Top 10 Best Street Foods in Thailand

In Thailand, the dessert dish Khao Niew Ma Muang, or sticky rice served with fresh mango and coconut milk, also known as mango sticky rice, is one of the most beloved traditional foods among locals and tourists alike. This dish is prepared quite simply, but careful ingredient selection is the key to its success. Instead of using ordinary rice, the hotel chef mixes two types of rice in specific proportions to give the sticky rice a unique texture and flavor. As for the mangoes, only ripe Nam Dok Mai mangoes, fresh and sweet, are used.

From a country renowned for exporting high-quality rice varieties, the mango sticky rice, featuring fragrant and sticky glutinous rice, has gained worldwide recognition. Mango sticky rice is a delightful dish with a harmonious flavor of coconut milk and black beans, making the rice creamy and aromatic without being mushy. The combination of sticky rice and mango - a widely popular fruit in Thailand - is well-balanced and flavorful. Currently, mango sticky rice is available in many stores in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi at a relatively high price, starting from 40,000 VND per serving. If you have the chance to visit Thailand, try mango sticky rice at Sukhumvit Soi 38, Bangkok.

Voted as the 5th best dish in the list of 50 famous dishes worldwide, Pad Thai has become a signature street food of Thailand and is renowned worldwide. A plate of Thai fried noodles typically consists of stir-fried noodles with egg, dried shrimp, tofu, bean sprouts, tamarind sauce, peanuts, and sometimes comes with shrimp or squid. It can be enjoyed with coconut milk to enhance its flavor. One famous spot for Pad Thai in Thailand is Thip Samai Pad Thai, located on Maha Chai Road, Bangkok. This dish is often sold at Thai food festivals held annually in major cities in Vietnam, as well as in Thai food restaurants at prices starting from 35,000 VND.

Pad Thai, originally called Gway Teow Pad Thai in Thai, is believed by some to have been brought to Thailand by a Chinese merchant, while others claim it originated from Vietnam. The Thai-style fried noodles are made with readily available ingredients including: dried noodles soaked in water, eggs, tofu, shrimp, meat, chicken, crab, etc., along with seasonings like tamarind paste, fish sauce, dried shrimp, scallions, red chili, lime, and peanuts.

Any traveler visiting here is sure to try the most famous Thai dish. There is also a vegetarian version served with soy sauce instead of fish sauce, without shrimp. Depending on personal preferences, one can choose between stir-fried or fried Pad Thai. Pad Thai is a quintessential street food of Thailand available at all eateries in Thailand. For those who love Thailand or have been to Thailand, it is well known that Pad Thai is one of the traditional and famous dishes here. However, you cannot buy Pad Thai outside the market to take home. If you want to give this dish to friends or family, you can choose packaged Pad Thai similar to instant noodles. This instant Pad Thai contains all the necessary ingredients, so you just need to prepare and eat it immediately. The price for each packet of Pad Thai is 25 baht, approximately 18,000 VND.

Grilled pork skewers are among the delicious, nutritious, and affordable street foods that entice everyone who visits Thailand. Walking along the streets and dining areas, you'll be captivated by the aroma emanating from the grilling skewers of pork. And when your stomach beckons, almost everyone ends up indulging in a dozen skewers or more.

This dish, known as Moo Ping in Thailand, is humble in appearance but intricate in preparation. Selecting a mix of lean and fatty pork, it's minced and mixed with various spices. The highlight of Moo Ping lies in the marinated sauce mixture. Besides pepper, garlic, palm sugar, fish sauce, and chili paste, an indispensable ingredient is coconut milk. Thanks to this special ingredient, the dish exudes a rich, fragrant, and irresistible flavor. The marinated pork is then skewered into adorable round-flat sticks. These meat skewers spread across the charcoal grill, emitting a tantalizing aroma that makes passersby crave. While grilling, additional sauce is brushed on, and some places even generously add a layer of golden melted cheese on top for added richness.

