Bangkok is indisputably one of the best holiday destinations for people who love cheap shopping, food and massages. However, there’s more to this beautiful city than roaming the streets of Chatuchak and slurping down a cooling cup of Thai iced tea.

Culture enthusiasts who want to enjoy Bangkok beyond just shopping and eating will be glad to know that Bangkok is steeped in a rich, enthralling history that is definitely worth exploring. There are a plethora of landmarks and museums that are open to the public that allows us to dip our toes into the city’s bounteous history and culture, offering a fresh new perspective to the land of smiles.

If you’re keen to explore this side of Bangkok, we recommend that you start off at Phra Nakhon, where you can find a number of culturally significant attractions such as the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and Wat Pho. Aside from that, the area is home to a number of eateries serving up authentic Thai fare to complete the experience.

Photo Credit: my.mdi

HAVE BREAKFAST AT THIAN SONG ROAST DUCK 

This hole-in-the-wall street restaurant specialises in roast duck and they’ve been in the business for over 70 years. Aside from their ambrosial plates of duck rice and noodles, they are also popular for their coffee and toasted bread with orange kaya, a perfect breakfast combination to start your day!

Dinso Road
Sao Chingcha, Phra Nakhon
Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 224 4554
Daily: 8am – 7.30pm

GRAND PALACE 

To properly immerse yourself in Thailand’s rich, cultural history, a trip to the Grand Palace is a must. Located in the old city of Bangkok on the banks of the famous Chao Phraya river, this majestic, sacred landmark is nothing short of breathtaking. It will truly make you feel like you’ve been transported to another era.

Na Phra Lan Road
Khwaeng Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang
Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 623 5500
Daily: 8.30am – 3.30pm

TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA 

The Grand Palace also houses Wat Phra Kaew, which translates to ‘The Temple Of The Emerald Buddha’. This is one of the most sacred places in Thailand and the small Buddha statue that resides in the temple is believed to be more than 2000 years old. The Buddha was created in India and has been moved a number of times before it was re-discovered in 1434 in a temple in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand.

Na Phra Lan Road
Khwaeng Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang
Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 623 5500
Daily: 8.30am – 3.30pm

LUNCH AT THE SIXTH 

Located just a short walk away from Wat Arun and the Grand Palace, The Sixth is a cosy and hip little cafe that is run by a young couple. The quirky and homely decor gives the entire place a very relaxed and chill atmosphere, making it the perfect pitstop after a tiring morning of exploring the Grand Palace. They specialise in wholesome and soulful Thai food which include the likes of Tom Yum Koong, Phad Thai and Thai Green Curry.

Maha Rat Road
Khwaeng Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang
Khet Phra Nakhon
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 316 6890
Mon to Sat: 10.30am – 5pm
(Closed on Sundays)

WAT PHO (RECLINING BUDDHA) 

Another historical monument that you definitely need to check out is Wat Pho, home of the famous reclining Buddha. Aside from that, it is also the national headquarters for the teaching and preservation of traditional Thai massage. You can get a massage at the Wat Pho Thai Traditional Massage School as well to complete the experience.

2 Sanam Chai Road
Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang
Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 226 0335
Daily: 8am – 6.30pm

Photo Credit: paolo.patricola

WAT ARUN 

Directly opposite Wat Pho is Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn. You can reach it by taking a riverboat from Saphan Taksin. The compound features a majestic 70-meter-high spire that is intricately decorated with tiny pieces of Chinese porcelain and coloured glass. If you are observant, you’d even realise that the image of Wat Arun is actually printed on Thailand’s 10-baht coins!

158 Thanon Wang Doem
Wat Arun, Bangkok Yai
Bangkok 10600, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 891 2185
Daily: 8.30m – 6pm

DINNER AT THIPSAMAI 

End off a tiring day of exploring by having dinner at the famous Thipsamai. Dubbed to have the best pad thai in Bangkok, this humble eatery has even managed to snag themselves a Bib Gourmand award by the Michelin Guide. The place is constantly flooded with both tourists and locals alike so do try to head on down early to secure yourself a seat!

313 Maha Chai Road
Khwaeng Samran Rat, Khet Phra Nakhon
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 226 6666
Daily: 5pm – 2am

Sour, tangy and packed full of heat, there are few things out there as satisfying as a bowl of spicy tom yum goong.

This classic Thai dish is a hot favourite amongst both locals and tourists alike and it is a must-try item whenever you visit the land of smiles. We love how the dish can be eaten on its own or be used as a centrepiece for meals with a group of friend, making it a versatile option for any occasion.

While tom yum goong can commonly be found in most parts of Bangkok, some places do the dish better than others. With that, here is a guide to some of our favourite tom yum spots in Bangkok.

INTER THAI FOOD 

Inter Thai Food is a humble, unpretentious restaurant that specialises in dishing out homely and authentic Thai dishes at very affordable prices. Their tom yum soup is some of the best that we have ever had in Bangkok and it has just the right amount of spice to it without being too overwhelming. We also like how despite the price point, they are very generous with their serving sizes.

9 Rama I Road
Pathum Wan District
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: +65 +66 2 251 4689
Daily: 11am – 9pm

MBK FOOD COURT

We went straight for the classic Tom Yum Kung (THB90, S$3.60) at MBK food court. ‘Kung’ means prawns, and we were sure delighted to see so many huge and plump river prawns in the soup, alongside mushrooms and lemongrass. Have it with a bowl of steamed white rice and you are set.

