Bangkok - List Of Places For Best Cheap Food.

[healthcaretaker]

I cannot find a good list or website on the best cheap food places in Bangkok(contributed by local Thais) and guidebooks are always weakest in this area, probably because they don't get direct benefits from places of cheap eats or the guidebook writers are foreigners who don't know how to differenciate the best from the good in local food.

How about starting to contribute here ? I am sure many people and guidebook publishers will find it useful as a reference.

I am visiting Bangkok soon with some friends and I wish to take them for the best local food, whether it is just a fried chicken stall in a market or along the road side; or a simple stall in a shop or a local restaurand. Most important is they must be well know or outstanding and popular among the locals who will go all the way for it.

Please do not give useless replies like "ask the local or your hotel reception", "any place where you find a lot of locals eating" "black canyon coffee" or "you find a lot of stalls along the lane next to ......."

Please be specific as to the food and location or at least answers like:

"the rice with shrimps fried with basil leaves and their iced coffee topped with ice-cream in Black Canyon Coffee"; or

"you will find a stall selling noodles with dark stewed chicken meat and feet by the roadsidse along Suriwongse Road, just a short walk to the left if you come out of the night market that joins to Silom Road. It's on for late supper and most shops along there will tell you if you describe the food. The stall is stationed in front of a big white building that looks like a bank.

"when you come out of the lane from Hotel Shangri-la and walk to the main road and turn right, cross the road and keep left, you will find a stall by the left side selling soup noodle with pork ingredients like meat, intestine, meat balls, tongue etc. Just a short walk, you won't miss it. There is a stall selling quite similar food in Yaowarat that is cheaper and equally good but I can't decribe where it is is, maybe someone can help.

I have contributed 3 places, I hope others can continue. Thank you.:jap:

[aridion]

You can find good cheap food at astalls all over Bangkok.

However the Kow man gai (chicken and rice) on Petchburi road is really good. It is apparently a famous part of Bangkok for this dish.

[HalfSquat]

The opening of Suk soi 38 - near Thong Lo BTS has a good cluster of street food people.

The duck and noodles is especially good but there are lots of places to sit and eat so should suit all tastes.

Soi convent has some good stuff but I couldn't tell you which is the nicest.

[vpi78]

+1 on the recommendation for Soi Convent. The stall right outside Coyotes has great fresh seafood dishes, obviously cooked right there in front of you. Thails often use that soi as a shortcut to Sathorn and trsffic slows particularly there as they queue up for take-away.

Afterwards you can pop into Coyotes (before 7pm) for the 2-for-1 Margaritas. One of the best deals in Bangkok, 75 different types and 195 Baht for 2 of them ... tasty.

[Emster23]

Asking the staff is not useless. It is very useful.

Black Canyon coffee? I don't think so. too farangish, meaning overpriced and under flavored.

i live in Phra Kanong, not upscale. Anyplace that has a majority of working people in one room apartments (not one bedroom) are going to have tons of cheap eats around. Often near Universities there are also some ok places.

Stay far away from any shopping mall. I find the food courts marginal at best.

my criteria for a good Thai eatery includes these signs to look for;

Nothing in English

Plastic stools, folding tables

no sign in the front in English

Cook in the front, visible making the dinners

walls haven't been painted in years. Phone numbers, old calendars, clippings yellowing on the walls

I'm sure others could add to this list of what to look for

[healthcaretaker]

Thanks all,

aridion - Is Petchuri a very short or long road ? Can you pls be more specifi which part to locate the stall or shop ? Or how to recognise the place ?

HalfSquat - is the duck noodles at day or night time ?

vpi78 - I heard about the Soi Convent place or near there also has a famous stewed pig-leg rice(the one in dark sauce seen everywhere in Thailand), do you know where is it ?

Emster23 - I think Black Canyon coffee is value-for-money for such quality and ambience compared to Starbucks which is much more expensive. When I need to take a break in an air-conditioned place to rest my legs or do some reading, I don't know of any place better than Black Canyon. Their shrimps fried with basil leaves is also good although portion is small. Can you recommend at least 1 specific stall, shop or food instead of those general descriptions ? Where is Phra Kanong ? Any place or shopping mall to visit there ? I may wish to look for a permanent place to rent too if I like the vicinity.

Thanks all, I hope more will come in.:D

[Furbie]

Polo Fried Chicken: Famous and fantastic chicken, very good Isaan food.

3 Soi Polo, Wireless Rd, Lumpini, Bangkok

30 meters inside Soi Polo on the left, coming from Wireless (if memory serves)

Phone: 02-251-2772

[Nisa]

The Thais really love KFC and McDonalds .. always packed .

But seriously I think it is all a matter of preference of the hundreds of thousands of food stalls lining the Soi's that are all cheap. There is a noodle guy who has tables set up on the sidewalk that arrived about 7pm on the corner of Soi 7 .and Pratcharachbumphen 3 minutes from the Huay Kwang subway station that so many Thais love and come from far away to get. However there are 1/2 dozen other noodle shops in the area that others swear by and are also busy while their customers don't like the Fat Man's (as he is known) noodles on the corner of Soi 7.

You may also want to visit Soi Cowboy on Soi 23 before 7:30. They often have an interesting assortment of food vendors lining the Soi Cowboy street including various Issan foods including fried bugs.

And if your friends prefer earing American there is a great Dutch place on the corner there that also has great Thai food all at reasonable prices. I can't remember the name but it is right on the corner of Soi 23 & Soi Cowboy. You can sit on the patio and watch all the customers and working girls walking by. The menu is 1/2 Thai and half European and all the food is great that i have tried but more surprisingly very reasonably priced given the quality and presentation.

