What to Eat in Thailand
Thai food is four regional cuisines sharing one table: central curries and stir-fries, northern curry noodles and sausages, hot Isan salads with sticky rice, and bold southern curries. Rice is the base and everything else is shared.
Thailand's food divides into four main regional cuisines. The north draws on Lanna, Yunnanese, Shan and Burmese cooking, the north-east (Isan) is hot and built on sticky rice, the centre is balanced between hot, salty, sweet and sour, and the south is bold, coconut-rich and sour.
A Thai meal is a set of shared dishes eaten with a plate of rice each. Most dishes are eaten with a fork and spoon, noodles with chopsticks and sticky rice with the fingers.
In Bangkok the street runs mainly in the evening, in Chinatown especially, and the cheapest bowls are a few tens of baht.
How a day of eating goes
Breakfast tends to be quick: grilled pork skewers with sticky rice, rice porridge, or fried dough with soy milk.
Lunch and dinner are built on rice. Dishes arrive as they are cooked, not all at once, and diners season at the table with chilli, sugar, fish sauce and vinegar.
Street stalls and night markets fill the gaps, with Yaowarat in Bangkok busiest in the evening.
Breakfast and brunch
Breakfast is often something grilled, fried or boiled to rice, eaten early and quickly.
Moo ping
Marinated pork skewers grilled over charcoal and sold on street mornings with sticky rice.
Jok
A thick rice porridge with pork, ginger and an egg, eaten for breakfast.
Patongo
Golden fried dough sticks dipped in sweet soy milk.
Khao yam
A southern rice salad of herbs, shredded vegetables and sauce.
Khanom jeen nam ya
Fermented rice noodles with a fish curry sauce, a southern breakfast.
Street food and snacks
Bangkok street food borrows from all four regions and runs hardest in the evening.
Hoy tod
A crisp omelette of mussels or oysters, popular in Bangkok.
Kuaytiaw khua kai
A Chinatown noodle dish of wide rice noodles cooked in a hot wok.
Khao kha moo
Pork leg braised in soy and spices and served over rice with egg.
Kai tod Hat Yai
Southern fried chicken served with crisp fried shallots.
Roti gluay
A thin fried roti folded round banana and finished with condensed milk.
Starters and small plates
A Thai meal is shared: several plates, with a plate of rice for each person.
Som tam
Shredded unripe papaya pounded with chilli, lime, fish sauce and palm sugar; an Isan classic.
Sai oua
A northern grilled pork sausage full of herbs and chilli.
Nam prik ong
A northern dip of tomato and minced pork, eaten with vegetables.
Miang kham
Betel-type leaves filled with toasted coconut, lime, ginger, shallot and a sticky sauce.
Poh pia tod
Crisp rolls with a sweet chilli dip.
Soups and stews
Soups are hot and sour, or coconut-rich, and are eaten alongside rice rather than before it.
Tom yum goong
A clear lemongrass broth, hot with chilli and sour with lime, with prawns and mushrooms.
Tom kha gai
A coconut milk soup with chicken, galangal and lime.
Tom saep
An Isan soup with pork or beef offal, chilli and herbs.
Gaeng jued woon sen
A mild clear soup with glass noodles, minced pork and tofu.
Gaeng liang
A peppery vegetable soup with shrimp paste.
Main dishes
Curries, stir-fries and grilled meat come with rice; sticky rice is the staple in the north-east.
Pad thai
Rice noodles with prawns, egg, peanuts and a sweet-sour tamarind sauce.
Gaeng keow wan
A green curry with coconut milk, Thai aubergines and basil.
Pad kra pao
Minced meat stir-fried with chilli, garlic and holy basil, served on rice with a fried egg.
Massaman curry
A southern curry with potato and peanuts.
Khao soi
A northern coconut curry noodle soup topped with crisp fried noodles.
Khao man gai
Poached chicken served on rice cooked in its broth, with a ginger and soybean sauce.
Gai yang
Marinated chicken grilled over charcoal, from the north-east.
Larb
A minced meat salad dressed with lime, fish sauce and toasted rice powder.
Desserts and sweets
Coconut milk, rice and fruit carry most Thai sweets.
Khao niao mamuang
Ripe mango with sticky rice and sweetened coconut milk, eaten in the hot season.
Khanom krok
Small crisp coconut rice cakes cooked in a pan of moulds.
Tub tim grob
Water chestnut coated in a red jelly coat, served in iced coconut milk.
Bua loi
Small glutinous rice balls in warm sweet coconut milk.
Kluay buat chi
Banana poached in sweet coconut milk.
Drinks
Sweet, cold and milky is the usual street drink.
Cha yen
A strong orange spiced tea with sweetened milk, served over ice.
Cha manao
Black tea with lime, served over ice.
Nam manao
Fresh lime juice sweetened and served cold.
Oliang
A sweet iced black coffee.
Nam takrai
A cold sweet lemongrass infusion.
What is changing
A July 2026 Bangkok food guide says most street stalls take cash in baht or local QR transfers, while mall food courts use rechargeable cards and Michelin-listed restaurants accept credit cards.