8 cheap eats rooms in Bangkok, editor-picked. the best low-budget rooms in Bangkok — the places editors actually return to. All Bangkok food.
Pa Aor Tom Yum Goong Noodles ★ 4.6
old-town · 113 Soi Charoen Phon, Khwaeng Nakhon Sawan, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100
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.
Tip: Cash only. Lunch only, 09:00 to 16:00, closed Sundays. Queue from 11:30; arrive before or after the office-worker rush.
Thipsamai Pad Thai ★ 4.5
old-town · 313-315 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
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.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays. Open Wed-Mon 09:00 to midnight; cash only. The egg-wrapped pad Thai is the queue-puller.
Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice ★ 4.5
pratunam · 960 Petchaburi Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400
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.
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.
Som Tam Jay So ★ 4.5
silom-sathorn · 402/16 Soi Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra 3, Yan Nawa, Sathon, Bangkok 10120
Som Tam Jay So in Bangkok's Sathorn is the Bib Gourmand papaya-salad room from a sai-mok northeastern Thai recipe lineage. Pounded fresh to order in clay mortars.
Tip: Cash and PromptPay only. Lunch and early dinner 10:30 to 19:30; closed Sundays.
Soi Polo Fried Chicken ★ 4.5
silom-sathorn · 137/1-3 Soi Polo, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
Polo Fried Chicken in Bangkok's Soi Polo is the Bib Gourmand garlic-fried-chicken room, a 1989 family business deep-frying half birds blanketed in crispy fried garlic.
Tip: Cash only. Lunch crowds fill the room by 12:00; arrive before opening or after 14:00. Open 07:00 to 21:00 daily.
Nai Ek Roll Noodles ★ 4.5
yaowarat · 442 Soi Yaowarat 9, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
Nai Ek in Bangkok's Yaowarat has cooked rolled-rice-noodle kuay jab in peppery pork-offal broth since 1960, Bib Gourmand since 2018, crispy pork belly on every bowl.
Tip: Open 08:00 to midnight daily, cash only. Closed for Chinese New Year. Queue from 11:00 onwards on weekdays.
Rung Rueang Pork Noodles ★ 4.4
asoke-phrom-phong · 10/3 Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110
Rung Rueang in Bangkok's Sukhumvit 26 is the Bib Gourmand pork-noodle counter, four generations of pork balls and tom yum broth ladled into kuay teow rice noodles.
Tip: Cash only. Open 08:00 to 17:00 daily; lunch queues fill by 11:30. Two branches on Sukhumvit 26, both run by the same family.
Krua Aroy Aroy ★ 4.4
silom-sathorn · Pan Road, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500
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.
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.