For many visitors, the food alone justifies the trip. Thai cuisine balances sweet, sour, salty, spicy and umami in every dish, and some of the best meals you'll eat come from a plastic stool on a busy street for under 2€. Here's how to eat well.
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Add it in the trip planner →Street food is the heart of Thai eating and generally very safe – the trick is to follow the crowds. A stall with a queue of locals has high turnover and fresh food. Choose things cooked to order in front of you over items sitting out. Bangkok's Chinatown (Yaowarat) after dark and any bustling night market are perfect training grounds. Two people can graze happily for 200–300 THB.
Thai food changes as you travel. The north (Chiang Mai) is milder and herby – khao soi, sai ua sausage, sticky rice. The northeast (Isaan) is punchy and fiery – som tam, larb and grilled gai yang chicken. The south and islands lean on seafood and the hottest curries in the country. Eating regionally as you go is half the fun of the itinerary.
Thai spice is real. Say "mai phet" (not spicy) or "phet nit noi" (a little spicy) if you're unsure – though "a little" is still warm. Meals are shared family-style: order several dishes for the table with rice, not one plate each. Use the spoon (in your right hand) as your main utensil and the fork to push food onto it; chopsticks are only for noodle soups. It's polite to leave a little rice.
A half-day cooking class is one of the best-value experiences in Thailand – around 1,000–1,200 THB including a market tour, and you'll cook three or four dishes to eat and a recipe booklet to take home. Chiang Mai is the classic place to do it. It also demystifies the ingredients so you order more adventurously for the rest of your trip. See more in things to do.
Generally yes – it's fresh, cooked to order and high-turnover. Pick busy stalls with a local queue, favour food cooked in front of you, and you'll rarely have trouble. Millions of visitors eat street food daily; a sensible eye for hygiene is all you need.
It can be very. Dishes like som tam and southern curries are genuinely fiery. Ask for "phet nit noi" (a little spicy) or "mai phet" (not spicy) and build up. Plain rice, not water, is the best way to cool your mouth.
Plenty is possible, but ask carefully – fish sauce and shrimp paste hide in many dishes. Say "jay" (vegan/Buddhist vegetarian) for the strictest option, or "mang-sa-wi-rat" for vegetarian, and look for the yellow-and-red "jay" signs, especially during the annual Vegetarian Festival.