Pad krapow is Bangkok's everyday office-lunch hero: minced pork, chicken or beef stir-fried with garlic, bird's-eye chilli and holy basil over jasmine rice, topped with a sunny-side-up fried egg.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Pad krapow's lineage runs through Chinese-Thai wok cookery brought from Yaowarat into Thai home kitchens by the early 20th century. The use of krapow (Thai holy basil, not Italian or sweet basil) distinguishes it as Thai rather than southern Chinese; the egg topping was added in the 1950s and the dish became the canonical Bangkok lunch by the 1970s. Pad krapow is now sold from every shophouse rice-and-curry counter in the city for under 100 baht, with chicken (gai), pork (moo) or seafood variants.
Common allergens: Soy, Fish sauce, Oyster sauce, Egg
Tip from the editors. Thai holy basil (krapow) is non-negotiable; sweet basil tastes wrong. Asian groceries stock it; failing that, use Thai basil (horapa) and rebrand the dish.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Why locals love it: Royal-influenced Thai room from 2003 in the Old Town with Bib Gourmand stir-fries, the local lunch room missed by tour groups.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The Dinso original is better than the newer branches. Lunch through 19:30 only, last seating 19:00.
Mit Ko Yuan in Bangkok's Sao Chingcha is the Bib Gourmand family Thai room from 1962, central-Thai stir-fries and seafood dishes opposite the Giant Swing monument.
Signature: Tom yum kung, Steamed crab, Pad pak rauam (mixed vegetables)
Order: Tom yum kung with whole river prawn and a side of stir-fried morning glory.
Tip: Cash only. Open 11:00 to 22:00 daily, the heritage building seats around 50 across two floors.
Why locals love it: Bib Gourmand canteen tucked off Pan Road, lunch-only, with the city's best khao soi northern Thai curry-noodle bowl.
Tip: Cash only. Lunch only, 09:00 to 17:00, closed Sundays. The room is small; arrive by 12:00 to avoid the office workers.
More cities are in research. Want pad krapow (holy basil stir-fry) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.