Aside from cheap shopping and shiok massages, another thing that keeps people coming back to Bangkok is their diverse food scene. The streets and malls here are packed with a smorgasbord of scrumptious eats and we easily find ourselves spoilt for choice every single time we come to this glutton’s paradise.

If you don’t know where to begin the feasting, we suggest that you start at Yaowarat, Bangkok’s Chinatown. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food options here but fret not, we have created this short guide to help you narrow down your choices.

Photo Credit: 1996_summer.bk

KWAY CHAP AUON POCHANA 

Thai kway chap is very different from Singapore’s rendition of the dish. The dish here features rice roll noodles and different parts of the pig that are doused in a peppery, full-bodied broth that pulls all the different components of the dish together. Guay Jub Ouan Pochana serves up some pretty mean bowls of this goodness and the only gripe that we have with it is that we wish that the portion sizes were a little larger.

408 Yaowarat Road
Khwaeng Chakkrawat, Khet Samphanthawong
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
Tel: +66 86 508 9979

LHONG TOU CAFE 

This eclectic, cosy eatery is popular for their dim sum as well as their very interesting interior; both of which are incredibly Instagram-worthy. The common thing about quirkily designed eateries is that they usually have pretty subpar food. This isn’t the case for Lhong Tou Cafe; we never thought that we would ever have some of the best dim sum of our lives in Bangkok and the dim sum here puts some of the ones we’ve tried in Hong Kong to shame!

538 Yaowarat Rd, Khwaeng Samphanthawong
Khet Samphanthawong
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 935 6499
Daily: 8am – 10pm

Photo Credit: tl.sia 

MUNG KORN KHAO NOODLE 

While we love our Singapore-style wanton mee, we have to admit that the Thai’s do up a pretty solid rendition of the dish. Mung Korn Khao Noodle serves up just that and despite the portion size being rather small, the wanton mee here is so good that we wouldn’t mind ordering a few bowls of it at one go.

395 Yaowarat Road
Khwaeng Samphanthawong, Khet Samphanthawong
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
Daily: 6pm – 11.45pm

NAI EK ROLLED NOODLES 

Nai Ek Roll Noodle is a humble stall that specialises in — you guessed it — roll noodles, as well as some of the crispiest deep-fried pork we’ve ever tried. The food here is so good that they’ve even earned themselves a place in the Michelin Guide. Be prepared for some snaking long queues that can last up to 30 to 45 minutes during peak hours!

442 Khwaeng Samphanthawong
Khet Samphanthawong
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
+66 2 226 4651
Daily: 7.30am – 1.30am

Photo Credit: pimpimmu

NAI MAO DUCK NOODLES

Fans of anything duck related will absolutely love Nai Mao Duck Noodles. Here, they dish out hearty bowls of duck soup and duck noodles which feature a homemade Chinese herbal soup that is sweet, full-bodied and packed with plenty of duck essence. If noodles aren’t your thing, you can also opt to have a plate of duck rice with a side of that ambrosial soup.

768/6 Mangkon Road
Khwaeng Pom Prap
Khet Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100
Tel: +66 2 222 3172
Daily: 9am – 4pm

Photo Credit: yv_wong

PLAENG NAM SHARK FIN-BIRD’S NEST 

If you’re a fan of birds nest soup, Yaowarat is the perfect place for you to check out as the place is home to plenty of stalls that serve up soothing bowls of birds nest soup. We recommend getting your fix at Plaeng Nam Shark Fin-Bird’s Nest where they dish out hearty bowls of Shark Fin Bird’s Nest Soup at very affordable prices. Aside from that, they also sell other scrumptious Thai dishes such as oyster omelette and crab.

