Thai food is the best reason to come to Thailand and the cheapest part of being here: a plate of pad thai from a street cart costs 50 to 80 baht (about $2), a full dinner of grilled chicken, som tam and sticky rice 120, and a tasting menu at one of Bangkok’s 30-odd Michelin-starred restaurants 3,000 to 8,000. Every dish balances sour, sweet, salty and hot, but the balance shifts by region: coconut-rich curries in the centre, fiery salads and grilled meat in Isan, mild herbal broths in the north and turmeric-heavy seafood in the south. The rules for eating well are simple. Eat where Thais eat, order several dishes to share, use the spoon not the fork, and say “mai pet” if you cannot take the chilli.
Thailand's four cuisines#
Central Thai
Bangkok and the plains: jasmine rice, coconut-milk curries (green, red, massaman, panang), tom yum, pad thai, pad kra pao and the Chinese-Thai noodle shops of Yaowarat. The sweetest and most refined of the four.
Isan (northeast)
Sticky rice eaten by hand, som tam pounded to order, laab, grilled chicken (gai yang) and pork neck, fermented fish sauce (pla ra) and the hottest chilli in the country. Found at every market in Thailand because Isan cooks run the stalls.
Northern (Lanna)
Chiang Mai and the hills: khao soi curry noodles, sai ua herb sausage, nam prik ong and nam prik num dips with pork crackling, gaeng hang lay Burmese-style pork curry and khantoke shared platters. Milder, more bitter and herbal, little coconut.
Southern
Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Hat Yai: turmeric and fresh seafood, searing gaeng som sour curry, gaeng tai pla fish-innards curry, Muslim dishes such as massaman, roti and khao mok gai, and Phuket’s Hokkien noodles and moo hong braised pork.
20 dishes to try and what they cost#
Prices are for a street stall or market first, then a sit-down local restaurant; add 50 to 100% in tourist restaurants and on the islands.
| Dish | What it is | Street / restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Pad thai | Rice noodles stir-fried with tamarind, fish sauce, egg, tofu, dried shrimp and peanuts | 50-80 / 120-200 baht |
| Som tam | Green papaya salad pounded with chilli, lime, fish sauce, peanuts and dried shrimp; “som tam Thai” is the mild one | 40-60 / 80-150 |
| Tom yum goong | Hot and sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf | 60-120 / 150-300 |
| Gaeng kiew wan | Green curry with chicken or pork and Thai basil, over rice | 50-80 / 150-250 |
| Massaman | Mild, sweet, Muslim-influenced curry with beef or chicken, potato and peanuts | 60-100 / 180-300 |
| Pad kra pao | Minced pork or chicken stir-fried with holy basil and chilli, with a fried egg on rice | 50-70 / 100-150 |
| Khao man gai | Poached chicken on garlic rice with ginger-soy sauce, Pratunam’s pink-shirt shops are famous | 50-60 / 80-120 |
| Gai yang and khao niao | Isan grilled chicken with sticky rice | 80-120 for a half bird / 150-250 |
| Laab moo | Minced pork salad with toasted rice powder, mint, lime and chilli | 50-80 / 120-180 |
| Khao soi | Northern egg-noodle curry soup with chicken or beef, crispy noodles and pickled mustard greens | 50-70 / 100-150 |
| Sai ua | Northern pork sausage with lemongrass, galangal and chilli, sold by weight at markets | 30-50 a piece |
| Khao kha moo | Stewed pork leg on rice with pickled greens and a boiled egg | 50-80 / 100-150 |
| Boat noodles (kuay teow reua) | Small bowls of intense pork or beef broth noodles at Victory Monument’s boat-noodle alley | 15-25 a bowl |
| Moo ping | Grilled pork skewers marinated in coconut milk and garlic, breakfast with sticky rice | 10-15 a skewer |
| Hoy tod | Crisp oyster or mussel omelette on a hot plate, a Yaowarat speciality | 80-120 / 150-250 |
| Kuay jab | Rolled rice-noodle soup with peppery broth and crispy pork, Chinatown | 60-80 |
| Pla pao | Whole tilapia or snakehead stuffed with lemongrass, salt-crusted and grilled, with dipping sauces | 150-250 |
| Khao mok gai | Southern Muslim chicken biryani with a sweet chilli sauce | 50-80 |
| Roti | Griddled flatbread with banana, egg and condensed milk, or plain with curry in the south | 30-60 |
| Khao niao mamuang | Mango sticky rice with coconut cream, best April to June | 60-120 / 150-250 |
Order som tam “mai pet” (not hot) or “pet nit noi” (a little hot) unless you are sure, because the default is made for Thai palates. Beyond the table, try kai jeow (a fluffy omelette over rice, 40 to 50 baht) at any stall, khanom krok coconut pancakes (20 to 30 baht a tray), fried crickets and bamboo worms at Isan markets (20 to 50 baht a bag), and durian when it is in season from April to August (Monthong, 150 to 250 baht a kilo, banned from hotel rooms and buses).
