There’s nothing wrong with a continental or American breakfast; Thai people love it loads. You can find many Western breakfast and brunch spots in Bangkok city, and they’re pretty decent, too. However, the kind of Thai breakfast that locals eat everyday can be much more colourful and diverse. Here’s where to find the best traditional Thai breakfast in Bangkok.
Unlike some western countries, Thailand doesn’t have one specific food that we call breakfast. The breakfast of Thai people is the combination of Chinese, western, and Thai foods all shaken up, resulting in a variety of dishes that we decided would be cool to have in the mornings. For locals, here are some of your familiar places to fuel up your energy for the day. For visitors, we encourage you to try these traditional Thai breakfast spots. You’ll become much more Thai than you were before.
[Hero image credit: Betong Cantonese Noodles; featured image credit: Khao Moo Daeng Si Morakot]
Where to find the traditional dishes that locals have for Thai breakfast in Bangkok
Samantao
The Thai pavilion-style restaurant is perched above the water inside the garden of Nai Lert House. Samantao Heritage Thai Coffee is the only old-fashioned Thai coffee shop in the centre of the city. It serves a nostalgic breakfast loved by Thai and Thai-Chinese in the old days, like Kai Gra Ta or ‘eggs in a pan’, or a set of soft-boiled egg, bread, and hot and cold drinks. There’s also steamed bread with pandan coconut custard or Thai milk tea coconut custard.
Location: 4 Soi Somkid, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, +6697 140 5176
Nearest BTS/MRT: Chid Lom BTS
Opening hours: Daily 7am-5pm
Price range: THB 80-300/person (drinks and food)
Pa Tawee
The most common style of breakfast for any ordinary day is khao gaeng, which simply means rice topped with side dishes. Every Thai has their own go-to place for khao gaeng, but Khao Gaeng Pa Tawee seems to have garnered a reputation to a distinguished point nowadays. Menus keep rotating every day, but the most popular dishes are fried salted pork and sweetened pork.
Location: 402 14 Itsaraphap Rd, Siriraj, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok 10700, +6681 916 5053
Nearest BTS/MRT: Bang Khun Non MRT
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 7am-3pm
Price range: Below THB 100/person
Betong Cantonese Noodles
Betong Cantonese Noodles, now in the bustling area of Bangkok, originally hails from Betong, Yala, in southern Thailand. The recipes are highly influenced by Malaysian seasoning, resulting in sauce-coated noodles topped with pork, fried chicken, and dumplings. This 70-year-old noodle shop is still going strong in Thon Buri district with old and newcomers lining up from early morning.
Location: Soi Charoen Nakhon 78, Dao Khanong, Thon Buri, Bangkok 10600, +6694 449 1855
Nearest BTS/MRT: Wutthakat BTS
Opening hours: Daily 6am-2.30pm
Price range: Below THB 100/person
On Lok Yun
The line at On Lok Yun got even longer after politician Pita “Tim” Limjaroenrat posted a picture of him breakfasting here. On Luk Yun is actually an age-old Thai breakfast spot that serves a fusion of Thai, Chinese, and western dishes such as ham, sausages, eggs and bacon, its own version of French toast, toast with Kaya egg custard, toasts with sweetened condensed milk, and soft boiled eggs served in a cup.
Location: 72 Charoen Krung Road, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100, +6685 809 0835
Nearest BTS/MRT: Sam Yot, Sanam Chai MRT
Opening hours: Daily 6am-2.30pm
Price range: THB 100-250/person
Jok Sam Yan the original
Jok is a Thai rice congee dish that is usually consumed either early in the morning or late at night. The original Jok Sam Yan with 70 years of history now has only three branches around Bangkok. The menu is as simple as it can get, including Jok with large chunks of minced pork, with soft boiled egg, with pork liver, and with pork intestines. Served warm, it’s the kind of breakfast that comforts your anxiety and gets you ready for all the cold shoulders you may experience for the rest of the day.
