Cha yen is bright-orange black tea brewed strong with star anise and cardamom, sweetened with condensed milk and served over crushed ice with a final swirl of evaporated milk on top.
Cha yen took its modern form in mid-20th-century Bangkok, when imported British black tea was blended with star anise, tamarind and yellow food colouring (the famous orange hue) and sweetened with the cheap condensed milk that arrived via American post-WWII aid. The drink became a fixture at every noodle cart and night market by the 1970s. Each Bangkok stall mixes its own ratio of condensed-to-evaporated milk; the two-tone pour (sweet white over hot orange) is the visual signature, and the drink anchors every Sukhumvit Soi 38 noodle session.
3 editor picks for Cha yen (Thai iced tea) in Bangkok, ranked by editorial score. All Bangkok signature dishes · Cha yen (Thai iced tea) across every city.
Yaowarat night market street stalls ★ 4.7
Yaowarat Road, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
Yaowarat Road in Bangkok's Chinatown is the city's most theatrical street-food strip after dark, with grilled seafood, noodle counters and dim sum carts.
Or Tor Kor market food stalls ★ 4.5
101 Kamphaeng Phet Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900
Or Tor Kor in Bangkok's Chatuchak is the agricultural market with the cleanest food court in the city, som tam stalls, grilled-chicken counters.
Sukhumvit Soi 38 night noodle stalls ★ 4.0
Sukhumvit Soi 38, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110
Sukhumvit Soi 38 in Bangkok was the city's canonical late-night noodle alley, with pork noodle counters and stir-fry stalls feeding the Thonglor and Ekkamai.