14 must-try food in Yaowarat Chinatown Bangkok known mostly to locals

Written by Dawn Pillay
Co-written by Patt Wattanasupt

Wondering where to go for your next food adventure in Bangkok?

How about Yaowarat, Bangkok’s Chinatown where a smorgasbord of incredibly delectable food awaits? We fell in love with some of Thailand’s most flavourful and unexpected dishes here!

From cold sweet noodles that’s actually a truly delicious dessert, to the ultimate Tomyum Pork Noodles that packs a punch we can’t get enough of…

Also read:

27 reasons to check out Talad Neon night market in Bangkok

9 Places to get Instagrammable street food in Bangkok

16 All-you-can-eat buffets in Bangkok under 400 Baht with unlimited time

Where to stay in Bangkok: 6 best areas and 12 budget hotels near BTS (under $40!)

We wandered down the streets of Yaowarat sampling the best of the best, so you know just where to go to make the most out of your foodie adventure.

Here’s another great piece of news…

Check out the Chinatown food trail with 14 stops altogether, that you can easily follow for your food adventure!

Chinatown foodie route:
Direction by Bing Maps

When you’re in Bangkok, simply take the MRT to Hua Lamphong MRT Station, then walk 6 minutes and you will arrive at your first destination.

Have fun!

1. Step into a pastel Kpop paradise – So-k Cafe

First stop, So-k Cafe!

This pastel Kpop paradise will have all kpoppers swooning at the themed decor. Images of your favourite kpop stars mixed with a romantic pastel palette complete with flowers, it’s easy to let your hair down and enjoy a comfortable time here.

The menu serves up drinks and eats to open up your belly before commencing on your foodie walk through Chinatown.

There’s even a chill area that allows you to lie back on the raised wooden dias with comfy cushions and low tables.

Advertisement

2. It’ll put a zesty spring in your step – Scoopp Homemade Ice Cream

Oh. My. God. Our absolute favourite thing about Scoopp (that’s still unforgettable), was the Lime and Sour Plum homemade ice cream. It was just the right amount of zest that truly put a spring in our step as we went about our foodie adventure.

If you’re not a fan of the heat, step into Scoopp and take a gander at the selection of homemade ice cream. There’s a nice variety of options, and the ice cream will help to cool you down as you walk about Yaowarat in search of the next great dish.

3. Give Thai satay a try! – Chong Cheung Pork (Chongki) Restaurant

If you can’t get enough of satay back home, why not give Thai satay a try?

This famous Thai satay is served with a generous helping of pickled vegetables, onions, and the Thai take on peanut satay sauce.

Give it a shot!

4. Our favourite Tomyum Pork Noodles unlike any other! – Kuay Tiew Trok Rong Mhoo

This editor has been preferred rice over noodles all her life, but this particular trip made me fall in love with noodles once and for all.

Why? Simple, the spicy Tomyum Pork Noodles with a burst of flavours that has me constantly craving it – so much so I’m on the constant search for it even back in my home country.

It’s a startlingly different type of tomyum (you can choose to have dry tomyum or soup tomyum noodles), and comes served with crushed peanuts.

Honestly, you’ll have to try it for yourself to see how good it really is. I know I’m head over heels in love with this dish and there’s no going back!

5. This dessert shop will blow you away – Ah Yi Wan Yen

Sweet, sweet noodles! Ah Yi Wan Yen serves up dessert that combines unexpectedly simple ingredients, to create one delicious dish with flavours that blend together perfectly.

Case in point, our favourite was their popular cold mixed dessert that included sweet noodles, beans, pine seeds (otherwise known as attap chee), gingko nuts and more. Personally, I had never tried sweet noodles before, and the concept was foreign to me. Guess what, the sweet springy noodles blew me away! Noodles for dessert? Who knew.

Another dish that was really simple and yet oh-so-delicious was the gingko nuts in evaporated milk. Love, love, loved the simplicity of it, and how yummy it was. Of course, there are other desserts available for you to try!

6. Small but mighty, this bowl of noodles truly packs a punch – Texas Boat Noodle

This bowl of noodles might look small but it’s packed with huge flavours.

The boat-style noodles (a wooden boat at the preparation area if you’re wondering what this means) has an aromatic dark soup with really intense flavor. It comes with tender pork and meatballs.

You can pick from 5 types of noodles (thin, small, flat, egg noodle, and instant ramen). Finally, top it off with Thai basil and pork skins.

If it gets too spicy, there’s a surprise bubble tea stand inside for you to get a drink to wash it all down with.

And have we mentioned? It’s super affordable!

