frappant

Took a trip out to Siam Paragon mall. Had read some travel blogs touting the ones in all the big malls.

It looked like a food court you'd see at many malls in the US. There were places whose names I didn't recognize and there was a section where the signage was only in Thai. But otherwise a bunch of international fast food and fast casual chains as well as some sit down places where people were waiting.

Prices were high too, about Western prices. Should have been the case but I recall reading one account where a young woman said she had a meal for about $4 and it was better than any Thai food she'd ever had in the US or Europe.

I walked around the whole basement level, didn't really see anything that I wanted to spend on. I know that there were places around my hotel which were nice sit-down places, clean, well-decorated and a couple of courses would be a fraction of the prices listed at this food court.

So maybe these travel bloggers are hyping things or maybe I missed something?

My favorite meal was this place near Wat Pho. I walked around 1 PM and places were full. Saw this one place which had maybe 6-10 people waiting. Windows were wide open and the menu was limited but you could see what people were eating. Was about a 20-minute wait and they brought you this little aluminum bowl of ice, for you do cool your forehead down. I didn't use it but thought it was quaint.

Food was good, well-reviewed on Google Maps, Pad Thai Kratong Thong, just across from the western side of Wat Pho.


Oh I would add that I didn't like the food halls in Singapore either. Those are raved about as well and I walked to one in Chinatown there and I saw few open tables and many were piled of uncleared bowls and dishes. I think it was a little too authentic for me. I guess I'm fine with the Americanized menus of Asian cuisines rather than the authentic stuff you see certain patrons get, using Chinese menus.

SKT-DK

You are right, never go to department stores for food. I guess that applies everywhere in the world though. And, never trust those 'influencer' wannabees either

eqeqeqx

Well, Siam Paragon is a high-end shopping mall, and I'm guessing the food hall there is accordingly priced (never tried). USD 4 sounds about right for what I paid for my plates when I ate at the food hall on top of the terminal 21 shopping mall. Not that I would recommend that mall for anything, especially as it's overflowing with loud chinese/korean tourists, but food was decent enough and priced appropriately.

FindingFoodFluency_

Japan, France, Germany, South Korea, and Spain would like a word.
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But I believe you meant shopping centers. Depending on the type, the food served is as local as local gets. For instance, various electronics/off-brand shopping malls in Jakarta have food kiosks that almost entirely cater to Indonesian palates.

As for Siam Paragon, I just head for Emporium.

LIH Prem

The food courts at Central World (if you can tolerate the place, I always liked the one on the top floor, particularly for Lad Nah at around 60 THB) and Central Embassy and the centers in between them are all much better that the food court at Paragon, though the food in the high end supermarket is interesting at Paragon. Not cheap though .. it;s a high end mall.

You could make for a nice food/drink crawl from Central World to Central Embassy. I think the one upstairs in Central Chidlom is a real treat. Again, it's not cheap, if you want cheap, you might try the one at T21.

-David

prathetkrungthep

As someone else has already pointed out, Siam Paragon is one of the more upscale malls in town, so you should not really expect anything to be cheap. The basement has generally two options for food: you still have more or less regular fast-casual restaurants—these are generally "cheaper" than the ones up on the fourth floor; on the other hand, in the actual food court you can definitely get a meal for less than $4 (especially with the current exchange rate). Recently Siam Paragon has made an effort to introduce "famous" hawkers into the food court—so these might be well-known chicken rice vendors, noodles, etc. This is an attempt to compete with Eatthai in the basement of Central Embassy, which IMO has unfortunately gotten much less interesting recently with many of the "famous" vendors having left—maybe Central increased the rent, who knows.

