Food Walk, Bangkok

Food Walk (Self Guided), Bangkok

There aren't many cities out there, if any, beside the Thai capital to be just as voracious and passionate about eating! Food in Bangkok is a key aspect of daily life, attesting to which are the numerous eateries all over the city. And what's more, regardless of where you have it, be it a scrumptious street food stall or a fancy restaurant, the local food never fails to impress.

Bangkok is, undoubtedly, a major foodie destination and a culinary mecca. From wizened street vendors who perform alchemy with sizzling woks to whiz-kid chefs who shape the art of fine dining, the city lays claim to one of the world’s most multifaceted food scenes.

Although Thai cuisine is now international, whenever tourists plan the best things to do in Thailand, they're usually at a loss where to find the best food in Bangkok. Indeed, amid so many places to eat, singling out the best can be a bit tricky. To help you out with the choice, here are some of the locations worth checking out to tickle your taste buds:

Lumphini Park Food Stalls – an outdoor mom-and-pop food court and grocer rolled into one, with dozens of independent vendors offering precooked and made-to-order Thai food, various sweet treats and raw menu;

Convent Road – a busy lane that turns into an outdoor food aisle most weekday afternoons, particularly around lunch time, with a barrage of stalls offering simple meals and snacks; the options here are plentiful all day long;

Thanon Pan and Silom Road Intersection – the row of street vendors offering snacks for a fraction of the price normally paid at a restaurant for appetizers or in supermarket produce departments, but tasting just as good, if not better.

If you're keen to give yourself a treat and, perhaps, unravel some of the food mysteries of Bangkok, follow this self-guided walk and satisfy your hunger for adventure!
How it works: Download the app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone or tablet. The app turns your mobile device into a personal tour guide and its built-in GPS navigation functions guide you from one tour stop to next. The app works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Food Walk Map

Guide Name: Food Walk
Guide Location: Thailand » Bangkok (See other walking tours in Bangkok)
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Sightseeing)
# of Attractions: 5
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Author: valery
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
  • Lumphini Park Food Stalls
  • Convent Road
  • Sala Daeng Soi 2
  • Silom Road
  • Thanon Pan
1
Lumphini Park Food Stalls

1) Lumphini Park Food Stalls

Grab a bottle of water or cool drink and take a nice relaxing walk through the city's oldest (and biggest) park to admire the grass, the trees, the monitor lizards, birds and flora in a quiet, serene environment. There's plenty of exercise equipment to get a workout in or take a run around the perimeter or along the paths. Other activities include Chinese Tai Chi, aerobics, tennis, badminton, cycling, paddleboat, going to the pool, and more – a great respite from the traffic and hecticness of Bangkok!

Make sure to buy fish food (20 baht per bag) as you enter, and if you're an early bird, absolutely grab a local breakfast from the food stalls. The vegetarian one (marked by yellow triangle banner) sells excellent plates of brown rice with eggplant, tofu, soya, and okra for just 50 baht. You can then finish off with steamed rice sweets and an iced Thai coffee or some fresh juice (the best one can get!) – cheap, tasty, and a great way to experience the local vibe.

Tip:
The food stalls close by 9am, so plan accordingly.
2
Convent Road

2) Convent Road

Amid the odd-numbered sois of Silom, the busy tree-shaded lane of Soi Convent starts with a barrage of food stalls and continues with several restaurants catering for various tastes – from Irish pub grub to fancy fusion.

For all-authentic Thai dishes at a great price, try the very local, down-to-earth HAI SOLTAM (Mon-Sat: 10am–9pm), providing an opportunity to try as many different papaya salads as you can. The nearby INDIGO (11:30am–11pm) is a charming, well-regarded French restaurant in an old, wooden building with a large garden. The management is "hands-on" making all the French classics delicious; the veal chop, in particular, is something almost impossible to find anywhere else in Bangkok. With an innovative inside/outside design, the EAT ME RESTAURANT (3pm–1am) down a narrow laneway serves many inventive and delicious cocktails, while the food offers a true fusion of classic and contemporary touches in both Western and Eastern dishes, which include nice vegetarian options.

A good place to stroll if looking to escape the crowds of Silom Road!
3
Sala Daeng Soi 2

3) Sala Daeng Soi 2

The central business district of Bangkok, Silom, is always crawling with people. The name “Silom” translates from the Thai language as lots of food, and surely the Sala Daeng neighborhood, in the heart of Silom, does live up to this reputation.

Running between Convent Road and Sala Daeng Road, Sala Daeng Soi 2 is a small side street that accommodates one of the biggest concentrations of street food vendors in the city. On weekdays, especially during lunch hours, when hordes of hungry office workers rush to fill up their stomachs, the area gets literally flooded with street food options. And, surprisingly enough, there is always plenty of room for everyone.

The unfolded variety of culinary delights on offer is plentiful and suffices to please even the most discerning tastes. Here, you will find everything, from curries and rice dishes to soups (including yen ta fo broth with an almost tingling feeling), fish meals, plus many noodles and BBQ options – all of which have been served here for years.