Street food, markets and restaurants#
Street food is how Thailand eats, and the best of it is in specific places rather than everywhere. In Bangkok, Yaowarat Road from 6pm (most stalls close Mondays) does seafood, hoy tod, kuay jab at Nai Ek Roll Noodles and bird’s-nest desserts; Soi Texas at its centre is the busiest stretch. Victory Monument’s boat-noodle alley beside the canal serves 20-baht bowls you order by the stack. Or Tor Kor market, next to Chatuchak in Chatuchak, is the country’s best produce market (6am to 6pm) with a clean food court of regional dishes at 60 to 120 baht. Wang Lang market opposite Siriraj Hospital in Thonburi and Nang Loeng market in the old town are weekday-lunch institutions, and the Ari neighbourhood has the noodle carts and cafés of Bangkok’s middle class. For the famous names, Thipsamai on Maha Chai Road does the egg-wrapped pad thai (from about 100 baht) and Jay Fai next door the 1,000-baht crab omelette with a queue to match. Mall food courts are the air-conditioned shortcut: Pier 21 at Terminal 21 (40 to 80 baht a dish), MBK’s sixth floor and Eathai at Central Embassy for a curated regional spread.
In Chiang Mai, the Chang Phuak Gate night market on the north side of the Old City (from 6pm) is the one for khao kha moo from the cowboy-hatted vendor and northern sausages; Warorot Market is the morning market for sai ua, nam prik and khao soi at the stalls behind it; the Sunday Walking Street fills the grounds of Wat Phan On and its neighbours with 30 to 60-baht food courts; and the khao soi shops along Charoen Rat Road across the river (Khao Soi Lam Duan Fah Ham is the classic) close by mid-afternoon. Huen Phen on Ratchamanka Road and Tong Tem Toh in Nimman are the sit-down northern restaurants locals send you to, at 80 to 200 baht a dish.
In the south, Phuket Town’s Thalang Road and the Lock Tien food court do Hokkien mee, oh tao oyster fritters and moo hong; Hat Yai’s Kim Yong market and its namesake fried chicken draw Malaysian weekenders; Trang breakfasts on dim sum and roast pork; and Krabi Town’s Chao Fa night market serves grilled seafood by the pier. In Isan, the night markets of Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani serve the sticky rice, laab and som tam that the rest of the country copies, and the fishing town of Si Racha south-east of Bangkok gave the world its chilli sauce.
Restaurants come in three tiers. Open-fronted shophouse restaurants with plastic stools charge 60 to 150 baht a dish and are the everyday norm. Air-conditioned Thai restaurants in cities and malls charge 150 to 400 and add a 10% service charge plus 7% VAT to the bill. Fine dining is a Bangkok speciality: Sorn, Le Du, Nusara and Gaggan Anand charge 3,000 to 8,000 baht for tasting menus and book out weeks ahead.
Drinks: beer, whisky, tea, coffee and water#
Beer is Singha, Chang and Leo, all around 5% and sold in 630 ml bottles for 55 to 75 baht in 7-Eleven, 80 to 150 in a bar; locals drink it over ice, which is not the insult it sounds in a 35°C evening. Thai craft beer is good but brewed over the border in Cambodia or Vietnam because of licensing law. The spirits are Sangsom (a rum sold as whisky), Hong Thong and Mekhong at 250 to 350 baht a bottle, drunk with soda and ice from a shared bucket, and lao khao rice whisky at village prices; ya dong carts sell herbal-infused shots for 10 to 20 baht with a sour-fruit chaser. Remember the sales windows (11am to 2pm and 5pm to midnight in shops) and that Buddhist holy days are dry.
