Thailand’s informal footpath restaurants

There’s something for every gourmand and gourmet in every corner of Thailand, and when you first land in Bangkok, you’re sure to find something to suit your taste. There are restaurants everywhere, and if you’re not quite ready to dive into the more local types of cuisine, you’ll find American and European favorites, along with all the fast food standards. But—you’ve come halfway across the world, do you really want to spend your time here eating burgers and fries? You can do that anywhere. Let’s have a little culinary adventure, shall we?

Bangkok is a city buzzing with activity, and much of that activity revolves around food. Aside from the more formal indoor restaurants that you’ll encounter, you will also notice areas throughout the city where the sidewalk seems to have been taken over by small-time food vendors. These are quite different from what you’re used to back home. The vendor may have little more than a push cart or a wok with charcoal or a propane tank, and maybe a few plastic tables and chairs that are set up on the sidewalk.

You will find these informal restaurateurs everywhere in the country, but crowded Bangkok is a haven for lovers of footpath restaurants. But before we go on, a warning: Regulations aren’t the same here as they are back home, and these informal restaurants have little oversight. Some tourists prefer to stay away from them out of concerns of cleanliness. For the most part though, the food is wholesome and delicious, just use common sense when approaching one. Most of them serve water out of a plastic pitcher, and this is hit-or-miss; you’re better off ordering a bottled drink.

One thing you’ll notice about these restaurants is that they attract stray dogs, and you’re very likely to get a friendly mutt sitting by your table, hoping for a few scraps. Some of the vendors even toss their scraps into a bowl on the ground as they’re cooking. This is part of the Thai mentality—the restaurant owner doesn’t want to waste the scraps, and as Buddhists, they make merit by providing food to the hungry animals. Don’t worry too much about the dogs, most of them are very lazy and used to people.

Unlike the mainstream tourist restaurants around Sukhumvit Road and other expat hangouts, you won’t hear much English being spoken here. The menus are usually available only in Thai. For that matter, most of these restaurants don’t have menus at all, and it’s just a matter of seeing what’s on offer that day. It can be very confusing for a non-native, so if you have a Thai friend, bring her along with you. If not however, just point and gesture, and you’ll get by. Remember a few key words. Most Westerners know two food-related phrases: “pad thai” and “satay”, and these two dishes are easy to find at the food stalls. Just keep going from stall to stall and repeating those words, and eventually you’ll find somebody who sells it.

One thing to remember, whether you’re ordering on your own or with a friend, these stalls often sell some of the more unusual dishes that will seem a bit bizarre to your sensitive Western palate. You may see a tray of fried insects, chicken heads, fried fish organs, or a big, heaping bowl of fish head soup. But don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!