In Bangkok, our easy way around that is to dive into their endless choices of street food. Watching it being cooked before you and sampling it is almost like taking in history and culture in the most tantalising way possible.
Capture the action on your cam and keep photo mementoes of what’s delicious and pretty with the help of our curated list of what’s good for Instagram.
Here are 15 street food in Bangkok that you have to try.
BBQ SQUID
You’ll get an umami bite into squid flesh and ink when you get squid grilled over hot coals. Spot them alongside grilled prawns and a variety of fish. These usually come with dips like the very spicy and sour “nam prik noom” sauce which is Northern Thai green chilli.
THAI COCONUT ICE-CREAM
The Bangkok heat can be a challenge. Thai coconut ice-cream helps cool you off with its rich coconut cream base instead of the usual cow’s milk. Choose from a sprinkling of peanuts, fruits, and candies. Some are served sandwiched in a hot dog bun too.
Read: 5 Bangkok-style coconut ice creams in Singapore you have to try.
THAI PULLED MILK TEA
Ready your phones to film down how the locals prepare traditional Thai milk tea. The drink is “pulled” by pouring a brew of sweetened tea and milk from one jug to the other to cool it to create a rich and frothy drink.
CHEESE TOASTIE
Anything filled, topped, stuffed or covered in cheese gets popular fast though some are easily ahead. Cheese toasties are obviously one of them. Take a photo or boomerang of that stretchy cheese-pull to garner all those likes on the gram.
Photo Credit: travelvui
KANOM KROK BAI TOEY
Like most Thai street foods, kanom krok bai toey tastes best fresh off the skillet. It’s an aromatic muffin-like snack made of flour, coconut sugar, and pandan leaf extract. This small and adorable sweetmeat is chewy and fluffy without tasting too sweet.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
KHANOM BUANG
Khanom buang is a must-eat snack when you are in Thailand. It’s a Thai-style crepe that looks like a crunchy taco. It’s made with rice flour and stuffed with sweet meringue or savoury cream. Toppings vary from egg yolk threads to shredded coconut or chopped shrimp.
Photo Credit: Miss Mina
KHANOM KORK (COCONUT PUDDING PANCAKES)
Another cutesy traditional snack to try in Bangkok is khanom krok which is a spherical Thai sweet rice cake that is made of coconut cream and rice flour. Modern renditions add on toppings like corn, taro, and spring onions. Enjoy yours piping hot!
Photo Credit: foodielifee__
MANGO STICKY RICE WITH ICE-CREAM
No trip to Thailand is complete without one of its incredible desserts and mango sticky rice is the perennial local favourite. Try it contained in a cute cup and with extra scoops of ice-cream on top. It makes the dessert more decadent while taking away some of the Bangkok heat.
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Photo Credit: mitzeemee (top), localtinglexie (bottom)
RAINBOW MANGO STICKY RICE
Another variation of mango sticky rice that would up your Instagram game would be one that comes colourful in a choice of seven shades. Try the flavours: pandan (green), turmeric (yellow), rose (red), buttery pea (purple), pink (strawberry), orange (orange), and blueberries (blue).
ROLLED ICE-CREAM
Don’t get ice-cream the same old way—be it in a tub or a cone. if you’re looking for a way to hack your frozen dairy, the ice-cream roll is simple, novel, and genius. Scoops of ice-cream are mushed up with squashed fruit and made into little dairy tortillas that are rolled up into wraps and covered in sprinkles.
ROTI GLUAY
Roti gluay doesn’t really have Thai origins but locals still love the fried banana pancake regardless. The preparation is almost a performance with skilful hands working the ingredients speedily. A crisp blanket of dough contains creamy slivers of banana with egg. It’s chopped into smaller pieces and served with a heavy drizzle of sweetened condensed milk.
CHEESE FRIES
Gooey melted cheese sauce slathered on fries is nothing new but it sure makes us salivate just by looking. It’s a rewarding snack when you are looking for something to keep your tummy satisfied while exploring Bangkok’s night markets.
ROTI SAI MAI
You might catch sight of children walking around with the dreamy colours of roti sai mai in hand. This is a candy floss crepe that’s a Thai dessert with an Indian influence. “Sai mai” literally means silk rope which is threads of crunchy sugar that are wrapped in roti which, in this case, is a steaming pandan-scented crepe.
TAIYAKI
Taiyaki is a fish-shaped cake and usually comes with extremely generous fillings. There are flavours like durian, red bean paste, and as you can see, cheese. Pull your taiyaki apart for that photogenic cheese pull which does not lose out to the cheese toastie.
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WATERMELON SMOOTHIE
Smoothies here can be elaborate. The most common is a photogenic watermelon smoothie scooped into a watermelon husk to drink with cubes of watermelon as toppings. Venture around and you might come by stalls that also sell rock melon and pineapple variations too.
Read our Bangkok guides to discover the best places to visit in the city.