Wang Lang Market Bangkok — Where to Eat and Drink

Wang Lang Market is a bustling little market that’s home to stalls, eateries, bakeries, cafes, and restaurants offering some of the best and most affordable market eating in Bangkok. That’s because this busy riverside market, located between two ferry piers, is a local market, serving university students and health workers at nearby Siriraj Hospital in the Bangkok Noi district on the Thonburi side of Chao Phraya River. Here’s where to eat at Wang Lang Market for the most delicious local food.

If you’re a food-loving traveller in Thailand‘s capital, bored with touristy Sukhumvit Road’s shopping mall food halls, and the long lines outside Michelin-starred eateries, then do as we’ve long done in Bangkok, a city we once called home, and seek out more local eating destinations, such as mouthwatering Wang Lang Market.

Because like most local markets, Wang Lang Market, one of Bangkok’s oldest riverside markets, evolved to cater for the neighbourhood’s residents, students and workers — staff at the adjoining Siriraj Hospital (which explains all the nurses’ uniforms at lunch time) and students from nearby Thammasat University (which explains why the food is so cheap).

To maximise eating time, settle into one of the small Wang Lang boutique hotels. Having lived in the Thai capital, our preference is to stay in hotels in Bangkok foodie neighbourhoods, or heritage hotels in historic parts of Bangkok, or hotels in lesser-visited parts of the city, like Bangkok Noi. But you could check into any Chao Phraya river hotels, as it’s easy to catch a ferry to Wang Lang.

But before I tell you more about Bangkok’s Wang Lang Market, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you’ve enjoyed our recipes, please consider supporting Grantourismo. You could buy a handcrafted KROK, the best mortar and pestle ever; book a cooking class or meal with locals on EatWith; or buy something on Amazon, such as a cookbook for culinary travellers or classic cookbook for serious cooks.

Looking for more inspiration? We’ve got thousands of recipes in our archives from around the world from places we’ve lived, worked, travelled, and loved. And note that you can save your favourites in a private account by clicking on the heart on the right of posts. Now let me tell you more about where and what to eat at Bangkok’s Wang Lang Market.

Wang Lang Market Bangkok — The Best Stalls, Eateries and Restaurants

Bangkok’s Wang Lang Market (Talat Wang Lang in Thai) is home to some of Bangkok’s best market eateries and stalls, as well as air-conditioned cafes, bars and restaurants on the riverside and immediately south of Wang Lang market in the micro-neighbourhood of Wat Rakhang.

Wang Lang market is a great destination for food lovers who prefer eating with locals rather than tourists while the adjoining neighbourhoods of Wang Lang and Wat Rakhang have a couple of small hotels that make a great base for travellers looking to get off the beaten track as much as absorb Bangkok’s star attractions.

Because, handily, Wang Lang Market is conveniently located between two ferry piers on the Chao Phraya River, Prannok Pier and Wat Rakhang Pier. Prannok Pier is on the northeastern edge of Wang Lang Market and handy for Siriraj Hospital if you’re going to visit the, um, ‘quirky’ hospital museums. Tip: visit the market first as you might not want to eat after the museums…

Prannok Pier (N10), also known as Wang Lang Market Pier and Siriraj Pier, is a busy stop on the main ferry routes, including the Chao Phraya Express Boat, which runs between Bangkok and Nonthaburi. Another tip: avoid peak periods as it’s popular with commuters and students and ferries can get very crowded.

Wat Rakhang Pier, just south of Wang Lang Market, opposite Chedi Wat Rakhang, is a smaller pier that services a cross-river ferry that putts back and forth between Wat Rakhang and Tha Chang pier, on the Phra Nakhon side of the river. Tha Chang is the best dock for accessing some of Bangkok’s top tourist sights, including the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho.

Which explains the name ‘Wang Lang’, which means ‘Rear Palace’, because (if you’re interested in history as much as food, as I am): during the reign of King Rama I, King Phutthayotfa Chulalok, founder of the Chakri dynasty, in the Rattanakosin period (1782–1932), the area was home to the palace of Prince Anurak Devesh, a nephew of the king, whose title was Deputy Viceroy or… ‘River Palace’.

And this is our guide to where to eat at Wang Lang Market for the most delicious Thai food. By no means an exhaustive list, these our picks as to where to eat at Wang Lang Market for the best Thai food, from street food to classic Thai cuisine.

