15 BEST Thai Street Foods to Try in Thailand

Khai Krata, Fried Eggs on a Pan (Breakfast)

Khai Krata or fried eggs on a pan is a popular breakfast among the locals in Thailand. The fried eggs often come in these hot pans, and they are often sprinkled with sizzling fried eggs with minced pork, cha lua (the Vietnamese Pork Sausages), the Chinese Sausage, fried garlic, and vegetables, hence the name Khai Krata.

You can often find Khai Krata sold as early as 5 AM in morning markets around Thailand. It is a traditional breakfast that originated from Vietnam and China, and it is quite popular among older generations.

Khai Krata is often served with Thai-style iced coffee and Vietnamese buns with Chinese sausages, and often costs around 30 - 40 THB per serving. It is cheap, delicious, and surprisingly filling, making it a great breakfast to have when you are out and about exploring the morning markets in Thailand. If you are interested in making one yourself at home, it doesn't require much and can easily be done in a few minutes with this recipe.

Patonggo, Thai-Style Chinese Doughnut (Breakfast)

Another popular Thai street food breakfast is Patonggo, a Thai-style Chinese fried dough that is often made and sold right from the street in and around the morning markets in Thailand.

Patonggo comes in different shapes and sizes, but in my opinion, the most delicious ones are the smaller ones, which taste better and are way crispier than the bigger ones.

Thai people often eat Patonggo for breakfast, with condensed milk or coconut jams as dips, together with Thai traditional coffee. Sometimes, they also eat Patonggo with congee, which makes for one hell of a perfect breakfast combination.

You can often find Patonggo sold in the morning markets all over Thailand for around 1 THB a piece, and people would often buy around 20 THB plus 5 THB for a condensed milk dip for breakfast. Since they are deep-fried, it is probably not healthy in the long run. But hey, you aren't in Thailand that often, so why not try it out and see for yourself, right?

Kanom Krok, Coconut-rice Pancakes (Breakfast/Dessert)

Kanom Krok, one of my favorite Thai desserts out there, is a dessert dish consisting of several delicious grilled coconut-rice pancakes that come in 2 halves all stuck together to create this Thai traditional dessert that is to die for.

They are made out of coconut milk, flour, and rice all mixed up to form a half-circular dough where corns, shredded coconut, or cilantro are sprinkled over it while it is being grilled in a hot indented frying pan.

They are often sold in the early morning at food markets all over the country, and it is a popular breakfast among the locals. One pair of Kanom Krok often costs about 2 THB, and a portion of 20 - 30 THB should be enough for one person. When you are in Thailand, be sure to try these delicious coconut pancakes.

Khao Mun Ghai, Thai Chicken Rice (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)

Khao Mun Ghai, or Thai Chicken Rice, is a popular Thai dish sold in almost every food market you can find in Thailand. Thai people often eat Khao Mun Ghai for breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner.

It is a staple food for the Thais and one that is affordable and almost always guarantees great taste no matter where you buy it from. The Thai Chicken Rice is basically a Thai variation of the widely popular Hainanese chicken rice, where the rice is cooked in chicken broth and oil before being served with either boiled or fried pieces of chicken, or both.

Khao Mun Ghai is comfort food for Thais. They are cheap, delicious, and have well-balanced flavors without being as strong-tasting as other dishes, making it a great Thai food to try if you are new to Thai street food. The dish should cost about 30 - 50 THB.

Khao Kha Moo, Braised Pork Leg on Rice (Lunch/Dinner)

Khao Kha Moo is a Chinese-influenced Thai dish that is also popular among Thais, almost as popular as Thai Chicken Rice. More often than not, they are served at the same places as Thai Chicken Rice, so you won't have to look far to find a place to try it in Thailand.

Khao Kha Moo is a dish that is served with thinly-sliced stewed pig's trotter on top of steamed rice, half-cut boiled eggs, and several small pieces of lettuce. The most delicious part of Khao Kha Moo is the clear broth soup that you can pour over the dish.

They are delicious, quite filling, and very affordable at around 35-50 THB. You can find them all across the country, from a food court in an upscale shopping mall in Bangkok to the small street stall at a food market in the countryside.

If you are in Thailand and looking for alternative Thai street food to try, Khao Kha Moo should be at the top of your list. Many of my friends from abroad really love the dish, and I think you would too if you like to try something new.