Non-alcoholic drinks are a highlight. Cha yen, the orange Thai iced tea with condensed milk, costs 25 to 50 baht at carts and at the ChaTraMue chain; oliang is the Thai iced black coffee with its chicory-roasted edge; a fresh coconut is 40 to 60 baht; fruit shakes and sugarcane juice 40 to 60; nam manao (lime soda) cuts chilli better than water. Northern Thailand grows excellent arabica, and Chiang Mai’s café scene (Akha Ama, Ristr8to) serves 60 to 120-baht pour-overs and flat whites from hill-tribe farms. Do not drink the tap water; a bottle is 7 to 15 baht, hotels provide it free, and the tube ice in restaurants is factory-made and safe.
What eating costs by budget#
| Budget | Daily food spend | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Street and markets | 300-500 baht | Three stall meals, fruit, a coffee and a beer |
| Local restaurants | 600-1,000 baht | Shophouse lunch, air-con Thai dinner with drinks, a café |
| Mid-range | 1,200-2,000 baht | A good hotel breakfast, a cooking class or a 500-baht dinner for two |
| Splurge | 3,000-8,000 baht per head | One tasting menu, rooftop cocktails |
Street food is not just cheap, it is often better than the restaurant version, because each stall cooks one thing all day. The islands and resort towns run 50 to 100% above these figures, the north and Isan below them.
Etiquette: spoon and fork, sharing and tipping#
Thais eat with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left; the fork pushes food onto the spoon and never goes in your mouth. Chopsticks appear only for noodle soups and Chinese dishes, and sticky rice in the north and Isan is eaten by hand, rolled into a ball and dipped. Meals are shared: everyone gets a plate of rice, dishes land in the middle as they are ready (there is no course order), and you take a spoonful or two at a time rather than loading your plate. Order one dish per person plus one, and ask for “khao plao” (plain rice) to go with them. Condiment caddies on every table hold fish sauce with chilli (prik nam pla), dried chilli flakes, sugar and vinegar with chilli for you to adjust your own bowl; nobody is offended if you do.
Pay at the counter or ask for “check bin” at your table. Tipping is optional: leave the coins or 20 to 50 baht at a stall or shophouse, and 5 to 10% in a sit-down restaurant that has not already added a 10% service charge. Thais eat early (dinner at 6 or 7pm) and often, and snacking from carts all day is normal. Do not stick chopsticks upright in a bowl, do not take the last piece without offering it around, and never point your feet at the kitchen’s spirit house.
Three phrases cover most situations: “mai pet” (not spicy), “mai sai nam pla” (no fish sauce, for vegetarians) and “aroi mak” (very delicious), which gets you a bigger smile than any tip.
Spice levels, vegetarian, halal and allergies#
Thai food cooked for Thais is hot, and the dishes to approach carefully are som tam, laab, gaeng som, jungle curry and anything described as “Isan” or “southern”. “Mai pet” gets you a milder version everywhere; “pet nit noi” is a little heat; “pet mak” is what the cook eats. Cool a burning mouth with rice, sugar or coconut milk rather than water. Green curry and massaman are the gentle entry points, pad thai and khao man gai have almost no chilli at all.
Vegetarians do well once they know the word jay (เจ), the Buddhist vegan diet that excludes meat, fish sauce, egg and pungent vegetables: stalls flying a yellow flag with red Thai lettering serve it, especially during the nine-day Vegetarian Festival in late September or October, when Phuket Town turns almost entirely jay. Otherwise ask for “mangsawirat” (vegetarian) and “mai sai nam pla” (no fish sauce), because fish sauce, oyster sauce and shrimp paste go into nearly everything by default. Chiang Mai is the easiest city for vegans (Pun Pun at Wat Suan Dok, Free Bird Café, Reform Kafe), and Bangkok’s Broccoli Revolution and May Veggie Home are reliable.
Halal food is easy in the south and in Muslim quarters elsewhere: Bangkok’s Petchaburi Soi 7 behind Pratunam, the Haroon mosque lanes in Bang Rak, Chiang Mai’s Halal Street (Charoen Prathet Soi 1 behind the Night Bazaar) and most of Phuket Town, Krabi and Hat Yai. Look for the green Halal logo of the Central Islamic Council of Thailand. Peanuts appear in pad thai, som tam, massaman and satay sauce, and soy sauce in most stir-fries, so travellers with nut or gluten allergies should carry a Thai-language allergy card; shellfish is in the fish sauce and shrimp paste that season almost everything.