Where to Eat at Wang Lang Market Bangkok — Stalls, Eateries and Restaurants

Wang Lang Market is a warren of alleyways lined with scores of food stalls, coffee/tea stands, juice shops, bakeries, cafes offering specialty coffees, dessert shops, unpretentious sit-down eateries, hole-in-the-walls with just a few tables, and casual air-conditioned restaurants. There are also shops and stalls selling cheap clothes, shoes, jewellery, and accessories.

Expect to find Thai food — traditional fare, Thai street food, old-fashioned desserts, fried snacks, and tropical fruit drinks — along with Japanese sushi, Korean fried chicken, Taiwanese bubble tea, and a couple of international fast food franchises near the main road (KFC, Dairy Queen).

And as you’d expect, I recommend focussing your attention of the Thai food, and what I love about Wang Lang Market is that you can find everything from classic Thai street food to the creative, if you’re feeling adventurous, with plenty of Thai-foreign fusion dishes and snacks. The food vendors here are very inventive! More on that subject in another post.

Note that the stalls, shops and eateries are not limited to the main route between the two piers, so make sure to take time to explore the lanes and alleyways, and market perimeter along Wang Lang Road, where you’ll find lots of stalls — as well as pharmacies, as you’d expect with a hospital next door.

But be warned: while the beauty of Wang Lang Market is that it’s small, there are scores of stalls, shops, eateries, and restaurants here. This is a very selective list of the spots we most enjoyed during our stays in Wang Lang-Wat Rakhang.

Wang Lang Market Stalls

As bustling little Wang Lang market evolved to serve local university students and health workers, as well as families visiting patients at one of Bangkok’s biggest public hospitals, Siriraj Hospital, most of the patrons of the food stalls — along with the eateries, cafes and fast food-style restaurants — are Thais, which explains why the quality of food is good and affordable; the businesses wouldn’t survive otherwise.

There are lots of food stalls along the perimeter of the market on the hospital side on Wang Lang Road, as well as on the market’s main thoroughfares. These provide plenty of takeaway food options for travellers, especially families and budget travellers looking for snacks to nibble on during your day out, as well as foodies who love to graze their way through markets and try a bit of everything.

If you prefer to buy take-away cooked dishes and eat al fresco, make a beeline for Sathan Phimuk Garden on the riverside, just north of Prannok Pier, where you can enjoy a picnic lunch. Tip: buy a cheap sarong from the market to use as a picnic ‘blanket’ and spread out on the manicured lawns beneath the towering palm trees.

Stalls sell everything from takeaway kaya jam and toast and iced Thai milk tea and coffee (a good on-the-run breakfast) and smoky barbecued pork and sticky rice (look for the baskets lined with banana leaves) to the quintessential student food of ‘balls on sticks’, from fish balls to meatballs (chicken, pork and beef), dipped in sweet chilli sauce, and convenient for eating on the run — or as you walk around the markets.

There are also lots of stalls selling sweets, such as the traditional Portuguese-Thai treats given as gifts that are the miniature fruit and vegetables made from mung beans; flavoured shaved ice drizzled in condensed milk, popular with students; and pandanus-flavoured kanom krok — small, spherical, fried, coconut cream-based pudding-like cakes that aren’t normally green.

If you only eat at one stall, make it Roti Burger, with the largest variety of roti we’ve seen. Start with the Thai Muslim specialty mataba, filled with spiced minced meat and served with ajat, a refreshing Thai cucumber relish. Sweet roti options include roti with coconut, raisins, and corn, and the backpacker classic of roti with bananas and coconut cream.

The stalls selling ready-made hot food — everything from curries with rice and stir-fries to noodle dishes and fried rice — are a great option if you don’t want a sit-down meal after a sweaty morning or afternoon out seeing the sights, and you just want to pick up something quickly to eat in your air-conditioned hotel room.

If you are staying in Wang Lang neighbourhood, note that Wang Lang Market is a day market, so while the laneways of Wang Lang market are crowded during the day, the area is dead quiet at night. If you haven’t planned ahead and have some takeaway food in the hotel fridge (and a microwave to heat it up), you’ll need to head to a restaurant. We have options below.

Wang Lang Market Eateries

There are so many casual eateries and hole-in-the-wall spots, it’s impossible to cover them all, but here are some favourites. Back in the day, we’d follow our noses to seek out good eating spots or carry slips of paper with eatery recommendations written in Thai by our chef friends to show stallholders who’d point us in the right direction.

