking tour with a bang, Samerwomg introduced us to the wonderful world of Thai beef noodle soup. He did this at a fourth generation Hokkien soup stand situated near the oldest operating Bangkok market with nary a tourist in sight.
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Daryl was in his happy place as he slurped a bowl loaded with aromatic broth, brisket, organ meat and silky noodles. Not for the faint of heart, his bowl included any and any and every edible body part including liver, tripe and tongue. While this may sound gross, the offals were artfully cooked until tender without a hint of rubberiness.
Discover more of the best soups in the world.
Mindi was equally happy slurping her organ-free bowl of soup filled with slow-cooked brisket and wide rice noodles. Smells from galangal and star anise wafted from the bowl as she slurped the soup with gusto.
We both combined condiments like fish sauce, chili pickle and sugar in little dipping bowls before adding them to our bowls. If the tour had ended here, we would have been satisfied. However, soup was just the beginning of our moveable Thai feast.
Crispy Thai Omelet (Khanom Buuang Yuon)
Part of our fun of eating crispy Thai pancakes was watching the street vendor prepare the local dish beneath a Bangkok overpass. Far from fancy, this kitchen had all necessary equipment including a charcoal stove.
The vendor molded the crepe/omelet in a wok until just set. She then formed it into a clam-like shell before filling it with fresh accouterments. Samerwomg shared that this particular vendor learned to cook the Thai dish from her grandmother.
The flavorful dish reminded us of crispy Banh Xeo pancakes that we ate in Da Nang, though this one was loaded with peanuts, bean sprouts, shrimp, cucumber salad, onions, chilies and ginger. Surprisingly, Thai people eat Khanom Buuang Yuon with a spoon despite the sandwich-like similarity.
Stir Fried Radish Cakes (Kanom Pakaadd)
We had never eaten radish cakes stirred fried with vegetables before but were game to give the local favorite a try. In many ways, the dish had similar characteristics to Pad Tai. However, the dish’s stir-fried radish cakes added a chewy, satisfying yet crunchy texture
After giving our chopsticks a workout, we headed to the Nang Loeng Market. This non-touristic Thai market dates back to 1900 and hosts a variety of vendors selling both savory and sweet Thai food options.
Shrimp Paste Fried Rice Salad (Khao Kluk Kapi)
Samerwomg warned us that not all foreigners like shrimp paste. Little did he know that we adore the funky Asian food staple.
We enjoyed the mix of sweet, spicy and sour flavors in the market’s shrimp paste fried rice salad. Beyond shrimp paste and rice, this salad’s ingredients, meant to be mixed together, included vegetables, mango, fried shrimp and chilies.
Coconut Custard (Kanom Tuy)
Samerwomg next introduced us to his favorite Thai desserts starting with fragrant coconut custard treats known as Kanom Tuy. Though we’re not big coconut fans, we were enamored with the soothing custard spooned from tiny ceramic bowls into our mouths.
However, Kanom Tuy wasn’t our favorite dessert of the tasty Bangkok tour. That honor goes to Thong Yip.
Egg Yolk Dessert (Thong Yip)
We first tried Thong Yip in the market but Samerwomg had a sly trick up his sleeve. After leaving the market, he led us through Bangkok’s winding back streets to meet Khun Pa (Aunt) Joy in the manufactory where she creates yellow treats all day long.
Joy starts baking at 3 am every morning to feed hungry locals looking for dessert after eating lunch at the nearby market. Though her physical work takes many steps, she was kind enough to show us the ancient process of bathing ultra orange egg yolks in a sugary solution and molding them into tasty, sweet, creamy spheres.
Dragon Fruit (Pitaya)
Several hours and many calories later, Samerwomg escorted us on the boat back to central Bangkok before making a gracious departure. Not only did we feel too full to eat dinner, but we also felt ready to explore Bangkok as experienced street food eaters.
Bangkok Street Food Tour Video
Watch our YouTube video to see more of the best food we ate during our tasty Bangkok tour.
Tour Logistics
Our four-hour Bangkok Old Market Hidden Street Eats tour started with a scenic boat ride and ended when we were too full to eat another bite. Limited to eight people, this Bangkok tour features a variety of Thai food that can be modified for vegetarians.
Guests receive detailed instructions after finalizing bookings on the company’s user-friendly website. In our case, Chef Nutth was easy to spot at the assigned meeting point since he was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the company logo.
The tour cost was $59 per person at the time of our Bangkok street food tour. Be sure to check the A Chef’s Tour website for updated costs and details since they can change at any time.
Plan to walk a good bit and eat a lot during this Bangkok food tour. Depending on the season, plan to sweat too. It gets hot in Thailand after all.
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About The Authors
Daryl & Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on their website 2foodtrippers. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.
Original Publication Date: April 7, 2019
Annika
Saturday 13th of April 2019
Can't wait to come back to Thailand if only to eat - Bangkok is one of my favorite street food places in the world!
Lisa
Friday 12th of April 2019
Perfect timing. We are heading there this week!
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Saturday 13th of April 2019
Have a wonderful trip and eat all the food!
Zaneta P Baran
Friday 12th of April 2019
I remember when I came first time to Asia and my stomach couldn't deal with local food haha. But after living here already 2 years I fell in love with Asian food and I cannot imagine eating anything else haha. And street food is always the best!
Kay
Friday 12th of April 2019
THAT VIDEO HAD ME DROOOOLING!!! I need to book a ticket!!
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Saturday 13th of April 2019
Yes you do!
Natasha L
Friday 12th of April 2019
I love this guide! Street food can be a bit scary, especially in a foreign place so it's incredibly helpful that you've broken down these famous foods and provided pictures to help show what it looks like.