Looking for good cheap restaurant for daily meals

[khman]

Hello, we are a family in Chaweng. We used to eat very good padthai, khaopat, for 40-50B 2 years ago. Now it's more like 80 or so, maybe it is normal with Covid and Ukraine? But if you know good place for our everyday meals, I am interested.

I am also looking for good fancy restaurant (in hotel preferably) with good value (say 300-500 per guest but for a good experience).

Thank you for your help !

[phetphet]

Go up the lake road from the beach, straight across the roundabout, as if heading to the big Lotus.  On the corner of the right turn to Thai International Hospital there is a new night market that starts around 5:50 pm. Lots of food stalls there.

 

The only cheap place that I know of personally is Pae Chuan Chim in Bangrak. Just past Seven Bar.

 

HTH

[ChaiyaTH]

Expect 60-80-100 baht to be the new normal, over the next 10 years. I consider a meal to be 100 average if having a budget place and also taking a fruit shake or water.

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, khman said:

We used to eat very good padthai, khaopat, for 40-50B 2 years ago. Now it's more like 80 or so, maybe it is normal...

It - 80 baht - is quite normal, have you noticed the increase in food prices and transportation to the island...

 

You can still find street kitchens serving delicious noodle soup for 60 baht...????

[khman]

Thanks, I just arrived so I didn't see all increases.

I paid taxi airport to Chaweng 400B, not sure it raised (it was already expensive lol)

I paid 3k for 1 month of click, seems 2 years ago a PCX was 4k.

Also I wonder why thai food went from 40-50 to 80-100, doubled up in 2 years? I know some things such as oil, gaz, electricity... are more expensive but by 20% not 100%.

I just have a nice cooked fish for 320B... It was good but 5 forks of fishes isn't worth that.

Anyway I don t mind that much as I don t live here.

 

But I dont really understand.

 

I hope the 1900B immigration fee for extension didn't raise ????

 

[audaciousnomad]

7-11  Their KhaoPad and KaPow are surprisingly good for only 45baht.

[bbko]

How difficult is it to walk to various street vendors and ask how much?

[gearbox]

I haven't seen Pad Thai on Chaweng beach road for 50 baht across the whole stretch of the road...it would be 80-100 baht for lower end restaurants with small frozen shrimps used, and up to 200 baht at the good quality restaurants.

 

For cheaper options you need to take the road away from the lake towards Makro at the roundabout near Central,  there are many cheaper Thai restaurants, but depending where you stay you may need to pay for taxi to get there and the cost of your Pad Thai may double.

 

Another option is the market at the lake near Central, but they don't do it every day. As phetphet mentioned it they refurbished the market near Thai international hospital, it is cheaper than the market at the lake or the Fisherman walking street, but is quite further from the beach. It is open every day.

 

For good restaurant just look at the Google or TripAdvisor rankings near you (afaik both have "near me" option), many restaurants have menus online or someone took a picture of the menu, you can see what's available without the need to go and look around. Avoid asking Facebook groups for recommendations, as usually you'll get "recommendations" from either the business owner or their staff. Usually the restaurants attached to hotels are poor value wrt price and quality, I very rarely eat at the hotels I'm staying.

 

 

[gearbox]

5 hours ago, bbko said:

How difficult is it to walk to various street vendors and ask how much?

There are mobile cart vendors with tiny small kitchens offering popular Thai dishes for lunch like Papaya salad, Pad Thai and noodle soups. Their customers are 99% Thai and the dish price doesn't exceed 50 baht, if anyone tells you higher price they are ripping you off. There are pretty much none of them on the Chaweng beach road, but there are few on the road at the lake running parallel to the beach, they are there for an hour or two until they sell out their stuff. 

 

What you get would be lower quality of food, no big fresh shrimps in the Pad Thai or soups, stuffed with MSG, but if not a foodie good enough to fill in the tummy. I've eaten from carts quite a few times, never got sick, but friends of mine visiting wouldn't go near them even if you paid them.

[gearbox]

9 hours ago, khman said:

Thanks, I just arrived so I didn't see all increases.

