17 budget eating worth the trip across Thailand, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Thailand guides.
Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice ★ 4.8 · Bangkok
960 Petchaburi Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400
Go-Ang Pratunam in Bangkok is the pink-uniform chicken-rice counter on Petchaburi, Bib Gourmand since 2018 with khao man gai plates under 100 baht since 1960.
Tip: Cash only. Queues from 10:00-14:00 then 16:00-21:00. The original Pratunam location, six total branches in the city.
Thipsamai Pad Thai ★ 4.7 · Bangkok
313-315 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
Thipsamai in Bangkok's Old Town has cooked the city's most famous Bib Gourmand pad Thai since 1966 with plates under 200 baht, even with the shrimp oil.
Tip: Cash only. Closed Tuesdays. Open Wed-Mon 09:00 to midnight; the wrapped-in-egg pad Thai is the canonical order.
Soi Polo Fried Chicken ★ 4.5 · Bangkok
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 with crispy fried.
Tip: Cash only. Lunch crowds fill the room by 12:00; arrive before opening or after 14:00. Open 07:00-21:00 daily.
Or Tor Kor Market food stalls ★ 4.4 · Bangkok
101 Kamphaeng Phet Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900
Or Tor Kor in Bangkok's Chatuchak is the cleanest food court in the city with curry plates and som tam stalls under 200 baht, the Bib Gourmand som tam pla ra.
Tip: The som tam pla ra stall in the back corner is the canonical order; the durian and mangosteen vendors are seasonal.
Khao Kha Moo Chang Phueak (Cowboy Hat Lady) ★ 4.4 · Chiang Mai
chang-phueak · 248/70 Manee Nopparat Road, Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
The Cowboy Hat Lady's braised pork leg over rice at the North Gate market is the classic 50-baht Chiang Mai dinner, soft, sweet and reliably packed.
Nai Ek Roll Noodles ★ 4.3 · Bangkok
442 Soi Yaowarat 9, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
Nai Ek in Bangkok's Yaowarat has cooked Bib Gourmand kuay jab in peppery pork-offal broth since 1960, bowls with crispy pork belly all under 120 baht.
Tip: Open 08:00 to midnight, cash only. Closed for Chinese New Year. Queue from 11:00 onwards on weekdays.
Khao Soi Mae Sai ★ 4.3 · Chiang Mai
chang-phueak · 29/1 Ratchaphuek Alley, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300
A Bib Gourmand bowl of coconut khao soi for 50 to 75 baht near the Ratchaphuek lane, proof the city's best noodles cost less than a coffee in Nimman.
SP Chicken ★ 4.2 · Chiang Mai
old-city · 9/1 Sam Lan Road Soi 1, Phra Singh, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
Charcoal gai yang, papaya salad and sticky rice near Wat Phra Singh make SP Chicken one of the Old City's best-value Isan-style lunches under 150 baht.
Cherng Doi Roast Chicken ★ 4.2 · Chiang Mai
nimman · 11-13 Suthep Road Soi 5, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
Herb-roasted chicken and northern-Isan grills at student prices off Nimman, where a smoky half-chicken with sticky rice still lands well under 200 baht.
Kiat Ocha ★ 4.2 · Chiang Mai
old-city · 41-43 Inthawarorot Road, Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
A packed Old City morning canteen famous for Hainanese chicken rice and charcoal pork satay, a classic khao man gai counter near the market.
Victory Monument boat noodle alley ★ 4.1 · Bangkok
Soi Ranchanawi, Victory Monument, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400
Boat Noodle Alley off Victory Monument in Bangkok serves 50-baht bowls of kuay teow ruea pork or beef noodles from a row of canal-side stalls.
Tip: Cash only. Order three or four small bowls to rotate flavours; locals stack five bowls at the bigger Boat Noodle Heaven stall.
Khao Soi Islam ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai
chang-khlan · 22/5 Charoen Prathet Road Soi 1, Chang Khlan, Mueang Chiang Mai 50100
Beef khao soi, roti and biryani for well under 100 baht in the Ban Haw quarter, a cheap, filling window into the dish's Yunnanese-Muslim origins.
Guay Jub Chang Moi Tat Mai ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai
chang-khlan · Chang Moi Kao Road, Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300
A Bib Gourmand bowl of peppery rolled-noodle guay jub near Warorot for 40 to 60 baht, one of the best cheap late-afternoon feeds in the old town.
gO NENG (Wichayanon) ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai
chang-khlan · Ton Lamyai Market, Wichayanon Road, Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300
Crisp pa thong ko fried to order at Ton Lamyai Market, dipped in pandan custard for a few coins, the cheapest Bib Gourmand snack in the whole city.
Dan Chicken Rice ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai
nimman · 51 Sirimangkalajarn Road, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200
A no-frills Nimman khao man gai shop serving poached or fried chicken over rich rice for about 45 baht, a fast, filling budget lunch locals rely on daily.
Rung Rueang Pork Noodles ★ 4.0 · Bangkok
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 in kuay teow rice noodles, all bowls under 100.
Tip: Cash only. Open 08:00-17:00 daily; lunch queues from 11:30. Two branches on Sukhumvit 26, both run by the same family.
Aroon Rai ★ 3.9 · Chiang Mai
old-city · 45 Kotchasan Road, Chang Khlan, Mueang Chiang Mai 50100
One of the oldest northern kitchens in the Old City keeps most plates under 100 baht, a no-frills, decades-deep option for hang lay and larb on a budget.