The Ultimate One Day Thai Food Tour of Bangkok (Do-It-Yourself Guide)

You have one day in Bangkok, and you’re ready to go on the ultimate authentic Bangkok food tour for Thai food.
In this blog post I’m going to share with you all the details about how you can take a Thai food tour in Bangkok to eat all 4 of the major regional varieties of Thai cuisine in a single food packed day.
Get ready to eat Thai food!
First, watch the video
Press play to watch the full video of this Thai food tour in Bangkok now:
(Or you can watch it on YouTube here)
I’m going to warn you… you might want to pause the video and go grab a snack first.
The video is 27 minutes long, but sit back and watch the full video because it’s action packed and you’ll get all the details about this full food tour within the video.
Also check out Trevor’s video here.

Street food at Wang Lang Market (ตลาดวังหลัง)
Bangkok food tour – regional Thai food
My buddy Trevor James from The Food Ranger (also, check out his awesome food videos on YouTube) was in Bangkok for a few days.
We wanted to go all-in and get as much Thai food and eat as much of a diversity of Thai food in one single day as possible.
So we decided to go on a Thai street food tour of Bangkok eating all four of the major Thai regional cuisines in one day — Southern Thai food, Isaan (Northeastern) Thai food, Northern Thai food, and finally Central Thai food.
If you go to any of the restaurants mentioned in this do-it-yourself Bangkok food guide, be assured you’re going to eat the real deal!
[cta color=”yellow”]NOTE: If you want to explore authentic Thai food, The Ultimate Eating Thai Food Guide will teach you how and what Thai dishes to order and where (even if you don’t speak Thai)![/cta]

Southern Thai food feast at Ruam Tai Restaurant (ร้านรวมใต้)
1. Southern Thai Food (อาหารใต้)
Restaurant: Ruam Tai Restaurant (ร้านรวมใต้)
There are few meals better to eat for breakfast than southern Thai food.
Southern Thai food happens to be one of my personal favorites regional cuisines of Thailand, characterized by lots of spices and chilies, soups, and curries.
Ruam Tai Restaurant (ร้านรวมใต้) is located just a short walk from Wang Lang Market (ตลาดวังหลัง), and it’s one of the best southern Thai food restaurants in Bangkok.

Salted fried fish (ปลาเค็มทอด)
Dishes to order:
- Sour curry with taro stems (แกงส้มออดิบ gaeng som aw dip) – This southern Thai staple dish is a yellow sour curry made with lots of fresh turmeric and in this case taro stems. Here’s a recipe if you want to make it.
- Fish entrails curry (แกงไตปลา gaeng tai pla) – For a true taste of southern Thailand, order this black colored, fermented fish viscera curry. It will awaken your taste buds.
- Salted fried fish (ปลาเค็มทอด pla kem tod) – This is a salted fish, deep fried, then topped with chilies and shallots.
- Dry beef curry (คั่วกลิ้งเนื้อ khua kling) – Khua kling is a southern Thai dry curry, so basically all the spices of the curry paste, are coated onto the meat with no liquid.
- Cassia leaves curry (แกงขี้เหล็ก gaeng kee lek) – This is a creamy coconut curry made with pickled cassia leaves.
- Melinjo leaves with egg (ผักเหลียงผัดไข่) – One of my personal favorite Thai vegetable dishes is melinjo leaves stir fried with egg.
- Tree bean curry with shrimp (กุ้งผัดลูกเหลียง goong pad look liang) – Similar to stink beans, tree beans (parkia timoriana) have a crisp and pungent flavor.
You can really point and choose to whichever southern Thai food dishes you want to try when you eat at Ruam Tai Restaurant (ร้านรวมใต้), but this is exactly what we ate to give you an idea of the dishes available.

