noey krob thai crispy butter crepes — *Noey krob, basically flat crispy crepes lathered with butter. so good*

If you’re a foodie and you’re traveling in Thailand, the number one thing that should be on your to-do list is to eat delicious Thai street food!

Bangkok is home to some wide variety of innovative street foods, bo doubt you’ve heard of the famous Pad Thais or Somtum Papaya salads, but those are more sit-down-to-eat dishes. What I’m talking about is street food that you can eat while walking around find other things to eat at the local Bangkok street food night markets.

So join me as I guide you through some of Thailand’s greatest street food dishes!

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Bangkok is a Culinary Hot Tub!

thai street food cart — *small street food carts like this can make a name for themselves in Bangkok*

Bangkok is literally a hot pot of different food cultures and traditions, In the center of Bangkok you’ll find artisan smash burgers, freshly made pasta, mouthwatering butter chicken curry, and if you visit Yaowarat, Bangkok’s famous Chinatown, you’ll find a melting pot of Thai-Chinese historical food cultures that spans back hundreds of years.

This is context is important, because you’ll see that the street food in Bangkok is varied and influenced by many different cultures, with the more recent street food innovations coming in from East Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and China.

A Brief Introduction to Thai Street Food

Thai stewed pork knuckle — *Large pork hooves stewed to sweet sweet perfection*

In this blog I’ll be talking more about the Thai street food items that you can eat on the go. Let’s be honest, while Thailand has some incredible dishes that you must try like your classic Pad Krapao or Boat Noodles, they’re more like dishes that you would have to sit down for and eat. Not pretty indicative of Thai street food night market culture.

If you didn’t know, Thai food follows a rule of the balance of 5 flavors: sweet, salty, savory, spicy, and bitter. Thai street food dishes generally follow the same rule. I’ve written a comprehensive Essential Guide to Thai Food if you would like to learn more, feel free to do a bit of fun learning before your trip to Thailand!

Classic Thai Street Food Items

*An assortment of grilled pork, Kor Moo Yang (pork neck) is my favorite :D*

These will be the go-to street food snacks for many locals. You’re guaranteed to find most (if not all) of the street food items in this section all throughout Bangkok. They’re a staple of Thai eating culture after all.

If you want a tip, you’ll find a plethora stalls selling these classic street foods around the old town district of Bangkok, places like Charoenkrung or Yaowarat Chinatown, which I argue is the epicenter of Bangkok street food heritage.

If you want to make your Bangkok street food exploration easier, there are some guided tours you can take such as this Midnight Food TukTuk Tour which brings you to visit some of Bangkok’s most legendary street food stalls, all aboard the iconic rickshaw. The old town is a big place and I highly recommend you find a tour, like the above, to maximize your eating potential!

Moo Ping - Grilled Pork Skewers

thai moo ping — *Moo Ping, the best way to start the day in my humble opinion*

The undeniable classic amongst many of us Thais, the Moo Ping or grilled pork skewers. Moo Ping is a favorite Thai street food snack that is often eaten for breakfast. Usually you would order like 3-4 sticks and then a bag of sticky rice to go along with them.

Fatty pieces of pork is marinated in a sweet glaze of fish sauce and spices. What makes Moo Ping so good is that the fat gets all charred from the charcoal grill creating this really nice smokey flavor, not to mention the pork meat is incredibly juicy and tender.

You can find Moo Ping all over Bangkok, in random street food vendor carts on the side of the road to crowded street food night markets. Meaty, juicy, fatty, and covered in that sweet saucy glaze, a perfect way to start the day if you ask me.

Gai Tod Hat Yai - Hat Yai Style Fried Chicken

thai hat yai style fried chicken — *I feel like every country has their own version of fried chicken, what’s your country’s version?*

Another classic Thai street food item, and a very famous one throughout the country is the Thai style Fried Chicken. And not just any fried chicken mind you, Hat Yai style fried chicken.