Guay Taew, All Variation of Thai Noodle Dishes (Lunch/Dinner)

Guay Taew is a Thai word (probably originated from China or Malaysia) for noodles, and we have a ton of that here in Thailand being sold in restaurants, as well as in markets and street food carts all over the country.

Things you should know before ordering Thai noodle dishes are what they are made up of and how you can order them. First, we have to tell the cook which type of noodles you want. There are Ba Mee (Egg noodles, my favorite), Sen Lek (small rice noodles), Sen Yai (wide rice noodles), Sen Mee (vermicelli rice noodles), and Woon Sen (glass noodle).

Secondly, you will have to choose which type of noodle dishes you want. There are Tom Yum (spicy type), Yentafo (pink noodle soup, often with seafood), Moo Toon (steamed pork noodle), Nam Tok (boat noodle soup), and several other variations based on the region.

Lastly, you will have to indicate to the cook whether you want it stir-fried (dry) or in a soup. If you want it dry, you can say "Haeng," or if you want it in a soup, you can say "Nam."

Now that we have defined all 3 ingredients for Thai noodles, we can order them in Thailand ourselves as follows: To order a noodle in Thailand, you will have to combine these 3 words of ingredients together, and then you can tell the cook what you want.

For example, if you want stir-fried spicy egg noodles, then you can say "Ba Mee Tom Yum Haeng." Or, if you want pink noodles with wide rice noodles, you can say "Sen Yai Yentafo." That is it.

If you are looking for a cheap light lunch to eat when you are in Thailand, you can't go wrong with Guay Taew. The noodle dish often costs around 30 - 50 THB, depending on the portions. It is one of the cheapest street food dishes you can get, and I highly recommend trying it when you are in Thailand.

Suki Haeng, Stir-Fried Sukiyaki (Lunch/Dinner)

You may have noticed that many of the street foods in Thailand do not have a whole lot of vegetables, and you might be wondering how the Thais are getting their nutrients from.

Well, there are dishes like Suki Haeng that will serve you a huge amount of vegetables, all cooked with chicken, seafood, or pork, and stir-fried with healthy glass noodles and suki sauce.

Suki Haeng is extremely nutritious, very delicious, and one of the most filling street food dishes you can eat in Thailand. It costs around 40-60 THB, and you can often find them by looking at all the smoke and fire created from cooking with a wok that is often fuming around a certain area in the market.

If you are done with all the greasy and deep-fried street food in Thailand, the Suki Haeng is the way out of that cycle and a good chance for you to try some Thai street foods that are both tasty and nutritious.

Luke Chin Moo, Pork Balls on Sticks (Appertiser)

Luke Chin Moo is basically pork balls on sticks that are often sold on street food carts in almost every night market you can find in Thailand. You can also find them along the streets in big cities, especially in front of nightclubs and pubs, to feed those famished party-goers, which I heard is quite a lucrative business for them 😂.

Luke Chin Moo is more of an appetizer than a proper dish, and you can eat them while you wait for the main course or if you want to nibble on something as you walk around and explore the night markets. They are the perfect street food to eat and walk at the same time.

Luke Chin Moo is often extremely cheap at around 5 THB per stick of 3 pork/meatballs. There are many variations of these balls on sticks, such as fish balls, sausages, etc. Be sure to try them out when you are in Thailand.

Beef/Chicken Khao Soi (Lunch/Dinner)

Ah... Khao Soi, a traditional Thai dish specific to the northern region of Thailand, and for those of you who have been to a city like Chiang Mai, you know that Khao Soi is definitely a food to die for.

Khao Soi is a soup-like dish made with a mix of boiled egg noodles and sprinkled deep-fried crispy egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, lime, and either beef or chicken cooked in a spicy coconut curry-like sauce.

The tasty yellow curry that resembles Indian curries, but spicier and thinner, is what makes Khao Soi one of the most delicious dishes you can try in Thailand. They originated in Northern Thailand and were likely influenced by Burmese cuisine with a similar name.

The best place to try Khao Soi is in the city of Chiang Mai, one of the most popular cities to visit in Northern Thailand, where they take pride in their Khao Soi dishes and you will find countless restaurants to choose from. I highly recommend the beef Khao Soi from the Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kaat Gorm restaurant in Chiang Mai. They serve the most delicious Khao Soi dish I tried in Thailand.

