Bangkok: Food Guide - Dining Out

Dining our in Bangkok

Thailand’s food is a profusion of exotic flavours and fragrances which make it among the most coveted of international cuisines. Whether you are outside or inside a shopping mall, nearby or inside a market, along the pavement or anywhere a cart and a few fold-up tables and chairs can be placed there will be food sold. As a walk through Bangkok powerfully reminds, the flavours and fragrances of Thai food are seemingly inexhaustible. The variety of food is amazing, interesting and sometimes just odd. You can walk down a small street and be persuaded by the smells wafting through the warm air to buy a whole range of food from juicy pieces of grilled pork on a stick or a fiery bowl of ‘Tom Yum’ soup, to a deep fried cockroach.

Bangkok is littered with restaurants ranging from traditional Thai cuisine to big fat American burgers and everything in between. The streets are full of small food stalls, noodle carts, insect carts and fruit trolleys. Some of the finer 5-star hotels offer menu’s of quality produce from around the world presented in typical elegant Thai manner. Bangkok also offers a wide range of beverages which vary from a freshly made fruit smoothie from the street to the original Singha beer in a bar or the more adventurous Sangsom Rum. Also look out for the local ‘moonshine’ known as lao kao or ya dong.

Fruit and vegetable markets in Bangkok

If you’re looking for a cheaper and slightly healthier option, you can shop at one of Bangkok’s street side fruit and vegetable markets. There are markets scattered all over the city offering fresh produce and cheap prices. Most markets are open everyday during the day. As well as the fruit and vegetable markets, on almost every street corner there will be fruit carts selling fresh fruit kept cool by large chunks of ice. Prices are cheap, 10baht for a bag of pineapple or 20baht for a farang (a type of Thai apple).