Quick answer
Pattaya eats best at three kinds of place: seafood by the water (Lan Pho market in Naklua, open daily 08:00 to 18:00, or Bang Saray, about 20 km south), night markets and street stalls at 40 to 80 THB a dish, and air-conditioned mall food courts such as Pier 21 at Terminal 21, where Thai plates cost 40 to 70 THB. A seafood meal for two in Bang Saray runs 500 to 1,200 THB.
Pattaya is a fishing coast that grew into a resort city, and its food map still follows the shoreline. The old fishing district of Naklua sits at the northern end with its seafood market, the malls and their food courts line Beach Road and Second Road in the centre, the big night markets are in the south towards Jomtien, and the fishing village of Bang Saray lies about 20 km further down the coast. This guide covers what to order, where each kind of meal is found and what it costs.
Which Thai dishes should you order first in Pattaya?
Start with the dishes every cook in town makes daily, then move on to the seafood the coast is known for. The names below are what you will see on menus and hear at stalls.
- Som tam: green papaya salad pounded to order with lime, chilli, tomato and peanuts. Usually eaten with gai yang (grilled chicken) and sticky rice.
- Pad kra pao: minced pork or chicken stir-fried with holy basil and chilli over rice, with a fried egg on top if you ask for khai dao.
- Tom yum goong: hot and sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf. The clear version is nam sai, the creamy one nam khon.
- Khao man gai: poached chicken on rice cooked in its broth, a mild lunch dish that suits children.
- Pla kapong neung manao: whole sea bass steamed with lime, garlic and chilli, the standard order at any seafood restaurant.
- Pu pad pong karee: crab stir-fried with egg and yellow curry powder, rich rather than spicy.
- Hoy tod or or suan: crisp or soft oyster omelette, cooked on a flat griddle at markets and seafood stalls.
- Khao niao mamuang: mango with sweet sticky rice and coconut cream, at its best from March to June when mangoes are in season.
Where is the best place for seafood: Naklua or Bang Saray?
Both work, for different meals. Lan Pho market in Naklua is a lunch or late-afternoon stop inside the city. Bang Saray is a half-day outing with a long meal over the water.
Lan Pho market, Naklua
The market stands beside Lan Pho Park at the end of Naklua Road, about 20 minutes from Beach Road. It opens daily from 08:00 to 18:00, entry is free, and the choice of fish is widest in the morning. The system is simple: you buy prawns, crab, squid, shellfish or fish by weight from the trays, then carry the bag to one of the cooking stalls beside the market, which steam, boil or grill it for a fee of about 20 to 40 THB per kilo. Most people then eat on mats and benches in the park facing the bay. Spicy seafood dipping sauce is sold at the market, parking costs 10 THB an hour, and the cooking queues are long on weekends and public holidays. Seafood prices move with the catch and the season, so compare two or three stalls, ask the price per kilo and agree the cooking fee before handing over the bag.
Naklua also has sit-down seafood restaurants by the water, Moom Aroi on Naklua Soi 4 being a long-running example. The district itself is described in the Naklua and Wongamat area guide.
Bang Saray
Bang Saray is a working fishing village about 20 km south of Pattaya, 30 to 40 minutes by car. The seafood restaurants cluster at the landward end of the pier and along the beach road. Prawns, crab and whole fish are sold by weight, so ask the price per kilo and the weight before you order. A seafood meal for two with rice and drinks runs from about 500 to 1,200 THB. Weekday lunch is calm and weekend evenings are full. The Bang Saray and Sattahip guide covers transport and what else to see there.
Which mall food courts are worth knowing?
Food courts are the easiest way into Thai food: air conditioning, photos on every counter, fixed prices and clean tables. Pier 21 on the third floor of Terminal 21 Pattaya, on North Pattaya Road near the Dolphin Roundabout, is the one to know. The mall opens at 11:00 and closes at 22:00, an hour later from Friday to Sunday. You load a prepaid card at the cashier desk, tap it at each counter and collect the unused balance on the way out. Thai dishes cost 40 to 70 THB: noodle soups, khao man gai, pad thai, som tam, curries over rice, mango sticky rice. The other large malls have food halls of their own; they are listed in the guide to Pattaya's shopping malls.
