Thai food changes as you travel: fiery southern curries, northern khao soi, Bangkok's Chinatown night stalls and Isaan grilled specialities. For food lovers, the best plan is to eat your way across a few regions and take a class or two. These are the places to do it.
What to eat where
Bangkok for Chinatown street food and rooftop dining; Chiang Mai for khao soi and market breakfasts; the southern islands for fresh grilled seafood. A hands-on cooking class — usually starting with a market tour — is the single best food souvenir you can bring home.
Best destinations
Top experiences
Bangkok
- Street food in Chinatown (Yaowarat) — Bangkok's best evening food crawl - grilled seafood, dumplings, mango sticky rice and neon.
- Thai cooking class — Shop a local market, then cook green curry, pad thai and tom yum with a local chef.
- Chao Phraya dinner cruise — Glide past floodlit temples and the Rama VIII bridge over dinner.
- Tuk-tuk night food tour — Zip between hidden food stalls and old-town markets after dark.
Ayutthaya
- Ayutthaya night market — Riverside stalls with boat noodles and the famous giant river prawns.
- Boat-noodle & river prawn tasting — Ayutthaya's specialty: rich boat noodles and giant grilled river prawns.
Kanchanaburi
- Floating riverside restaurants — Dinner on the water with the river drifting past.
Sukhothai
- Sukhothai noodles — The town's namesake dish — sweet-savoury broth, pork and peanuts.
Chiang Mai
- Thai cooking class in the countryside — Pick herbs on a farm and master curries, spring rolls and khao soi.
- Khao soi food tour — Hunt down the north's famous curry noodle soup and street snacks.
Krabi (Ao Nang)
- Ao Nang seafood night market — Grilled Andaman seafood right on the waterfront.
Khao Sok
- Jungle Thai cooking — Cook a southern-Thai meal at a riverside homestay.
Koh Lanta
- Thai cooking class — Market tour and a hands-on southern-Thai kitchen session.
Koh Samui
- Fisherman's Village, Bophut — Boutique dining and the Friday walking-street market.
- Coconut & Thai cooking class — Samui's coconut country — cook curries and fresh seafood.
Frequently asked questions
Which city has the best street food in Thailand?
Bangkok is the street-food capital — especially Chinatown (Yaowarat) after dark — with Chiang Mai a close second for northern specialities.
Are cooking classes worth it in Thailand?
Definitely — they're affordable, fun and start with a market tour, so you learn ingredients as well as recipes.
Is Thai street food safe to eat?
Generally yes — busy stalls with high turnover are your friend. Eat where the locals queue and drink bottled water.
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