What to eat on Yaowarat Road, Chinatown Bangkok?

The Yaowarat Road in Bangkok is the heart of Chinatown. The colourful neon lights on the buildings along the road with Chinese lettering make you feel like you just stepped into a busy street in one of Chinas big metropolis.

You don’t know what you to eat on Yaowarat Road in Chinatown in Bangkok? Which dessert to try? Or maybe what to avoid? – Let me help you out.

How to get there.

First where to go in Chinatown? One end of the Yaowarat Road is the answer which end does not matter. You can walk along both sides. If you want to get there by public transport, its not easy. You can take the MTS to the stations Hua Lamphong, Wat Mangkon or Sam Yot. From each station I can recommend taking a Tuktuk or Motorbike taxi to get to the Yaowarat road at a decent price. The local taxi drivers are unfortunately, not fair at all with prices to or from the Yaowarat Road. I’ve had the best experience with grab, as you can choose the destination in the app and the price is fix.

What to do.

There are a couple of sights worth seeing, like the Wat Traimit, which holds the largest gold Buddha in the world or the China Gate which is placed at the entrance of Yaowarat Road. Further, I can highly recommend strolling along Sampeng Lane, an extremely narrow street cluttered with items that shops sell on both sides. It is very chaotic and a lot of fun.

What to eat.

Chinatown is famous for being one of Bangkok’s best locations for street food. Especially at night, the Yaowarat road will come alive and turn into a street food heaven offering typical Chinese and fusion Chinese and Thai dishes. Vendors roll their carts to spots alongside the road and prepare a variety of delights. You will smell delicious aromas, hear the sizzling pops of cooking and see the colourful ingredients. Grab a skewer of succulent grilled meat to go or sit on one of the many plastic chairs to enjoy a hot bowl of noodle soup. Famous dishes are dim sum, oyster omelettes, flat noodles in a pepper broth and lots of fresh seafood.

Restaurant.

If you are looking for an airconditioned restaurant and want to enjoy amazing dim sum, I can highly recommend the Chinese restaurant The Canton House. It is located near the East end of the Yaowarat Road and offers a great variety of dim sum from steamed to fried to different kind of fillings. Read more about The Canton House here.

Streetfood stall.

If you are looking for authentic Chinese street food stall – Nai ek Roll Noodles is an absolute must. The crispy pork and the rolled noodles in the peppery broth soup are unbeatable. Even the Michelin Guide mentions this memorable place. It is worth the wait! (I’ve never not seen a queue in front of it.) A more detailed description of the restaurant you can find here.

Desserts.

You will see fresh durian offered on every corner. If you have never tasted the fruit before I’d say go for it. Be aware of the, for Westerners strange smell and taste.

These two are by far my most favorite desserts in Chinatown.

Pa Tong Go Savoey / Fried dough

The love for fried dough is universal in every country and every country has their variations to it. The Thai version called pa tong go. It is tenderly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It’s best to be enjoyed right from the fryer dipped in sweetened condensed milk and/or sangkhaya bai toey (Thai pandan custard). The Pa Tong Go Savoey is said to be the best stall in Bangkok that offers this delicious dish and is even recognized in the Michelin Guide.

As I’ve never had any other pa tong go I cannot compare, but only emphasize to try this guilty pleasure for dessert.  It is located on the West End of the Yaowarat Road.

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Khanom Buang / Thai crispy pancakes

One of the common Thai desserts are the crispy pancakes. They are most diligently prepared. The crispy pancake is made of rice flour and mung bean flour. Coconut cream is spread on the small pancakes before fillings are placed on top. For toppings there are two variations, sweet or savoury. The sweet fillings have shredded coconut and orange threads made of egg yolk. The salty option adds shredded coconut and shredded shrimps’ threads on top.

I prefer the sweet version and love to eat it as a dessert. You’ll find many spots where these sweet desserts are offered on the Yaowarat Road.

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Price.

The prices for streetfood on Yaowarat Road are slightly higher than elsewhere in Bangkok as it has become such a tourist spot. Further, it reflects the quality of ingredients that are being used.

What to avoid.

In general, the hygiene standards for streetfood is lower than an average restaurant in Europe or US. And it can be said that, in general, I’d always recommend choosing dishes that the restaurant is serving a lot over the course of the day and not go for a special plate.

Further, I would like to encourage you to stay away from shark fins. Sadly, shark fins are still being cooked in seafood soups in Chinatown. Shark fins are cut of the living animal and mostly the animal is just being thrown back into the ocean. Ethically, I can not stand behind these practices.

Now go and enjoy!

All in all, go at night, bring a hearty appetite and you will have the most adventures food experience of your live. Don’t go Mondays though – everything will be close.