Food safety#
Street food in Thailand is safer than its reputation. Choose stalls that are busy with Thais, cook to order in front of you and turn over ingredients fast; avoid pre-cooked curries that have sat in the sun for hours, raw dishes such as koi pla (raw fish salad, a liver-fluke risk in Isan) and raw oysters outside a good restaurant. Ice is factory-made and fine, bottled water costs 7 to 15 baht, and cut fruit from carts kept on ice is a normal Thai snack. Most visitors who get an upset stomach have it for a day; pharmacies sell oral rehydration salts and loperamide for 20 to 50 baht, and the “Clean Food Good Taste” sign in a restaurant window means it passed a health inspection. Wash your hands before eating with the spoon and fork, and be aware that many stalls serve on plates wrapped in a plastic bag, which is for washing-up, not hygiene.
Thai cooking classes#
A half-day cooking class is one of the best-value things to do in Thailand and the easiest way to understand how the flavours are built. Classes run four to six hours, usually start with a guided market visit, cook four to six dishes including a curry paste from scratch, and cost 1,000 to 1,800 baht; hotel-run and famous-name schools charge 3,000 or more. In Bangkok, Silom Thai Cooking School (about 1,200 baht, Silom market tour), Baipai Thai Cooking School, Sompong and the upmarket Blue Elephant (about 3,300 baht) are long-running. Chiang Mai is the capital of the genre, with dozens of schools: Thai Farm Cooking School and Asia Scenic take you to an organic farm outside town for around 1,500 baht, and Basil Cookery, Zabb E Lee and Mama Noi work from in-town kitchens. Phuket, Hua Hin and Krabi have smaller schools with a southern menu. Book a day ahead in high season, tell them your spice tolerance and dietary needs when you book, and pick a class that includes the market: knowing a kaffir lime from a makrut leaf is the whole point.
Eat your main meals where the stall or shophouse does one dish: a khao man gai shop, a boat-noodle shop, a khao soi shop. Thirty years of making one thing beats a 100-item tourist menu every time.
Best places to eat in Thailand#
More Food, Nightlife & Shopping#
Thai food FAQs#
What is the most popular food in Thailand?
Pad thai is the dish foreigners know, but Thais eat far more pad kra pao, khao man gai, som tam with grilled chicken and sticky rice, and noodle soups. Order those at a busy stall and you are eating what the country eats every day.
How much does street food cost in Thailand?
A main dish is 50 to 80 baht ($1.50 to $2.50) at a street stall or market, a bowl of noodles 50 to 70, a half grilled chicken 80 to 120 and a mango sticky rice 60 to 120. Three stall meals, a coffee and fruit come to 300 to 500 baht a day.
Is street food in Thailand safe to eat?
Yes, if you pick busy stalls that cook to order in front of you. Avoid pre-cooked food sitting in the heat, raw fish salads and raw oysters outside good restaurants, and do not drink tap water. Ice is factory-made and safe.
Is Thai food very spicy?
Thai food cooked for Thais is hot, especially som tam, laab and southern curries, but every cook will tone it down if you say “mai pet” (not spicy) or “pet nit noi” (a little spicy). Pad thai, khao man gai, massaman and green curry are the mild starting points.
Can vegetarians eat well in Thailand?
Yes, with two words: “jay” for the Buddhist vegan food sold at yellow-flag stalls, and “mai sai nam pla” (no fish sauce) for everything else, because fish and oyster sauce go into most dishes by default. Chiang Mai has the densest vegan scene; the nine-day Vegetarian Festival in late September or October makes it easy everywhere.
Do you eat Thai food with chopsticks?
No. Thais eat with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left, using the fork only to push food onto the spoon. Chopsticks come out for noodle soups and Chinese dishes, and sticky rice in the north and Isan is eaten by hand.
Do you tip in Thai restaurants?
Tipping is optional. Leave the coins or 20 to 50 baht at a stall or shophouse restaurant, and 5 to 10% at a sit-down restaurant that has not already added the standard 10% service charge to the bill.
How much is a cooking class in Thailand?
Half-day classes with a market tour cost 1,000 to 1,800 baht in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and 3,000 or more at hotel or celebrity schools such as Blue Elephant. Farm-based classes outside Chiang Mai are about 1,500 baht including transport.