A street food eating tour of Ratchatewi
This busy Bangkok neighborhood is becoming more and more developed, but its street food offerings remain as diverse and delicious as ever
With Bangkok’s Phaya Thai SARL airport link station now up and running, the city’s downtown Ratchathewi area nearby has been the focus of major development in recent months.
Condos and sparkly new 7-Elevens are going up in every direction, breathing new life into this run-down section of the city. But what hasn’t changed is the fact that Ratchatewi has some of the best late-night street food in Bangkok.
We highlight some of the finest in this eating tour of the BTS Ratchatewi station area.
A variety of barbecued street meats for sale by a Ratchatewi street vendor.
Start at the southern part of the BTS station (the area closest to Siam). Here is where you come for a major protein fix. The area is always packed with groups of people in their business suits, munching on whole salty fish, or chicken on a stick.
A sweet woman sells her delicious Thai desserts.
Walking further northward, a Thai dessert cart serving coconut- and custard-infused goodies for 10-20 baht apiece is as much the area’s trademark as is the smile of the lady who sells them. Nearby, a crepe lady serves up delicious dinner and dessert crepes in a manner of seconds.
A cart of freshly squeezed juice made from Mandarin oranges.
For a quick vitamin fix, there’s fresh orange juice, or the staple fruit stand selling pineapple, watermelon and custard apples. Steamed corn, fried chicken and peanuts are also available.
A street vendor tends to his tom yum soup broth.
Just opposite these stands is the tom yum soup guy, serving up hearty bowls of this famed specialty. Pepsi, green tea, and water are on sale at a cart close by, but the more adventurous should try the fresh sugar cane juice -- a Ratchatewi staple.
A sign advertises what just might be Bangkok's best pad Thai.
One of the major highlights of the street is the pad Thai stand. Forget that this dish might be considered a clichéd standby for tourists and backpackers in Thailand who aren’t sure what else to eat.
Many (this writer included) have declared it the best pad Thai in all of Thailand. It’s not uncommon for first-time diners to order a second helping (it is, afterall, only 30 baht).
Further north is a soup stand that is usually the least crowded of the Ratchatewi stalls, but the soup is definitely full of flavor and delicious. Wash it all down at the smoothie stand, which serves up thick strawberry shakes for 30 baht.
Ratchatewi's Lopburi Kitchen serves your usual Thai classics, like cashew chicken, tom yum goong, tom kha gai and curries along with plenty of seafood options.
Continuing north, the street stalls culminate in the most popular street food venue of all -- Lopburi Kitchen. Of course, you won’t see the name in English so just look for the biggest street stall at the most northern end of Ratchatewi station.
This place, more of an outdoor restaurant than a street food stall, is always packed. They have an English menu, complete with photos. Recommended dishes are the tom yum gai, Penang curry and pad siew.
All stalls at Ratchatewi are open around 6 p.m. and stay open until 1 a.m. Happy eating!
