21 Best Bangkok Street Foods To Try in 2025

Few cities do street food like Bangkok, and this roundup of the best Bangkok street foods might have you craving an overseas flight.

With so many Thai restaurants around the globe (in the U.S. alone, 11% of Asian restaurants serve Thai food, according to Pew Research Center, making the cusine third in popularity after Japanese and Chinese), we all think we know Thai food: pad thai and Thai green curry are now proud representatives of the country’s cuisine worldwide.

But Bangkok street food is so much more than the Thai takeout we’re used to overseas. Thailand is home to one of the world’s most vibrant, thriving and beloved street food cultures — just one of the things that make its capital of Bangkok one of the world’s culinary hot spots.

So whether you’re planning a trip and scouting out places to eat good street food in Bangkok or you’re simply curious and want to explore the savory world of Thai food from afar, start your journey with this guide to the 21 best Bangkok street foods.

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• What Street Food Is Bangkok Known For?
• The 21 Best Bangkok Street Foods To Try
• Learn How To Cook Thai Food

What Street Food Is Bangkok Known For?

Unlike most cities where street food is only locally popular, Bangkok street food has taken on a life of its own overseas. The promise of fresh, authentic Thai food draws travelers to Bangkok from all over the world, and for good reason. Visitors will quickly find that Bangkok boasts a street food scene like no other, and it deserves to be explored. 

Those wondering what street food to eat in Bangkok likely want to start with the most famous dishes like pad thai, satay dishes and moo ping, a type of meat skewer.

As you explore more, you’ll also see common ingredients. First and foremost, noodle dishes are extremely popular, so you will likely see a huge array of noodle shops. Barbecued meat and seafood are also very popular bases for Bangkok street food dishes, so that savory smell you might catch a whiff of from down the street is most likely something grilling. 

Oh, and one other thing: unlike the vast majority of Asian countries, Thailand doesn’t use chopsticks much. In the 1940s, a military coup installed a dictator who wanted to strengthen Thailand’s national identity. One of the ways he went about trying to do this was by banning anything Chinese — including chopsticks. As a result, Thai street food is mostly eaten with a fork and knife or your hands.  

How Much Does Street Food Cost in Bangkok? 

Bangkok has long had a reputation for being an inexpensive place to visit. But what will Bangkok street food actually cost you? Well, the city comes by its affordable reputation honestly: Bangkok street food is amazingly cheap. 

Eateries catering to tourists will always be the most expensive, but even then, a single dish will likely not run you more than 2 USD. And the more local you go, the lower the prices. Stop by a market or food stall in a neighborhood where few tourists come, and you’ll likely be able to eat for just cents per dish. 

So, at the end of the day, the wide availability of inexpensive food is one Bangkok cliché that has some truth in it. It’s usually a pretty good indicator of affordable prices when a city is favored by twenty-something backpackers! 

Where Is the Best Street Food in Bangkok?

Like any major metropolis, Bangkok is a city of a million neighborhoods, and not all of them are equally well-known for their food scenes. If you’re too intimidated by the size of the city to investigate on your own, locally-led food tours in Bangkok are the ideal stress-free option to consider. 

But if you prefer a do-it-yourself experience in one of the best foodie cities in the world, there are a few areas known to offer the best Bangkok street food. 

Talat Phlu 

This area of Bangkok, near its old train station, boasts two markets and countless street vendors. It’s less trafficked by tourists, so you’re likely to get a more authentic Bangkok street food experience here. 

Banthat Thong Road

Although this Bangkok street food hot spot is wildly popular with both locals and tourists from neighboring Asian countries, very few American tourists visit. If your favorite places to eat have locals lining up around the block, be one of the few who finds your way to Banthat Thong Road for some of the best Bangkok street food.

Yaowarat 

Yaowarat is where Bangkok's street food has been most clearly influenced by Chinese cooking. You’ll find both purely Chinese dishes and ones that tweak a Chinese specialty with ingredients available in the more tropical climate of Thailand. 

Due to this historical significance and the wide variety of options, Yaowarat is broadly considered to be the best place to try Bangkok street food. It’s a must-see for visitors, especially at night. Yaowarat is a rare spot for Bangkok street food that is both frequented by tourists and beloved by locals. 

The 21 Best Bangkok Street Foods To Try

1. Pad Thai 

This has to be the best-known of all Bangkok street foods, and the world is in love. Stir-fried pad thai is, in many ways, the dish that launched Thai cuisine to worldwide popularity, and you can’t not sample it in Bangkok.  

With a base of popular ingredients like rice noodles, shrimp, egg and bean sprouts, it’s easy to see how the dish has become so beloved. You will likely find pad thai with proteins other than shrimp as well, including vegetarian pad thai. 

