Thai street food is some of the world’s best street food. There is so much variety, it’s cheap and it’ll be some of the most delicious food you eat in Thailand. Here are some of the most common Thai street foods you’ll find in Thailand along with some tips for eating street food. We’ve visited Thailand dozens of times and eaten mainly all our meals on the street. It’s a quintessential Thailand travel experience and is not to be missed. Here’s what you should try…
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First watch our YouTube video about eating Thai street food…
Common Thai Street Foods
1. Moo ping
These pork skewers are everywhere. They are eaten as a snack or as a more substantial meal with sticky rice. They are covered in a sweet glaze and cooked over charcoal. The meat is tender with juicy layers of fat which burst in your mouth!
Thai street food: moo ping
2. Iced Thai tea and coffee
Thailand is of course very hot so you will find plenty of drink vendors. Iced Thai tea and iced Thai coffee are a great pick me up. Be aware that these are made with evaporated milk and condensed milk so are very sweet.
Thai street food: iced Thai tea and coffee
3. Noodle soup
Noodle soups are perhaps the most common street food in Thailand. Noodle soup vendors might sell just one type of noodle soup or a range of different styles. You can usually choose your type of noodle (egg or rice noodle) and if it’s rice noodles, the width of noodle. You can also choose if you want the noodles dry (haeng) or in soup. You can adjust the dish to your own taste by using the condiments on the table including vinegar, dried chilli, fish sauce and sugar. Always satisfying and super cheap!
Thai street food: noodle soups
4. Fresh fruit
The Thai’s love to snack on fresh fruit and when it’s this good, you should too! You’ll find fruit vendors selling pre-cut fresh fruit on every block selling juicy watermelon, pineapple, dragonfruit and more.
Thai street food: fresh fruit
5. Khao man gai
The Thai version of Hainanese chicken rice is comfort food at its finest. Eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner the oily rice, poached chicken and chilli sauce combination is addictive!
Thai street food: khao man gai or chicken rice
6. Skewers
Skewers of meat are everywhere in Thailand. Everything from pork and fish balls to intestines is skewered, cooked over charcoal and ready for your enjoyment.
Thai street food: skewers
7. Coconut everything!
Coconut flavoured treats are everywhere in Thailand. Make sure to sample the fresh juice from coconuts as well as coconut ice cream, khanom thuay a coconut pudding cooked in shallow ceramic bowls as well as khanom krok, coconut griddle cakes.
Thai street food: coconut ice cream
Tips for eating street food
1. Is street food safe to eat?
We have visited Thailand dozens of times and eaten 95% of our meals on the street. We have never, ever gotten food poisoning in Thailand. Street food is very safe to eat in Thailand but if you are hesitant, eat at stalls where other people are eating which ensures the food is fresh. Ice used in drinks is made with filtered water so those are safe to consume also.
2. How much will it cost?
After eating street food a few times you will come to realise that the same kind of food will generally be the same price everywhere you go. For example, noodle soups always cost around 30-50THB/ $0.90-$1.50USD fruit is around 20THB/$0.60USD and skewers range from 5THB-10THB/$0.15-$0.30USD each.
We find it useless to ask the price as unless you can speak Thai you won’t understand the answer! We find it easiest to simply hand over say a 50THB/$1.50USD or 100THB/$3USD note. You will always get the right change in return. People are very honest and will very rarely rip you off. More often than not we have street vendors returning notes to us as we’ve offered too much!
3. How to order…
When in doubt, smile and point. Most street food vendors will have their food prominently displayed so simply choose what you want to eat. When it comes to things like noodle soup we find it handy to look at what other people are eating and point to their bowls if we want to try the same thing!
Travel Insurance
No matter where you’re travelling to we always recommend you have travel insurance. We use and love World Nomads. The great thing about them is that you can purchase travel insurance while you’re already travelling!
We hope this Thai street food guide has helped you eat and explore like a traveler, not a tourist!
Spending more time in Thailand? Check out our Must Eats Bangkok and Must Eats Chiang Mai posts
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