Grilled pork skewers are quite famous in the Land of Golden Temples. Despite its seemingly simple appearance, the dish boasts a delectable flavor that's hard to resist for those who've had the chance to try it. When traveling to Thailand, you won't find it difficult to come across images of smoking grills and the fragrant aroma of grilled meat along the streets. Pork is marinated with fish sauce, coconut milk, and other signature Thai spices, creating a rich flavor. All street food stalls in Thailand use charcoal for grilling because pork grilled over charcoal is much more flavorful than other types of grills. Currently, many eateries in major cities across the country serve this dish at prices starting from 12,000 VND per skewer.

'Som' pronounced as 'sôm' means sour. 'Tam' pronounced as 'tằm' means pound - This is the technique to make a delicious som tam dish. You have to use a mortar and pestle to pound the ingredients to make it delicious. 'Thai' pronounced in Thai style is 'Thài' but means Thai. Altogether, the name Som Tam Thai means Thai-style sour mixed salad. Thai papaya salad is called Som tam, a spicy salad with shredded green papaya as the main ingredient. Som tam is a dish mixed with papaya salad, dried shrimp, peanuts, and sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes. The chewy texture of sticky rice and dried shrimp complements the accompanying spices, making this dish attractive not only in taste but also in color and presentation.

This dish encompasses all the basic flavors of Thai cuisine: the sourness of lime, the spiciness of chili, the saltiness of fish sauce, and the sweetness of palm sugar. This dish is mixed by pounding in a mortar, hence the name som tam, meaning 'sour-pounded dish.' This is the uniquely special flavor that many tourists traveling to Thailand appreciate and choose. Raw cabbage is cut into triangular shapes with a diameter of about 2 hand spans, then arranged on a large plate or served around the cabbage pieces. When eating, use a piece of cabbage to scoop the salad, like we scoop rice paper. Anyone trying this Thai dish for the first time may find the taste unfamiliar, but once they've tried it for the second time, they'll definitely want to enjoy it again and again.

To make Som Tam, first crush garlic and chili in a stone mortar, add dried shrimp with shell, fat shrimp, then add two handfuls of shredded papaya, sliced tomatoes, squeeze lime to get water and put the peel into the mortar to make the salad flavorful, only remove when eating. Then add fish sauce, mix while pounding evenly but not too crushed. Tomatoes are only crushed flat, not crushed. In Vietnam, this dish is often called 'Thai-style papaya salad.' The ingredients of this dish are quite simple, consisting of green papaya, peanuts, and spicy chili. This dish has a fragrant and fatty flavor of peanuts and a strong spicy aroma of chili, and a sweet, mild taste - carrying the characteristic flavors of the Land of Golden Temples. In Thailand, you can easily find this dish on every street in Bangkok. This is not a dish that is harmful to health but on the contrary, it is very good for the body due to its fresh ingredients. The price of each plate of salad in Vietnam is about 30,000 VND at Thai food stores nationwide.

A dish quite easy to find in many alleys and sold on many street carts in Thailand. From simple ingredients like flour and coconut milk, under skillful and delicate combination, delicious coconut pancakes have been created by grilling on charcoal stoves. The surface of these coconut pancakes is often sprinkled with coriander leaves to add flavor and reduce the sweetness of the cake, as well as to enhance the visual appeal. You can visit Or Tor Kor Market, Kamphaeng Phet Road, Bangkok to enjoy this delicious dish. Currently, this cake is still being served in Thai stores in Vietnam.

Famous for the delicate blend of ingredients and special cooking methods. Thai food is very unique and delicious, Thai cuisine is one of the factors attracting tourists to Thailand. Thai cuisine is the delicate blend of herbs, spices, and fresh food with special cooking styles. Each dish has a delicate mix of spicy, sour, sweet, and bitter flavors. Among them, the coconut pancake dish (Khanom krok) is famous for its delicious taste, reminiscent of street food in Thailand.

