Top Street Food in Thailand

Raan Jay Fai ★ 4.7 · Bangkok

327 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200

Raan Jay Fai in Bangkok's Old Town is the Michelin-starred street stall where Supinya Junsuta in ski goggles cooks the city's most famous 800-baht crab.

Tip: Walk-in only with same-day queue numbers from 09:00. Closed Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Cash only, dishes 800 to 1,200 baht.

Yaowarat night market street stalls ★ 4.7 · Bangkok

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.

Tip: Start at Soi Texas (Phadungdao) corner for grilled prawns; Nai Mong Hoi Tod and Lek and Rut are the canonical seafood stalls.

Pa Aor Tom Yum Goong Noodles ★ 4.6 · Bangkok

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 prawn and chilli paste with evaporated milk.

Tip: Cash only. Queue from 11:30 onwards; closed Sundays. Order the tom yum goong with the whole river prawn and egg-yolk float.

Or Tor Kor market food stalls ★ 4.5 · Bangkok

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.

Tip: The som tam pla ra stall in the back corner is the canonical order; the durian and mangosteen vendors at the front are seasonal.

Victory Monument boat noodle alley ★ 4.4 · Bangkok

Soi Ranchanawi, Victory Monument, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400

Boat Noodle Alley off Victory Monument in Bangkok serves 50-baht bowls of kuay teow ruea (boat noodles) in pork or beef broth from a row of canal-side stalls.

Tip: Order three or four small bowls and rotate flavours; the pork broth at Boat Noodle Heaven and the beef at Boat Noodle Avenue are the local picks.

Nai Mong Hoi Tod ★ 4.4 · Bangkok

539 Phlap Phla Chai Road, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100

Nai Mong Hoi Tod in Bangkok's Chinatown is the Bib Gourmand oyster-pancake stall on Phlap Phla Chai, hoi tod and ohrlua crispy mussel pancakes.

Tip: Cash only. Closed Tuesdays. The hoi tod with extra oyster is the order; eat at the small plastic stools on the kerb.

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 stall at the Chang Phueak gate ladles fall-apart braised pork leg over rice with a soft egg, a Bourdain-blessed 60-baht dinner.

Guay Jub Mr Joe ★ 4.3 · Bangkok

Soi Yaowarat 11, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100

Guay Jub Mr Joe in Bangkok's Yaowarat is the late-night kuay jab cart at the corner of Soi 11, peppery pork-offal broth and rolled rice noodles cooked.

Tip: Cash only. Stall is on the kerb; eat at the plastic stools opposite. Order with extra crispy pork belly.

Sai Ua Dam Rong ★ 4.3 · Chiang Mai

chang-khlan · Warorot Market, Wichayanon Road, Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300

The famous Warorot Market sausage stall, coiling lemongrass-and-herb sai ua sold by weight alongside pork rinds and chili dips, the benchmark for the dish.

Kanomjeen Sanpakoi ★ 4.2 · Chiang Mai

chang-khlan · Thongkham Market, San Pa Khoi, Mueang Chiang Mai 50000

A Bib Gourmand khanom jeen counter at Thongkham Market, ladling northern nam ngiao and curry sauces over fresh rice vermicelli to a morning market crowd.

gO NENG (Wichayanon) ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai

chang-khlan · Ton Lamyai Market, Wichayanon Road, Chang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300

A Bib Gourmand fried-dough cart at Ton Lamyai Market, frying crisp pa thong ko to dip in pandan custard, a decades-old late-afternoon Warorot ritual.

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 noodle stall near Warorot serving peppery Chinese-style guay jub, rolled rice noodles in a dark broth with crisp pork, since the old town days.

Chiang Mai Gate Market ★ 4.1 · Chiang Mai

wualai · Bamrung Buri Road, Phra Singh, Mueang Chiang Mai 50200

A tourist-light evening food market at the south gate, its rock-bottom stalls plating grilled meats, khao soi, som tam and Thai sweets for 30 to 50 baht.

Sukhumvit Soi 38 night noodle stalls ★ 4.0 · Bangkok

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.

Tip: The remaining stalls cluster near the Thonglor BTS end of Soi 38. Late-night queues from 22:00; cash only, bring small notes.

Lung Ka Jorn Wat Ket ★ 4.0 · Chiang Mai

wat-ket · Charoenrat Road, Wat Ket, Mueang Chiang Mai 50000

A Bib Gourmand takeaway stall in Wat Ket folding crisp Thai crepes and steaming savoury tapioca dumplings, a beloved afternoon snack run near the river.

Roti Pa Dae ★ 4.0 · Chiang Mai

chang-khlan · Charoen Prathet Road, Chang Khlan, Mueang Chiang Mai 50100

A Bib Gourmand roti cart in the Ban Haw Muslim quarter, griddling buttery flatbread and savoury mataba by the night bazaar to a queue that rarely thins.

Somphet Market ★ 4.0 · Chiang Mai

old-city · 131/3 Moon Mueang Road, Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai 50300

A small, local fresh-food market inside the northeast moat where morning stalls sell curry-and-rice parcels, sai ua, sticky rice, fruit and cheap ready meals.

Ploen Ruedee Night Market ★ 3.9 · Chiang Mai

chang-khlan · Charoen Prathet Road, Chang Khlan, Mueang Chiang Mai 50100

A compact international food-truck park beside the Night Bazaar, its rows of stalls plating Thai, burgers, curries and craft beer around communal tables.