Ruam Tai Restaurant (ร้านรวมใต้)
Ruam Tai Restaurant (ร้านรวมใต้)
Address: 375/4 Thanon Phran Nok, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok 10700
Open hours: 6 am – 8 pm daily
Prices: Dishes cost around 40 – 50 THB, our total meal cost about 300 THB
ที่อยู่ 375/4 ถ.พรานนก บ้านช่างหล่อ บางกอกน้อย กรุงเทพฯ 10700
เปิด-ปิด 6:00 – 20:00

Isaan Thai food at Som Tam Jay So Restaurant (ร้านส้มตำเจ๊โส)
2. Isaan (Northeastern) Thai Food (อาหารอีสาน)
Restaurant: Som Tam Jay So Restaurant (ร้านส้มตำเจ๊โส)
For some seriously spicy and authentic Isaan food on this Thai food tour of Bangkok, Som Tam Jay So (ร้านส้มตำเจ๊โส) is the restaurant to eat at.
Located in-between Silom and Sathon, the central business districts of Bangkok, this restaurant gets packed at lunch, everyone looking to get a dose of extreme flavor.
Everytime I eat at Som Tam Jay So Restaurant (ร้านส้มตำเจ๊โส), I come out so happy and satisfied that I can’t help but smile for the rest of the day.

This will light your mouth on fire!
Dishes to order:
- Sticky rice (ข้าวเหนียว khao neow) – Sticky rice is the staple of Isaan food, and you can take little balls of sticky rice and dip them into the dressing.
- Green papaya salad with fermented fish (ตำปูปลาร้า tam boo plaraa) – This is the ultimate comfort dish of Isaan, slivers of green papaya pounded with chilies, tomatoes, fermented fish sauce and crab.
- Jungle pounded salad (ตำป่า tam pa) – Directly translating to jungle pound, this mixture is not for the faint of heart – and it’s amazing.
- Minced catfish laab (ลาบปลาดุก laab pla duk) – A grilled catfish is deboned, then mixed with khao khua (roasted stick rice powder), chili flakes, lime juice, and fish sauce.
- Grilled pork neck (คอหมูย่าง kaw moo yang) – It’s a little on the fatty side, but if you love pork, you’ll love their grilled pork neck.
- Grilled chicken wings (ปีกไก่ย่าง pik gai yang) – As soon as you enter Som Tam Jay So (ร้านส้มตำเจ๊โส) you’ll know grilled chicken wings are one of their specialities.
- Sour soup (ต้มแซ่บหมู tom saeb moo) – A switch from the other dishes, this is a soup to balance out your Isaan meal on this food tour.
The Isaan food here is spicy and pungent, and the taste is just like you’d find in Isaan (Northeastern) Thailand.

Som Tam Jay So Restaurant (ร้านส้มตำเจ๊โส)
Som Tam Jay So Restaurant (ร้านส้มตำเจ๊โส)
Address: Soi Phiphat 2, Khwaeng Silom, Khet Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500
Open hours: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm daily
Prices: our total price for everything came to 482 THB ($13.76)
ที่อยู่ ซอยพิพัฒ 2 สีลม บางรัก กรุงเทพมหานคร 10500
โทร. 085-999-4225
เปิดบริการทุกวัน 8.30 – 16.30 น.

Northern Thai food at Or Tor Kor Market (ตลาด อ.ต.ก.)
3. Northern Thai Food (อาหารเหนือ)
Restaurant: Or Tor Kor Market (ตลาด อ.ต.ก.)
Northern Thai food is the most under-represented type of major Thai regional food in Bangkok.
There are a number of good northern Thai food restaurants (I’d really recommend Man Muang if you have a chance to go there), but for this do it yourself Bangkok food tour of Thai food we really wanted to stick to street food style restaurants.
Or Tor Kor Market (ตลาด อ.ต.ก.) is one of Bangkok’s gourmet food markets and you’ll find an extreme amount of amazing food — including fresh ingredients, takeaway food, and a food court.
In the market you’ll find a stall called Pen Jan Northern Food (ร้านเพ็ญจันทร์) that serves all sorts of Northern Thai food curries.