This is a street food dish that you can easily find on carts in Thai alleys or markets. This dish is made from flour and coconut milk mixed in a certain ratio and then grilled on charcoal. When cooked, a little coriander is sprinkled on top of the cake to add appeal as well as enhance the aroma and reduce the sweetness and richness of the coconut milk. This dish is sweet but not cloying.

Called boat noodle soup because it's simply sold on boats. The ingredients of this noodle dish are very simple: noodles with broth simmered from beef or pork, accompanied by some other spices. Boat noodle soup when eaten has a very rich flavor and delicious broth is the secret to the success of this noodle dish. Depending on the stall, the broth may vary, but in general, it's worth trying when tourists visit the Central region of Thailand, specifically Pathum Thani province.

The name of this noodle dish has ancient origins, this traditional dish is usually sold on boats in the canals of Thailand. Up to now, boat noodle soup has become a popular street food in Thailand. Like other Thai dishes, the ingredients for preparing this dish are quite simple, including morning glory, pork blood jelly, bean sprouts, beef or pork seasoned with a little sourness of lime and the spiciness of chili. Visit the Boat noodle stall, Victory Monument, Bangkok to enjoy the delicious aroma of this noodle dish. This dish is served at many stores in Ho Chi Minh City with a price of about 40,000 VND/bowl.

Thailand is famous for its incredibly unique and enticing culinary style, one of the main strengths that helps Thailand attract a large number of tourists every year. Fermented rice noodles dish is no exception to that style, very unique, exotic, and amazingly delicious. This is the main dish in Thai breakfast or dinner. Kanom Jeen or also known as Thai cold spaghetti. The main ingredient to make this dish is noodles made from fermented rice so it has a very special flavor. And especially the attractive part of the dish must be mentioned is the sauce. The sauce of fermented rice noodles is made from a mixture of curry, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, and fish. Especially, the fish must be simmered until cooked, boneless and diced, mixed with curry, then simmered again.

Almost every tourist who enjoys Kanom Jeen noodles feels the unique, exotic flavor of it. And they liken it to the famous Italian Spaghetti dish. To make this noodle dish, the chef must be very delicate and have many years of experience. In families, people usually buy packaged fermented rice noodles, blanch in boiling water, roll back and drain to make Kanom Jeen. But in restaurants, Kanom Jeen is handmade, they use natural fermented rice noodle ingredients made by the chef's own hands.

If tourists join a Thailand tour, then seek and try this fermented rice noodles dish, they will be able to fully experience the wonderful flavors of the dish and appreciate the unique features of Thai cuisine. Currently, you can enjoy this noodle dish at Thai restaurants in Vietnam.

Fried bananas, golden and crispy, turn out to be not only our specialty but also a very popular dish in the beautiful country of Thailand. Fried bananas are one of the most common street foods in Thailand. Bananas will be thinly sliced and dipped in a mixture of flour, coconut milk, sugar, salt, and dried coconut, then fried until golden brown. Enjoying a piece of fried banana, you will feel many delicious flavors from the creamy coconut, the chewy texture of flour, or the sweet taste of bananas. One of the most popular snacks on the streets of Thailand.

The preparation of this dish is quite simple: Bananas are thinly sliced and dipped in a mixture of milk, flour, sugar, and dried coconut, then fried. This dish retains the delicious flavor of bananas combined with the sweet coconut milk and fresh milk, and the fragrant chewy taste of the banana filling inside. All create a simple yet harmonious dish that is convenient to carry or take away. This dish has a price range from 15,000 to 25,000 VND.

Fried banana cake is a familiar cake that many people love, with just a little variation in the preparation method, you can make delicious Thai-style fried banana cake. Made from familiar ingredients such as rice flour, grated coconut, fresh bananas, you can make fried banana cake at home, with a not too complicated method, just spend a little free time on the weekend you can make this cake.