PEE AOR TOM YUM

Pee Aor Tom Yum is famous for their 999 baht Lobster Tom Yum Goong Noodles. This massive bowl of goodness is enough to feed two to three ravenous people and each serving comes with a generous amount of premium ingredients such as lobsters and crabs. We also love the tangy and spicy broth which is packed full of flavour and incredibly addictive.

68, Soi Phetchaburi 5
Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi
Bangkok 10400
Daily: 10am – 9pm

THE SIXTH

Located just a short walk away from the famous Wat Arun and the Grand Palace, The Sixth is a cosy and hip little cafe that is run by a young couple. They specialise in wholesome and soulful Thai food which includes bowls of hearty tom yum goong. The tom yum here is tangy, sweet, creamy and spicy all at once and just a small spoonful of this packs a mighty punch; just the way we like it!

Maha Rat Road
Khwaeng Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang
Khet Phra Nakhon
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 316 6890
Mon to Sat: 10.30am – 5pm
(Closed on Sundays)

THE PLACE 168

The Place 168 is a humble Thai restaurant tucked away at a rundown building near Pratunam Market. The small shop has a pretty extensive menu filled with authentic Thai dishes but they are most famous for their gargantuan bowls of Tom Yum Koong Soup. At just 195 baht, each colossal bowl of this piping hot goodness comes brimming with ingredients such as pork belly, squid, prawns, meatballs, spring onions, two runny eggs and lime slices atop a bed of instant noodles.

1/49 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Thanon Phaya Thai, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 657 0880
Daily: 10.30am – 9.30pm

SANSAB BANGKOK

Sansab is a comfortable restaurant that sits on level 4 of Siam Paragon and it is popular for its Instagram-worthy Tom Yum UFO. The dish is essentially a steamboat that features a giant pot of tom yum surrounded by four separate pockets of ingredients such as cheese, corn, quail eggs and seaweed soup. The tom yum itself is decently spicy and has a nice amount of sweetness to it from the seafood.

Terminal 21 Sukhumvit Road
Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 108 0821

Photo Credit: c.y.c_

JEH O CHULA 

Jeh O Chula is a popular supper spot in Bangkok that became a social media hit with their instagrammable pots of Tom Yum Mama. The queues for this can be as long as 2 hours but we promise you that it is well worth the wait. Each Tom Yum Mama features instant noodles, shrimp, squid, pork balls, ground pork and two eggs doused in a spicy, tangy tom yum soup.

Banthat Thong Road
113 Charat Muang Road, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330
Tel: +66 64 118 5888
Daily: 5:30pm – 2am

T&K SEAFOOD 

Located in the heart of Yaowarat is T&K Seafood, a humble eatery that has an extensive menu filled with seafood dishes prepared Thai-style. Their tom yum goong is sweet, spicy and tangy all at once and we love how the seafood adds an extra depth of flavour to the dish. Do expect long queues for this popular seafood spot!

49 51 Phadung Dao Road
Khwaeng Samphanthawong, Khet Samphanthawong
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 223 4519
Daily: 4pm – 2am

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There are no short of eateries that sell authentic Thai food in Bangkok but we feel that few can measure up to what The Sixth has to offer.

Located just a short walk away from the famous Wat Arun and the Grand Palace, The Sixth is a cosy and hip little cafe that is run by a young couple. They specialise in wholesome and soulful Thai food which include the likes of Tom Yum Koong, Phad Thai and Thai Green Curry.

The Sixth’s quirky and homely decor gives the entire place a very relaxed and chill atmosphere. While the place only has five tables and is perpetually crowded, we promise you that the experience here is well worth the wait.

One of their most popular menu items is the Tom Yum Koong (120 baht) and we can easily see why. Tangy, sweet, creamy and spicy all at once, just a small spoonful of this packs a mighty punch.

Each bowl of Tom Yum Koong also comes with an outrageously generous amount of ingredients such as prawns and mushrooms. The prawns were very fresh and added a touch of sweetness to the already wholesome gravy

Another recommended menu item that we just had to try was their Chicken Green Curry (90 baht). The dish came with juicy chunks of chicken that soaked up all the goodness of the creamy, fiery green curry. Once again, they were incredibly generous with the amount of ingredients and the bowl came brimming with chicken.

If you can’t take too much spice, we recommend pairing this with a plate of Jasmine Rice (20 baht) to neutralise the heat.

For those of you who are looking for something less soupy, we suggest that you get the Chicken Cashew Nut with Rice, which is also another recommended menu item. The dish looks pretty simple and unassuming but you won’t get the hype until you taste it!

Here, succulent bits of chicken are stir-fried with a generous heap of crunchy cashews in a rich and mildly spicy sauce. Each bite comes chock full of umami and we love how the tender texture of the chicken melded so well with that of the cashews. The cashews also added an addictive nutty taste to the overall mix that pulled the whole dish together.

The Sixth
Maha Rat Road
Khwaeng Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang
Khet Phra Nakhon
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 316 6890
Mon to Sat: 10.30am – 5pm
(Closed on Sundays)