Heritage Thai seafood$$ari
Soei in Bangkok's Phaya Thai is a Bib Gourmand family-run Thai seafood room that has cooked Old Bangkok recipes since 1972, including the rare yum khai mangda egg salad.
Signature: Yum khai mangda (horseshoe crab egg salad), Stir-fried fish maw, Pla too tom som
Order: Yum khai mangda (horseshoe crab egg salad), the stir-fried fish maw and a sour pla too soup.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Cash only, the menu is huge and only partially translated; let the staff steer toward seasonal seafood.
Heritage Thai curry rice$silom-sathorn
Krua Aroy Aroy in Bangkok's Silom is the Bib Gourmand curry-rice canteen tucked off Pan Road, with khao soi, massaman and Muslim-Thai biryani served family-style at lunch.
Signature: Khao soi, Massaman curry, Khao mok gai (chicken biryani)
Order: The khao soi northern Thai curry-noodle bowl with the pickled mustard greens on top.
Tip: Cash only. Lunch only, 09:00 to 17:00, closed Sundays. The room is small; arrive by 12:00 to avoid the office workers.
Heritage Thai$$old-town
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.
Pad Thai specialist$old-town
Thipsamai in Bangkok's Old Town has cooked the city's most famous pad Thai since 1966. Bib Gourmand since 2018. Wrapped-in-egg version is the signature.
Signature: Pad Thai wrapped in egg, Pad Thai with shrimp oil, Orange juice
Order: Pad Thai wok wrapped in a thin egg crepe with shrimp oil. Side of fresh orange juice.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays. Open Wed-Mon 09:00 to midnight; cash only. The egg-wrapped pad Thai is the queue-puller.
Hainanese chicken rice$pratunam
Go-Ang Pratunam in Bangkok is the pink-uniform chicken-rice counter on Petchaburi, Bib Gourmand since 2018, the canonical khao man gai room in the city since 1960.
Signature: Khao man gai (Hainanese chicken rice), Chicken liver, Chicken soup
Order: Khao man gai standard with a side of liver and the clear chicken soup; chilli-ginger sauce on every bite.
Tip: Cash only. Queues from 10:00 to 14:00 then 16:00 to 21:00. Six branches but the original Pratunam location is the one to visit.
Tom yum noodles$old-town
Pa Aor in Bangkok's Pom Prap Sattru Phai is the Bib Gourmand tom yum noodle stall, a bowl built on river prawns, chilli paste, evaporated milk and kuay teow rice noodles.
Signature: Tom yum goong noodles, River prawn tom yum, Pork tom yum
Order: Tom yum goong noodles with the whole river prawn and the egg-yolk float on top.
Tip: Cash only. Lunch only, 09:00 to 16:00, closed Sundays. Queue from 11:30; arrive before or after the office-worker rush.