By daylight or neon light, Bangkok’s Chinatown in Yaowarat Road is the city’s bustling belly, offering a veritable feast for the senses
Bangkok’s Chinatown is the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. And no one with a modicum of culinary common sense would dare deny Yaowarat Road is the epicentre of the continent’s favourite pastime — eating. The experience, however, varies greatly. By day, the mood is mellower and the oftentimes searing heat dictates different dishes to try. Chilled treats, yin foods and icy drinks are the order of the hour. Once night falls and the streets light up with all manner of neon signs, recalling the glory days of Hong Kong’s Wan Chai, the palate yearns for fire and spice. For those who need a quick 101 on the places to hit, here is a brief introduction to six of the best of Bangkok’s Chinatown, from street to starred … Michelin-starred.
The Cheap Eat: Nai Ek Roll Noodle
If you love eating with a single implement, then Nai Ek Roll Noodle is ideal for you. Using thin kway teow (rice rolls) coiled up into a convenient mouthful, all you need to enjoy a meal here is a soup spoon. Nai Ek is one of two establishments vying for the title of “King of Kway Chap” (or guay chub as the Thais spell it) — the other is Ouan Pochana, which offers a spicier soup. There is no discounting Nai Ek’s fame though. The business grew from a single pushcart to a perennially packed shoplot, and scarfing down a bowl of soup noodles here is a must should you happen to be in the vicinity. Add on a heap of side dishes to turn simple fare into a right feast. There is fried fish in ginger gravy, spareribs stew, braised duck thighs and deep-fried Chinese sausage. Don’t let the snaking queues put you off. The lines move fast as everyone knows the drill: sit, slurp and be on your way, fully sated.
442 Yaowarat Road, Samphanthawong
See also: Summer Omakase menus
The Treasure Hunt: Jok One Table
Come for breakfast, brunch or a snack at this hidden (and we mean it, in every sense of the word) stall, tucked away in a wet market. There are only two items on the menu if it is not dinner time: shrimp dumplings and fish maw soup. The latter comes in four variations: in red sauce, with abalone, with crab or the works. Prices, astonishingly, range from just THB100 ($4) to a max of THB440. The family running Jok One, according to the Michelin Guide, has sold crabs for more than eight decades and have since expanded their single table with rickety chairs to the grand total of five tables now. Foodies with deeper pockets come for the special chef’s table and omakase-style menu (only by prior arrangement) in the evenings.
See also: Toast to the nation with these SG60 National Day specials
23 Soi Charoen Krung 21, Phlapphla Chai Road, Pom Prap
The Prize: Potong
Housed in a skinny five-storey building that used to be a traditional Chinese herbal medicine shop since 1910, Potong needs no introduction. After all, anyone with stars in their eyes would know Chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij’s name by now. The first Asian to be named The World’s Best Female Chef in 2025 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, she skyrocketed to fame, having just opened Potong four years prior. Although the dining room’s name roughly translates as “simple”, the cuisine is anything but that. Expect tasting menus that span Chef Pam’s memories and emotions, manifesting in dishes like brioche with swimmer crab and its roe, and aged duck breast. Prior to opening Potong, the 36-year-old chef chalked up experience working for Jean-Georges Vongerichten. And be sure to start (or end) each experience here with cocktails at the fifth floor bar, Opium.
422 Vanich 1 Road, Samphanthawong
The Eclectic: Mustang Blu
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There is good food and drinks to be had within this formerly abandoned bank building that dates back to the 1800s, but one comes to Mustang Blu primarily for the vibe. In fact, only the curious and the brave would discover this gem, just off Yaowarat, on Maitri Chit Road. Step inside, however, and be rewarded by interiors that bring to mind Lemony Snicket, Harry Potter and Dr Dolittle all at once. A vintage ticket booth-inspired reception pays tribute to nearby Hualamphong Station while a taxidermy giraffe stares blankly ahead next to a soaring spiral staircase piled high with dusty books. Nostalgic green banker’s lamps, melted candles, a wooden grand piano and a faux palm tree add to the ambience. Wooden shutters shield you from the outside hustle and bustle as you sip tea and nibble on prosciutto and melon as the world goes by. Shabby-chic bliss at its best.