45 Plaeng Nam Road
Khwaeng Samphanthawong, Khet Samphanthawong
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 222 8716
Daily: 11.30am – 11pm

Photo Credit: tkseafood 

T & K SEAFOOD 

If you’re hankering for some solid seafood, a great place to check out is T&K Seafood, one of Yaowarat’s most popular seafood spots. They have both indoor and outdoor seating but if you don’t like waiting, we recommend that you grab a spot outside. The seafood here is fresh and they are very generous with their portion sizes. Best of all, everything here is incredibly affordably priced!

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

YAOWARAT TOASTED BREAD

Yaowarat Toasted Bread sees perpetual long queues on the daily made up of both locals and tourists. What makes the bread here stand out from anywhere else is its filling; each perfectly toasted and buttered bun comes generously chock full of a filling of your choice and they have sinfully good options such as condensed milk and sankaya.

Yaowarat Road
Khwaeng Samphanthawong, Khet Samphanthawong
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 224 0677
Sun, Tue to Fri: 6.30pm – 12am
Sat: 6pm – 12am
(Closed on Mondays)

If you’re in Bangkok and are on the hunt for eateries that not only have a smorgasbord of delicious food but also a unique layout, this is one place that you should add to your list.

Situated right smack in the middle of Yaowarat—Bangkok’s Chinatown—is Lhong Tou Cafe. This eclectic, cosy eatery is popular for their dim sum as well as their very interesting interior; both of which are incredibly Instagram-worthy.

The common thing about quirkily designed eateries is that they usually have pretty subpar food. This isn’t the case for Lhong Tou Cafe; we never thought that we would ever have some of the best dim sum of our lives in Bangkok and the dim sum here puts some of the ones we’ve tried in Hong Kong to shame!

We’ve attempted to come to Lhong Tou Cafe twice and the very first time we did, we found ourselves stuck in the middle of a 2-hour queue which we left within 10-minutes. This time around, we went at an odd hour of 4pm and it had been raining as well, so we managed to skip the crowds and snag ourselves a table pretty quick.

What we absolutely love about this place is the design of the seating area. Here, wooden panels and metal pipes are strategically placed to form a double-decker structure where people can choose to either sit on the top level or at the cubbies at the bottom when they take their queue ticket.

We also love how the entire place was also filled with plenty of lush greenery, giving the entire space a lovely botanical touch.

We started off with a plate of Lhong Tou Shumai where 3 very plump dumplings were doused in a delightfully sweet and savoury sauce. The dumplings were filled with a generous amount of meat that was chock full of umami and the meat to skin ratio was perfect.

Next up, we had the Thai Tea Bun (which features a fluffy, fragrant bun that comes chock full of satisfyingly good Thai tea custard. Tear open the bun to reveal its rich, creamy contents and watch in satisfaction as it slowly oozes out of the bun. The custard here tastes remarkably like actual Thai tea and we highly recommend this dish to anyone who is a huge fan of the drink.

Salted egg lovers will be happy to know that Lhong Tou Cafe has a menu item that resembles the popular salted egg yolk buns that we have here in Singapore. What makes Lhong Tou Cafe’s Egg Lava Bun so different (and better) is its exterior. Instead of a soft, pillowy bun, the lava is encased in a flaky, crispy pastry that provides the dish with plenty more bite and flavour.

Break open the bun to let out all its sinfully good contents; the egg lava here is both salty and sweet at the same time with a distinctive salted egg taste. Coupled with its pastry exterior, we can safely say that this is one of the best salted egg items that we have ever eaten in our lives and we will undoubtedly be back for it the next time we are in Bangkok.

The most adorable and unique item out of the lot was the Shitake Mushroom Bun. This bun looks like a carbon copy of an actual mushroom and what makes it even better is its earthy shitake mushroom filling. Our only gripe with this one is that we wish that there had been more filling because it was so good!

All in all, we highly recommend this place and you definitely need to check it out the next time you’re in Bangkok.

Lhong Tou Cafe
538 Yaowarat Rd, Khwaeng Samphanthawong
Khet Samphanthawong
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 935 6499
Daily: 8am – 10pm

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