This Unique Bangkok Food Tour Surprised Me (I’m A Local!)

What are you really looking for when you’re browsing those food tours in Bangkok? If it’s “anything that other food tours won’t have,” boy, do I have the good stuff for you.

There’s nothing I love more than seeing the pleasantly surprised faces of the tour guides when they realize I’m Thai.

And they’re absolutely correct that I do not need to take these tours. As a local, I already know Thai cuisine. But I take them for research, so I can tell you what’s worth taking!

This unique Bangkok food tour ended up surprising me, though. The further we were into the tour, the more I felt like I didn’t know crap about what was there to eat in my own hometown.

We had some amazing Wanton Tom Yum by the canal, Michelin-guide pork leg noodles hidden in a local market, and hopped on some boat rides, too.

If you’re looking for back-alley foodie secrets and really living like a local for half a day, keep reading. I’ll tell you exactly how the tour went, in minute detail!

What’s Different On This Tour?

It’s the stops. I’ve been on other food tours with enough tastings to last me several days, just like this one, but I haven’t seen any other tour make stops at these spots before.

Chinatown? Riverside rooftop bar? You can forget about those typical stops.

Some of the places we went to, I didn’t even know about as a Thai person. They’re super hidden gems in very particular neighborhoods of the city.

An Overview of The Old Siam Food Tour

• Number of Tastings: At least 15 menus (I got 20 on mine! 😋)
• Tour Length: 4 hours
• Group Size: There were 7 of us that morning
• Included: Bottles of water, wet tissues
• Cancellation policy: Free cancellation until 24 hours before start time
• Casual vibe, easy to make friends, great for solo travelers

Here’s A List of Everything We Tasted

Let’s be honest, we all know that we’ll get a lot of food with 15+ tastings. But what food are we paying for? Right? Here they are.

• Wanton Tom Yum Soup
• Roasted sticky rice with taro filling
• Papaya Salad with salted egg
• Larb (spicy salad) with catfish
• Smoked Tilapia
• Tom Saeb (spicy soup)
• Roasted duck
• Crispy pork
• Khanom Bueang Yuan (Vietnamese-inspired savory crepes)
  • Crispy crepes
  • With duck eggs, without crispy shells
• Egg noodles with stewed pork leg
• Miang Kham
• Guay Jub Yuan (Tapioca noodles)
• Iced lemongrass juice
• Khanom Krok (mini coconut milk pancakes)
• Khanom Tuay (coconut milk pudding)
• Khanom Sai Sai (stuffed coconut milk pudding in banana leaves)
• Khanom Moh Gaeng (Mung bean custard)
• Khanom Chan (Pandan-flavored sticky crepe)
• Mangosteens

Are you starting to drool? Book the tour now if you’re ready to!

My Full Experience On the Tour

The tour was unique from the get-go, with its meeting point. Instead of meeting at some MRT station exit, we were meeting in front of a mall I’ve driven past a hundred times but never even thought to enter.

There were seven of us on this tour. Once everyone’s arrived (right on time at 10 AM), the guide started giving us a quick rundown of the tour.

Basically, she said we weren’t just going to eat, but we were going to live like locals as well, taking boats and tuk-tuks as needed.

Then we started walking along the sidewalk towards our first stop.

Stop 1: J Sunee Tom Yum

As soon as we arrived at the first stop, the guide’s assistant gave us each a wet tissue to clean our hands. We then listened to our guide as we waited for the first dish to be served.

She told us (mostly the tourmates) about the foodie culture of Thai people, how, at dinner, we think about what to eat tomorrow for breakfast. 🤣

Our first tasting was a Tom Yum soup, but not one I would expect. Instead of the national dish, Tom Yum Kung, we got a bowl of Wanton Tom Yum instead.

It’s delicious, but more popular among locals, so it’s not something I’d seen on a food tour before.

We then walked a few steps over to the canal pier and hopped on the boat.

These are like “canal buses” where you hop on, pay on board, and then hop off. It’s a nice local experience, but I have to warn you, if you’re coming, the canal stinks.

Stop 2: Bobae Market Roasted Sticky Rice

Getting off at a market we locals call “Bobae Market,” we gathered around a vendor cart selling roasted sticky rice.

These are sweet sticky rice cooked in coconut milk, with different fillings from taro to banana, wrapped in banana leaves and roasted on the grill.

Our guide picked up seven of those, and then we walked through the market to hop on a tuk-tuk to get to the next stop. The ride took around 10 minutes.