The gaeng hanglay (แกงฮังเล) was the best dish!
Dishes to order:
- Pork hanglay curry (แกงฮังเล gaeng hanglay) – This is one of the most famous of all northern Thai curries. It’s porky, sweet, and sour, and has a nice ginger and shallot taste.
- Hygroscopic earthstar fungus curry (เห็ดเผาะต้มเค็ม hed pae dom kem) – Yes, this is a real fungus, also known as barometer earthstar or false earthstar. They will pop in your mouth with juices.
- Northern Thai herb sausage (ไส้อั่ว sai ua) – To be honest, the sai ua isn’t nearly as good here as it is in Chiang Mai, but still worth a try.
- Roasted green chili dip (น้ำพริกหนุ่ม nam prik noom) – This is a wonderful roasted green chili dip that you can eat with vegetables or fried pork rind.
- Pork rind (แคปหมู cab moo) – Fried pork rinds are typically dipped in chili dip in Northern Thai food.
On this Bangkok food tour, you can just walk around Or Tor Kor Market (ตลาด อ.ต.ก.) and see whatever else looks good to eat as well (the green papaya salad and grilled chicken is excellent). It’s a great market to try durian as well!
Or Tor Kor Market (ตลาด อ.ต.ก.)
Address: 139/4 1, Samsen Nai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400
Open hours: 6 am – 6 pm daily
Prices: Dishes all range in price, but most dishes cost around 60 THB per portion, but the mushrooms we ate were 80 THB per 100 grams – I think they are rare.
เลขที่ 101 ถนนกำแพงเพชร แขวงจตุจักร เขตจตุจักร กรุงเทพมหานคร 10900

Central Thai meal at Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu (ร้านต้มยำกุ้งบางลำพู)
4. Central Thai Food (อาหารภาคกลาง)
Restaurant: Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu (ร้านต้มยำกุ้งบางลำพู)
To finish off this full-on do it yourself regional Thai Bangkok food tour, you’ll finally need to eat Central Thai food.
There are many Central Thai dishes you could try, but when I think of Central Thai food, tom yum goong is one of the dishes I’m immediately drawn to.
One of my all-time favorite places to eat tom yum goong in Bangkok is Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu (ร้านต้มยำกุ้งบางลำพู).
The legendary Uncle, dishes up a flaming pot of street food tom yum that’s so full of tomalley (มันกุ้ง) that it’s actually chunky. It will blow your mind with flavor.

Life-changing tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง)!
Dishes to order:
- Tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง tom yum goong) – This is their signature dish and you shouldn’t miss it, it’s one of the best versions of tom yum goong in the world.
- Shrimp omelet (ไข่เจียวกุ้ง kai jeow goong) – You don’t want to think about how much oil goes into this omelet, but it tastes incredible.
- Water morning glory & crispy pork (ผัดผักบุ้งหมูกรอบ pad pak boong moo krob) – To balance out the shrimp, you can order fried morning glory with crispy pork.
- Fried garlic shrimp (กุ้งทอดกระเทียม goong tod gratiem) – Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu (ร้านต้มยำกุ้งบางลำพู) specializes in freshwater shrimp, and another must-eat shrimp dish is their fried garlic shrimp.
These dishes are a mix of Central Thai and Thai Chinese in flavor and cooking style, and what a way to end this Bangkok food tour of the 4 major regional Thai cuisines.

Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu (ร้านต้มยำกุ้งบางลำพู) – here’s the street food stall you’re looking for
Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu (ร้านต้มยำกุ้งบางลำพู)
Address: Thanon Kraisi (right in front of the big Banglamphu car park), Talad Yawd Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, Thailand
Open hours: 9 am – 6:30 pm daily
Prices: Our total meal cost 600 THB ($17.13) for everything
ที่อยู่ ถนนไกรสีห์ (หน้าอาคารจอดรถ กทม. ) ตลาดยอด พระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร 10200
เปิดบริการทุกวัน 9.00 – 18.30 น.