The advice is to follow one's instinct and be curious. If you spot something that smells good, rest assured that it usually tastes good too. And if you haven’t made up your mind yet, take a stroll up and down the street to see what the locals are having, before you decide.
4
Silom Road

4) Silom Road

Silom Road, along with Phloen Chit and the Siam Area, is among the best shopping areas in Bangkok, its location in the central business district ensuring lots of food options as well, which can be complemented with a stop at one of the many Irish pubs dotting the road's entire stretch.

Most lively in the morning, the traditional food market right across the street from Wat Khaek (aka Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple) is a very interesting side of local culture and trade. Available for both takeaway and eating-in, the meals here are really pleasant, catering mostly to tourists but still authentic, fresh and tasty. Arrive early morning for some slow-cooked, no-fuss chicken biryani, or the infamous "khao neow dam sang kaya" – slightly crunchy grains of black rice paired with just a little nibble of custard and light coconut cream – simply a magical little dessert treat!

Similarly catering for both Western and Asian taste, TALINGPLING (11am–9:30pm) serve mostly good dishes, with fried fish and sliced pork being the best of the best. For a fine blend of scrumptious, vegetarian-friendly Lebanese and Indian cuisine, look no further than the cozy AL SARAY SILOM (11am–12am) – food is filling, prices are reasonable, service is excellent, and the Chef will be on the floor to recommend/explain dishes you are not familiar with.

Late-night revelers in the Silom area can always drop by at the 24-hour BURGER KING, or sample street vendors' Thai soup, omelets over rice, balls of assorted meats, etc., all of which taste even better with a nightcap.
5
Thanon Pan

5) Thanon Pan

Thanks to the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple and the mixed assembly of restaurants surrounding it, Bangkok's role as an Asian crossroads is made evident on this road. If you want to experience eating the way many locals do, the food vendors occupying it will often offer snacks for only a fraction of what they would cost in supermarket produce departments – and, yes, they taste just as good.

The beginning of Thanon Pan's toothsome confusion is marked by YEN TA FO WAT KHAEK, a Chinese place – already 50 years in business – that serves the popular pink noodle soup "yen ta fo": a bowl of fish balls, fried tofu, crunchy morning glory, rice noodles, and squid. Opposite the Hindu temple, at the KRUA AROY-AROY, you can try the different colorful Thai herbal drinks for a refreshing treat; for lunch, have some excellent curry dishes or the rare-to-find "khanom chin sao-nam", served in cool coconut milk sauce with fresh pineapple slices and a little hint of chili peppers and dried shrimp!

Making your way down the road, you will come across numerous other places such as CHENNAI KITCHEN – for excellent authentic South Indian food (with lots of vegan options); the PERSIAN HOUSE, where nothing is short of great quality Persian food with large portions; or the stylishly decorated LUKA – one of the best brunch places in Bangkok, therefore quite busy (try booking a table in advance). For high-end, the authentic Italian restaurant OPUS has great food and a great selection of Italian wines and coffee – worth a trip!

Walking Tours in Bangkok, Thailand

Create Your Own Walk in Bangkok

Create Your Own Walk in Bangkok

Creating your own self-guided walk in Bangkok is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Bangkok Old City Walk

Bangkok Old City Walk

The Thai capital Bangkok emerged in the 15th century as a small trading post in the Chao Phraya River delta. The origin of the name “Bangkok” is unclear and was likely a colloquial adopted by foreigners, in which Bang is the Thai word for “village on a stream” and Ko means “island”, referring to the city's watery landscape. Another opinion is that it may be shortened from Bang...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Flower Market to Chinatown

Flower Market to Chinatown

One of the shopping capitals of the world, Bangkok is a city where you can buy almost anything, provided you know where to find it. And if shopping spree is high on your agenda, then the local markets are the best place to go.

Vibrant atmosphere, smiling faces, plus the staggering variety of unique things on offer, including wealth of delicious street food and snacks – there's nothing...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
Wats and Temples of Bangkok

Wats and Temples of Bangkok

The “City of Angels” – Bangkok – is a home to over 400 temples. Known locally as "wats", some of them are massive complexes, quite famous and attracting thousands of tourists every day, while others are smaller and lesser-known, located far down the tiny "sois" (side streets), well out of tourist traffic. Still, all these shrines equally form an integral part of the...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Chinatown Walking Tour

Chinatown Walking Tour

Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. Founded in 1782, the core of it lies along Yaowarat Road, which serves as the main artery and sometimes lends its name to the whole area.

The district has been the center for trading by the Thai Chinese community for almost 200 years, progressively evolving from a vast wilderness outside the city walls to a major...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip


Top 15 Things to Buy in Bangkok

Top 15 Things to Buy in Bangkok

Well-made, local products not only remind people of the trip they've had, but also make great gifts to bring home to family and friends. Following is the list of original and representative of Bangkok local specialties that you might wish to consider as a memorable...
7 Places in Bangkok for Superb Street Food

7 Places in Bangkok for Superb Street Food

Eating is huge in Bangkok, and luckily for the famished, you won't be that way for long, regardless of the hour. You can find conglomerations of vendors selling five-star fast food (in the you-won't-have-to-wait-long-to-enjoy-it sense, not McDonald's style) for under 100 baht (roughly...