Forget Pad Thai, it’s time for Boat Noodles (“Kuay Tiew Ruea” in Thai). The other day I was at Siam Square doing a photoshoot, I made a quick stop for dinner at central Bangkok, the area around the Victory monument, at my favorite place restaurant for Boat Noodles, Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong.

Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong is a very popular little boat noodle restaurant in Bangkok’s famous Boat Noodle Alley. Ruathong has been here for a while and is a favorite among us locals, today I will bringing you along with me for my dinner :)

Affiliate Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. By clicking on the links and purchasing the product, I will receive a partial commission at no cost to you. All of these products are ones that I fully trust and recommend with my heart. Thank you for your support!

The Best Boat Noodles in Bangkok?

Located in Bangkok’s locally (and recently internationally) famous Boat Noodle Alley just north of the Victory Monument BTS station, is Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong, arguably the most popular boat noodle restaurant in all of Bangkok.

Though there about half a dozen boat noodle restaurants in this alley, in my humble, and absolutely non-subjective opinion, Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong is the best out of the bunch.

You don’t have to take my word for it, I’ve been there 4 times so far and all those times the restaurant was packed full of hungry locals as well as tourists, each of them scarfing down an upwards of 20 bowls of boat noodle soup! I’m not kidding.

Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong’s Menu

Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong menu — *This picture is a bit outdated, sorry about that. However, about 30 years ago a bowl used to be just 3 THB!*

There’s a few things to note before ordering a bowl of noodles.

Firstly, most places serve 2 sizes: large and small. Large is meant for a full meal, while small is for you to try different types of noodle soups, plus it’s fun to stack the bowls to see how high you can make your “Boat Noodle Condo”.

Secondly, you can choose between having your bowl dry or with soup. I personally prefer dry but with soup is also quite good.

Thirdly, you can choose what types of noodles you want, the basics types are: egg noodles, wide/thin rice noodles, and vermicelli noodles.

Alright as for the noodle soup flavors, Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong has your typical noodle varieties such as:

Nam Tok - Your classic beefy/porky boat noodle broth with a dash of coagulated blood
Tom Yum - Spicy and sour Tom Yum soup based broth (my favorite)
Yen Ta Fo - bright neon pink fermented tofu broth, it sounds weird but trust me it’s good.

Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong also has a few side dishes to snack on like:

Pork rinds and Fried Wontons - You can eat them separately or put them into your noodles for a crunchy contrast
Various boiled meatballs or meats - Add them to your noodles or eat them alone with the provided dipping sauce
Khanom Tuay - A classic Thai coconut milk pudding dessert popularly (and almost exclusively) served at boat noodle restaurants

It’s a lot of options and customizations, I know…

Pricing

I’d say that Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong beats their competitors in terms of pricing. The small bowl costs 18 THB, while the large bowl costs 60 THB. Portions are what you expect, a large bowl will fill you up while a small bowl will keep you addicted for many more bowls.

The pricing is very reasonable and the portions are good as well.

You might’ve been confused when I said that some people eat around 20 bowls. Yeah that’s 20 small bowls. Still very impressive nonetheless. My personal record was 14! see if you can beat that ;)

Classic Nam Tok Boat Noodles

nam tok boat noodle soup — *Don’t worry, the pieces of pork are hiding under the egg noodles*

First order was a small bowl (actually 2) of classic Nam Tok boat noodles. I ordered mine with egg noodles.

In my bowl are handful of firm egg noodles, are topped with a few pieces of tender pork meat, meatballs, and a fistful of veggies. All that bathing in a rich, beefy, and spicy Nam Tok broth.

The noodles were nice and a little firm, while the proteins were alright. The veggies, well… I don’t think anyone cares about those to be honest. No, the highlight is the deep spicy richness of the Nam Tok broth. Coagulated blood might make some of you squeamish but trust me, you won’t taste a single ounce of blood. What the blood does is thicken the broth slightly to add a uniquely flavorful richness.

A solid bowl of Nam Tok Boat Noodles.

Neon Pink Yen Ta Fo Noodles

yen ta fo noodle soup — *Not gonna lie, Yen Ta Fo sauce kinda looks like strawberry sauce… Imagine a dessert noodle soup though?*

Now this one might scare some of you due to its radioactive pink color but Yen Ta Fo is actually my 2nd favorite boat noodle soup order. I usually order mine with wide rice noodles.

The bright pink color comes from the fermented tofu or bean curd sauce. The taste is kind of hard to describe, a little funky, a little tangy, a bit sour, and not radioactive. It’s good, and dare I say quite refreshing in taste.

Yen Ta Fo is often topped with fish cake and minced pork which I think works well, those toppings are quite bland in flavor and doesn’t outshine the Yen Ta Fo sauce. Similarly the wide rice noodles are great at barely holding on to the broth for a more balanced flavor in each bite.

Add a little bit of crushed fried wontons and you got yourself a mighty fine bowl of noodles!

Tom Yum Noodles

My favorite order at any Thai noodle soup restaurant is “Tom Yum Bamee Nam” or Tom Yum Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles.

Ruathong’s version of a Tom Yum noodle soup is quite lacking on the soup but that’s ok, they make up for it with a bunch of peanuts, bean sprouts, and meats. I usually like to add a little extra dried chili power to my tom yum noodles.

Spicy, a little sour, and the toppings add a whole dimension of texture and nuttiness. Very good.

A lot of people ad pork rinds to their noodle soups but personally, I just like eating them by themselves. Fried wontons though, are a great addition in my opinion.

On this visit I ate a total of 4 bowls… Yeah not a lot but I was quite full. I’d imagine if I hadn’t eaten all day, I could easily conquer 10+ bowls of boat noodles.

Conclusion

Pros

Good price, especially compared to other restaurants in the area.
There is a lot of variety to choose from, you can customize your noodles till your heart’s content!
Fast service, your food can literally come out in less than 10 seconds after you order.

Cons

The flavors could be a little more vibrant and punchy.
During peak service sometimes the staff can get your orders mixed up, due to the popularity of this restaurant this happens quite often

Overall I definitely recommend you check out Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong, It’s one of the best places to get boat noodles in Bangkok. I especially like the variety and the quick service, the price is also a big plus! The only real downside I have are that the soups and broth can be just average.

Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong | 8.5 / 10

Phone: +66 86 422 4932

Location: 1/7 Ratchawithi Rd, Samsen Nai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400

Opening Hours: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM | Tue - Sun

Pricing: 18 THB for small or 60 THB for large | $

Looking for Things to Do in Bangkok?

SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World - Encounter over 400 marine species and 30000 creatures
Floating Markets Day Tour - Tour 3 major markets: Damnoen Saduak, Maeklong, Amphawa
Safari World Bangkok - Meet exotic and friendly animals at Bangkok’s animal kingdom
Discounted Tickets - Browse a variety of attractions, tours, and transports all for a great price

Useful Resources for Traveling in Thailand

Tourism Information - All the information you need when traveling in Thailand
4G/5G SIM Card - 8 days, 15GB, Important for staying connected while in Thailand
Private Airport Transfers - Transfer from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city without worry
Best Bangkok Hostels - A list of the best hostels to stay for cheap and meet new friends