Also on a general point: Bangkok has not been "dirt cheap" for a while now if that is what you were expecting. On the streets you can still eat for relatively cheap, but we are no longer talking $0.50 noodles, but more $2 noodles. Those food carts are increasingly harder to come by and are close to becoming virtually nonexistent in the commercial district. Meanwhile indoors, the cost of living for the Bangkok mall lifestyle is getting closer and closer to Singapore or Hong Kong. This is a place with high wealth inequality and people are struggling with increasing cost of living with no meaningful increase in pay. A cup of coffee from Starbucks costs the same here as it does everywhere else. (Well, cheaper than at a Starbucks in Zürich—I'll concede that.)

I hate to put it so bluntly, but i if you went to Maxwell and did not like that then I think the whole street food experience is just not for you. Not saying it is not a valid opinion to have, but probably good for your future travel plans now that you have figured this out.

frappant

I went to Siam Paragon because it was on the BTS stop and happened to be relatively easy to reach by transport.

i didn’t realize there were different levels of malls. Have to admit I walked through Siam Paragon and one or two other adjoining malls. Restaurants there weren’t crowded at all, so probably not a good sign. Prices seemed comparable, one Japanese restaurant advertised some meal sets around 800 THB.

This is the place facing the BtS station, where you buy tickets. There were two Starbucks on both sides. But the place was sparse with people.

i have to admit I didn’t go upstairs at Paragon nor go to the malls to the east, including centralWorld. At that point, I was just going to return to the hotel and eat around there as it was about 4 PM and I figured by the time I’d get back it would be around 5 PM.

I have dietary restrictions so I wasn’t going to go with street food. Yeah there are a lot of sois near the hotel with street food carts all over.

i didn’t have dietary restrictions 5-6 years ago when i visited Singapore. Just didnt seem appetizing to me. I went to one or two of them in Chinatown.

YVR Cockroach

Made this observation close to 10 years ago. Was at the Mega Bangna mall (big mall near-ish BKK catering predominantly middle-class Thai clientele) 9 years ago. My wife and I thought prices, adjusted for portion size, was close to Vancouver prices at that time. As observed, coffees at Starbucks (the one as All Seasons Place where the Conrad was) was the same price as Vancouver (we don't patronise SB here, let alone there). Even meals at the food court around Rama IV patronised by locals ran at least 100 THB at that time.

frappant

Yeah I avoided Starbucks which was downstairs from my hotel, saw the prices, seemed even worse than back in the Bay Area but I haven't been to Starbucks in years.

I did get an egg and cheese McMuffin, has brown and 12 oz cappuccino from McDonalds' also downstairs, for 149 THB, about the same as it probably would be back in the US.

Still better than what the buffet breakfast at the hotel was charging, 550 THB and the food was so-so and the coffee was just bad.


Went to Talat Noi and went to Hong Sieng Kong. It appears there are a couple of coffee shops in that area which converted an old historic building into a coffee shop or restaurant. The first place I went to was Mother Roaster Talat Noi, which had colorful mural on the outside but when you stepped in, you saw all those old engines that you see all over this district and I could smell the oil. There was a set of stairs leading upstairs to where the cafe was but I didn't go up. Could see a nice balcony but it was in some narrow alley way, so I kept going.

Then the So Heng Tai Mansion, again, looks like it's a cafe/restaurant and you either had to order a minimum about of food and drink to look around or pay 50 THB entrance. Took a few pictures from the courtyard but didn't go in. That place gets mediocre reviews in Google Maps.

I had bookmarked Hong Sieng Kong, which shows a nice garden. Again, you were prompted to buy something to be able to go inside. So I bought an ice coffee and a small slice of cheesecake for 160 THB each. Those are definitely US prices. But I figure part of it was the entrance fee.

Place was worth it. It had a big club space with a performing stage like a jazz club and it had all kinds of vintage decor and furniture as well as this big tree going up one wall, with vaulted ceilings.

But you don't have your coffee there, you keep going and you reach outdoor spaces, including riverfront tables, most in shade from trees or parasols. It was quiet there, though there was usual boat traffic. The garden and the waterfront terrace were great, again, I don't know the historical significance but you saw some old Chinese decorations (red lamps) as well as furniture and like an old cart that looks to have been horse-drawn.