Location: Sukhumvit 103 Rd, Bang Na Nuea, Bang Na, Bangkok 10260, +6681 350 6671
Nearest BTS/MRT: Udomsuk BTS
Opening hours: Weekdays from 5am-9am and 4pm-7pm and weekends from 5am-9am
Price range: Below THB 100/person
Patonggo Savoey
Patonggo feels less unhealthy when consumed in the morning, so a lot of people are leaving their morning stomach in the hands of Patonggo Savoey. This Michelin Plate food is basically fried dough eaten with Thai pandan custard or sweetened condensed milk, followed with some cool soy milk, and you’re good for the whole morning. There are also options of grilled patonggo with crispy pork floss for those who prefer a savoury touch.
Location: Wat Mangkorn and Yaowarat road
Nearest BTS/MRT: Wat Mangkorn MRT
Opening hours: Wat Mangkorn opens daily from 6am-8pm; Yaowarat road opens 5.30pm-11pm
Price range: Below THB 100/person
Khao Moo Daeng Si Morakot
Khao moo daeng and moo krob or rice with barbecue pork, pork belly, and Chinese sausage, is the classic breakfast and lunch that fuels the body and satisfies the craving for something both sweet and savoury at the same time. A place that has stood the test of time and has never let us down is Si Morakot, where they use charcoal to roast the pork. The syrup-like gravy is boiled down from pork bones, and features Asian herbs and spice, resulting in a sweet and tangy sauce that binds everything together. For the morning extra protein, don’t forget to add a boiled egg.
Location: Sukon 1 Alley, Talat Noi, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100, +6681 567 9006
Nearest BTS/MRT: Hua Lamphong MRT
Opening hours: Daily 9am-4pm
Price range: Below THB 100/person
Tuang Dim Sum
If we’re in a rush during breakfast time, locals will most likely grab a bun or salapao with a couple siu mais as their rendition of Thai breakfast. If we have time, Thai people like to sit down and enjoy a variety of dim sum. Tuang Dim Sum by Chef Yip, the former chef at Shang Palace, is a great place to stop by for an easy and delicious dim sum selection, long queues aside. We love the Custard Lava Bun, Shang Hai Xiao Long Bao, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings, and the Shrimp Rice Flour Rolls.
Location: Soi Charoen Krung 89, Wat Phraya Krai, Bang Kho Laem, Bangkok 10120, +6689 603 0908
Nearest BTS/MRT: Saphan Taksin BTS
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 8am-3pm
Price range: THB 100-250/person
Moo Tod Jeh Jong
Sometimes a traditional Thai breakfast can be a box of fried pork on rice. The famous Moo Tod Jeh Jong has been known amongst the Klong Toey crowd for years before branching out all around Bangkok. The menu is pretty straightforward for a breakfast box, by choosing whatever meat(s) you want on top of the rice, whether that be fried pork, boiled egg, Chinese sausage, or Vietnamese pork sausage. While that’s the traditional Thai breakfast must-order, the place also offers a range of side dishes such as krapow, stir-fried vegetables, and garlic chicken.
Moo Tod Jeh Jong now has over 17 branches in Bangkok.
Price range: Below THB 100/person
Go-Ang Kaomunkai Pratunam
Go-Ang Kaomunkai is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant serving only one kind of food: Hainanese chicken rice. Enjoying Kaomunkai is simple, because you only need to choose if you prefer steamed or fried chicken. Cut into pieces, the chicken will be placed on top of Hainanese rice, known for its aromatic and moist quality, and drizzled with the sweet black sauce or the herb and spicy sauce.
Go-And Kaomunkai Pratunam has 9 branches in Bangkok.
Price range: Below THB 100/person
In spite of her name, Paint can't really paint or even draw. Life, for her, is a journey in search of good chocolates, fries, chicken wings, and the implication behind her fat cats' split personalities.
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