A city that gathers the flavours of the whole country
If you are choosing your first meal in Bangkok, start with Pad Thai. For the next meal, have curry with rice or share a Tom Yum Kung, and finish with sweet mango sticky rice. In Bangkok you can find food from many parts of Thailand, not only central Thai dishes.
Choosing a meal in Bangkok
If you are eating alone, try a plate of Pad Thai or rice with curry. With friends or family, share a Tom Yum Kung and have a plate of mango sticky rice for dessert.
Bangkok is a city where the food of many Thai regions comes together. The choice runs from central rice and curry to dishes brought from other regions. Here we introduce signature dishes that are easy to try, even if Bangkok is where you first meet Thai food.
The dishes below are not local specialities eaten only in Bangkok. You can find them in many Thai cities.
Pick a dish you would like to try. We explain what it tastes like and what to eat it with.
The sourness of tamarind blends with sweet and salty notes. Chew the bean sprouts and peanuts with the soft noodles and you get a crunchy, nutty taste. Where chilli flakes are served on the side, you can add as much as you like.
Pad Thai: taste and how to eat it →
Sourness and heat are added to a broth that has taken on the flavour of prawns. Lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaf give Tom Yum Kung its distinctive aroma. There are clear and rich versions, so dishes with the same name can taste a little different.
Tom Yum Kung: taste and how to eat it →
Behind the rich, soft coconut milk you feel the heat of the curry paste. The herb aroma is also clear, so it tastes different from the curries you may know from home. Eat it by putting a little curry and its pieces on the rice at a time.
Green Curry: taste and how to eat it →
The aroma of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and clove soaks into the curry. If you eat it next to green curry, where herbs stand out, you can easily feel the difference between the two. Eat the rich sauce with rice, a little at a time.
Massaman Curry: taste and how to eat it →
The sweetness of mango is joined by the richness of coconut. The sticky rice is chewy, so the texture differs from eating the fruit alone. Taste the mango and the sticky rice separately, and next time take them together in one spoonful.
Mango Sticky Rice: taste and how to eat it →A fruit's famous growing area may not be where you buy it today. Check the season and taste, then pick the fruit you want to eat.
Ripe mango has a soft, sweet taste. Some green mango varieties are eaten for a texture different from ripe mango, so you need not assume that every green one is unripe just by its colour.
Mango: season, taste and how to eat it →
Its character is a sweet, rich taste and creamy flesh. The firmness and smell of the flesh differ with variety, such as Monthong and Chanee, and with ripeness.
Durian: season, taste and how to eat it →
It is a crunchy, juicy fruit. Fresh fruit and the shake blended with ice give you different textures.
Watermelon: season, taste and how to eat it →
With a young coconut you enjoy the water and the soft white flesh together. Nam Hom is introduced as a variety whose character is its aroma.
Young Coconut: season, taste and how to eat it →Bangkok retail prices · 14 October 2026
These are prices by variety and grade surveyed by Thailand's Department of Internal Trade. Not every street seller charges the same price.
| Fruit and variety | Price | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Mangosteen · smooth-skin grade | 40–60 baht | 1 kg |
| Rambutan · Rong Rian (โรงเรียน) | 50–60 baht | 1 kg |
| Longan · E-daw (อีดอ) | 50–60 baht | 1 kg |
| Longkong | 40–50 baht | 1 kg |
| Pineapple · Sriracha (ศรีราชา), grade 2 | 30–32 baht | 1 kg |
| Watermelon · Kinnaree (กินรี) | 25–30 baht | 1 kg |
| Papaya · Holland (ฮอลแลนด์) | 40–60 baht | 1 kg |
| Banana · Nam Wa (น้ำว้า) | 40–50 baht | 1 bunch |
| Mandarin · Sai Nam Phueng (สายน้ำผึ้ง), grade 5 | 60–65 baht | 1 kg |
Keep the price of a cut-fruit bag or tub separate from the per-kg price of whole fruit. In this survey, bananas are priced per bunch.
The dishes below are not local specialities eaten only in Bangkok. You can find them in many Thai cities.
If you are eating alone, try a plate of Pad Thai or rice with curry. With friends or family, share a Tom Yum Kung and have a plate of mango sticky rice for dessert.
If you want to read more about these dishes and regions, these sources are a good place to start. Ingredients and cooking methods can differ from one eatery to another.