Because very few street food cooks or staff at local eateries spoke English and all signs and menus were in Thai — which is a great sign and one of the reasons we’ve long loved Wang Lang, Bangkok Noi, and Thonburi.

These days, you should be able to find these Wang Lang eateries on Google Maps. If you don’t and you’re staying in or around Wang Lang Market, ask hotel reception staff to point you in the right direction. These are a few of the best of the street food eateries.

Aunt Paad Pad Kaprao

Aunt Paad Pad Kaprao is on the main path through the market that runs from Wang Lang Road south to Soi Arun Ammarin22— which you would have taken if you arrived at Prannok Pier, known these days as Wang Lang Pier (if you’re heading here from Baan Wang Lang Riverside hotel it will be on your right; if coming from the pier, on your left.

A simple eatery with white-tiled walls, Aunt Paad Pad Kaprao specialises in Thailand’s beloved street food dish, Thai pad kraprao — a dish of Thai basil (kraprao) that’s typically stir-fried with minced pork (or chicken or beef), although here you’ll find more variety. If you’re a fan of Thai crispy omelettes, they’re also excellent here.

Saimai Shrimp Wonton Soup

Right opposite Aunt Paad Pad Kaprao, Saimai Shrimp Wonton Soup specialises in silky noodles with shrimp filled wontons floating in a clear broth. I remember thinking they were a bit stingy with the small slivers of pork plopped on top, until I tasted the noodles and wontons. The crispy fried wontons are also worth trying. And prices are low!

Casual Restaurants (with Air Conditioning)

If you’re looking for a sit-down meal in air-conditioning for lunch or dinner, here are a couple of options.

Khao Dong Moo Daeng

Also close to Aunt Paad Pad Kaprao, Khao Dong Moo Daeng is nearer to Wang Lang pier and has riverside seating. It’s great for a quick lunch if you’re a pork lover and is more of a casual cafe than restaurant, with an unfortunate fast food franchise vibe, but you’re here for the food.

The specialty is pork, and it comes in all kinds of mouthwatering forms, particularly barbecue red pork and crispy roast pork, as well as juicy pork meatballs, served with noodles or rice, wet (with broth) or dry (without), in bowls with sides of boiled eggs, vegetables, fried spring rolls etc.

Kiew Nong Bua

If you’re a noodle lover, Kiew Nong Bua, just south of the Theatre Residence Restaurant (below) is another good spot for lunch and is a nice casual Thai restaurant on the riverside. Kiew Nong Bua specialises in egg noodle dishes from Trat.

Trat is a seaside province that borders Cambodia, used to be part of the Khmer Empire, was a port during the Ayutthaya period, and was occupied by the French, influences that distinguishes its food from other regional Thai cuisines.

As you’d expect with Trat being on the seaside, there’s a heavy focus on fresh seafood. They also have a little gourmet shop selling delicious products from the region.

Restaurants Near Wang Lang Market

If you’d like a glass of wine with lunch or you’re staying in the Wang Lang Market neighbourhood and looking for a local dinner spot — keeping in mind that Wang Lang Market is closed in the evening — there are two excellent restaurants immediately south of Wang Lang Market, in another micro-neighbourhood called Wat Rakhang (The Temple of Bells), named after the Buddhist pagoda complex that’s central to the community.

Theatre Residence Restaurant and Cafe

If you’re staying in the Wang Lang neighbourhood and spending at least a couple of nights here, then the Theatre Residence Restaurant and Cafe is one of two great spots for dinner, although it’s also lovely for breakfast, lunch or even coffee and cake.

Just seconds south of Supatra River House (below) and owned by the same family, the Theatre Residence boutique hotel (which is where we love to stay in Wang Lang) is right across the road from the stunning lodgings and has lovely riverside seating.

The cafe has a long menu of coffees, teas, sodas, frappes, juices, and smoothies, some very creative, as well as delicious cakes and pastries, so it’s a fab spot for a cold drink, breakfast or afternoon tea, however, it’s the main dishes that we recommend.

The restaurant menu focuses mainly on Central Thai food, with some dishes from other parts of Thailand. Don’t miss the clam croquettes, the corn ribs with a somtum shrimp dipping sauce, catfish fried rice, lliang leaves with eggs, and the wonderful ‘Kru Lek’ chicken stew.

