Welcome to EAT-ineraries—where we do nothing but eat all day. Today, I’m showing you around Bang Rak in Bangkok City!
I’ve always been asked why I keep returning to the same cities instead of traveling to new ones. My answer never changes: “I like going deeper, instead of wider.” No two trips to the same place are ever the same, and that’s why once I fall in love with a destination, I just can’t help but revisit it, to rediscover it, and to unearth something new. One such place is, obviously, Bangkok.
Bang Rak District is relatively new to my ears as most travellers—myself included—would normally just explore the more popular places: Khao San, Old City, Chinatown, Siam. But I’ve seen a lot of Bang Rak from YouTuber Gary of The Roaming Cook, whom I’ve become buddies with during the lockdowns over Instagram. The district, located by the Chao Praya river near Silom, seems to be teeming with food—and it does. So I made sure to check it out during my recent trip.
But social media is awesome and what happened was even better—instead of exploring Bang Rak by myself, I finally got to meet Gary along with his friend (and my new friend) Chai of Tag Along with Chai and they toured me around Bang Rak. This food hunt couldn’t have been any better!
I highly recommend that you visit Bang Rak on your next trip to Bangkok. Its accessibility from Silom makes Silom the perfect home base for you. In addition, if you’re into art and culture, you will find that Bang Rak has a rich history, demonstrated by its old architecture, wall arts, galleries, and museums. The “ancient side” will remind you of Chinatown, but it’s juxtaposed with skyscrapers and the metro rail—a perfect blend of old and new.
Below, I have prepared a suggested eat-inerary for you, and it’s a combination of eateries, restaurants, and coffee stops. Feel free to follow it as is or split it up into two or three days if you have more time. A Bang Rak Food Map has been included at the bottom of this guide for easier navigation. Enjoy!
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8:00AM: Have Thai Biryani for breakfast
This eatery (called ข้าวหมกแพะพิเศษ) located at 1360 Charoen Krung Road offers Halal food and their specialty is Thai biryani, or khao mok. It’s hard not to salivate once you see the huge pots of biryani—they offer two varieties, chicken (khao mok kai) and mutton (khao mok phae). It’s not as strong as an Indian biryani but eating it with two sauces—a raita and an insane sweet-sour mint sauce—as well as this mindblowing spicy lime soup or some sort is guaranteed to make you take nonstop spoonfuls. And the meats are fall-apart tender! Order some eggplant curry as well—another huge, delicious surprise!
ข้าวหมกแพะพิเศษ is open from 7AM to 2PM (closed on Sundays).
10:00AM: Try the coffee at Sarnies
I am crazy for rustic, industrial-style shops—and Sarnies, built on a gorgeous old building, is such an eye candy for me. The beauty doesn’t stop there: I love their coffee. While this is actually an Australian concept, they do use local beans and so I suggest you try them when they’re on rotation (they offer special limited edition beans apart from their signature blend for additional 20 baht only). I gulped down my Cortado pretty fast so I got their refreshing Iced Coconut Long Black, which had chunks of coconut milk and coconut flakes. The Treacle Tart, made of sourdough and honey and served with a nice crème fraiche, is great too!
Sarnies is open from 8AM to 10PM.
11:00AM: Indulge in a Michelin-recommended Pad Thai for lunch
Pad Thai is probably the last thing I would CRAVE for while in Thailand—just because it’s very common everywhere outside Thailand—but I discovered this restaurant specializing in pad thai, and I just had to visit it. Here, they don’t just offer it street-style: they elevate the dish with finer and housemade ingredients. What I love about it though is that they don’t go overboard with it—it tastes like street food, just with better ingredients. I had the Pad Thai Kung Mae Nam Yang, which came topped with giant grilled river prawns! I love their sauce—made of 18 ingredients—which is more sour and salty than sweet—of course, you can still adjust it according to your liking as the quintessential pad thai condiments are served on each table. The noodles are perfectly chewy too!
Baan Phad Thai is open from 11AM to 9PM (closed on Tuesdays). It’s on the same street as Sarnies!
1:00PM: Cross the Chao Praya River via Ferry and Grab a Thai Milk Tea on the way
From Baan Pad Thai, the Sathorn Pier which allows you to cross the Chao Praya river via ferry is a short walk away. On the way, look for the coffee truck, Musna, and grab a Cha Yen (Thai iced tea) for the road. Here you will find this awesome lady “pulling” the tea—similar to Malaysian teh tarik. It’s not just for show—doing so aerates the drink, making it more frothy and more enjoyable.
Musna is open from 7AM to 5:30PM. The boat ride costs 15 baht.
2:30PM: Have another coffee break at BURR Everyday
If you’re like me, who loves having coffee after meals, then you’d want to stop over at BURR in Krung Thon Buri after crossing the river. It’s Gary’s favorite coffee place in the area and I could see why—the place is beautiful and quiet and the coffee is GREAT. I had a pour over because I was really interested in their beans (the Nepal one was amazing), but believe me, I wanted to order multiple drinks (hello, palpitations)! Gary loved his latte (shown in the photo).
BURR is open from 8AM to 6PM.
5:00PM: Have duck for early dinner at Nai Soon
I absolutely love duck and would eat some whenever I have the chance—especially if it’s not expensive as fuck as most high-end Chinese restaurants would charge. That’s why when Gary told me about Nai Soon, I almost got thankful that the noodle shop he was originally planning to show me that day was closed! While I loved everything I had mentioned in this EAT-inerary, I find the duck noodles the most comforting, probably even my favorite—the soup is just so good and the pieces of duck liver make it even more luscious. You may order sliced roasted duck too and just eat it with rice, but I highly suggest you try… both. You may choose which noodles you prefer as well; try the sen yai, which are thick flat rice noodles!
Nai Soon Charoen Nakhon is open from 10:30AM to 7PM.
Notes:
1. If you think this EAT-inerary is not enough food, feel free to explore the stalls around the places I mentioned and just dive in and randomly try them. There’s a lot going on in Bang Rak—it’s absolutely a food heaven.
2. If you don’t wish to cross Chao Praya by boat, you can take the BTS. Go to Saphan Taksin station and hop off Krung Thon Buri (just one station away). Check them out on the map I created below. Saphan Taksin is also the station you need to find if you’re coming from Silom going to Bang Rak.
3. Beside BURR café, there’s another one called KAFI Sathon. Coffee lover friends—you know what to do.
4. Right at the corner where Baan Pad Thai is, there’s a dessert shop called BoonSap, selling Thai sweets.
5. For afternoon tea, check out the famous Author’s Lounge which was featured in Somebody Feed Phil (one of my favorite shows). It’s also in Bang Rak. For cocktails, head over to Tropic City which specializes in rums, or the Bamboo Bar, one of the oldest in Thailand (since 1953).
6. Art enthusiasts will find a number of interesting spots in Bang Rak, like Bangkokian Museum and Warehouse 30. Or just walk around and discover various street art!
7. If you actually wish to stay in Bang Rak, there’s an Ibis Styles Riverside very close to the places above. I loved Ibis Styles Silom, so I’d probably try this one next time.
Special thanks to Gary of The Roaming Cook for taking us to his favorite spots!
Bang Rak EAT-inerary Food Map
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