As the most visited city in the world, Bangkok has a lot of love to offer and with most of us associating this Thai hotspot with cram-packed markets filled to the brim with street food, you could agree that this love affair has a lot to do with our stomachs.
Unfortunately, while we all might love to watch the culinary explorations of a Thai street market on television, many of us couldn’t imagine ourselves getting stuck into a cuisine like that for real. Honestly, though, while the most exotic and perhaps challenging of Thai street cuisines (fried bugs, anyone?) might make for some fantastic viewing, they’re not the most accurate depiction of what you can truly expect to eat there.
In fact, Bangkok’s cuisine is as rich and varied as its culture and while there is often a fine line between sit-down eating and street food, it certainly doesn’t mean that bugs are the only thing on the menu. Once you start looking, it’s actually clear to see that eating your way around Bangkok is increasingly more about fine dining than funky delicacies. Make sure you fall on the right side of that divide by keeping the following in mind.
Book Food Tours
Food tours are fantastic for taking the mystery out of Bangkok’s cuisine. As well as ensuring that you’re always heading to the right hotspots, top tours like The Ten Tastings of Bangkok are 100% customized to your tastes, meaning that you don’t have to worry about guesswork or language barriers to ensure finding food that you enjoy. Even better, food tours have the benefit of providing you with a unique take on areas of Bangkok that, left to your own devices, you might never have stumbled upon otherwise.
Take it off the streets
IGNIV Bangkok ร้านอาหารไฟน์ไดน์นิ่งส่งตรงจากสวิตเซอร์แลนด์ที่พร้อมเสิร์ฟเมนูแบบแชริ่ง https://t.co/N3HattWre5 #bkkmenu #bkkmenuhopping #IGNIVBangkok #finedining pic.twitter.com/k4CXhyxSq4
— BKK. (@bkkmenu) November 12, 2020
If you’re used to sit-down restaurants then Thai street food can be a little daunting, but there are plenty of Bangkok fine dining restaurants to take your pick from, too. Originally based in Switzerland, IGNIV has now found a home in Bangkok with a world-famous sharing menu and some sweet treats that you’ll never forget. Meanwhile, Michelin-starred options like Mezzaluna and Bo.Lan are guaranteed to change your take on what Thai cuisine has to offer, all within a setting that you’ll be comfortable with.
Who said fine dining and street food didn’t mix?
Street food in Bangkok isn’t all about grease and bright colors. In fact, there are some chic dining experiences to be found on Bangkok’s street corners, with Michelin stars already having been handed to street food stalls including Jay Fai (one Michelin star,) Jok Khlong San (Michelin plate,) Chakki (Bib Gourmand,) and many more. Simply make sure that you know where to eat, and it’s really irrelevant whether you’re in a luxury dining room or a roadside bench for all the joy those dishes are guaranteed to bring.
