Top 10 Favorite Dishes From My Trip to Thailand

Thailand is an amazing country, and the food is a big reason why.

The dishes are well-seasoned with fresh herbs and local spices, the best meals are extremely affordable (I’m talking $5 for a life changing meal), and there’s a cultural story behind every dish.

I was excited to experience authentic Thai cuisine up close when I traveled to Thailand for my honeymoon this summer. We made sure to spend time in as many different regions as we could, in order to experience the differences in local culture and cuisine throughout the country. We ended up visiting Bangkok in central Thailand, Koh Phangan and Ko Samui in the south, and Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai in the north.

As difficult as it was, I whittled down everything we ate into a Top 10 list of the best meals I had in Thailand (with some honorable mentions at the end).

Enjoy browsing through my Thai culinary adventures, and bookmark this for when you make a trip to Thailand!

1. Beef Noodle Soup – Blue Noodle

*Beef Noodle Soup – Blue Noodle (Chiang Mai)*

“Every meal in Chiang Mai is a religious experience.”

That became my mantra after our very first stop in town, Blue Noodle. Nothing fancy, just a small little outdoor restaurant on a side street in Old Town, specializing in Beef Noodle Soup. Choose your noodle thickness, cut of meat, and bowl size (I recommend Stewed Beef, Medium Noodles or Sen Lek, and Large), and you’re off to experience one of the best damn meals of your life.

Did I mention it only costs about $2.50?!? (USD, and that’s not a typo)

2. Pork Congee (Rice Porridge) with Egg and Shiitake Mushroom

*Pork Congee with Egg and Shiitake Mushroom – p’lai rice soup cart (Pai)*

Congee, or rice porridge, is a workingman’s breakfast staple in Thailand. For less than $2 you get a bowl of warm rice porridge, typically topped with minced pork, herbs, and a poached egg.

We found this woman’s cart in Pai, a small town three hours north of Chiang Mai. She opens up shop at 5am every morning, and keeps going until she sells out (usually by 10am). After tasting her version of Congee with added Shiitake Mushrooms, we could see why!

3. Pad Thai with Shrimp

*Pad Thai with Shrimp – Pad Thai Mae Am (Bangkok)*

By far the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had in my life. Nothing fancy, but the noodles had such great texture and body, with the spicy and acidic flavors blending really well together.

It was so good, we couldn’t get enough! We ordered another version with different noodles immediately after finishing this plate 😋

4. Mango Sticky Rice

*Mango Sticky Rice – Chef Ple (Bangkok)*

The mangoes in Thailand are soooo good! Almost every day we had fresh mangoes in some form or another – mango smoothies, mangoes with yogurt, mango ice cream, and of course Thailand’s famous mango sticky rice dessert.

We were lucky to visit during peak mango season, so they were especially sweet and juicy during our trip. But it’s the sticky rice that made the mango sticky rice from Chef Ple in Bangkok special. It had the perfect texture for the dish, and was just warm enough to contrast with the sweet mango and creamy coconut milk.

5. Crispy Rice Salad

*Crispy Rice Salad – Saturday Walking Street Market (Koh Phangan)*

This was one of those “whoah” moments, where you take a bite of something you know you’ll never be able to replicate at home.

There were so many textures, flavors, and spices somehow combined into a coherent dish, it’s difficult to describe how it tasted. Just trust that it was one of the best street food items I’ve ever had.

6. Khao Soi

*Khao Soi – Khao Soi Khun Yai (Chiang Mai)*

If you want to understand the difference between Northern & Southern Thai cuisine, start with Khao Soi. It’s a super savory coconut milk curry popular in Northern Thailand, typically served over egg noodles with roasted chicken and topped with crispy noodles. The dish is a must try when visiting Chiang Mai, and you can’t go wrong wherever you order it from.

I couldn’t pick my favorite, as I ordered the dish at two of the most popular restaurants known for Khao Soi in the city (Khao Soi Khun Yai and Huen Phen). All I can say is it might be my new favorite Thai dish, which is saying something considering I had never heard of it before traveling to Chiang Mai!

7. Khao Kha Moo (Braised Pork Leg and Rice)

*Khao Kha Moo – Chang Phuak Night Market (Chiang Mai)*

Sometimes the best meals are the simplest.

Easily one of the top 3 dishes we ate in Thailand, the braised pork leg from Chang Puak Night Market in Chiang Mai is something I’ll be dreaming about for a long time. Served by the locally famous “Cowboy Hat Lady” (here she is carving up that succulent pork, sans hat), it comes with rice, a soft boiled egg, and pickled mustard greens. Topped with some of the savory pork jus, it’s Thai street comfort food at its best.

8. Dessert at Chivit Thamma Da (Banoffee Cake & Mango Cheesecake)

*Banoffee Cake & Mango Cheesecake – Chivit Thamma Da (Chiang Rai)*

After a morning visiting the Blue Temple in Chiang Rai, we stopped by Chivit Thamma Da for lunch and dessert. And oh man, the next time I visit I’m only having dessert!