A type of seafood soup with two main flavors, sour and spicy, which are characteristic of Thailand, this dish has become famous worldwide. The main ingredients of this soup are fresh delicious shrimps combined harmoniously with other spices and aromatic herbs with a pungent taste. To make the soup thick and fragrant, Thais often add coconut milk to the soup. The coriander leaves are the flavor added last but cannot be missed to enhance the aroma of the dish and make it more appetizing. The Tom Yum dish is a typical sour and spicy soup of Thailand. Therefore, when traveling to Thailand, you cannot miss the opportunity to enjoy this famous dish, and you will definitely love its delicious aroma after the first taste. This dish is served in many Vietnamese restaurants with a price range of about 80,000 VND.

This is one of the characteristic dishes of the Golden Temple country. In Thai, 'Tom' means boiling and 'Yum' means sour and spicy dish. The sour, spicy, and sweet flavors combined to create a very special seafood soup. The rich and harmonious mixture of ingredients represents the uniqueness of Thai cuisine. Looking at the appearance, you might feel that the preparation of the dish is extremely complicated, but in fact, Tom Yum is cooked very simply and quickly. People choose fresh prawns, cut off the heads leaving them whole, and cut the squid into pieces. In addition, other ingredients such as straw mushrooms, lime leaves, chili, tomatoes... especially the spices for Tom Yum to create the characteristic intense flavor of the dish.

The most important thing is the broth. The difference here is that Thais use coconut milk, Thai lime leaves, and crush the shrimp heads to make the broth more creamy, sweet, and intense. Moreover, this dish must have a lot of chili to create a harmonious spicy taste with sour, salty, sweet... And finally, they finely chop some fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle them on top. Coriander leaves not only enhance the delicious aroma but also play the role of balancing the color to complete Tom Yum in terms of both flavor and appearance. Surely, when enjoying the famous Thai dish called Tom Yum, you will never forget its delicious and rich flavor. Especially, in the freezing cold winter, a hot bowl of soup will immediately make you feel extremely warm. Tom Yum is simple but leaves an unforgettable taste for any diner.

This unique snack is highly popular with Thai people and can be found on most streets and even in alleys. The preparation method is simple but retains the most natural flavors of each coconut. The coconut is grilled over an open flame until the dish is completed. After cooking, the coconut becomes sweeter and more flavorful, emitting a very attractive aroma. The price for each coconut is about 21,000 VND. Currently, this dish has not been found for sale in Vietnam. Simply fresh coconut is grilled over glowing charcoal, choosing young coconuts that are neither too soft nor too hard, split into pieces, and grilled on the flaming charcoal until the outer shell is charred black and brown. Then, the thick outer shell can be removed to reveal the coconut, which is easy for users to handle.

Food enthusiasts believe that grilled coconut is truly delicious when grilled just right over a large fire and has enough heat to char the outer shell slightly, without causing significant changes to the water content inside. After grilling, there are two ways to consume the coconut. One is to use a straw to poke into the coconut eye and pour it into a glass, then cut the coconut to extract the meat to eat together or hold the coconut directly in hand to enjoy the unique taste. The coconut water after being grilled has a completely different taste compared to fresh coconut water, sweeter and more flavorful. When grilled, enjoy the coconut while it is still warm, and travelers will experience a strange, enticing aroma that is difficult to describe.

Grilled coconut is especially easy to peel off the shell to extract the meat, just lightly tap the coconut, and it will break so that the coconut meat can be peeled off in large pieces. The grilled coconut meat is perfectly tender and chewy, turning a light purple color, soft and elastic, can be enjoyed with coconut water or used alone to taste the rich, delicious flavor like grilled jam. This is a dish that is not difficult to find when traveling to Thailand, as most of the roads tourists pass through will encounter coconut vendors with affordable prices, each coconut costs about 1 USD. This is definitely a delicious, nutritious, cheap drink that can completely quench thirst, dispel fatigue for travelers.