We know a lot of articles have been written about this topic but people still ask us for advice. So here we go, an article about food and Khon Kaen restaurants.
Where and what to eat in Khon Kaen? Travelling for the first time in a new city can be overwhelming especially when it’s come for eat. Normally, most of the foreigners coming to the city of Khon Kaen are coming to visit friends or family here. They follow the person they are with and go eat with them. Easy… yes, what about the ones who are coming to the city for holidays or for visiting.
Here you will find some of our favourite places, these are our choices, so, maybe you will like the place or maybe you will hate it… so where and what to eat in Khon Kaen?
Noodle soup shop and street vendors:
There is plenty of noodle soup vendor everywhere in town, we will give you 3 fantastic shops in the hotel area near the centre.
After 5 Pm, this food truck will start selling Tom Yam Isan style. very spicy soup with pork. This shop is selling a lot, with price range from 40 to 60 Baths.
Location: Get directions
The Noodle shop on Pracha Samaran Rd, where club 99 is. A family noodle soup shop and the speciality are wonton ravioli style soup with pork intestine. The Soup itself is not spicy, so this shop can be a good start to discovering Thai Soup dishes.
Location: Get directions
Another fantastic address for Noodle soup lovers. This shop is located on Na Mueang 25 Rd ( The street where Le glacier hotel is). The noodle soup with beef is fantastic here and the owner is very sympathetic. A must-stop for an authentic Isan Beef-style soup.
Location: get directions
Beer Garden
Another type of restaurant in Thailand is Beer Garden…where the food is excellent, the sport event is on big-screen tv and some of these venues come with a live band. Also, you can find in this kind of venue some girls dressed in local beer brand clothes, we call them: beer pretty.
“Beer Pretty” is the name commonly given to women, usually dressed in suggestive, tight skirts, who encourage customers to buy their brand of beer in restaurants throughout Thailand.
There are a lot of them in Khon Kaen and choosing one may be difficult, so here is a list of the most popular ones:
เพลงพิณ near Kaen Nakhon lake, with a beautiful view of the Wat Phra Mahathat, which looks like the Eiffel tower at night.
Locations: Get Directions
I HUG Bar IZakaya & แซลมอนนอเวร์ By K&A, for the football fan and live music.
Locations: Get directions
The Dring of Love ริมทะเลสาปหนองโคตร
Located around on the border of the lake, this complex has all you need…food, bars, karaoke and live band music.
Location: get directions
Another great spot to eat in Khon Kaen is the Central Festival. There are plenty of restaurants inside and nearly every day new events with plenty of food stalls. This place is ideal to come to eat on rainy or very hot days. Most of the main Thai food chains are here…with what we think is the best Japanese food: Fuji.
Around the Pullman hotel
There are plenty of places around Pullman hotel to go eat, for those who are carving for some Italian food… head to Pomodoro.. authentic Italian cuisine. Get Directions
You can also if you are not fancy going too far and want to eat some delicious Thai food head to the King Cobra Bistro. The Thai food is very good there and their breakfast is gorgeous in the morning.
Kelly’s is another well-known restaurant in the area.
Tumkratoei, Khon Kaen: is a well know chain food in Thailand and the one in the city is not too far from the Kosa hotel, +/- 15 min walk or you can take a Tuk-Tuk. If you want to start to discover some authentic Northeastern-style food, this is the place to head to. The menu is available in English and it will be easy for the Thai food novice to choose some delicious dishes.
Night market Khon Kaen
There is a night market nearly every day that starts after 5 pm, at the beginning of Ruen Rom rd. One of the sections of the road is blocked, no vehicles can drive in and food stalls take place on the street. It’s a very nice place to discover some of the best Thai food, otherwise, it can be a little confusing for those who don’t know it. You have to order from the shop you like and try to find a place to seat. You can seat in front of one shop and order something from another one. Experience Khon Kaen through Ruen Rom Night Food Market. Located between Na-Mueang Alley and Glang-Mueang Road, this short stretch of road has many stores serving local delicacies. Fill yourself silly with the stores along the streets. From tom yum soup to stir-fried vegetables, to papaya salad, spring rolls and barbeque meat! A food haven!
Ban Kok Road
This road is a fantastic place to go eat, there is plenty of street vendors, restaurants and even a market. This is where Northeastern university is. 2 km long and full of…food. It’s like a town in the town. Best food: Kate’s restaurant ( get directions), in a back alley near the football club. This place has the best ” Thai Salad” called Yam… When we carve for Yam seafood, Yam Moo yok,…we go there.
There is also further on that street an Isan food stall selling Lap Moo and Lap Phet… 200 meters after the Ptt station on the right ( when coming from the city centre), Map
Vietnamese food
There is a nice small restaurant who is selling Vietnamese food and is not too far from the city centre.
Around 1.5 km( 7 min walk) behind the police station on Chitha kohn Rd.
ร้านซุปเปอร์หมู อาหารเช้า restaurant ( get directions), there you will find different Vietnamese food in an old house. The place is located under a wooden house, and this restaurant has different food stalls which you can buy your dishes from. Of course, the famous Vietnamese sandwich Banh Mi is available there for 50 Baht.
Opening early and closing in the afternoon.
Bueng Nong Kot lake
There are plenty of nice restaurants around that lake, some have a good view and great services. If you are looking for a restaurant including western food and pizza, then head up to the marina cafe … a good outdoor seating, reasonable prices, and friendly staff.
