A food market worth visiting – and where you will be full for sure: Thonburi Market Place (18. December 2023)

Apparently, the Thonburi Market Place has only opened recently, and it’s worth visiting. I mean, it’s not super central, but it is still worth the drive if you are in the city for a few days. It is basically a huge open market with a lot of different market stalls and food stalls – and there is a seating area in the middle, and you just pick your different orders from the different stalls, get everything together, and enjoy it right there and then. The first thing we tried were the “pork skewers with peanut sauce”, which were light, good in flavour, and went superbly with the peanut sauce.

Secondly, I tried the “fried rice”, which was truly delicious – especially with the two sauces.

Since the best pork stall was closed on Mondays, we went to the next best and tried the “Thai royal crispy pork”(100 THB) with “golden garlic” (29 THB) and this wasn’t really all that amazing. To me, there was a bit the “meat part” missing and it wasn’t as crispy as I would have hoped for. So, all in all, this wasn’t the best bite that day.

What was much better, though, were the “scallops”. Not sure with what exactly they had been prepared, but there were plenty and the buttered sauce in which they were served was absolutely delicious. If you added a bit of the spicy hot chilli sauce, it would just make it a perfect bite.

Then, given there were a lot of food stalls, which specialise in seafood, we also had to try a “fish” (don’t ask me which one), which was prepared for you as a whole fish, and you had to debone it yourself. The meat was plenty, and it was tasty – again, especially with the green Thai chili sauce.

I absolutely loved the “fried noodles”, as they were great in taste and texture. And especially as most of the food was meat or seafood, it was good to have something, which would balance that a bit.

Then it was about getting ‘your’ seafood. There was a nice selection of different kind of animals and we decided to have lobster – and man, they look quite a bit different then the lobsters I am used to. But I loved their ‘blue’. It’s so pretty!

A bit less when it’s put on scale. The great thing, though, is that it is not only sold to you but in the price it is included to be prepared for you. So, you don’t just buy the lobster, as you do in Europe, but they prepare it there for you. You buy it, pay, get back 10-15 minutes later and you end up with your …

… “prepared lobster” (1’500 THB / kilo). And let me tell you, the lobster meat was super tender and the buttery garlic on top was just exquisite. One of the best bites for that lunch.

The “steamed blue crab” was also rather delicious – but a bit harder to eat, as the ‘meat pieces’ were smaller. Especially, since all the ‘help’ you get is plastic cutlery, which makes part of the ‘taking things apart’ a bit tricky.

The “king prawns” were nice too – again, especially with the green spicy Thai chili sauce. However, they were, in my opinion, a bit overcooked, i.e., too dry. A little less cooking would have been better, I found.

Then it was time for dessert, and while I didn’t really feel like it because I had already eaten so much, I must say the “mango with sticky rice and dried yellow lentils” was actually delicious. This is not something, which I would have expected for me to say, but I must say, it was truly delicious!

The “fried balls with stuffing” (no clue, how you actually call them) are interesting. They are sweet, but their fillings are not necessarily sweet. I had one with corn (delicious!) and one with spring onions (also quite good, but not as good, and has a bit of a different aftertaste, so I would rather start with this one then end with this one).

Once you have all your food, just take a table in the seating area – and indulge!

Finding your way around the shops, like the “seafood shop” as a tourist, who doesn’t speak Thai, is quite a challenge, as they do not really speak English. So, either you have someone who speaks Thai (like a guide or a friend), or you take the risk to communicate by pointing and hand and feet.

The “Fried Noodle Shop” seems to know some English, while the …

… “Fried Rice Shop” doesn’t really.

Neither does the “Fried Balls Shop” …

… or the “Mango Shop”, but most places have pictures, so you can just point at stuff, which makes it, obviously, much easier again.

So, as I said, the Thonburi Market Place is located a bit outside of Bangkok, but it is defintiely a place I can recommend you to visit if you have a bit of time. I mean, the food you get is delicious, the prices are ridiculously low, and it is just a very amazing experience.

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Contact Details:

Thonburi Market Place

58 Borommaratchachonnani Rd

Khwaeng Sala Thammasop

Khet Thawi Watthana

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon

10170 Bangkok (TH)

Tel.: +66 92 989 5088

E-Mail: taradthonburi@gmail.com

Homepage: https://www.facebook.com/taradthonburi

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.