Honor the roots of the world’s obsession with Thai food by sampling pad thai in its birthplace from a casual street eatery — just as it was meant to be enjoyed.

2. Squid Eggs

It’s hard to describe what a squid egg looks like if you’ve never seen one, and you might be a little bit put off by how odd it sounds. But these savory snacks, often served with salted egg (from a chicken this time), are actually one of the trendiest Bangkok street foods at the moment and are generally accompanied by a flavorful chile sauce. 

You won’t be able to avoid running into them, so why not take your palate on an adventure? Squid eggs are one Bangkok street food you won’t get anywhere else, so seize the moment.  

3. Kluay Tod

Fried banana? You bet! There are lots of fried dishes on the Bangkok street food scene, but this one is unique for its markedly sweet flavor. Bananas are coated in a coconut-sesame batter that ensures a perfect crunch and adds hits of sweetness and savory. 

You may have seen a rendition of this banana fritter dish in the U.S. that was fried with a technique similar to tempura, but don’t be fooled: the real deal must always have that coconut batter. Do as the locals do and have fried banana as a snack (ideally while you peruse the rest of a street food market looking for your next must-try Bangkok dish!) 

4. Sai Krok Isan 

Sai krok isan is a spicy fermented pork sausage made with rice. Adding to its taste is the custom of serving it with ginger, raw cabbage and chiles, all of which add punchy flavor to the dish. This Bangkok street food is most frequently eaten as a snack and has to be tasted at least once. 

5. Moo Ping  

Nothing says street food like walking around with a skewer of meat in your hand, and that’s exactly what this Bangkok street food is. Moo ping (or mu ping) couldn’t be simpler: it’s just grilled, marinated pork on a stick. 

But there’s a near-universal appeal to the idea of eating meat off of a stick, isn’t there? If you’d like a slightly more complete meal, you can often find moo ping served with sticky rice. 

6. Boat Noodles 

This noodle soup fits just about every Thai ingredient you’ll see in Bangkok street foods: pork, beef, noodles, soy sauce, spices, meatballs — you name it. 

It’s also usually seasoned with cow or pig blood, in case you’re feeling adventurous. You may also get the dish with bean curd or even pig’s liver, among other ingredients. In terms of the interesting name, that comes from the boats that used to sell this dish as they traversed Bangkok’s canals.  

7. Roti 

The name “roti” means something different depending on where you are in the world, and it’s most commonly known as a type of Indian bread. The Thai version looks more like a crêpe, and that’s the roti you’ll encounter in Bangkok. 

Thai roti are essentially fried flatbreads that are usually served with sweet toppings like banana, coconut and condensed milk. The resulting dessert is unlike anything you’ve tried — subtly sweet, crispy and absolutely delicious. 

8. Oyster Omelette  

A base of water, flour, fish sauce and scallion supports raw oysters, egg and bean sprouts in this ubiquitous Bangkok street food, which is usually served with a delicious chile sauce on the side. It’s Thailand’s contribution to the world of scallion-infused Asian pancakes, and it’s so well loved that other countries have put their own spins on the Thai original. 

9. Mango Sticky Rice  

Thailand’s tropical climate is perfect for growing rice and fruit, both of which play starring roles in this dessert. It’s a simple dish: sliced mango is served atop or next to sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and garnished with black sesame seeds.

Its subtle sweetness is so appealing that it’s one of the best-known Thai desserts worldwide. This Bangkok street food is a must-try for anyone with a sweet tooth. 

10. Grilled Garlic Shrimp  

When you eat shrimp, it’s probably been shelled first. That’s not the case with this Bangkok street food, which opts to leave the shells on when preparing the shrimp.

Whole shrimp, shell and all, are soaked in a savory garlic sauce before being grilled, often over charcoal. The result is a complex flavor profile that will keep you coming back for more. 

11. Som Tam 

This is another Bangkok street food that has become a well-known dish outside of Thailand. The popular dish is spicy, garlicky and sour as well as sweet. 

Thai papaya salad (or som tam) consists of strips of unripe papaya (hence the ‘green’) served with chiles, garlic, shrimp, green beans and tomatoes in an umami sauce that includes lime, fish sauce and sugar. There’s hardly a major flavor that’s not to be found in this quick, refreshing dish, making it a perennial favorite in the tropical heat. 

12. Kuaytiaw Pet

Duck is often seen as a Chinese specialty, but it’s used in Thai cuisine as well. This duck noodle soup is a popular example of that. 

Kuaytiaw pet (or kuey teow pet, with other variations seen) looks a little bit like ramen: braised duck is sliced and served atop a bowl of noodles and vegetables in a soy-based broth. It’s nothing like the fussy Peking duck you may have tried at a fancy Chinese restaurant and might just get you hooked on a meat you’d never expected to try. 

