fedification.com

Bangkok Traffic at Night

My first few weeks in Thailand I wandered around in a haze, sometimes for eight hours a day, grazing on whatever I happened upon – noodle soup, ice cream sandwiches, grilled bananas and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Newly unemployed, single and without a friend within 8,000 miles, I barely knew where I was. Still some of the places I stumbled across then are the places I keep returning to four months later.

Somewhere along the way, I got the idea in my head that I should check out the recommendations of the experts and that’s when the eating got tough.  Bangkok is a sprawling, tangled metropolis and many cab drivers don’t know all of the streets scattered across this fair city, though many don’t tell you that when you get in a cab and might drive in circles and take the highway (an additional 45 baht) before you discover that small fact.  To make matters more difficult, I barely speak any Thai and restaurant listings often don’t include the cross street.  

Misadventures have been numerous.  When I tried to visit the covered market Talad Loong Perm with a friend, our taxi driver drove us back and forth over the highway, dumped us on in front of a different market where most of the stalls were closed and then asked for a tip (tipping is not obligatory in Thailand). We only found our destination by luck after bumping into some kind Thai Airways employees in coffee stand who led us back through a few winding streets to the market. When I tried to bring my parents to noodle-joint Raan Jay Fai, I wrote down the number incorrectly and we were driven around on the highway for 45 minutes by a taxi driver, who barely spoke English, had picked us up without knowing the road we requested and kept calling some woman for me to speak to.  My parents looked at each other nervously until I had our driver pull off the highway and let us out.  Then I remembered I had the restaurant’s number in my call register.  

The fact of the matter is there are very few eateries on the planet, if any at all, that will live up to hours of stress and travel.  So if you’re coming to Bangkok and you’re dead set on visiting certain recommended places, here are a few tips for getting there with as little hassle as possible:

(1) Before leaving the country, have your phone unlocked. Once in Thailand, pick up a SIM card, available in any 7-eleven, and put some minutes on your phone.  Having a cell phone is extremely handy because restaurants with numbers can usually give your taxi driver directions, which is sometimes the easiest way to get there.  

(2) If you can, always call the restaurant before heading off just to be sure it is open when you’d like to visit.  Hours are sometimes different from what is published, many restaurants close on Sundays and there are sometimes unknown holidays to contend with so it’s best to take the 30 seconds to make sure someone is at the restaurant.  

(3) Bring the restaurant number with you. If you’re scatter-brained as I am, double check that it’s written down correctly.

(4) If you can, get a cross street or nearby soi number. A street address is only helpful if you’re already in the vicinity.

(5) Have another activity close by to make your travel time worth it. Bangkok traffic is notoriously bad.  If you’re going to make an hour-long trip to a restaurant or stall, it’s better to have something else planned close by so you don’t feel like you’re spending all day in a taxi.

(6) Don’t rely on a free or cheap map.  Sometimes there are many streets missing and the landmarks are misaligned. It’s worth the few extra dollars to have a good one. Nancy Chandler’s maps, now updated by her daughter and woman-about-town Nima Chandler, are highly recommended by most travel books and you can get one delivered internationally for $12.95 including shipping.

In my own research for finding restaurants, I’ve come across a few Bangkok itineraries posted on message boards all over the internet.  I’ve collated a listing of commonly visited restaurants and how I found them below.  This is not a list of personal favorites or recommended destinations, but a set of directions for popular restaurants.  

 

BANGKOK EATERIES

Chote Chitr

Hours: Mon – Sat 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Address: 146 Phraeng Phuton off Tanao Road

Tel: 02221-4082

Directions: Have taxi driver call the restaurant.

Area Activities: Khao San Road, Wat Phra Kaew, Grand Palace, Wat Po

 

Chua Kim Heng

Hours: Lunch

Address: 105 Pattanakarn Road near Pattanakarn Soi 6

Tel: 02319-2510

Directions: Have taxi driver call the restaurant.

Area Activities: Emporium

 

Polo Fried Chicken

Hours: Daily 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Address: 137/1-3 Soi Sana Khli (Soi Polo) right off Wireless Road

Tel: 01252-2252

Directions: Take MRT to Lumpini. Walk along Wireless with Lumpini Park on left.  Turn right after Police Station on Soi Sana Khli.  Or take a taxi to Lumpini and Sarasin. Walk along Wireless with Lumpini Park on right.  Turn left on Soi Sana Khli. 

Area Activities: Lumpini Park, Lumpini Boxing Stadium

 

Raan Jay Fai

Hours: Daily Dinner

Address: 327 Maha Chai Road, near Wat Saket/Golden Mount

Tel: 02223-9384

Directions: Have taxi driver call the restaurant.

Area Activities: Golden Mount, Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium, Thip Samai

 

Thip Samai

Hours: Daily Dinner

Address: 313 Maha Chai Road, near Wat Saket/Golden Mount

Tel: 0112221-6280

Directions: Have taxi driver call the restaurant.

Area Activities: Golden Mount, Ratchadamnoen Boxing Stadium, Raan Jay Fai

 

Nguan Lee

Hours: Lunch, Dinner

Address: Soi Lang Suan and Soi Sarasin, near Lumpini Park

Tel: 0250-0936

Directions: Take taxi to Lang Suan and Sarasin.

Area Activities: Lumpini Park, Lumpini Boxing Stadium

 

Talad Loong Perm

Hours: Lunch

Address: 89 Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, behind the Thai Airways building

Tel: N/A

Directions: Take MRT to Phahon Yothin. Leave out of Exit 4, cross the street and walk over overpass (with back to SFX Cinemas). Follow sign for Din Daeng along road curving to the left.  Walk along Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road past Yontrakit Interstiles Co. Ltd. and turn left after Audi-VW sign before the footbridge.  Follow the curving road past clothing stores and juice and coffee stands.  Turn left before the 7-Eleven. Food court will be on your left. Or take a taxi to Vibhavadi-Rangsit Soi 22.

Area Activities: The market offers plenty to see, but Chatuchak Weekend Market, Chatuchak Park and Or Tor Kor Market are a short cab ride away if you’re up for more full-sensory stimulation.

 

Krua Apsorn

Hours: Mon-Sat 10:30 a.m. -7:30 p.m.

Address: Samsen Road, south of Samsen Soi 9, between

Tel: 02-241-8528

Directions: Take taxi to Samsen Soi 9. The restaurant is south of Samsen Soi 9 (to the left if you’re facing the 7-Eleven from the street).  Or take water taxi to Thewet. Walk straight along road. Turn left on Samsen at the bridge and walk north. Restaurant is on the left side just south of Samsen Soi 9.

Area Activities: Thewet Flower Market

 

No-Name Samosa Vendor

Hours: Afternoons

Address: Phahurat and Chakraphet Roads close to “Sunny Video Indian Movies.”

Tel: N/A

Directions: Take taxi to Phahurat and Chakraphet Roads.

Area Activities: Phahurat Textile Market, Pak Khlong Talat

 

Food Loft

Hours: Afternoons

Address: Top floor, Central Chidlom department store, Ploenchit Road and Soi Chidlom

Tel: 02793-7070

Directions: Take BTS to Chit Lom.

Area Activities: Central Chidlom, Gaysorn, Central World

 

Yaowarat Street Stalls

Hours: Evenings

Address: Yaowarat Road, Chinatown

Tel: N/A

Directions: Take a taxi to Yaowarat.

Area Activities: Walking around Chinatown at night is an activity in itself.

For a printable listings, click here.

Posted in Uncategorized Comments Off