Every time I get on an open-air ride in Bangkok, I’m like YES, let the wind hit my face.

Stop 3: Northeastern Dishes at Larb Ubon

This stop had the most food, so it was a full-on meal.

First, we tried the roasted sticky rice from the last stop. Then we had sticky rice (the normal one) with Papaya Salad, Smoked Tilapia, Larb (Northeastern spicy salad) with catfish, and Tom Saeb (Northeastern spicy soup).

We each got a wet tissue before and after this meal. Very important, as savory sticky rice is eaten by hand!

The tour’s biggest improv moment came after this big meal. We had to move to another area of the city, and we either were gonna hop on a bus or an electric tuk-tuk, whichever came first.

Buses were very limited that day, so we called tuk-tuks on an app.

The first one came within minutes, but a few others and I stayed behind with the assistant guide and waited for the second one. It ended up taking us 20 minutes. I thought of it as a time to digest all the food I just ate.

Stop 4: Crispy Pork at Jib Kee

When we arrived at the next stop, the first group joked that they had finished eating (😂).

Our guide brought out a fresh, steaming-hot plate of roasted duck, and another one of crispy pork. Both of which this restaurant is very well-known for.

I’m usually not even a fan of crispy pork, and I had to admit that these were *chef’s kiss.*

Stop 5: Khanom Bueang Yuan Ya Chaem

Our next stop is hidden in a small alleyway just across the street from Jib Kee.

Ya Chaem (Grandmother Chaem) runs a small cart selling Khanom Bueang Yuan (Vietnamese-inspired savory crepes).

I’ve heard about her, but I barely ever come to this area, so I was excited to finally try her food, too.

We got two different versions, one with duck eggs and the signature crispy crepe. Both were delicious, but I preferred the crispy one. It tasted like a summer day.

Stop 6: Rung Rueang Noodles

The next stop, just a short walk from the alleyway, was hands down my favorite.

They’re famous for two things: Stewed pork legs and freshly-made noodles. We had their signature pork leg noodles, and it was to die for.

Stop 7: Nang Loeng Market

From the noodle restaurant, we walked a few more steps into Nang Loeng Market, a local market known for its variety of royal cuisine-inspired delicacies.

We quickly tried Miang Kham, a bite-sized savory snack wrapped in betel leaves, then we sat down at a table inside the market for the big final tastings. Eight of them, to be exact.

For the last half an hour or so, we tried Guayjub Yuan, lemongrass juice (super refreshing), and a handful of coconut-milk-based ancient Thai desserts.

To finish things off on a fresh note, we each got 2-3 mangosteens, the Thai national fruit.

The tour ended at 2:15 PM, which meant we spent exactly four hours eating. So, come hungry!

My Honest Opinion

Growing up in Bangkok, I never expected to learn something new on a food tour of Bangkok. (I know, the sentence itself sounds so obvious 😂) But this was actually my first time trying Wanton Tom Yum and the non-crispy Khnom Bueang Yuan.

While I’ve tried egg noodles and pork leg stew separately, I came to love them as a combination thanks to this tour. I also never would have wandered out to that side of the city and found that restaurant on my own.

I freakin’ loved how unexpected everything felt, even as a local, and how travel times have been factored in between bigger tastings to allow for some digestion.

Don’t Book This Tour If…

• You have a specific diet style (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.) You’ll still be able to try some of the food on this tour, but I doubt it’ll be enough for you to feel like it’s money well spent.
• You expect ordinary, more famous Thai dishes like Pad Kaprao or Tom Yum Kung.
• You have trouble controlling yourself. Seriously, if you can’t help but finish everything on the table, you will pass out halfway through the tour with all that food.

Are You Still Planning Bangkok?

I would say that out of the Bangkok food tours I’ve joined so far, this is the only one that I’d recommend to both first-timers and those who have been here before.

The only caution I’d give is to never finish anything they give you. It’s okay to leave food on the plate during this tour, or you’re going to end up in a hospital! 🤣

For the rest of your time in my hometown, check out some of the top cultural activities I recommend, as well as my favorite places to eat.

Oh, oh, oh! I also wanna make sure you don’t end up booking accommodation in the wrong part of Bangkok. Check out my guide to safe (and unsafe) areas before you decide on anything!

Get Ready to Visit Thailand!

As of 2026, all visitors need to fill out a Digital Arrival Card no longer than 3 days before their trip to Thailand. And if applicable, a visa. I use Sherpa to check my requirements.

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