Wondering what is the best tom yum in Bangkok? In this article, we cover the best tom yum soups in Bangkok after doing tons of research and tasting countless tom yum soups. After we told what we believe are the best tom yum soups in town, we give you more details about this delicious and tremendously popular soup as there are quite some differences. Let’s jump right to it.
In this article, we answer the following questions related to the best tom yum in Bangkok.
- What are the best Tom Yum in Bangkok?
- What is Tom Yum Soup exactly?
- What is the difference between Tom Yum Nan Khon and Tom Yum Nam Sai?
- What is the difference between Tom Yum and Tom Ka soups?
- Overview of the best Tom Yum soups in Bangkok
The best Tom Yum in Bangkok are:
1. Tom Yum Goong (150 THB)- Tom Yum Banglamphu
When it comes to authenticity and impeccable flavour, there can be only one restaurant that serves the best tom yum in Bangkok and that is Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu. This street-food restaurant is located in Sri Kraisi, an alley close to Khao San Road. At this local eatery, there is no menu available, although the majority of its customers come for one thing and that’s their tom yum goong. A bowl of this heavenly soup costs you 150 THB and is served with two large juicy prawns. Unlike the next recommended restaurant, the owner did not change its recipe even though the restaurant gained popularity over the years. At Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu, you can expect authentic flavoured tom yum soup with plenty of chillies added. Make sure to go to the original place as there is a copycat right next door.
2. Tom Yum Lobster (450 THB) – Pe Aor
Honestly, it was quite difficult to choose between Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu and Pe Aor, as both restaurants serve phenomenal tom yum soups. The detail that made our final decision was the fact that the owner told us that he changed the recipe a couple of years ago that suits the tourist more, meaning that it’s slightly sweeter and less spicy than before. But that does not withhold any local or tourist to visit Pe Aor as it’s always completely packed with hungry customers. The soup is incredibly creamy, much creamier than the one at Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu and the seafood options to add to your tom yum soup is enormous. Think lobster, crab, mussels, squid and large prawns. Because of that, prices vary between 50 THB for a normal bowl of tom yum going to 1,300 THB for a bowl that’s completely filled with exotic seafood, which you can easily share with a few people. The best value for money is in our opinion the Lobster in Love (450 THB), which is a large bowl of tom yum soup with lobster and large mussels.
3. Tom Yum Goong (90 THB) – Mit Ko Yuan
Mit Ko Yuan is a local secret as it’s an anonymous restaurant located at Dinso Road that you easily walk past. In this area, you can find some of the best local restaurants, such as Jay Fai, Thip Samai, Natthaphon Coconut Ice Cream and Kor Panich. Contrary to the previous two restaurants, Mit Ko Yuan has not specialized in tom yum soups but offers a much wider selection of Thai dishes. But the most-ordered dish and what most locals come for is their amazing and pretty spicy tom yum goong. A bowl of tom yum costs you 90 THB and the soup itself has many similarities, such as colour and visible tom yum paste, as the first recommended restaurant, Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu. Mit Ko Yuan is a great place to explore other authentically flavoured Thai dishes such as their Stir-Fried Pork with Twig Frame (80 THB), Signature Chili Fried Clams (80 THB) and Pan-Steamed Mussels (120 THB). As mentioned earlier in this article, a bowl of tom yum can easily be shared with others.
4. Tom Yum Mama Noodles (800 THB) – Jae Oh Chula
Highly listed in our article about the most famous food in Bangkok is the Mamma Tom Yum Seafood at Jae Oh Chula. What makes this Tom Yum soup so good is that this classic dish is upgraded with a few twists that completely change the taste, texture and experience. This approach to classic Thai dishes is what makes this local eatery such a hugely popular place among locals. In fact, the restaurant is so popular that guests have to wait in line often up to 90 minutes to get a table and enjoy delicious local food with a twist. The Tom Yum at Jae Oh Chula is served with instant Mama Noodles and a variety of ingredients, rather than just traditional shrimp. We prefer the version with crispy pork, shrimp, squid, raw egg and pork balls. Cheaper versions come with simply crispy pork or pork meatballs (120 THB). Keep in mind that this famous dish is only available after eleven o’clock in the evening. The premium crab Tom Yum Mama Noodles (800 THB) is a real hit and results in even longer late-night queues.
5. Tom Yum Goong (350 THB) – Tom Yum Kung Restaurant
This restaurant is located in the middle of Khao San Road and is a popular spot for many tourists as it offers a great variety of Thai food as well as a lounge area where guests can simply watch the world go by. As the name of this restaurant already suggests, their signature dish is tom yum goong. Slightly adjusted to the Western taste palate, the tom yum goong is still nicely fragrant and has the right amount of spiciness. A bowl of Tom Yum soup costs 350 THB, is served with three large jumbo freshwater prawns and is easily shareable for at least two people. As said, there are plenty of other Thai dishes available and I would strongly advise you to order the Meng Kung Foi (150 THB), which is a traditional appetizer where you add Thai herbs, lemon, peanuts, and chillies to the bright-red baby shrimps wrapped in beetle leaves. Once you start chewing on this package of raw ingredients, you get a huge taste explosion in your mouth.
