Some of the best meals you will ever eat on a trip cost very little and come from a stall on the pavement. Street food is a direct window into a city’s culture and everyday life, and it lets you taste many local specialties without spending much. Here are three cities whose street food scenes are worth planning a whole trip around: Bangkok, Mexico City and Penang.
Bangkok, Thailand: street food from morning to midnight
Few cities live on the street the way Bangkok does. Stalls serve breakfast to commuters in the morning, noodles at lunch and grilled snacks late into the night, and the sheer variety is what makes the city special.
Where to go
Yaowarat Road (Chinatown) turns into one long food street after dark, drawing locals and visitors from all over the city. Nearby, Raan Jay Fai became famous when it was the only street-side eatery among the restaurants awarded a star in the first Michelin Guide Bangkok (published December 2017). Its crab omelette is the signature dish – expect long queues and prices far above ordinary street food.
For something calmer, Or Tor Kor Market next to Chatuchak is known for premium fruit and ready-made dishes; CNN Travel once placed it fourth in its list of the world’s best fresh markets.
What to eat
- Pad Thai – stir-fried rice noodles, often best from vendors who cook nothing else
- Som tam – green papaya salad balancing sweet, sour, salty and spicy
- Moo ping – grilled pork skewers, usually eaten with sticky rice for breakfast
- Boat noodles – small, intensely flavoured bowls of pork or beef noodle soup
- Mango sticky rice – the classic Thai dessert, at its best in mango season
A guided food tour on your first evening is a good way to get your bearings before you explore on your own. You can browse Bangkok food tours, and for a base close to the action, look at places to stay in Bangkok around Chinatown or the riverside.
Mexico City, Mexico: a street food tradition with deep roots
In Mexico City, eating on the street is part of daily life for almost everyone. Markets, corner stands and weekend street markets (tianguis) together make it one of the most varied street food cities in the world.
Where to go
Mercado de la Merced, on the eastern edge of the historic centre, is the city’s largest traditional retail market and sprawls over several blocks. It can be overwhelming – follow the locals to the busiest food counters. The Roma and Condesa neighbourhoods have a more modern scene, where traditional dishes meet creative cooking.
What to eat
- Tacos al pastor – marinated pork cooked on a vertical spit, served on small corn tortillas with pineapple, coriander and onion
- Tlacoyos – oval masa cakes stuffed with beans or cheese and topped with nopales (cactus) and salsa
- Elotes and esquites – corn on the cob or in a cup, with mayonnaise, cheese, chilli and lime
- Quesadillas – in Mexico City often filled with huitlacoche (corn fungus), squash blossoms or tinga rather than just cheese
Timing matters: tamales and atole (a hot corn drink) are breakfast food, taco stands get busy from lunchtime, and evenings belong to antojitos (“little cravings”). To eat safely, choose busy stalls with high turnover and plenty of local customers. The historic centre and Roma/Condesa make good bases – see places to stay in Mexico City.
Penang, Malaysia: where culinary traditions meet
If any place can challenge Bangkok, it is Penang. Malay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan (Straits Chinese) cooking have mixed here for generations. George Town, the island’s capital, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008 together with Melaka, and its old streets are full of hawker stalls that specialise in one or two dishes.
Where to go
Gurney Drive on the seafront is the best-known hawker spot and is open in the evenings. New Lane (Lorong Baru) closes to traffic each evening for food stalls, and the stalls on Chulia Street are known for char koay teow and tend to be cheaper. For nasi kandar, the long-running Line Clear stall in an alley off Penang Road usually has a queue.
What to eat
- Char koay teow – flat rice noodles stir-fried over high heat, typically with prawns, cockles and Chinese sausage; the best plates have a smoky “wok hei”
- Assam laksa – rice noodles in a sour, tamarind-based fish broth with herbs and pineapple
- Nasi kandar – rice with your choice of curries and side dishes, all poured over together
- Cendol – shaved ice with green rice-flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar
Because most stalls do only one thing, you will eat your way across several places – that is half the fun. Staying inside George Town’s heritage zone keeps you within walking distance of most of them: see places to stay in George Town.
Street food tips for every city
- Follow the locals – a long line of residents is the best recommendation
- Look for high turnover – food that sells quickly has not been sitting around
- Start gently – try milder dishes first while your stomach adjusts
- Carry hand sanitiser – many stalls have nowhere to wash your hands
- Bring small notes – many vendors take cash only and cannot change large notes
All three cities are inexpensive places to eat well compared with most Western capitals, so street food stretches a travel budget a long way. For more cities where your money goes further, see our guide to budget-friendly European cities.
Planning a food trip? In the ToTourist app you can put your market and stall stops into day plans with walking times, and on the spot the Nearby screen shows restaurants and cafés around you. It is free on Android, with no sign-up.
Have you eaten your way through one of these cities, or do you know another street food paradise? Tell us in the comments.
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