I have eaten many a fried chicken in my life and I might be a little bias here but I think Hat Yai style fried chicken is my favorite amongst all of them. Hat Yai Fried Chicken is a little bit different from say American style fried chicken, here the chicken is marinated in some fish sauce and only a little (or sometimes non at all) bit of flour or cornstarch is added to give the chicken a little crispy shell when fried, no batter here.

The resulting fried chicken is crunchy yet not soaking wet with oil, the fried chicken also comes out very juicy and tender.

You can order Hat Yai Fried Chicken by itself but many people eat this with sticky rice. The thing that makes this fried chicken all the more better is that a spoonful of crispy golden deep fried shallots is piled onto your fried chicken adding such a delicious aroma and an extra crunch. In fact, I could just eat the fried shallots by itself with sticky rice and I would still be happy. The fried shallots really are that special, guys!

Hat Yai Fried Chicken is served with a sweet chili sauce, but I personally don’t like it, I think the fried chicken stands well on its own.

Sai Krok Isan - Isan Sour Fermented Pork Sausage

I know I said classic 2 times already, but another classic Thai street food item is Sai Krok Isan.

These fermented pork sausages are made with pork (duh), garlic, coriander, rice, and so on. Rice may sound like a weird ingredient but the rice actually helps to absorb all the fat and juiciness of the sausage.

You might’ve figured out, being fermented, Sai Krok Isan is sour, though there are some vendors who sell non-sour versions. Sai Krok Isan is often paired with pieces of crunchy cabbage, peanuts, Birds Eye chilis, and ginger, you just take a bite of the sausage and then follow that up with anything you like.

I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t really like Sai Krok Isan but as I grew older I started to appreciate the flavors much more, It’s very meaty, poky, sour, oily, and the nice snap of the sausage casing makes for a great texture.

I recommend you try Sai Krok Isan, it’s the quintessential Thai street food snack, all the flavors of Thailand in one. If you think you might not enjoy the sourness ask the vendor if they have the non-sour version.

Khanom Krok - Crispy Coconut Milk Cakes

My personal favorite sweet Thai street food snack/dessert is the Khanom Krok.

A batter of flour and coconut milk is poured into a griddle from which the snack got it’s name from, The Krok griddle had circular holes similar to a Japanese Takoyaki, when the batter is poured in, the shell crisped up while the center congeals a bit to create this rich and decadent coconut cream.

Some toppings like green onion, corn, or taro is added on top of the Khanom Kroks. These are the traditional toppings, but you can find innovative vendors adding all sorts of different sweet toppings.

Khanom Krok is just so good, crispy and crunchy outer shell, with a rich and creamy coconut custard in the middle. My favorite topping is corn which adds a nice little sweetness.

A superb Thai street food dessert/snack, and definitely a must try when you are in Bangkok, trust me you’ll love it.

Khanom Krok Talay - A Savory Seafood Griddle Cake

Following on from the sweet Khanom Kroks, there is also a savory version called Khanom Krok Talay where “Talay” means “Seafood”. These aren’t made with coconut milk rather they’re made with egg and resemble a more pancake-y batter.

Toppings vary from shrimp, imitation crab, squid, octopus, ham, and sausage.

While Khanom Krok is eaten by itself, the Talay version is often served with a sweet chili sauce.

There’s a lot more oil and grease in this one, but that makes for a very crunchy shell with I love.

Fried Quail Eggs

In similar ballpark, an cooked in the same Krok grill are these very simple fried quail eggs, you’ll find them available at literally every Thai street food market, they seem to be very popular at floating markets like Amphawa or Damnoen Saduak.

They’re as simple as can be, some fried quail eggs, sometimes you’ll even find venders getting a little creative with adding toppings like ham or sausage.

A little sprits of Maggi sauce (kinda like soy sauce, popularly eaten with sunny side up eggs for breakfast), and a dusting of black pepper and you got yourself a hearty protein packed snack.