Where do you find street food and markets?
Street food in Pattaya appears from late afternoon. Thepprasit Night Market, on Thepprasit Road between South Pattaya and Jomtien, runs Friday to Sunday from about 17:00 to 23:00 and has the largest food section in the city. Jomtien Night Market, on Jomtien Beach Road around Soi 9, opens daily from about 17:00 to 23:00. In the centre, carts line Soi Buakhao and the lanes off Second Road every evening. Opening days and what each market sells are detailed in the night markets guide.
The staples are grilled pork skewers (moo ping), pad thai, som tam, grilled chicken, fruit shakes and mango sticky rice, and a one-plate dish costs 40 to 80 THB. Most stalls take cash only, some accept Thai QR payment, so carry small notes: stall holders often cannot change a 1,000 THB note.
How much does a meal cost in Pattaya?
| Type of place | Typical price (THB) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Street stall or market stand | 40 to 80 per dish | One-plate meal: noodles, rice dish, papaya salad |
| Mall food court (Pier 21) | 40 to 70 per dish | One-plate Thai meal in air conditioning |
| Simple Thai restaurant | 80 to 150 per dish | Stir-fries, curries and soups to share, with rice |
| Tourist or international restaurant | 150 to 400 per main course | Thai and Western dishes, often with 10% service and 7% VAT added |
| Seafood restaurant in Bang Saray | 500 to 1,200 for two | Shared seafood dishes with rice and drinks |
A wider picture of daily costs, from transport to beach chairs, is in the Pattaya prices and budget guide.
How do you handle spice?
Thai cooks season for Thai customers unless told otherwise, and som tam, larb and jungle curries are the hottest things on most menus. Three phrases are enough:
- Mai phet: not spicy.
- Phet nit noi: a little spicy.
- Mai sai prik: no chilli at all, the one to use for children.
Say it when you order, not when the plate arrives. Every table has a condiment set (dried chilli, chilli in vinegar, fish sauce, sugar), so a mild dish can always be made hotter. Plain rice, cucumber and a sweet drink calm a burning mouth faster than water does.
Is street food in Pattaya safe to eat?
Yes, when you choose the stall rather than the dish. The rules are the same ones residents follow:
- Eat where there is a queue. High turnover means nothing sits for long.
- Choose food cooked or grilled in front of you over trays that have stood in the heat.
- Eat seafood hot and fully cooked, and skip raw shellfish on a first visit.
- Buy fruit that is cut to order or still in its skin.
- Drink bottled water. Tap water is not for drinking; the tube ice served in restaurants and at established stalls is factory-made from purified water.
- Wash or sanitise your hands before eating: this prevents more stomach trouble than any choice of dish.
Vegetarians should look for the yellow flags with red lettering that mark jay (Buddhist vegan) stalls. Travellers who want Indian, Jain or halal kitchens have dedicated districts: see the guides to Indian restaurants in Pattaya and to halal and Middle Eastern food.
Frequently asked
- What time should you go to Lan Pho seafood market in Naklua?
- Go in the morning for the widest choice of fish and shellfish, or around 15:30 to 16:30 if you want to eat in the park before sunset. The market opens at 08:00 and closes at 18:00, so it is a lunch or late-afternoon stop, not a dinner venue. Weekdays are quiet. On weekends and public holidays the cooking stalls have queues and the park fills with families.
- Do restaurants in Pattaya add service charge and tax?
- Street stalls, markets and food courts charge the posted price and nothing more. Hotel restaurants and many upmarket venues add 10% service charge and 7% VAT, shown on the menu as two plus signs after the price. Tipping is not expected at stalls; in sit-down restaurants without a service charge, leaving the coins or 20 to 50 THB is the local habit.
- Can you eat well in Pattaya with children who do not eat spicy food?
- Yes. Khao man gai (chicken rice), fried rice, pad see ew (wide noodles in soy sauce), grilled chicken with sticky rice, satay skewers and omelette on rice are mild by default. Food courts are the simplest setting because every dish is pictured and you order by pointing. Add mai sai prik (no chilli) to any order to be sure.