Looking for the best places to eat in Chiang Mai?25 Absolute Best Restaurants And Cafes In Chiang Mai

Pad Thai (Lunch/Dinner)

Pad Thai was designated as the Thai national dish in the 1930s, and it has become a dish that all travelers must try first and foremost when they arrive in Thailand.

Pad Thai is basically a stir-fried rice noodle that is often cooked with eggs, chopped tofu, tamarind, and fish sauces. It is sprinkled with dried shrimp, garlic, red chili pepper, palm sugar, and chopped roasted peanuts.

With such a variety of ingredients, you can expect the taste to be a mixture of sweet, spicy, and sour all at the same time. Pad Thai is a great example of how multiple tastes can exist in one dish, which is what makes Thai food so delicious.

You can often find Pad Thai sold in Thai restaurants, as well as street food carts at night markets and walking streets, for around 35 - 50 THB per dish. It is a great dish for those of you who are new to Thai street foods and are looking for accessible, non-spicy Thai food to try.

Pad Krapow Moo Saab and Khai Dao, Minced Pork on Rice with Fried Eggs (Lunch/Dinner)

Pad Krapow Moo Saab and Khai Dao, or minced pork on rice with fried eggs, is the ultimate comfort food for Thai people. It is often the dish we order when we do not know what to order. Basically, the dish is served with minced pork cooked in a wok with basil leaves, oyster sauce, and chili on top of steamed rice.

The dish is often served with a fried egg, and that may sound weird to foreigners since you often associate fried eggs with breakfast. However, there is a purpose for it when we put fried eggs together with Thai food.

You see, Thai food can get quite spicy even for Thais, and in order to balance the spice out, fried eggs offer great spice relief, allowing you to continue to enjoy and finish the dish.

The same goes for the Pad Krapow Moo Saab and Khai Dao dish. It can be quite spicy, and the fried egg is a great taste balance for the dish. They are often served in most-to-order restaurants and street food carts found in night markets, and they often cost around 35-45 THB. If you are looking for one of the most popular Thai foods among the locals, Pad Krapow Moo Saab and Khai Dao are the ones to try.

Goong Ob Woonsen, Ginger Shrimp and Glass Noodles (Lunch/Dinner)

You cannot visit Thailand without eating a bit of seafood. The southern part of Thailand is right by both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, where fish are abundant and the seafood industry is thriving.

With such easy access to seafood, one of the best seafood dishes that can often be found in most food markets in Thailand is Goong Ob Woonsen, a Thai dish served with glass noodles and shrimps or prawns cooked with strips of ginger and bacon in a spice paste, and decorated with Chinese celery.

It takes a while to cook, but you can often find street food carts with three clay pots continuously preparing Goong Ob Woonsen for customers in most night markets. You can easily buy it for around 60 - 100 THB without having to wait too long.

If you are craving seafood and looking for cheap street food to try, Goong Ob Woonsen is a Thai street food dish you should definitely keep an eye out for.

Hoi Tod, Thai-Style Fried Mussels (Lunch/Dinner)

Hoi Tod, or the Thai-style fried mussels, is a must-try street food dish when you are in Thailand. Often cooked on a flat frying pan, the Hoi Tod dish is a mixture of mussels, omelet, and bean sprouts, with a dash of cilantro and pepper, all fried together, and then served to customers, sometimes on a sizzling hot plate.

With the sizzling Hoi Tod dish, pour the spicy-sweet sauce (Sauce Prik) all over it, and you have one hell of a delicious Thai street food dish that will have you drooling for more.

You can find Hoi Tod served in almost any night market in Thailand, from the Chinatown in Bangkok to the food market in Chiang Mai. They are often priced at around 40 - 60 THB, depending on the portion. It is a great Thai street food dish to eat, and it would be a shame if you come all the way here and do not try the Hoi Tod.

For more information about Bangkok, check out:16 Best Things to Do in Bangkok

Mango and Sticky Rice (Dessert)

Mango and Sticky Rice is probably one of the most popular Thai desserts out there. Even if you have never been to Thailand, you have probably heard just how delicious Mango and Sticky Rice is. You might even have tried it in a Thai restaurant abroad. It is the type of dessert that people think of the most when they think of street food in Thailand.

