Dua Lipa, you’d love these street food spots in Bangkok, too

After her photo with a coconut inside Maxwell Food Centre in Singapore went viral, we knew we had found a kindred spirit in Dua Lipa. Travelling across Asia as part of her ‘Radical Optimism’ World Tour, the Albanian singer and songwriter has been sampling street food in Asia where she can, sipping plum tea, digging into laksa, and even asking fans for local recommendations. As we prep for the star’s arrival in Bangkok, we had a few local street food suggestions ourselves. Radically optimistic, we hope you see this, Dua.

Arguably the street food capital of the world (fight us), we could not be more excited to see Dua Lipa in Bangkok. The Asia leg of her ‘Radical Optimism’ tour will have seen stops in Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Taipei, and Kuala Lumpur, before she arrives to Bangkok on 27 November 2024. Clearly, this is a tough roster of street food destinations to compete with, so we need to get in early with the recommendations. Any true foodie plans their meals (and their stomach space) in advance.

Nonetheless, while Singapore was a good amuse bouche, Bangkok’s street food scene is arguably more vast and varied, covering different (and distanced) areas of the city, providing a mix of regional Thai, Thai-Chinese, Indian, and even Japanese dishes to savour. From the classics on Yaowarat Road, and the newcomers on Banthat Thong Road, over to Youtube-famous spice and Netflix-renowned spots, here’s all the street food Dua Lipa should try in Bangkok. Unlike in her Instagram post in Singapore, she need not ask us twice.

Best street food in Bangkok: The Bangkok food spots and Thai dishes Dua Lipa should try

Let’s start with the obvious one: Yaowarat Road (Chinatown) for noodles, crab curry, and oyster omelette

This is Thailand Street Food 101. Ask anybody where to go for a good Thai street food experience, and it is likely that Bangkok’s Chinatown on Yaowarat Road will come up first. It’s convenient because Dua and the gang can walk up and down this street, easily stopping for snacks like squid eggs with spicy sauce, pork satay at Je Aeng, or the indulgent Patongko Savoey (fried dough).

Street food restaurant highlights on Yaowarat Road include Guay Ouan Pochana for rice roll noodle soup with crispy pork, Jek Pui for Netflix-famed assorted curries, or Nai Mong Hai Tod for oyster omelette. We know Dua Lipa tried the famous chili crab in Singapore already, and we have a feeling she’d love our Thai-Chinese crab curry at T&K Seafood, too.

For a coffee break nearby, Dua could check out Song Wat, and find our local favourites

Dua tried the famous plum tea (also bubble tea) in Singapore, so perhaps she’s a keen coffee or tea drinker. Therefore, a trendy and storied street for Dua-Lipa-cafe-hopping is Song Wat, not too far from Chinatown. The classic to visit is definitely Song Wat Coffee & Roasters, though she may like FV BKK  for its artsy interior, too.

Food-wise, Song Wat is home to many local favourite restaurants, including Rong Klan Nuea for beef noodles, Urai for braised goose specialties, and one of our favourite all-round local Thai restaurants, Ega.

Next up: Banthat Thong Road for the city’s most famous tom yum soup, and what is set to become new Thai Street Food Central

We know Dua Lipa already tried laksa, so now it’s time for tom yum. The most famous tom yum in the city is definitely found at Jeh Oh Chula, located on the street food haven that is Banthat Thong Road. Other highlights around here include Tek Heng Mee Krob for crispy noodles, Tang Sui Heng for claypot goose, and Elvis Suki, named after a fellow musician, for seafood sukiyaki.

For a tongue-in-cheek dessert, it’s got to be 9” Fried Banana, which sells 9-inch fried bananas with two scoops of ice cream. Yup.

Jay Fai, for good measure (and for the world’s most famous omelette)

Following the slew of celebrities who have dined here before, this is the most obvious choice for Thai food Dua Lipa should try in Bangkok. Helmed by the amazing Jay Fai, Raan Jay Fai has been featured on Netflix, is long listed on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and has held a Michelin star since 2018. As a consequence, the queues to get a table at Jay Fai are long, but we have a feeling Dua Lipa could pull some strings.