Most of the other people just had drinks and little pastries. Not sure if anyone ordered regular food or whether they offered any. It wasn't the most scenic stretch of the river, not like seeing Wat Arun across the river. But it was a pleasant place, kind of cleaned up and well maintained, a contract from the alleys outside, with a lot of places with salvage mechanical engine parts stacked up randomly.

billp

Just to clear up misconceptions, there are mall food COURTS as opposed to food FLOORS of malls which tend to be full of chain restaurants. At the food courts, you generally have to preload a stored-value card which you must use to pay for the offerings. You can get unspent credit refunded on your way out. At Terminal 21 (at Asok BTS), the “Pier 21” food court on the 5th floor is arguably one of the best values in the city. When they were putting it together, they offered concessions to many of the top street carts or shop house eateries — and the food there is excellent and mostly freshly prepared. As for eating for $4, well I usually load the card with 200 baht and get at least two dishes, a small bottle of water and some leftover baht on my way out. If I want mango with sticky rice (yes I DO!) I need to put 300 baht on the card.

Just a few blocks or a 10 minute walk up Asoke Road is the Ruam Sab Food HALL or “market” which is a big open space full of stands offering all the Thai classics — chicken or pork stir-fried with holy basil with rice and an egg on top (pad krapao), chicken with green curry, green papaya salad (som tum), pad Thai, noodle soups to name a few — and a large area of benches and tables to chow down. There, you really can get a couple dishes with rice and a water for 60 baht (less than $2). The pad krapao lady is justly renowned as one of the best in the city. This place is aimed at the lunch crowd, so you need to go there from 11:00 to 13:30. At 12:30 it’s packed. At 14:00 it’s sold out. https://maps.app.goo.gl/nLhTAuiputae8Tiy8?g_st=ic

And another option: the food courts in SUPERMARKETS. The big supermarkets and hypermarkets like Lotus’s and Big C all have mini-malls surrounding the big store and many of those have very good and cheap food courts. As an example, we were shopping in Lotus’s at On Nut (right beside the BTS station) and decided to try out the food court. For 30 baht — 85˘— (I think it was) we got an absolutely scrumptious pork pad krapao. (FYI pad krapao — stir-fried pork or chicken with holy basil, rice and fried egg — is like a quick burger or sandwich for Thais on the go). There were plenty of curries, noodle soups and other classics on offer.

SKT-DK

This is absolutely spot on I know it has undergone some changes and currently renovation, but the food court at Amarin Plaza (Chitlom) used to be great too. All Seasons Place where Conrad is has a similar food court which is good value for money too - I just wish my office building had the same (the food court there is pretty sad, leaving only overpriced chain things…)

billp

Sadly, Amarin is being completely gutted and is going to become part of Gaysorn.

Davvidd

MBK has a fairly good and big foot court too. Bigger than the one in Terminal 21. Food courts in these malls are a lot cheaper than at Siam Paragon or Central Embassy etc. As an another OP said in the food court you have to buy a prepaid card and once you finish you return it and get the unpaid balance. Bangkok has so much of street food, there is no point in going to even a food court especially if you want to eat Thai food. The food the general Thai people eat everyday.

eqeqeqx

Interesting. I as mentioned thought it was quite decent, but did not know it was also one of the better value for money food halls in Bangkok, or the history of how they were putting it together. And I too can't leave without a service of mango with sticky rice, which is one of the best desserts you can get in Thailand IMO.

I also like the food hall at the bottom of emquartier, though of course more expensive. That shopping centre itself is also one of the nicer ones and usually not as crowded as other high-end'ish shopping malls in Bangkok. Also directly connected to a BTS station (Phrom Phong), one hop down from the Terminal 21 BTS station.

Davvidd

There are food courts for locals and food courts in shopping malls for the foreigners. The local ones are very spicy and fairly cheap compared to ones where the tourists go which is normally in the shopping malls they go obviously.