6. Tom Yum Goong (150 THB) – Aoun & Phom
If you are staying close to Suvarnabhumi International Airport and you’d like to eat like a local, head over to Aoun & Phom. This local restaurant does not look that inviting from the outside, for example, the plastic white chairs are probably in use for over ten years. But don’t let the looks fool you, because we enjoyed the food here so much, with their Tom Yum Goong (150 THB) as the absolute highlight. Again, this restaurant is not dedicated to tom yum soups alone, and we would recommend you try at least one of the other recommended dishes as well: Fried Seabass with Sweet Fish Sauce (350 THB), Fried Clam with Sweet Basil (100 THB) and their Oyster Omelette (80 THB).
The following dishes are so-called Tom Yum Nam Sai. In the next chapter, we explain more about the different versions of Tom Yum.
7. Tom Yum Noodle (50 THB) – Rung Reung Noodle
Rung Reung Noodle is a family-run business located close to Phrom Phong BTS and is always completely packed with hungry guests who are craving their delicious noodles. The menu is limited, and you can order dry versions or soup versions of two different types of noodles, which for the purpose of this article, we call them normal-flavoured and tom-yum-flavoured. The majority of its visitors order either the dry version or the soup version of the tom yum noodles. And for a very good reason, as we believe Rung Reung Noodle serves the best Tom Yum Nam Sai in Bangkok. The tom yum is so deliciously flavoured, with plenty of spicinesses. A bowl of this heavenly tom yum nam said costs you between 50 and 70 THB, depending on the size you order. We highly recommend you order the Fish Crackers (20 THB) as well, which are deep-fried crackers made of fish skin, which adds a subtle fish flavour to your meal as well as that lovely crunch.
8. Small Noodle with Tomyum Soup (55 THB) – Zaew Noodle
Zaew Noodle is, similar to the previously recommended restaurant, an incredibly popular restaurant among locals to get their daily portion of noodles. Especially during lunchtime, these restaurants are completely full and often require you to wait a while before you get a table. In Zaew Noodle’s case, during lunchtime, there is an army of food delivery drivers waiting in front of the restaurant for the food that they need to pick up. I would strongly advise avoiding this rush hour and visiting this place a bit early in the morning. The bestseller at this Zaew Noodle is Small Noodle with Tomyum Soup which only costs 55 THB per bowl. Inside this authentically flavoured tom yum soups are pork balls and crispy fried wontons. Zaew Noodle is located near BTS Thonglor.
9. Tom Yum Soup (100 THB) – Pua-Kee
This local restaurant is a popular place to get noodles for both locals and tourists as it’s located close to Khao San Road. Although the staff does not speak English at all, the friendly owner can help you around with their difficult menu. But as you already can expect, the reason why you should visit this place, and the owner will tell you this as well, is to order tom yum nam sai. The so-called No. 12 Rice Noodle Soup Hot Spicy costs 100 THB per bowl, is deliciously spiced and served with prawns and crispy fried wonton. Authentically flavoured, well-balanced and served with plenty of prawns for only 100 THB per bowl. How can you say no to that?
What is Tom Yum soup exactly?
Tom Yum (or Tom Yam) is a sweet and sour Thai soup made with lemongrass, galangal, fish sauce, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, chillies and sometimes a dash of (coconut) milk. Extra ingredients that are often used are in quarters sliced mushrooms and Goong (prawns in Thai). Depending on the size of the prawns, a bowl of Tom Yum Goong cost you on average between 50 and 300 THB in restaurants. Tom Yum soup is often served with several bowls, making it an excellent dish to share with others.
What is the difference between Tom Yum Nam Khon and Tom Yum Nam Sai?
The difference between Tom Yum Nam Khon and Tom Yum Nam Sai is that the Tom Yum Nam Khon has a dash of (coconut) milk in it, while the Tom Yum Nam Sai is a clear tom yum soup. Because of the cooling factor, the clear version of tom yum is often spicier. Overall, Tom Yum Nam Khon is more popular.
This is typical Tom Yum Nam Sai, which is often slightly spicier than the creamy Tom Yum Nam Khon.
What is the difference between Tom Yum and Tom Ka soups?
The big differences between the famous soups Tom Yum and Tom Ka are that, firstly, the Tom Ka is a coconut-milk-based soup, while the Tom Yum soup only has a dash of (coconut) milk added, or sometimes not even that. Secondly, Tom Ka soup puts more emphasis on the ingredient galangal. Tom Yum is often served with prawns (Tom Yum Goong), while Tom Ka is often served with chicken (Tom Ka Kai). In this article, we solely focus on tom yum soups in Bangkok.
Overview of the best Tom yum in Bangkok
| Restaurant | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Yum Goong Banglamphu |
150 THB |
Near Khao San Road |
| Pe Aor | 50 THB – 450 THB |
Near Phaya Thai BTS Station |
| Mit Ko Yuan | 90 THB |
Dinso Road, near Democracy Monument |
| Jae Oh Chula | 120 THB – 800 THB |
Pathum Wan, closest station: Siam BTS |
| Tom Yum Kung | 350 THB |
On Khao San Road |
| Aoun & Phom | 150 THB |
Lat Krabang, near Suvarnabhumi Airport |
| Rung Reung Noodle | 50 THB |
Near Phrom Phong BTS Station |
| Zaew Noodle | 55 THB |
Near Thonglor BTS Station |
| Pua-Kee | 100 THB |
Near Phra Sumen Fort, close to Khao San Road |
Relevant articles:
There you have it, the best tom yum in Bangkok. We hope you enjoyed our recommendations and inspired you enough to try at least one of these amazing restaurants.