Top 5 Places to have Pad Thai in Thailand

For many budget travelers, the first experience of Thailand is Bangkok’s Khao San Road. The epicenter of the Southeast Asian backpacking scene, this busy thoroughfare is packed with bars, hotels, shops, and street food vendors. 

With so many hungry mouths to cater for, on Khao San you’ll find some of the best pad thai in Bangkok. Also nearby is legendary restaurant Thip Samai, whose signature pad thai and orange juice combination is thought to be the best budget meal in the city. 

A popular day trip outside of the capital takes you to one of the buzzing, bustling floating markets amongst the Chaophraya delta west and south of Bangkok. As well as soaking up lots of intriguing local life, you’ll find great Thai food being served from the many small boats which move up and down the tight canals. 

Food must be easy to prepare from the seat of a longtail boat, so you’ll find simple but delicious dishes such as mango and sticky rice, spring rolls, steamed dumplings, and colorful fresh fruits such as mangosteen and durian.

Bangkok’s islands are not known for their lively food scenes – your time here is more concerned with enjoying the blissful beaches and luxury resorts – but busy Phuket is an exception. With a population of approximately half a million people, Phuket locals need their budget restaurants and sizzling street food just as much as their mainland compatriots! 

Lively Phuket Old Town, with its cute Sino-Portuguese architecture and many shops, cafes, and eateries is a proper dining destination. As you’d expect on this island location the seafood is excellent, with a Hokkien Chinese influence to dishes such as chili crab, freshly-caught lobster and prawns, and noodle dish kanom jeen.