A dish at Soma

Dine like a local: Chef Ton’s guide to casual eating in Bangkok

17 Jul 2026

Chef

From second restaurants from fine-dining chefs to holes in the wall, Chef Ton shares his picks for an easy-going itinerary in the Thai capital

Bangkok has a fantastic fine-dining offering, but many visitors to Thailand’s capital are just as keen to dive into the local street food and the more casual side of the restaurant scene. If you’re looking for recommendations for easy-going places to eat, who better to guide you than Bangkok native Chef Ton of Nusara and Le Du, a one-time Asia’s Best Restaurant? Here are his picks for the best casual eating in Bangkok, including that world-famous street food.

Climbing Over the Wall Noodles

This is the place for fish ball noodles. The original name in Thai of this shop is ‘climbing over the wall noodles’. The reason is it used to be next to the expressway and there was a wall that if you walked around it would take you two or three kilometres. So, people just climbed the wall to get to the shop. They serve the most comforting, delicious noodles.

Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120

Jok Prince

This is my favourite breakfast spot. Jok is the Thai name for congee. They cook the congee over charcoal and always purposely slightly burn the bottom of the pot, so your congee always has this light, almost burnt taste. The pork that they cook with the congee is the best, so juicy and nice. They open for one round in the morning, one in the evening, and they usually sell out within two hours.

1391 Charoen Krung Road, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500

Khao San Sek

This is by Chef Pam of Potong. It’s Thai, casual and easy going, and the price point is super affordable. It’s in a beautiful location on Song Wat Road, which is now one of the hippest streets in Bangkok. It’s like Williamsburg in New York, 15-20 years ago. The restaurant has a very cool concept; it’s maybe my favourite in Bangkok right now.

Noi Samrub Bar and Eatery

This is another restaurant from a Michelin chef. It’s a spin off from Chef Prin [Polsuk of Samrub Samrub Thai], who’s one of the most respected Thai chefs in the country. He was the right hand of David Thompson [at Nahm]. Noi is like a drinking place where you can get local spirits and very high-level snacks, but it’s still very affordable. This is a big trend in Bangkok.

Phed Mark

Thai people eat pad kaprao – a stir fry with mince meat, holy basil, chilli and garlic – at least once or twice a week. For me, the best is Phed Mark. They make it very dry, very spicy. They use two or three different kinds of chillies. My recommendation if you’re going for the first time is to take it easy, because the top one is super spicy. You have to get it with the fried duck eggs – they’re so creamy and when you mix them in, it's heaven.

Soma

This is a restaurant from famous chefs Chalee Kader and Num Weerawat. The dining room is almost like a contemporary Thai art gallery. The food is very easy going, but full of flavour, very Thai, more on the Isan side, from the northeast of the country.

Som Tam Jay So

I really like som tam, which is papaya salad. This one is the equivalent of Jay Fai, but in the papaya salad world. It’s very near my restaurant, Le Du, so I go here all the time. There’s just one lady, who’s also the owner, making all the salads. The best things are actually the chicken wings. When chefs come over to collaborate with me, I take them here to try the chicken wings. They’re cooked slowly over charcoal at a very low temperature for about 45 minutes, so the meat is falling off the bone, but they’re still so crispy.

146 Phiphat 2, Si Lom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500

Urai Braised Goose

It's not common to see a goose restaurant in Thailand, but Urai is the best. It opens at 10am, and by 12.30pm it’s already sold out. They’ve been there for 60 years, doing the same thing. They do Chinese-style goose cooked in a five-spice broth, you eat it with rice or noodles and a dipping sauce made from chilli, scallop and vinegar. It’s my favourite street food.

Wattana Panich

Maybe the longest-standing beef noodles in Thailand. They have this big copper pot and the fire hasn’t gone out for decades. Every day they keep adding water, seasoning and beef, but the stock has remained the same for 60 years. It’s amazing and still family-owned.

336-338 Ekkamai Rd, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110