Discovering Bangkok’s Backstreets, One Bite At A Time

Bangkok’s food scene is one of the best in the world, but trying to figure out what to eat on your own can be a lot of work. There are simply TOO many good spots to try, many of which are hidden from tourists.

That’s where the Bangkok Backstreets Food Tour comes in.

No, this isn’t your typical pad Thai and green curry experience (that’s too ‘vanilla’). Instead, it’s a deep dive into Bangkok’s hidden gems, curated by a local Thai chef who knows the city’s best-kept secrets.

From alleyway stalls to family-run spots that have served generations, the tour takes you to places you’d never stumble upon on your own. Over four hours, you’ll weave through bustling backstreets, meet sweet and friendly vendors, and taste authentic dishes that define Bangkok’s food culture.

You won’t be visiting touristy spots — the first part of the tour brings you to the backstreet of Chinatown, onto Charoen Krung Road for local establishments you’d only really find with a guide. The second part of the tour takes place on Yaowarat Road, the main street of Chinatown.

With 15+ tastings (yes, you read that right!), you’ll get a true crash course on the flavors and local culture of Bangkok’s Chinatown area.

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👉 LOOKING FOR TRADITIONAL THAI FOOD? A Chef’s Tour also has a daytime tour, the Old Siam Food Tour. The tastings on the Old Siam tour are more traditional Thai, whereas the food featured on the Bangkok Backstreets tour is more Thai-Chinese.

What We Ate On The Bangkok Backstreets Food Tour

Curious about all the foods you’ll eat along the way?

Now, I won’t spoil the tour by giving you all the names of the spots we ate at. The tour guide-led experience and the group tasting dynamic are what made the tour so fun!

Instead, this list is meant to give you an idea of the foods you’ll try on this tour:

Chive Pancakes: Our guide led us through Chinatown to a food cart run by a sweet lady who’s mastered the art of chive pancakes over decades. Simple yet flavorful, these crispy delights were the perfect introduction to Bangkok’s street eats.

Stewed Pork Leg: A Thai staple that quickly became one of our favorite dishes of the night. Tender, savory, and served with fresh garlic and chili.

Chicken Satay: A Southeast Asia classic! Skewers marinated in coconut milk and served with rich peanut satay sauce and tangy relish. Classic, comforting, and absolutely delicious.

Sukiyaki: An unexpected star of the tour. This soupy dish is a rarity for travelers since it’s mostly enjoyed by locals (we tourists are usually busy eating more traditional Thai dishes).

Pennywort Juice: A refreshing drink made from centella asiatica. Our guide shared its medicinal benefits, and it was a fun way to cool off in the humid Bangkok evening.

Jok One Table’s Shrimp Wontons: My new personal obsession! When Mr. Jok isn’t cooking multi-course meals for his single-table restaurant, he serves up shrimp wontons and fish maw soup. These wontons were perfectly crafted, rivaling anything I’ve had—and as an actual Chinese person who’s had her fair share of wontons, that’s saying a lot.

Jok One Table - Bangkok Backstreets Tour

Green Curry with Lap Cheong and Winter Melon: This curry shop, featured on Netflix, was a delightful surprise. The combination of chicken, dried sausage, and winter melon created a dish we’d never have thought to order ourselves.

Thai Curry Rice - A Chef's Tour Bangkok Backstreets

Noodles with Peppery Soup: A Chinatown institution with multiple Michelin recommendations. This was our second time trying it (we also had it on the Michelin Guide Street Food Tour), and the peppery broth with crispy pork and rolled noodles was just as delicious as we remembered.

Michelin Fish Ball Soup - Bangkok Chinatown

Seafood Assortment at T&K Seafood: A bustling dinner spot with a perpetual line! Thanks to our guide, we got seated right away and indulged in four hot dishes, including grilled river prawn and a sampling of tropical fruits like rambutan and longan. The prawn was my personal favorite.

T and K Seafood - A Chef's Tour Bangkok Backstreets

Rambutan - A Chef's Tour Bangkok Backstreets

This list doesn’t even encapsulate everything we tried! There were a few more stops in between, including three stops for sweet treats and desserts.

Yes, one of those stops is for mango sticky rice!

By the end of it, we were completely blown away and totally stuffed.

I can’t recommend this tour enough. The 15+ tastings were no joke (at most stops, you’ll get a full serving unless you ask to share), and everything was so delicious! The locals making the food were also so sweet and friendly.

Our two guides made sure everything ran like clockwork: our main guide, Nood, kept us entertained with all the best stories and tidbits about the local businesses we visited, which made the tour that much better. Aom, our assisting guide, was always a step ahead, securing tables and pre-ordering food so there was zero wait time for us as soon as we arrived.

I highly recommend this tour for anyone who wants to discover local foodie finds (yes, it’s a great tour even if you’ve already been to Thailand before).

Bangkok Backstreets Food Tour Reservations

You can visit the official website or book through travel activity sites like GetYourGuide (below).

With intimate groups of no more than eight people, the experience feels super personalized. Our tour only had 5 people!

Our tour guide told us that the Bangkok Backstreets tour is their most popular tour, often selling out weeks in advance (especially during the winter months/peak season).

Prices are reasonable for the quality and variety of food you’ll experience, and it’s worth every baht to have a local guide lead you through Bangkok’s culinary maze.

DEAL ALERT: For a limited time, use the promo code CHEFSFRIEND5 for an additional 5% off your food tour when booking directly. This code is valid for all food tours in any of their destinations!

You can book on GetYourGuide if you plan on joining other tours and want to keep all your reservations in one place:

👉 ALTERNATIVE FOOD TOUR: A Chef’s Tour also has a daytime tour, good for people who don’t mind the early afternoon heat. During the Old Siam Food Tour, you’ll water taxi up the klong canals to an old district of Bangkok known for its lip-smackingly good street eats. Expect 15+ tastings on this one, too!