I paid taxi airport to Chaweng 400B, not sure it raised (it was already expensive lol)

I paid 3k for 1 month of click, seems 2 years ago a PCX was 4k.

Also I wonder why thai food went from 40-50 to 80-100, doubled up in 2 years? I know some things such as oil, gaz, electricity... are more expensive but by 20% not 100%.

I just have a nice cooked fish for 320B... It was good but 5 forks of fishes isn't worth that.

Anyway I don t mind that much as I don t live here.

 

But I dont really understand.

 

I hope the 1900B immigration fee for extension didn't raise ????

 

From the airport to Ark Bar is around 3km, so you are guaranteed to be ripped off, but there is no competition at the airport. The other way around you can bargain it to 250-300 baht. Sometimes when I arrive with a carry-on I just walk to Chaweng ????

 

The petrol has increased a lot similar to everywhere in the world, filling up a motorbike is approaching 200 baht, it was nearly half before. Diesel is capped a bit but there are no taxis running on diesel afaik.

 

Many ingredients used by restaurants are way higher now, the very popular chicken breast in Makro us nearly 50% up compared to year ago. Veggies are way more expensive than before.  Fruit which is in season like mangosteens or rambutans right now are keeping more or less the same prices as the last year.

 

From my observations the imported stuff hasn't moved that much so far, e.g olive oil is pretty much the same price.

 

 

320 baht for a whole fish would be average price for average quality sit down restaurant.

 

The retirement extension is still 1900 baht.

[PoorSucker]

Food court in Tesco 

[khman]

Thanks all for your replies. Helped me much.

Went to Tesco food court, quite cheap and not so much increase. Maybe 50-55 instead of 40.

And aircon, clean, spacious, free water...

About gasoline, in my country (europe) it's 2.10eur or so per liter then about 80 bahts. So here it's almost half price?

While in Europe it doubled up, here it went only from 37 to 43? (I speak of price 2-3 years ago)

Thanks

[PoorSucker]

57 minutes ago, khman said:

Maybe 50-55 instead of 40.

I eat lunch at Terminal21 here in Pattaya, rice with two dishes and juice for 49 baht. 

[RickG16]

13 hours ago, PoorSucker said:

I eat lunch at Terminal21 here in Pattaya, rice with two dishes and juice for 49 baht. 

You swapped Samui for Pattaya? What happened? 

[PoorSucker]

2 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

You swapped Samui for Pattaya? What happened? 

Got a nice paying job with only six hours per day workweek mon-fri

 

My 12 floor condo with Seaview is 6000 baht per month 

 

 

 

Quote

 

[RickG16]

1 minute ago, PoorSucker said:

Got a nice paying job with only six hours per day workweek mon-fri

Ah that's good....

 

How would you compare the two places? Samui a lot more chilled out right? 

[PoorSucker]

Just now, RickG16 said:

Ah that's good....

 

How would you compare the two places? Samui a lot more chilled out right? 

Everything is 20% cheaper, my 12 floor condo is 6000 baht per month. 

Much better restaurant options. Bolt (like Uber) is 50-100 baht where ever I go.

 

Downside: harder to make friends, the police really enforce driving rules. Helmet, driving license and drunk driving is checked at multiple locations every day. 

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

Everything is 20% cheaper, my 12 floor condo is 6000 baht per month. 

Much better restaurant options. Bolt (like Uber) is 50-100 baht where ever I go.

 

Downside: harder to make friends, the police really enforce driving rules. Helmet, driving license and drunk driving is checked at multiple locations every day. 

Jump on your scooter, no helmet, have a few sherbets and you'll have 'friends' before you know it.

[ChaiyaTH]

On 7/10/2022 at 11:42 PM, Sticky Rice Balls said:

ive been paying 40-50 daily since i arrived in 2008 and still do up here in CNX....

 

no fruit shakes  for me and thais have always offered free water where i eat

Yeah in the last of few Thai places in cheap cities like CNX perhaps, then again portions often decreased, even 20% might be unnoticed, that's effectively an increase.