Fried garlic shrimp (กุ้งทอดกระเทียม)
Conclusion
If you follow this do-it-yourself Thai street food tour of Bangkok, you’ll have a chance to eat authentic Thai food from each of the 4 major geographical regions of Thailand.
From sour curries to flaming hot papaya salad, your mouth is going to be rejoicing from the variety and power of the Thai dishes served at each of these Bangkok restaurants.
By the end of this Thai food tour in Bangkok, Trevor and I were both stuffed and extremely happy!
Are you ready to take this Thai food tour in Bangkok!?
[cta color=”yellow”]These four restaurants and many more, plus tips that will help you to eat amazing Thai food are included in The Ultimate Eating Thai Food Guide![/cta]
Francine Stockli
3 years ago
OMG Mark. I’m so happy to have those wonderfull adresses. You’re so generous with your comments, explanations. I just want to Go back in Thaïlande again. And maybe meet you.
Damian Forsyth
5 years ago
Hi Mark will be doing this tour on March 1st 2019, i will be starting the to at Or Tor Kor market as my hotel is close by.I am really looking forward to going back to Tom Yun Goong Banglamphu as i was there almost 3 years ago after following your advice.
Keep up the great work, very much appreciated!
Raj
5 years ago
Love Thai Food
Max
5 years ago
I like all of your videos so much.
Where is your home in Bangkok.
Oneil Victoriano
6 years ago
Very helpful, many thanks.
Murdoch Trengove
6 years ago
Hi Marc.
I am an avid follower of your blog, and love all your posts not just about Thailand but all of SE Asia and beyond. We are coming to Bangkok in December and really looking forward to it.
Query? We have 2 small children (3 + 4). Will all these places have dishes that are non spicy to suit their tastes? I suppose fresh veggies and fruit are always available
Joel Bruner
5 years ago
Hi Murdoch, greetings! Pretty much any Thai food that you would ever order yourself can be customized to your taste preferences. Most food here is made to order, and they would be happy to accommodate. Also, you’re right, the fruit and veggies here are abundant and usually fresh. I hope you have a great visit to Thailand! Thanks for reading and supporting.
John Alan Read
6 years ago
Watching this made my lovely wife homesick for Isaan food. I can’t wait til I can take her there.
SR
6 years ago
Hi Mark:
I am planning to be in Bangkok for a meeting in mid December and plan to follow your food itinerary completed in three days (I am amazed how you guys did it in one day and you both are so lean). Since I plan to stay at a yet-to-be finalized hotel in Sukhumvit (most likely), it would be nice if you can also point out the nearest BRT skytrains or MRT stations to reach those restaurants. I do not have a local guide, but plan to wander around all by myself using my iPad (local SIM) and public transportation. Thanks.
Alan Spedding ( cumbriafoodie )
6 years ago
Ohhh my God …..I need a tour guide for this. 48 trips to Thailand and all these are new to me. Let me know if you are up for a Xmas food feast and need a wingman.
Krong Loi
6 years ago
Hi there! I’m Thai but live in US for a long time. Thanks for sharing a great input and letting other people know more about Thai food. I hope you don’t mind if I would share some of your articles on my facebook pages. Thanks again!
Boots Ocampo
6 years ago
Hi Mark! I always tell myself that if i get stuck in one country it will be Thailand because i believe i can eat all the foods serve here. I love authentic and the central Thai cuisine is i think the best amomng the four areas you visited. By the way i love all your vlogs and always end up drooling all the time.
Rose Abz
6 years ago
Hi Mark. i’ve always been fascinated about going to Bangkok for a food trip and your videos and this blog make me salivate in excitement. I was just wondering though, how would tourists (who doesnt speak Thai) communicate to locals in these restaurants? I often hear from my friends who’ve been to Bangkok that most locals don’t speak English. any advise?
Pranv
7 years ago
Mark,
Amazing blog you have here! I’m traveling to bangkok today and wanted to know which street food places are open till early in the morning? The ones mentioned here close down pretty early.
Thanks
Jimmy
7 years ago
You have one the best food blog and videos sites on the web. Your videos are great. You don’t come off as pretentious one bit and you’re very natural. If you are ever in L.A. look me up, I will take you to some great spots and hidden gems.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Jimmy, really appreciate your support. Will let you know when I’m in LA next.