Tod Mun Pla - Fried Fish Cakes

My personal go-to Thai street food snack are these Tod Mun Plas or “fried fish cakes”. These guys are basically fish meat, red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, chilis, and a bunch of other spices all mixed together, ground up, formed into patties, and deep fried. The fishcakes are juicy, kinda bouncy, and packed full of herby and spicy flavor.

What makes this so great is the sweet, sour, and spicy chili sauce that is served along side (or poured all over) the Tod Mun Pla fishcakes. An addition of freshly sliced cucumbers also a a nice crunchy texture as well as some freshness.

Some vendors go the extra mile and top the fishcakes off with a pile of crispy, aromatic deep fried holy basil leaves. This is the major kicker, more food should be topped with deep fried holy basil.

Tod Mun Pla is a great snack, that can be served as an appetizer to your dinners.

Look Chin - Meatballs and Fishballs and all the Balls

look chin thai meatballs — *This one is a famous look chin stall that sells pure meat look chin without any flour or additives*

Another essential item in the Bangkok Street Food Repertoire are meatballs or Look Chin! These guys are made with ground meat like pork, beef, or even seafood like shrimp and fish. The balls are skewered then grilled over a charcoal flame adding some extra smoky-ness.

Some vendors add flour to their meatballs to give it a bouncy texture, while some vendors pride themselves for their flour-less, and additive-less Look Chins.

You can find Look Chin literally everywhere and they are often served plain or with some sauce like a thick sweet chili sauce or a spicy Thai seafood sauce.

I prefer the seafood sauce, in fact, seafood sauce is possibly the greatest sauce in all of mankind.

Kluay Tod - Deep Fried Banana Fritters

What’s better than a regular banana? A fried banana, and you’ll be happy if you love fried bananas because Kluay Tod are some of the greatest fried snacks in existence.

A crunchy batter combined with a soft, mushy, almost jammy banana interior, what’s not to love? Oh and when you get these freshly made, and the gooey banana is warm and the shell is peak crunch, it’s literally heaven.

It doesn’t have to be Banana either, you’ll find that vendors sell Kluay Tod in addition to other fried goodies like Taro, and Sweet Potato. My favorite is the sweet potato, because it feels more hearty than the banana.

Give Kluay Tod a try, these are like my childhood snack as well. When my family and I would go on a long roadtrip we would stop by gas stations and buy a bag of these fried delights to snack on.

Roti - Sweet (and sometimes savory) Flatbreads

thai roti — *A plate of sweets and fat, what’s not to love?*

And what’s better than a fried banana? Bananas covered in Nutella AND condensed milk! This is a favorite topping for the classic Thai street food dessert/snack known as Roti.

Yes roti is a well known flatbread in many parts of Asia but in Thailand we do it as a dessert. The roti batter would be grilled in copious amounts of oil and butter, then it’s up to your choice of toppings.

Plain, condensed milk, sugar, strawberries, Ovaltine, Nutella, whatever your sweet heart desires.

The Roti is quite thin and so it’s very crunchy as a result. But despite the diabetes, Roti is a favorite street dessert snack for a lot of us locals.

Fusion Thai Street Food Dishes

thai street food night market — *Trendy night markets like Jodd Fairs are the birth places of many of today’s modern Thai street food*

Alright, now we’ve come to the fusion street food scene of Bangkok. In this section are some Thai street food that aren’t fully Thai in origin yet are popular with us locals or have in some way adapted to fit the local Thai palate.

As I mentioned before, Thai food culture has a lot of history behind it, and if you want to tour Bangkok’s historical attractions as well as eat an amazing lunch on a bus (yes, a whole a** dining experience on a bus) then this Thai Bus Food Tour Experience is a very popular activity in Bangkok’s Old Town. You’ll get to enjoy scenic views of over 20 attractions throughout Bangkok as well as enjoy a Michelin starred meal all from the comfort of Bangkok’s first Food Bus.