 

I also have a place on phangan where I still get decent meals for 50-60 baht and sizes are 1.5-2x the normal. But unless you live a very simple life and never leave your home, you will be limited as soon you start moving and travelling, which is the point. On top of that, try finding those specific places when you are a tourist, aside of it being boring for most (or simply not being able to know thai dishes and ask for them in Thai, on thai menu's as tourist / newbies).

The reality is that even the 40-50 shags will soon increase their prices with 10-20 baht or more. That is the future.

[Tropicalevo]

25 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

been paying same since 2008--just had red curry with chicken today  40 bt

 

after got some glass noodles with veggies--20 bt and a soft boiled egg at 7-11 for 10bt

 

get my mango 2-3 whole ones sliced--all for 30bt...stick my budget 100 bt food budget

But was that in Chaweng where the OP is based?

[JimmyJ]

On 7/13/2022 at 11:07 PM, Sticky Rice Balls said:

been paying same since 2008--just had red curry with chicken today  40 bt

 

after got some glass noodles with veggies--20 bt and a soft boiled egg at 7-11 for 10bt

 

get my mango 2-3 whole ones sliced--all for 30bt...stick my budget 100 bt food budget

"...glass noodles with veggies--20 bt".

 

Food cart?

[gearbox]

On 7/13/2022 at 7:33 PM, Tropicalevo said:

But was that in Chaweng where the OP is based?

There are no such prices in Chaweng, and it is very rare to see food carts on the Beach road. 40 baht will buy one roti with banana and vanilla.

 

A family of 4 from Europe would probably pay 2500-3000 euro only for airfare to stay 1-2 weeks in Samui. The last thing they would do is to waste one of these expensive holiday days looking for 40 baht meals...

[Lucky Bones]

On 7/10/2022 at 11:42 PM, Sticky Rice Balls said:

ive been paying 40-50 daily since i arrived in 2008 and still do up here in CNX....

 

no fruit shakes  for me and thais have always offered free water where i eat

Bkk. Expect to pay 3-5 baht for dirty ice and water.

Buy a drink from the fridge.

[khman]

Yeah. In Chaweng I even had to pay 10 or 20 bahts for ice.

 

Btw today I had stir fried chicken garlic with rice from 7-11, 37bahts, delicious!!!

[khunPer]

13 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

im in CNX but it would seem to me where ever there are thais..can find thai prices.....

as ive been all over LOS and found these prices....im always the one white guy eating/thais

Samui is an island and prices are higher on islands due to transportation costs, i.e. ferry, it's general Thai knowledge that living costs are little higher on islands than mainland, so not much help to OP talking about northern Thailand...????

[khunPer]

9 hours ago, gearbox said:

A family of 4 from Europe would probably pay 2500-3000 euro only for airfare to stay 1-2 weeks in Samui. The last thing they would do is to waste one of these expensive holiday days looking for 40 baht meals...

You are absolutely right...????????

[Hummin]

Pattaya everything is cheaper, plan your next trip there

[khman]

We stay 2 months not 1-2 week.

I was looking for cheap daily meals. But sometime we eat "normal" no problem.

But for daily meals yes I prefer value and when I can have checkbill for 4 for 300Bahts I prefer than 400 or 500.

(Add to this Eur exchange rate... And yes flight from europe 1000eur pp)

Btw I had great advices here, thank you all!

 

[gearbox]

7 hours ago, khman said:

We stay 2 months not 1-2 week.

I was looking for cheap daily meals. But sometime we eat "normal" no problem.

But for daily meals yes I prefer value and when I can have checkbill for 4 for 300Bahts I prefer than 400 or 500.

(Add to this Eur exchange rate... And yes flight from europe 1000eur pp)

Btw I had great advices here, thank you all!

 

If you don't mind eating cheap food at home both Tesco and Big C cook food daily and discount it after 4-5pm. Nothing fancy but you can buy fried rice, some soups and some fried/barbecued things as cheap as 15-20 baht a dish. It is safe and cooked in controlled environment. I buy from time to time Saba (mackerel) from Big C as a side dish for a Leo.