Rieno
7 years ago
sawadee Krap Mark and his team i wonder were can i find the best SomTam in Bangkok. my soon to be wife is from Buriram and trust me the food is awesome
Great vids keep up the good work cause Thailand is more then just the redlights
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Rieno, hope you’re doing well. I really like https://www.eatingthaifood.com/best-som-tam-in-bangkok/
John Anthony Ong
7 years ago
Very well made videos . Awesome Thai dishes. Am visiting Bangkok for the fourth time in a few days.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you John, glad you’re going to visit Bangkok soon!
Khanny Ou
7 years ago
Love Thai foods & your recommendation. Pictures looks great too.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Khanny!
Lawrence J. Viles
7 years ago
Wow that was a fabulous day for you both. Yes Ive watched Trevor many times and also enjoy the Chinese food. But the best is watching others expression when he speaks Chinese. Anyway, you both together was awesome. Glad to see Mikah’s getting bigger. Great video. Thanks for sharing Mark, Ying, Mikah.
nui acain
7 years ago
Wow, what an awesome foods and excellent video. Ridiculous fantastic food varieties. Thank you so much.
You are the best Mark.
Harry
7 years ago
Every time I watch you videos, I’m deeply amazed at the extreme passion that the Thailandnese put into making a dish beyond excellence (rarely bad), cooked into perfection, and with the great knowledge and abundance of ingredients, I have no doubt to me they are the best chefs in the world (without putting presentation into consideration). Great idea to put together this one day tour food video in Bangkok. Great work!
Ammar
7 years ago
Your video with Trevor James (The food ranger) was great!! It is always great to see foodies get together. When are you going to see him in China?
Michael Leahy
7 years ago
Yet another fantastic engagement with your fans. I like your informative style of photography and in particular your close-ups of the dishes -it makes a dish much more alive and mouth watering. I am off to Nepal at the weekend for 2 weeks (I have already Google marked some Thai restaurants to visit). I will be back in Thailand in June and October and look forward to seeking out some of your restaurants. Thanks Mark and keep up the great work!
Albert farcon
7 years ago
Mark would you mind send me a video on how to cook stir fry pork and chicken with out pepper. order last time in a Thai resto it was very Delicious. thank you very much.
Will
7 years ago
Hi Mark! Just over a year ago my wife and I were in Bangkok on our honeymoon. We relied heavily on your guide, and ate so much amazing food, so thank you for that! One of the highlights was definitely Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu – it was hot and we were sweating standing in line waiting for a table, but once the food arrived it was so worth it. In particular we loved the goong tod gratiem, and have been craving it ever since. Do you have any advice on how we could (attempt to) recreate it here in NYC? I’ve tried searching for recipes but nothing seems quite right. Thanks!
Hugo Bühler
7 years ago
It’s realy mouth watering watching your video clip. Very nice presented.
Lina
7 years ago
I’m coming to Thailand (and various other countries in Asia) in a few weeks and your videos/blog have been so helpful! Can’t wait to try all these places that you have mentioned. Our first stop is Japan and im very excited to try the tuna/toro place that you went to in Osaka!
Liz
7 years ago
Oh just mouthwatering…
Liz
7 years ago
I really wish i get transported to bangkok right now…*drooling* u re the best mark!! Thanks for compiling this. I will definitely remember to hunt down the list when i get there. I just got some thai snacks yesterday from a relative.
madalina
7 years ago
Hii MarK!! Thank you so much for up date me with the last receipts! I just can t wait to try all of them … even is very hard to find the ingredients,…
But I can t give up on,…ha haa
My kind regards also for your mother in law for sharing with all of us her cooking secrets,..
Ben
7 years ago
The next door Southern Thai Food restaurant called Chwang is my restaurant.. hopefully you might visit some day
Suhaila
7 years ago