Supatra River House

I have to confess my feelings for Supatra River House are partly nostalgic: Terence and I dined here on our first trip to Thailand over 20 years ago. Bangkok was world’s away from the crazy, chaotic metropolis it is now and you could count Bangkok’s best restaurants on two hands.

The Wang Lang-Wat Rakhang neighbourhood was leafier and sleepier and Supatra River House was considered one of Bangkok’s finest restaurants. It was a calm, soothing and cooling oasis to escape to when we first dined for lunch after a sweaty morning exploring the riverside.

And it remains an elegant welcoming retreat from the heat, as well as providing an experience of what it was like to dine in Bangkok before the Michelin guide, Instagram, and even Trip Advisor. Don’t be surprised if you’re blissfully dining alone, and don’t see it as reason to leave.

Supatra River House specialises in the kind of fine quality Thai food that came to be known as Royal Thai or classical Thai cuisine, and it’s lovely for a proper lunch or dinner with its linen tablecloths and napkins, brass cutlery, celadon ceramics, vases of fresh flowers, and Chao Praya River views.

Order a bottle of wine and mix of appetisers to start with — don’t miss the crispy duck confit salad — then leisurely savour the succulent chicken with cashews and melt-in-the-mouth Mussaman curry. Beef or chicken are both wonderful. Do save room for the old-fashioned desserts, which are wonderful. Full Supatra River House menu here.

And it’s here that I should mention that Supatra River House restaurant is owned by Thailand’s beloved Kru Lek and is set in the family home where she grew up. Kru Lek’s family owned all the land where Wang Lang and Wat Rakhang are located and the restaurant is named after her mother, Khunying Supatra Singhalaka, who started and owns the Chao Phraya River Express Boat.

And if the name ’Kru Lek’ isn’t familiar to you, it’s a term of endearment for one of Thailand’s most famous actresses, theatre director-producers, and acting teachers (‘kru’ means teacher), the legendary Patravadi Mejudhon.

One of Thailand’s National Artists for Performing Arts, and founder of the Patravadi Theatre, formerly located on the site of the Theatre Residence, and now an acting school in Hua Hin, where Kru Lek has retired. Still not ringing any bells? Patravadi Mejudhon played the hotel owner in the Thailand White Lotus series set on Koh Samui.

Wang Lang Market Tips — When to Go and How to Get There

Just a few tips to getting to Bangkok’s Wang Lang Market, opening hours, and more.

When to Go to Wang Lang Market

Wang Lang Market is open 7 days a week but is largely a day-time market. You’ll be eating with more local workers and students on weekdays and more food tourists on weekends.

You’ll be safe visiting between 9am and 5pm when all the stalls, eateries and shops are open, although stalls serving breakfast open earlier.

Many of the riverside restaurants and bars stay open for dinner. However, do check restaurant websites or Facebook pages or call ahead for opening hours, as some close as early as 7-8pm, while others will only stay open later if they have diners, so best to book ahead for Supatra River House and Theatre Residence Restaurant.

If you’re staying in Wang Lang accommodation with a kitchen/fridge, the small Lotus Go Fresh supermarket is open until 10pm and the 7-Eleven is open 24 hours, both located on Wang Lang Road.

How to Get to Wang Lang Market

There are a few ways to get to Wang Lang Market.

By Ferry

Wang Lang Market is conveniently located between two ferry piers on the Chao Phraya River, Prannok Pier (N10) and Wat Rakhang Pier, making a ferry from Saphan Thaksin terminal the best way to arrive and depart.

The Chao Phraya Express Boat is the fastest public ferry (ie also cheapest) but gets crowded during peak periods when the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat will be more comfortable if you have luggage. Both will take you to Prannok Pier.

If you’ve been to the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew or Wat Pho and are arriving from Bangkok’s Old Town then take the cross-river ferry from Tha Chang pier to Wat Rakhang pier.

By Road

If you’re staying at one of the Wang Lang hotels and are taking a taxi, Uber or Grab from the airport to the Wang Lang Market neighbourhood, email your hotel in advance. Some taxis will try to dump you on busy Arun Amarin Road telling you that’s the closest they can get you.

This is rarely true unless there are roadworks, so check ahead. If access is tricky, hotels will recommend you call on approach, and they can talk to the driver to tell him where to drop you off. They’ll send staff to meet you so do let them know if you have heavy luggage.