Bangkok Chinatown Food Tour (Yaowarat)

Planning a trip to Bangkok and looking for the best food experiences? a visit to its Chinatown, also known as Yaowarat, is a must-see attraction! The unique blend of Thai-Chinese cuisine is a culinary experience that any foodie will love. In this travel guide, we’ll reveal all the must-try dishes and the best local restaurants and street food vendors where you can try them.

How to get to Bangkok Chinatown

To get to Chinatown take the MRT blue line to Wat Mangkon. Check out the MRT map here.

If you want to arrive in style take a tuk tuk but depending on where you are staying and the time of day it could be a nightmare in the Bangkok traffic!

Where To Eat & Drink in Bangkok Chinatown

We’ve curated a diverse selection of legendary food spots for any time of day, from comforting breakfast to complex main meals, refreshing drinks, and irresistible desserts, ensuring a complete Chinatown food experience. Be warned: the best spots are immensely popular and often sell out before lunchtime! To help you navigate this foodie paradise, we’ve pinpointed all these top-rated eateries on the map above.

Jae Hmoy Kia

Jae Hmoy Kia is a local legend that serves ‘jok,’ a Thai rice porridge. It’s a creamy porridge with pork balls, a soft-boiled egg and garnished with ginger and green onion. It is also served with ‘pa tong ko’ fluffy deep fried dough sticks, to eat with it. The pa tong ko can be broken up and put in the jok or just dunk it in! Jok is a typical Thai breakfast dish, it’s comforting and filling and has more flavour and complexity than what the ingredients suggest. The restaurant opens at 4:30 AM and often sells out before midday so make sure you get here early!

Easae Coffee Shop

Easae Coffee Shop serves traditional Thai coffee where they filter the coffee through a “tungdtom” which is a cloth sock like filter attached to a metal ring. The coffee is sweet and very strong the perfect pick me up to start any Chinatown food tour!

Thai coffee, Bangkok, Chinatown, Thailand

Aung Peng Chung

Aung peng chung serves fish ball soup made from freshly made fish balls in house. The restaurant is in a hot, noisy and chaotic alley which all adds to the experience! The bowls are very cheap at 50 baht! and they have various different soups and noodle types available. Make sure you check out the uncle who prepares the bowls he is a speed demon! he prepares the bowls unbelievably fast and worth visiting just for that!

Xie Lao Yee Hor

Xie Lao Yee Hor offers ‘Moo Dang,’ a Thai red pork dish similar to Chinese char siu. The pork is marinated, roasted, and smothered with a sweet and savory red sauce that has a hint of Chinese 5 spice. It typically comes with steamed rice, cucumber slices, and a hard-boiled egg. Xie Lao Yee Hor is famous for serving the Moo Dang with a black egg that has been soaked in “intense herbs” that give it the egg the black colour. Moo Dang is a classic Thai-Chinese dish and definitely a dish you need to try when in Thailand and this is one of the best places to try it.

Pae Sia Dimsum

Here Uncle serves delicious dim sum out of a street food cart every day. The dim sum comes topped with garlic, soy sauce and chili vinegar. Make sure you seek out these little pockets of porky joy as they are not to be missed!

A Ee Wan Yen

A Ee Wan Yen serves Chinese style iced deserts. There are loads of different varieties available come here to finish off your Bangkok food tour with some dessert of if you just fancy something sweet.

Singapore Pochana

Singapore Pochana serves Lod Chong which is a refreshing Thai dessert. It features green, worm-like noodles made from rice flour, flavoured and coloured with pandan leaves. You will also find jack fruit and crushed ice in there and it’s all smothered in a sweet coconut milk. A delicious sweet refreshing dish for those hot Bangkok days.

Krua Porn La Mai

Krua Porn La Mai is a local legend that is a late night food spot serving Thai-Chinese inspired dishes on a sizzling hotplate. Come here after you have explored the night market and soak in the atmosphere.

Night Market

Yaowarat’s night market is a vibrant hub of street food, offering a diverse range of dishes from skewers and snacks to an array of desserts. Explore the bustling stalls, sample local delicacies, and soak in the lively atmosphere. However, be prepared for crowds, especially on weekends and during peak hours, and bring cash, as many vendors don’t accept cards. To be honest there are better night markets in Bangkok but definitely check it out if you are in the area. Come to Yaowarat in the evening for the Thai-Chinese restaurants as you can find the street food anywhere in Thailand.