While she’s here, she’d be a fool to miss the famous crab omelette, as well as the dried congee, seafood drunken noodles (kee mao), and yellow curry.

Charoenkrung for hidden gems, and Silom for Massaman curry and Indian food

We saw that Dua Lipa visited a Hindu temple in Singapore, so if she’d like to follow a similar route in Bangkok, she could head to Silom’s Pan Road to Sri Maha Mariamman Temple (Wat Kaek). Directly opposite, she would find Krua Aroy Aroy, which is often described as the best Massaman curry spot in Bangkok. Naturally, there are also a lot of good Indian restaurants in the area (we like Sri Ananda Bhawan best).

A little further along in the creative district of Charoenkrung, Dua Lipa could indulge in a street art walk, and stop by Prachak for roasted duck, Jok Prince for the city’s most classic congee, or Tuang Dimsum for dumplings. These spots are especially conveniently located if she’s staying on the riverside.

Over in Ekkamai, Dua Lipa can test her spice tolerance (hotter than hell), get the famous fried rice, and sip 50-year-old broth

Ekkamai covers a large area of Bangkok, so this one requires some dedication, and some sitting in traffic. The most famous soup on this side of town can be found at Wattana Panich, a spot that has been cooking its beef broth with Chinese spices in the same pot for over 50 years. Over at Here Hai, Dua Lipa will find the most famous fried rice in town, packed with crab meat and a smoky aroma. Lastly, if she wants to test her spice tolerance, Phed Mark is the place to be. The brainchild of food vlogger Mark Wiens, they specialise in a very fiery pad krapow.

On the weekend, it’s off to Chatuchak, mostly for thrift shopping, but also some light snacking

We think Dua Lipa would love a thrift shop find, so Chatuchak Weekend Market is a must-visit. The largest weekend market in Thailand with over 15,000 stalls is both a labyrinth and a marvel, and we have a feeling Dua would enjoy the vintage selection, or even cheeky souvenir shopping. Food is more of an afterthought at Chatuchak, so we recommend this location for snacking and sipping on fresh fruit smoothies, coconut water and coconut ice cream, and more mainstream Thai street food dishes like pad Thai.

Sure, Dua Lipa has a concert in Mumbai on the Saturday after her Bangkok concert, but it is always suggested to visit Chatuchak in the morning, anyway. Nighttimes are for dancing the night.

Anywhere: Stop for Thai 7-11 snacks, like the famous toastie, sticky rice burger, and Thai milk tea

If the star doesn’t feel like going out at all, we hope she can at least make time for our beloved 7-11 convenience store. The most famously popular item here is not a Thai dish, but rather the ham and cheese sandwich, toasted for you in the store. A simple search on TikTok unveils hundreds of videos on this phenomenon. One [search] is all it takes.

A close second is the sticky rice burger, consisting of meat between two sticky rice ‘patties.’ To wash it down, Dua could get Thai milk tea from the machine, or whip up her signature Diet Coke, jalapeño, and pickle juice concoction.

Bonus: Not really street food, but if Dua Lipa is hit with another caviar craving in Bangkok, she could try Birdie’s, Mott32, or CRU

It’s pretty clear by now that Dua Lipa loves her caviar. Posting the delicacy on Instagram, we’ve noticed that she often enjoys a good old bump on its own, or paired the classic way on a potato or blini. Whilst she could enjoy a fresh tin of Oscietra caviar at most fine dining venues in Bangkok, if she wants to get more adventurous, she could try fried chicken and caviar at Birdies, caviar with Peking duck at Mott32, or caviar inside cream cheese churros at CRU (also a champagne bar).

In case you missed it, Dua, Bangkok loves to eat well. We can’t wait to have you.

Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism Tour concert will take place in Bangkok 27 November 2024. You can get tickets and find out more at Thai Ticket Major.