Hi Mark, thanks for the nice blog posts and videos but since I’m a Muslim, I really appreciate if you can suggest the halal restaurants around Bangkok that we Muslim can enjoy . Thanks in advance :)
Gaston
7 years ago
Wow Great article. Nous allons en essayer quelques uns à la fin du miis de mars. Thanks Merci!
Chas Teague
7 years ago
Hi Mark,great article about these locations. Are they all within Skytrain stations ?
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Chas, the Isaan restaurant is near to Sala Daeng BTS and Or Tor Kor is close to Kamphaent Phet MRT, but for the Southern Thai you can take the boat to Wang Lang Pier and walk, and for for Central Thai you can take the boat to Phra Athit.
Tim
7 years ago
Thanks Mark. Just in time for my arrival this saturday :D
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Cool to hear that Tim, hope you have an amazing trip!
Steve Forbes
7 years ago
Great post as usual. I think you may have cleared up a long standing mystery for me. About 6 years ago I had a fiery hot dry curry in Tham Lot, Mae Hong Son with chicken and what the locals called mountain truffles. It was one of the best meals I had on that trip to Thailand, and I have always wondered exactly what the “truffles” were, .. now I think I know .. Hygroscopic earthstar fungus. Cheers Steve
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Steve, haha, very cool to hear that, they were very interesting mushrooms, especially with the texture.
John Anthony Ong
7 years ago
Excellent mouth watering dishes. We’ll be staying at the Chatrium so we plan to visit some of the restaurants you have recommended in your many videos.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much John, sounds good!
Wim
7 years ago
Damn, I wish I was in Thailand right now! Mark my compliments for your excellent video and photography skills!
greetings, Wim.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Wim!
Peter
7 years ago
Thanks Mark for your new inspiration – i’ll see the video later but just wanted to give you some feedback on your recommendation of Paste Bangkok at Gaysorn in an earlier püost.
In January i’ve been there to celebrate my last day of my stay in BKK and I was competly excited!
Every single dish was offering a new dimension of smell and taste as I never experienced in also fine restaurants in thailand. Of course the service was also very personal and descret in the same time. The prices are a little higher as normally in BKK but compared to the pleasure (and the prices in Switzerland;-)!) they still are very adequate! Peter
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Peter, great to hear from you. Thank you for sharing about your experience eating at Paste. They are really doing some amazing things for Thai food at Paste!
Michael R. Martin
7 years ago
Great video Mark. One day I hope to visit Thailand to try some of these amazing foods. The fragrances must be incredible as well.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Michael!
Sean green
7 years ago
Excellent video we will be trying Ruam Tai and Tom Yum Goong Banglumphu when we are back in Bangkok in September Thanks for the very informative video and information
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Sean, really appreciate it!
suphot Laohathiensin
7 years ago
Mark, you have done wonder, the last blog was NONG RIM KLONG I was there with my cousin and we both loved it and she could not stop talking about the place for weeks. Please keep up with the good work
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Hey Suphot, awesome to hear from you, very cool. Oh yah, that place is amazing!
Jim and Donna Krupp
7 years ago
fantastic timing. We’ll be in Bangkok late October for 3 days on our own before joining tour group bicycling (with bus support) to Ho Chi Minh City.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Great to hear that Jim and Donna. Have a great trip and keep safe!
Kenneth Henderson
7 years ago
As always, my mouth waters. Sadly as I have gotten older my system requires me to hold back on the spicyness levels but even so the flavors are so remarkable…..looking forward to this summers trip to LOS….Thanks again!!
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you very much Kenneth!
Fred Schut
7 years ago
Just shared your blog on facebook. Next time in Thailand I’ll only be coming to Bangkok for the food, no other tourist activities.
Mark Wiens
7 years ago
Thank you Fred, awesome to hear that!