Khanom Jeeb - Chinese Style Dim Sum

thai dim sum khanom jeeb — *A classic snack, Khanom Jeeb*

Dim Sum or in Thai known as Khanom Jeeb are fairly popular especially for the Thai-Chinese community.

These are like you expect from the regular Dim Sum you’ll find in Chinese restaurants. However in Bangkok they are served with some extra fun additions.

Of course you get your sour and salty soy sauce, but you also get a pile of deep fried garlic bits are dunked on top of the Khanom Jeeb giving it a nice garlic-y aroma as well as some crunch. Some vendors also give you a little sour chili vinegar sauce to go along with your Khanom Jeeb

You’ll find a lot of great Khanom jeeb shops in Yaowarat (Chinatown) more specifically the local legends himself, Pae Sia Dimsum, whose tiny street food cart has been serving Dim Sum for over 100 years!

Mala Skewers - Grilled Skewers with “Mala” Seasoning

thai mala skewers — *These “Mala skewers” will probably insult any Chinese person but I can’t help it, they’re pretty addicting*

A recent discovery in the Thai street scene is Mala, a spicy and numbing seasoning originating in China. More specifically I’m talking about Mala skewers which are skewered meats and vegetables grilled over charcoal and lathered with a spicy “mala” sauce and sprinkled with “mala” seasoning.

The reason I put the word mala in quotation is because if I refer to this as mala, the entirety of China would kill me, because this skewers don’t really resemble anything like the authentic mala skewers you have in China.

These skewers are spicy, and they are sort of numbing? but they resemble a roasted sweet chili sauce rather than mala. Regardless I was addicted to these guys whilst I was in university. They make for a great late night snack and my favorites were definitely the small intestines.

I feel like these mala skewers are catered more to students or the late night crowds rather than the everyday street food enjoyer.

Sushi - Not Like The Ones in Japan…

thai sushi — *The colors are so vibrant that it looks almost artificial…*

Another strange street food item popular in the street food night markets of Thailand is sushi! There are numerous stalls displaying an army of vibrant Gunkan-maki sushi topped with an even more colorful assortment of ingredients.

The ingredients range from tamago egg, imitation crab, tuna, overly sweet and slimy seaweed salad, and a bunch of other seafood… things.

You’ll rarely find raw fish here though which is good because I don’t know how well they hold up to the humid Thai heat.

To be honest, I don’t like these sushis at all, they taste pretty horrible and cheap, overly topped with sweet Kewpie mayonnaise, and cheap ingredients that you find in a 7-11. But they are popular with the younger crowds and I do appreciate the variety.

I guess if you want cheap sushi then these guys are alright? Might as well just get Sushiro or any conveyer belt sushi chain to be honest…

Soy Sauce Marinated Raw Seafood

thai soy sauce marinated seafood — *Is your stomach strong enough to try out these raw marinated seafoods?*

This is a pretty recent invention but also a copy of a famous street food in South Korea. In South Korea they have marinated crab (Gejang) but in Thailand, we’ve expanded to include marinated everything seafood.

Raw seafood marinated in soy sauce, chilis, garlic, sesame seeds, and plethora of other things. You get raw crab, salmon, shrimp, blood clams, scallops, and so on.

I’ll be honest, this dish scares me, raw seafood, marinated, and left out on display… Yeah… I don’t think my stomach is strong enough for that. Especially the blood clams, they’re already to be dangerous and lethal if not cooked properly…

I mean, raw marinated seafood is very popular, even my girlfriend loves it, but for me, I am not brave enough to try this dish, you might be though. Don’t let my fears stop your enjoyment ;)

The Modern Thai Street Food Scene

leng saap — *Leng Saap is an iconic image of the modern Thai street food scene*

Now let’s get into the modern era of Thai street food! The modern Bangkok street food scene is ever evolving, mainly in the trendy street food night markets of Bangkok like Jodd Fairs or the Indy Night Market.