[Groongthep]

And if your friends prefer earing American there is a great Dutch place on the corner there that also has great Thai food all at reasonable prices.

I'm having a hard time figuring this one out. A Dutch place that has great Thai food for those whose friends prefer "earing" American. I'm perplexed.

Edited January 19, 2011 by Groongthep

[Travel2003]

Dear OP

Why is asking the locals or your hotel reception a useless reply?

You are also looking for Thai food, right?

Yet you rather want the opinion of foreigners here on TV?

In my opinion, being in another country, the locals will always be the best assets one have.

[Nisa]

And if your friends prefer earing American there is a great Dutch place on the corner there that also has great Thai food all at reasonable prices.

I'm having a hard time figuring this one out. A Dutch place that has great Thai food for those whose friends prefer "earing" American. I'm perplexed.

I meant Western food but to me more specific International. They have a wide selection (including America) and as I mentioned about 50% of the menu offers authentic Thai food.

I also remembered the name; The Old Dutch Resteraunt

And I didn't say those wtih friends .. I was speaking directly about his friends he says he is coming to BKK with.

Edited January 19, 2011 by Nisa

[healthcaretaker]

Thanks all,

Nisa - is Soi Cowboy in Sukhimvit ? you mean those stalls and Old Dutch restaurant serve until 7.30 pm only ? Pls be specific with the timing info. We are all looking for local Thai food only. Can easily get western food in any country if they serve both local and foreign food, a good choice too.

Travel2003 - I made it clear in my OP, I prefer recommendations made by the Thais, not foreigners. I am sure there are Thai members in TV, don't you ? I consider advising me to ask the hotel reception.... as "useless" to me because I know how to do that and I want to save the members here from wasting time. I prefer to get more accureate recommendations here(hopefully places seconded by others) rather than just a few hotel staffs whose answers are predictable like "We have a restaurant at the 2nd floor" or "the restaurant next door" etc

I have very high taste.

[charlie1968]

Dear OP

Why is asking the locals or your hotel reception a useless reply?

You are also looking for Thai food, right?

Yet you rather want the opinion of foreigners here on TV?

In my opinion, being in another country, the locals will always be the best assets one have.

totaly correct

[aridion]

Across the road from World Center, walk down towards Petchburi road, turn left on the corner. A few that restaurants there serving Kow man gai.

[bkkjames]

Dear OP

Why is asking the locals or your hotel reception a useless reply?

You are also looking for Thai food, right?

Yet you rather want the opinion of foreigners here on TV?

In my opinion, being in another country, the locals will always be the best assets one have.

yes, but unlike the hotel reception, we don't have a vested interest in sending anyone to any particular restaurant. but I will play along, a better idea is to go outside your hotel to the front and find your nearest 'parked' tuk tuk or circa 1987 taxi and ask the driver.

[healthcaretaker]

Dear OP

Why is asking the locals or your hotel reception a useless reply?

You are also looking for Thai food, right?

Yet you rather want the opinion of foreigners here on TV?

In my opinion, being in another country, the locals will always be the best assets one have.

totaly correct

charlie, you missed my last post ?

aridion - Is it the left turn that leads to Pratunam ? I see many people eating by the road near the bridge, always packed.

bkkjames - this is the purpose of a forum, people post messages to share info, don't we have quite a few recommendations here already ?

Anyone can teach me how to get back my topic in Chiang Mai ? It don't show in my "topics" or "posts" anymore...

[JimmyChoons]

Rather Bark-y tone from the OP - specfics people specifics

There's a noodle stall off the Suk Soi 11 which does great Bum Mee Moo Daeng. On the opposite side and end of the street from Bed Supperclub. Dirt cheap too. There is a bank of ATMs and the owner sets up outside of there when the sun starts to set.

Latitude 13.742136436492947

Longitude 100.55653095245361

Hope that's specific enough

Edited January 27, 2011 by JimmyChoons

[AmeriThai]

Is Petchuri a very short or long road ?

Where is Phra Kanong ?

This is just to answer two questions you asked. I could be wrong, but I think what was probably meant was Phetchaburi Road. It's fairly long. Below should give you an idea about both Phetchaburi Road and Phra Kanong. Phetchaburi Road is the one from left to right near the top of the map. You can see Phra Kanong. The slanted road (where you see "F", "E" and "C") is Sukhumvit Road. The BTS goes out to Phra Kanong.

I don't know if you're in BKK or Thailand or not, but it's pretty hard to go just about anywhere in the entire country without running into plenty of inexpensive quick-fix food stalls. The abundance of them in BKK is such that you almost can't walk around a corner without finding food stalls, many of which are set up next to each other.

Phetchaburi Rd / Phra Kanong

[RudieTheFoodie]

About 20 metres up Sukhumvit 39 (From the main road) on the right (1st stall) a lady sells Khao Mun Moo Krob. Uses same rice as Khao Mun Gai (i.e rice cooked in chicken dripping rather than water) in fact that what she mostly sells.. The Moo Krob (crispy belly pork) is superb, and the "Red Sauce" (make sure you ask for it) is one of the best I've had in Thailand.

[Captain Chaos]

Suk Soi 22 - opposite Admiral Suites - there is a shop house / 'hole in the wall' Chinese-Thai mom & pop restaurant. Don't know what it is called because sign only in Thai which I can't read! However, it is easy to spot because all the tables and stools are shiny stainless steel as opposed to the more usual formica style.

Been going there for years and the food is consistently good - 'pakrapow moo krob' and 'hoi lai' especially recommended. They also do a fiercely spicy and excellent 'tom yam talay'. Throw in a couple of large beers and lunch for two will still be 300 baht or so. They do have an English language menu in case you need it.