I've lost count of the number of times I've been to Bangkok and perhaps it is the case for many Singaporeans. Even after the numerous times to Bangkok, I often go to the same few restaurants. This time, I decided to explore the street food of Bangkok. Not just any street food, but the famous yet extremely unexplored Michelin Street Food in Bangkok, Thailand.
The following list covers food that are either Michelin-starred or bib gourmand awardees that you can find on the streets of Bangkok! To get to some of these places, you'll need quite a bit of a walk from the nearest metros so we do suggest that you wear good walking shoes and grab your BTS Skytrain Rabbit Card! For those who do not wish to walk that much, ensure that you have your 4G Wifi or data in Bangkok and download the Grab App. Take note that because of the "bangkok traffic" you may end up having to sit in your grab for quite a bit during the peak hours...
1. Thip Samai
The original outlet at Yaowarat is full-of-flavour. The decor has a touch of rustic-ness to it. Pictures and plaques plastered over the walls as you hear and smell the delicious pad thai frying outside the store.
I first tried Thip Samai several years ago and its sweet orangey red sauce that coats the springy noodles wrapped within the thin omelette was undoubtedly my favourite pad thai in Bangkok. The pad thai also had a slight char (wok-hei( due to the large wok used to fry the noodles!
However, on my previous few trips, the quality of the Pad Thai seems to have taken a little dip. The permanent long queues also deter me from heading back. Nonetheless, if you have yet to try it, Thip Samai still deserves a chance. Especially their modern new outlet in ICONSIAM where you get to sit within the indoor fountain and enjoy your pad thai in comfortable air-conditioning.
While you are there, don't forget to try their freshly squeezed orange juice. The pulpy sweet orange juice was a refreshing drink to have after consuming the oily pad thai. Though a tad expensive, it is worth your every baht.
Thip Samai
313 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200 Thailand
299 ICONSIAM Department Store 6th Floor R602-R603, Khlong Ton Sai, Khlong San, Bangkok 10600, Thailand
2. Raan Jay Fai
Featured in Netflix's Street Food Bangkok Edition, Jay Fai serves up awesome authentic Thai Food. Unlike most Thai Street Food that are extremely affordable, heading to Jay Fai may also burn a hole in your pocket and not only that, be prepared to wait quite a while...
Should you not want to spend too much time waiting, make reservations by emailing them @ jayfaibangkok@gmail.com.
Raan Jay Fai
327 Maha Chai Rd, Khwaeng Samran Rat, Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
3. Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This was a surprising find. We were walking around Yaowarat Road and spotted this little joint filled with locals slurping bowls of soup. Only after we paid did we realise that Nai Ek Roll Noodle was a Michelin bib gourmand awardee.
Nai Ek started off selling peppery roll noodle soup on a push-cart as a means of living after emigrating to Thailand from China. After business picked up, he opened his store on Yaowarat in 1989.
When you are there, you can order from a selection of ingredients such as intestines, sliced pork, roasted pork, et cetera. Side dishes such as salted vegetables and braised tofu are also available. Should you not like roll noodles, you could also have the roasted pork with rice paired with a bowl of soup.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
442, 9 ซอย Khwaeng Samphanthawong, Khet Samphanthawong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
4. Eiah Sae 益生
Eiah Sae is not exactly recorded in any Michelin guide but I thought that it is still worth a mention as it is one of the last traditional coffee shop in Bangkok, Thailand. The 87-year-old Chinese cafe is an extremely small joint that locals still visit. It is said that even the queen has visited the joint. If Eiah Sae's coffee is fit for the queen, then it is fit for us...
Should you be visiting, this would really be quite an experience as you head to the store with many pairs of old Thai locals staring right back at you. Here, try their extremely thick and fragrant Thai Iced Coffee as well as their toasts. It is definitely not a fancy affair but simple, homely toasts.
Eiah Sae 益生
111 Phat Sai, Khwaeng Samphanthawong, Khet Samphanthawong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
5. Jek Pui Curry
Jek Pui Curry, also known as the "red stool restaurant", is found in Bangkok's old town. Don't belittle this pushcart as it serves one of the cheapest and the best Thai curry in Bangkok.