You’ll find an assortment of weird an often times wacky street food creations. Though I will say that in my opinion, a lot of these street foods are created for the “wow factor” or for viral-ity on social media platforms like TikTok.

So with that in mind, I’ll be sharing with you some noteworthy Bangkok street foods that locals eat on an almost daily basis.

Pan Fried Squid Eggs

thai fried squid eggs — *I know it looks kinda gross but I heard it’s pretty tasty*

First up, fried squid eggs are making a big appearance in night markets all over Thailand. Egg sacks from the squid are pan fried in butter or oil along with some herbs like garlic to create this crispy outer texture and a soft, bouncy, and almost creamy texture.

Then the fried squid eggs are served with everyone’s favorite Thai seafood sauce.

I’ll be honest, I don’t really like this one, most of the time the squid isn’t fresh and the ocean-y taste is overwhelming. Plus, this is a personal thing, but I don’t like the slimy texture of the squid eggs.

Though I do see on many a vlogs that a lot of people love fried squid eggs, so why not give them a try :)

Yaowarat Toasted Buns - Custard Filled Toasted Buns

This is more of a dessert but Yaowarat Toasted Buns are to die for! Originally appearing on the streets of Bangkok’s Chinatown, you can now find these warm sweet treats all over Bangkok.

Fluffy buns are stuffed with a mixture of butter and sugar then grilled giving them a lovely crunchy toasted exterior. Next a huge helping of your choice of custards or sweet thick caramel-like filling is added.

Some fillings are: Chocolate (my personal favorite), Condensed Milk, Sweet Roasted Chili Paste, Pandan Custard, Salted Egg Yolk, and much more. The filling is where the real uniqueness is, it’s more sticky and gooey than your typical custard, imagine the consistency of honey, in fact I think they do add some honey to some of the fillings.

Yaowarat Toasted Buns are absolutely divine, crunchy on the outside, warm, fluffy, and buttery on the inside. Give these a try when you are in Bangkok, if you want the best version of these head to Yaowarat

Thai Rolled Ice Cream

Ahh yes, the iconic rolled ice cream. Originating in Thailand and later taking the world by storm, these guys are basically ice cream. That’s all there is too it, just ice cream’s cooler cousin but essential the same thing.

Made using milk, cream, sugar, and any topping/flavor of your choice, the ingredients are chopped up, mixed up, and flattened up down to a large sheet which are then rolled into sticks.

They are a fun little treat, and as far as modern Thai street food goes, these rolled ice creams have been here for a while.

I prefer regular ice cream though, just my take.

Look Chin Tod - Fried Fish Balls

We’ve come to my favorite modern Thai street food snack, Look Chin Tod! These guys are basically just your regular Look Chin meat balls but deep fried in oil to give it that crunchy outer skin.

They’re usually found in gas stations all across Thailand and make for a very excellent road trip snack, my mom would always by a few bags of these whenever we would go on a road trip.

Look Chin Tod usually comes with a thick, sticky, and sweet roasted chili sauce which does well to contrast the oiliness of the Look Chin.

Thai Fried Insects

The last Thai street food that I would show is you is not actually “modern” but it has enough popularity in the modern Thai street food scene that I would just describe it as a recent trend.

Fried insects are everywhere in Bangkok night markets, though I will say that they are sold for the novelty rather than as actual street foods. Sue many locals eat fried insects regularly but I’d say that’s a very small minority. A lot of us Thais are actually quite afraid to bite down on a fried silk worm believe it or not.

Depending on which insect you choose, the texture is either insanely sharp and crunchy, or disgustingly um… weird? The insects are sprayed with a little bit of fish sauce after frying so um that’s nice?

I had the bamboo worms and crickets before and they tasted sort of like bland potato chips with a hint of nuttiness. Not bad actually :)

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
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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
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Private Airport Transfers - Transfer from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city without worry
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