721 Maitri Chit Road, Pom Prap
The Opulent: Qilin Antique Tea Room
There is a Malaysian connection to this Thai version of Dream of the Red Chamber. Those with a penchant for tea rooms would invariably fall under the spell of Qilin, founded by Penang boy Andy See Thoe. Just a few steps from Mustang Blu’s eclecticism, Qilin offers full-blown chinoiserie. Amid antiques that date back to the late Qing Dynasty, precious paravents and opium beds, enjoy fine Chinese teas — from Hangzhou Longjing to Fujian Fuding and Guangdong Oolong — accompanied by the prettiest desserts ever. The pièce de résistance, of course, is the signature soy milk pudding with sesame tang yuan in the shape of goldfish. There is also a black goldfish version, filled with crushed peanuts instead.
The crockery used is as beautiful as the edibles that adorn it, and porcelain enthusiasts would no doubt find much to admire about the vintage blue and white qinghua plates and classic Wan Shou Wu Jiang cups and saucers.
1862 Maitri Chit Road, Pom Prap
The Rest Stop: Ba Hao Tian Mi
Exploring the Yaowarat food scene is hot and thirsty work, so a scheduled stop at iconic dessert bar Ba Hao Tian Mi is highly recommended. Located along Phadung Dao, a lane off Yaowarat which is, curiously, nicknamed Soi Texas, Ba Hao Tian Mi entices you in with its striking green-tiled moon gate entrance and array of chilled, silky Chinese pudding desserts. As you are in Bangkok, aka The Big Mango, expect the mango pud to be undoubtedly one of its bestsellers. But one sweet is nowhere near enough. There is also goji berry, boba milk tea, black sesame and a host of other flavours to sample and savour. And for those staying near the Park Hyatt, Bangkok or feeling parched after drooling over all the handbags at the Dior Gold House, you do not have to travel all the way to Yaowarat as there is also a Ba Hao Tian Mi outlet in the EmSphere shopping mall.
8 Phadung Dao Road, Samphanthawong
Battle of the wok stars
There is no denying Big Sister Mole or Jay Fai is the Queen of Bangkok fry-ups but Ann Tha Din Daeng might well be the new star poised to inherit the city’s street food crown
who: Raan Jay Fai
where: 327 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat
what: Snaking queues, cash-only basis (despite exorbitantly priced dishes for street food standard) and no air conditioning despite the hot breath of the fiery wok nearby — it is hard to fathom why Jay Fai still commands insane crowds. But if you have never tried the first Bangkok street food vendor to be awarded a Michelin star, now is as good a time as any.
why: Although everyone swoons over the crab omelette, the price — and not the heat and smoke from Jay Fai’s wok — will make eyes water. If you fancy bragging rights for having braved the crowds and scored a table, keep the tab decent by ordering other things that are as good and nowhere near as costly. The drunken noodles or pad kee mao is a crowd favourite as is the savoury rad na noodles in thick gravy.
who: Ann Tha Din Daeng
where: 167 Tha Din Daeng Road, Khlong San
what: Located on the “other” side of the mighty Chao Phraya, in what is known as Bangkok’s “Little Chinatown”, Khun Ann who heads up this little hole-in-the-wall eatery not far from the retail shrine that is Icon Siam could well be the successor to the Jay Fai mania that shows no signs of abating. The main plus points of Ann Tha Din Daeng compared with Raan Jay Fai are that the former is air conditioned and there are no loony waiting times.
why: Fans of Thai-style seafood stir-fries will find much to love at this little streetside restaurant where the fresh seafood is piled on ice outside the premises, tempting passersby. Crab, like at Jay Fai, is the main draw but here, order it in a rice soup, a creamy omelette, fried in rice, stir-fried with water mimosa or stir-fried with yellow chilli or curry powder. The deep-fried butterfish (or deep-fried sea bass with fish sauce) and stir-fried Chinese cabbage with abalone are also must-trys. It is street food, no doubt. But you would be hard-pressed to find a more delicious meal in the entire city of tens of thousands of options.
Editor's note: All Options food reviews are done incognito. Food reviews are subjective as they depend on the likes and dislikes of each writer. As they say, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. It’s best that readers try out the food reviewed here for themselves.