13. Tod Mun Pla 

Curry flavors make their way into many Bangkok street foods, most famously via this red curry-flavored fried fish cake dish. Tender fish is mixed with spices, red curry paste and vegetables, then shallow-fried and served with a sweet chile dipping sauce. If you want to sample the bounty of Thailand’s abundant waterways, indulging in tod mun pla is one of the most popular ways to do that. 

14. Saku Sai Moo 

You may have encountered tapioca pearls in boba, but how about dumplings? Saku sai moo is easiest to describe as a dumpling made of sticky tapioca and filled with pork and vegetables. It’s worth trying for the texture alone — it’s truly like no other dish you’ll try in Thailand — and it makes a great snack on the go. 

15. Pad Kra Pao 

This simple pork and basil fried rice meal is one of Thailand’s most beloved dishes. Though the crispy stir-fried pork is ostensibly the star of this dish, some fans insist that it’s actually the flavor of the basil (holy basil or Thai basil instead of the Italian variety you may be most used to) that pulls it all together. 

You’re free to draw your own conclusion on that point, but you’ll no doubt agree that — whatever its selling point — pad kra pao is deserving of its status as an iconic Bangkok street food. 

16. Fried Quail Eggs 

You may not have eaten eggs that came from anything but a chicken stateside, but in Thailand, quail eggs are a culinary staple. Not only are they used in dishes from noodles to dumplings, but Bangkok locals also love them fried. 

They’re cooked in a pan with round, smooth indentations until they look roughly like a sunny-side-up chicken egg. They’re said to taste much like chicken eggs but quite a bit creamier. 

17. Hat Yai Style Fried Chicken 

Although Thailand’s take on fried chicken hails from the far southern region of the country, it’s spread to the north and taken root as a popular Bangkok street food. 

What makes it special is its flavorful seasoning: the chicken is marinated in a plethora of spices, fish sauce and oyster sauce before it’s breaded and fried, ensuring a full-bodied flavor and all the spice that Thai food is known for. Fried shallots complete the pungent flavor of this favorite dish. 

18. Kanom Gui Chai 

The influence of Chinese cooking on Bangkok street food is clear in this chive-based dumpling dish. Unlike the dumplings you may imagine, they’re not made of a thin wrapper filled with meat. Instead, the most common variety sees chives mixed into the dough, which is then cut into cubes and fried. 

While a version that uses dumpling wrappers exists, the crunch factor of the fried variety can’t be beaten. Even so, if you’re a fan of dim sum, you’ll probably love the steamed version in a traditional dumpling wrapper, too. 

19. Pad See Ew 

Stir-frying techniques were one of China’s greatest gifts to Thai cuisine. For one thing, they paved the way for this popular noodle dish, which consists of rice noodles, meat, egg and vegetables, all stir-fried in a soy-based sauce. 

Pad see ew is another dish you may have encountered at a local Thai restaurant, so don’t miss the opportunity to try the real thing from the streets of Bangkok.

20. Kanom Krok 

For breakfast or dessert, Bangkok street foods offer sweet options, too. These pancake-shaped sweets are made with coconut milk, rice flour and sugar, creamy inside and crunchy on the outside. 

Locals enjoy them for breakfast, dessert or as a sweet snack, and they’re a very safe bet for travelers who are worried about spice. When in doubt, remember that some of the best and most underrated ​​Asian desserts hail from Thailand. 

21. Pork Satay 

One of the most popular Thai dishes worldwide is also a beloved Bangkok street food. Satay refers to grilled meat served on a skewer with peanut sauce. Although the preferred meat overseas tends to be chicken, pork is more common in Thailand. Don’t worry — it goes just as well with the peanut sauce! 

Because of its portability, satay is one of the foods most closely associated with Bangkok street food. Being so popular in Thailand and globally, don’t miss this one on your Thai street food odyssey.

Learn How To Cook Thai Food

One of the best-kept secrets of the Bangkok street food scene is that it’s not too difficult to recreate in your own kitchen. You won’t get the experience of wandering the streets with a snack in hand or watching the city go by as you eat, but with the help of chef-guided cooking classes near you, you can create new Bangkok street food memories right at home. You could even take online cooking classes for a true armchair street food experience in your own kitchen! 

Or consider taking Bangkok street food recipes home with you as a souvenir. With the help of an expert local chef, you can learn to make the region’s specialties by taking cooking classes in Bangkok. What better memento of your trip could you take back home? 

With endless variety and unmatched freshness, Bangkok street foods are truly one of the city’s premiere attractions. Whether you came to Thailand to eat your heart out or not, you’ll no doubt fall in love with this new side of Thai cuisine: not in a takeout box, not at a sit-down joint on your lunch break, but freshly made for you on the busy streets of Bangkok. These 21 dishes are but a sampling of the culinary adventures this city has to offer. 

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.