Spoiler: This delicious blog and the photos will make you hungry. Read at your own risk.

Bangkok just might be the Street Food Capital of the world based on the large variety of Thai and other foods available on any of its bustling streets. Thai foods are the most common that you will come across and vendors will set up a stall or bring in a mobile cart for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You might be wary to order because you might not speak the same language, but we often find body language works just fine. One word of caution, some dishes are spicy and if prefer less spice you should specify Aow Phet Nid Noi Ka/Khrap (little spice) or Mai Phet Ka/Khrap (no spice). The Taste of Thailand team has picked the top 5 street foods for you to try in the Street Food Capital:

SomTam: SomTam is one of the most prevalent Thai street foods. It comes in variety of serving styles. SomTamThai is the most common variety, yet there are many more that just the one. If you enjoy traditional Isaan dishes, you might like SomTamBpooPlaRa, which gives off a unique aroma because of the addition of fermented fish sauce. SomTam is usually eaten with Gai Yang (Grilled Chicken) so most street vendors sell them together. If you want to order less spicy remember your phrases from above. If you try to order the dish without any chilies you will often get at least 1 thrown into the salad to keep the salads flavor profile of sweet, citrusy, salty, and spicy. If you want to mention how many chilies should be added, you can say Prik Soon/Nueng (Zero/One) Med Khrap. (Zero/One chilies please!).

SomTam with Crab

• PadThai:  PadThai is known around the world as a flavorful noodle dish prepared with crunchy bean sprouts, onion, tofu, fried egg and served with fish sauce, sugar, sliced lemon, chili powder and finely ground peanuts. PadThai with Shrimp is the most popular type. If you want dried shrimp you have to say Aow PadThai Goong Heng Khrap and for the bigger shrimp Aow PadThai Goong Sod Khrap.

PadThai and fried egg

Famous PadThai restaurant ThipSamai is widely known because of its great taste

• Thai Roti: Thai Roti is a sort of pan fried bread or pancake which has roots in the Indian food Paratha. It is a very popular snack in Thailand which can be ordered sweet (banana’s and Nutella anyone?) or savory (ham and cheese!). Try having condensed milk drizzled on top when ordering, that makes Roti the best choice for sweet lovers! Each order is made right in front of you and fully customizable to your taste. We recommend watching the cooking process as it is quite fascinating. To order Roti Egg you can say Aow roti khai gai khrap. There are many different types of Rotis that are available including: Roti with chocolate, cheese, chicken curry, ovaltine etc. To know more about Thai Roti please check our blog post here.

Condensed milk on top makes it irresistible!  

Local Roti vendor at Village of Love (Bangrak) (Pandan Roti)

Watch the Roti cook up right before your eyes!

• Fishcake (ThodMunPla): Everything’s better deep-fried! You will find this Thai snack being hand made on the street and fried up fresh for lunch, dinner, or a quick snack. It’s served with chili sauce and a few sliced cucumbers to balance out the heat. Yummy! Thai fishcakes are a staple of street foods across the country. Be sure to try this treat before you leave.

Thai fishcakes are iconic street foods in Bangkok

• KhaoNiewMaMuang (Mango with Sticky Rice): This traditional Thai dessert could be the most delicious one! It’s available almost all year round, but during the early summer mango season the flavor will be at its ripest. The base is a fresh cut yellow sweet mango served with a side of sweet sticky rice, a little coconut milk, and small dried salted yellow moong beans for crunch. Its balance of sweet and sour makes it very popular with both Thais and foreigners alike.

A plate of mango sticky rice perfect for sharing.