Street food in Thailand: cheap food or Michelin-starred gourmet food?

A description of Thai street food and the evolution of street restaurants since one of them received a star in the Michelin Guide Thailand.

By Ranjith Chandrasiri

Street food is an integral part of Thai food culture.

It is certainly one of the most tempting attractions for tourists in Thailand and one of the best ways to experience authentic Thai food.

Locals and foreigners alike love street food, as it is convenient, cheap and delicious.

There is no shortage of fresh, made-to-order Thai food choices, straight from the carts or from small street restaurants.

Street food comes in many forms, from a humble cart on the side of the road, to several stalls in a local market, to a traditional shop with tables spilling out onto the pavement.

You will find a high concentration of street food vendors in busy areas and markets.

Virtually every soi (alley) is dotted with street food carts selling everything from som tam (papaya salad) to delicious banana pancakes and ice cream.

Many of these dishes are a fundamental part of Thai food culture and certain foods are indicative of their origins, from Isaan (North East) to the South.

From dawn until late at night, there are vendors on every corner preparing everything from hot food on the grill to ice cream in their custom-built street-side carts.

They usually specialise in certain types of dishes and can be seen stir-frying dishes in large woks, pounding green papaya, grilling meat skewers or boiling noodles.

The trolleys themselves are often part of the charm, regularly as inventive and colourful as the dishes.

The stalls fall into the category of 'street food', as many have kitchens or seating that extend onto the pavement, but they generally offer greater consistency and hygiene than street stalls.

Street food: Thailand's best street food

Street food in Thailand. Photo: Lee Lefever

In recent years, street food has begun to move from the street stall to the Michelin guide.

The Michelin guide ranks restaurants by awarding them stars or a place on the Bib Gourmand list, which is less prestigious than a star.

The Bib Gourmand list includes a more diverse mix of affordable dining options.

The Bib Gourmand award, symbolised by the famous "Michelin Man" licking his lips, is given to restaurants that offer quality food, prepared with care, at a reasonable price and with very good value for money, for a maximum of 1,000 baht (26.70 euros) including a three-course meal: starter, main course and dessert, excluding drinks.

Since the arrival of the Michelin guide in Thailand, the only street food restaurant awarded a Michelin star is Jay Fai, a roadside restaurant specialising in popular Thai cuisine such as khai jeaw poo (crab omelette), tom yum (sweet and sour soup) and pad kee mao (boozy fried noodles).

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It was awarded a Michelin star for the first time in 2018 and has maintained this enviable status ever since.

Jay Fai is one of seventeen restaurants selected for the first ever Michelin Guide to Bangkok.

In announcing the selections, Michelin said:

"Bangkok has learned to successfully offer many types of international cuisine styles without giving up its own food heritage."

Located in Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, Jay Fai was founded in the 1980s by Supinya Junsuta, 75, the restaurant's sole chef.

She wears her "signature glasses" and cooks all by herself in her open-air kitchen.

Jay Fai, like many other street restaurants, serves a variety of Thai dishes in a simple setting.

It is one of only two street restaurants in the world to hold a Michelin star.

Expect to queue for several hours to get a seat at this famous little restaurant and pay up to 1,200 baht for Chef Supinya's famous khai jeaw poo.

Although many local street food vendors do not care about getting a Michelin star, some have revamped their shops in order to get an award.

The bar has been raised in terms of food quality, innovation, hygiene and service standards.

Michelin did not disappoint, awarding a Bib Gourmand to several vendors and street food stalls that met the strict criteria.

In the 2022 Michelin Bib Gourmand selection, 133 restaurants and street food establishments are featured, including 39 street food establishments in Bangkok.

In particular, there are a total of 108 establishments in the "Street Food" category, more than restaurants, in Bangkok (39 street food establishments and 32 restaurants) and Ayuthaya (6 street food establishments and 4 restaurants).

Of course, there are 108 Bid Gourmand selections and hundreds of other up-and-coming stars scattered throughout Thailand.

It's worth doing some research and visiting these trendy street food establishments to enjoy a delicious meal at an affordable price.

There is no doubt that Thai street food has evolved and gained an international reputation since its entry in the Michelin Guide.

Michelin has unearthed some hidden culinary gems in Bangkok and other Michelin-listed destinations: Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Phang-Nga, while Pattaya is yet to enter the coveted list.