Also featured on Netflix's Street Food Bangkok, the over 50-year-old pushcart is worth the trip. There aren't any tables or fancy cutlery, but instead, you'll eat it either standing up or sitting on its red plastic stools set out at the side of the cart. The cart opens around 4pm daily and closes when it sells all its curry. Many locals head to the cart either with their bikes to buy some home for their families or just to quickly grab a bite before heading to their next location.
At Jek Pui, what you see is what you get. Each day, they serve Red Curry with Beef, Green Curry with Chicken, and Yellow Curry with Pork. When we were there, there was only the Red and Green Curry so those are what we ordered. We also ordered the chinese sausage slices that were well-received by the locals. If you head there in the afternoon, they also have some other stir-fried dishes that you can add on to your rice such as vegetables and sweet and sour pork.
After ordering our food, we headed straight to the red stools to grab a seat. Using only the provided spoons, we scooped spoonful after spoonful of rice drenched with the curry. The curry were thin and watery, but oh-so-flavourful. Eating by the road while looking at the cars and motorcycles whizz past is an experience in and of itself.
Jek Pui Curry
石龍軍路, ซอย 19 25 Mangkon Rd, Khwaeng Pom Prap, Khet Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
6. Nai Mong Hoi Thod
Nai Mong Hoi Thod serves Thai-style oyster omelette (hoy tod) and is located in a shophouse off Charoen Krung Road in Yaowarat Chinatown. When we were there, there was almost no tourists, but just a few locals enjoying the generous serving of oyster and omelette.
Here, you can choose between the crispy and the plain one and we got both! We definitely very much preferred the crispy one as compared to the plain gooey one. The eggs are mixed in sticky rice flour before frying it in lots of oil so the result is an omelette that tastes almost like a pancake. The oysters are all pre-fried before placing them on top of the crispy omelette as compared to some of those we have in Singapore where hawkers just pile up the raw oysters on the omelette. The soft hoy tod has the oysters stirred right inside so you get a creamy texture while eating. Having hoy tod is definitely not one for the health-conscious!
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
539 Phlap Phla Chai Rd, Khwaeng Pom Prap, Khet Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
7. Rung Reung Pork Noodle
Rung Reung Pork Noodle should be a stop should you be visiting EmQuartier at Phrom Phong Station. This little joint serves the best pork noodle soup so much so that we couldn't help but order an extra serving after having our fill!
To order, select what type of noodles you'll like (we like glass noodles) and the type of soup you'll like (tom yum soup, clear soup, fish ball and minced pork, and dry tom yum). Thereafter, select the size of your bowl - there are three sizes you can choose from small (50 thb), medium (60 thb), and large (70 thb).
There are also a bunch of sides you can order and the fish skin is definitely a hot favourite!
After a short wait, our piping hot noodles came. The broth of the clear soup with the pork was so flavourful and even for someone who doesn't like soup, we lapped down every single drop. The tom yum soup had a spicier kick but we did feel it kind of mask the flavourful pork broth a little.
The minced meat was perfectly seasoned and goes really well with the broth. For a varied texture, dip the fish skin in before eating to get a slight crisp with the flavourful broth! The noodles were really good too as it soaked up the broth. Our glass noodles was also chewy, bouncy, and had a really good texture!
Writing about this definitely makes me salivate and I can't wait till the next Bangkok Trip to have this piping hot bowl of soup once again!
Rung Reung Pork Noodle
10 3 Sukhumvit 26 Alley, Khwaeng Khlong Tan, Khet Khlong Toei, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand
8. Jeh O Chula
What's Thailand best known for? I would say its tom yum! Combine that with springy mama noodles - you'll have to try Jeh O Chula's famous tom yum mama. It is also extremely packed all.the.time, so a reservation is recommended. You can purchase a voucher for fast track access.
Jeh O Chula
Banthat Thong Road, 113 Charat Muang Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (National Stadium BTS)
So there you go, these are some underrated Michelin street food that you can try the next time you visit Bangkok. Have you tried any of these? Share with us your experiences in the comments below!
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