7. Buns, buns, and more buns! (long queues for this too) – Delicious Bread Yaowarat

While this roadside stall simply only sells bread… the queues were crazy with a capital C. You had to place your order, take a number, and wait for your number to be called. Waiting time goes from 10 to 30 minutes.

Moving on to the bread itself, Delicious Bread Yaowarat sells toasted buns that have a delicious crisp outside, and fluffy jam-filled inside. Choose your filling of choice, from chocolate to strawberry, condensed milk and more.

Hint: The best filling in our opinion, are the chilli, condensed milk, butter and custard, or butter and sugar!

8. Tender trotters, delicious stew! – 3 Pork Leg Shop

If you’re a sucker for trotters, you have to try 3 Pork Leg Shop. The gravy is to die for.

While the pig trotters are a little on the fatty side (aren’t they all), the meat has been deliciously stewed to tender perfection, resulting in fall-off-the-bone goodness, and an extremely flavourful gravy.

9. Delicious curry rice, Thai-style (long queues too!) – Chek Pui Restaurant

When you’re here, you’ll be surprised at how long the queue is for this simple unassuming roadside stall that serves up plates of curry rice.

You’ll get to choose the ingredients you want on your rice, and enjoy it by the roadside. The meat is soft and tender, with just the right amount of flavour and taste. It’s no wonder why it’s so popular.

10. Follow the insanely sweet aroma and enjoy incredible roasted duck – Nai Mao Duck Noodle (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเป็ดนายเมา)

The first thing that greets you when you visit this food stall, is the incredibly sweet aroma coming from a big pot of homemade Chinese herbal soup.

The taste won’t disappoint you either. A bowl of duck soup comes with slices of equally wonderful and tender roasted duck and blood pudding.

You can order it with noodles (we like it with egg noodles!) or try it with a bowl of rice. They also serve roasted duck over rice and no worries, you can still get a bowl of that delicious soup.

Whatever you choose, it’s a win-win.

11. Can’t get enough of that crab!! – Crab Noodle

Quite frankly, we were surprised to find quite a few stalls in Bangkok serving up crab-based dishes – and how good these crab dishes were.

This crab noodle (opened since 1948!) roadside cart serves up a surprisingly tasty bowl of noodles. From the deliciously comforting homemade broth, to the noodles that had that perfect springy texture – and not forgetting the generous chunks of crabmeat, we’re sure anyone would enjoy a taste of this.

PS: The charsiew (roast pork) slices added into the noodles were well marinated and added an extra oomph too!

12. This Thai pancake is as big as half your face! – Khahom Bueng Woeng Nakhon Kasem

This small food cart has a different take on Thai pancakes.

First of all, they use bean and rice flour to make the batter which makes the pancake really crispy. Secondly, instead of using traditional sweet cream filling, they use egg.

Last and the best of all, it’s huge!!

They offer two flavours of toppings, sweet and salty.

Why settle for one? We recommend ordering two toppings in one pancake. It comes even bigger!! You simply have to see it for yourself.

Prepare to queue for this popular pancake, but no worries. The long queue moves pretty quickly!

13. Craving dim sum in the heart of Yaowarat? – Hua Seng Hong Restaurant (ภัตตาคารฮั่วเซ่งฮง)

If you’re craving Chinese food and relief from the Bangkok heat while in Yaowarat, there’s no other place better to go than Hua Seng Hong.

Enjoy the cool AC and 200+ items from the menu.

If you’re in a hurry, order varieties of delicious steaming hot Dim Sum – and a plate of crispy on the outside, but juicy on the inside duck to share for the table!

Not big on sharing? How about just a bowl of egg noodles duck soup, or roasted duck over rice just for yourself? We don’t judge.

14. Get your traditional and fusion Thai desserts here – Sweet Time

It’s a sweet end to the night with another fantastic dessert place in Yaowarat! Sweet Time unsurprisingly sees long queues every night. They serve sweet noodles, along with a plethora of traditional and fusion Thai desserts – no wonder the popularity!

If you’ve a sweet tooth hankering for something new, come down and check out the menu for yourself.

We’d love to hear which dish you loved!

There you go with a simple food adventure for any foodie to go on!

Have a mouth-watering time and let us know which dish is your absolute favourite. We want to hear from you!

Sign up to win fantastic prizes from our partners

Sign up now if you want us to send you an email whenever our partners have something to share with everyone!
FREE air tickets, free stays, free tours or free gifts!

Coming soon! Exclusively on TripCanvas

Name

Email

PLEASE NOTE: All the above information is correct at the date of publication. If you come across any changes or updates, please let us know and we will update the information accordingly. Thank you! Tell us

• share on facebook
• twitter
• google+
• linkedin

Advertise with us