And that is for good reasons. Mango and Sticky Rice is delicious as hell. The mangos are often served when they are ripe, bringing out the sweetness of these wonderful tropical fruits. With sweet sticky rice all drizzled in smooth and tasty coconut milk and sesame seeds to give it texture, you have a Thai dessert that has won the hearts of travelers all over the world for decades.

Due to its popularity, mango and sticky rice can be quite expensive, with prices reaching over 120 THB for a box in Bangkok. However, if you look hard enough, you can still find mango and sticky rice being sold for only around 40 THB (Chiang Mai is the best place to try this for cheap), so be sure to keep an eye out for these cheap places.

Coconut Ice Cream (Dessert)

Are you noticing a theme here? Due to the tropical climate in Thailand and the abundance of coconuts we have here, they are one of the major ingredients we put in our food and desserts, and I think we can ultimately contribute the popularity of Thai cuisine to this delicious fruit. Or is it a seed or a nut? I have no idea, but they are delicious!

And one of the most delicious coconut desserts, very fitting for the hot and humid climate we have here in Thailand, is the coconut ice cream that is often being sold by a small ice cream trolley roaming the streets or at a night market all over the country.

The ice cream is made out of coconut and milk and is often served in cups, 2 pieces of bread, or a cone. You can choose to add toppings like sticky rice, peanuts, and more to add texture to your coconut ice cream.

For me, I always go with coconut ice creams served between 2 pieces of bread with sticky rice and peanut toppings. I am already drooling just thinking about it! When you are in Thailand, be sure to try the coconut ice cream out.

Further Reading for Thailand

Looking for more information for your trip to Thailand? Here are a collection of articles about Thailand that you might find useful:

• Looking for a complete travel guide to Southeast Asia? You should check out our 3-Month Backpacking Itinerary for Southeast Asia.
• Want to spend one month backpacking around Thailand? Check out: One Month Itinerary for Thailand.
• Have 2 weeks in Thailand? Check out this itinerary: 2 Weeks Backpacking Thailand Itinerary.
• Have only 10 days in Thailand? This itinerary might be more suitable for you: 10 Days Itinerary for Thailand.
• Planning a trip to Thailand? Here are the 11 Best Places to Visit in Thailand.
• Looking to go off the beaten path in Thailand? Check out the 10 Best Hidden Gems to Visit in Thailand.
• Visiting a country like Thailand, you are going to need a comprehensive packing list to ensure you bring everything you need for your trip. Check out: What to Pack for Thailand - The Essential Packing List.
• Wondering when the best time to visit Thailand is? Here is a complete guide on picking The Best Time to Visit Thailand.
• Learning a bit of Thai phrases will go a long way for you when you visit Thailand. Here are 15 Thai Phrases You Should Know.
• If you are traveling to Thailand, it is important for you to know what you should and shouldn't do. Here are 10 Tips for Traveling in Thailand.
• For a complete backpacking itinerary for Thailand, check out the 10 Days Backpacking Itinerary for Thailand.
• More often than not, your journey in Thailand will begin in Bangkok. Here is a One Day in Bangkok Itinerary.
• Have more than one day in Bangkok? I highly recommend you spend at least 3 days in Bangkok. Here is a complete 3-day Itinerary for Bangkok.
• For more things to do in Bangkok, check out the 16 Best Things to Do in Bangkok.
• Wondering which temples are worth visiting in Bangkok? Check out: 10 BEST Temples to Visit in Bangkok.
• There is no need for an introduction to the renowned old capital city of the Lanna Kingdom, Chiang Mai. Here are the 20 best things to do in Chiang Mai according to the locals.
• One of the best road trips you can make in Thailand is traversing the Mae Hong Son Loop. Here’s a complete backpacking guide and 10-day itinerary for the Mae Hong Son Loop.
• Want to explore other parts of Thailand? How about exploring Northern Thailand, Central Thailand, or Southern Thailand?
• Wondering where to go after Thailand? How about you continue on to Malaysia, Myanmar, or Indonesia?
• For all articles about Thailand, visit the Thailand Travel Guide page.
• Looking to travel to Southeast Asia? Check out all my articles about Southeast Asia here: Southeast Asia Travel Guide page.
• You can see all of my Asia-related articles here: Asia Travel Guide page.
• For more of my travel guides like this, visit my Destinations page.