Ordering street food in Thai without pointing
How a stall works, what to say, how to get the heat right, and the two words that make the cook smile on your way out.
The short answer: name the dish, add หนึ่งจาน nèung jaan (one plate), then ไม่เผ็ด mâi phèt (not spicy) if you need it, and finish with your polite ending. When you've eaten, เช็คบิล chék bin gets you the bill and อร่อยมาก à-ròi mâak tells the cook it was very tasty. Pointing works too, and nobody minds it. But four or five words turn you from a tourist being served into a guest being fed.
How a stall works
Most street stalls do one thing, and do it all day: noodles, grilled chicken, fried rice, a row of curries over rice. A made-to-order stall (อาหารตามสั่ง aa-hǎan dtaam-sàng) cooks a short list of dishes from scratch, usually fried rice and stir-fries. There's often a menu board in Thai, sometimes with pictures, and a couple of metal tables.
| Thai | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| กระดานเมนู | krà-daan mee-nuu | menu board |
| ขอเมนูหน่อยค่ะ | khǒr mee-nuu nòi khâ | can I have the menu, please? (woman speaking) |
| ร้านนี้เป็นร้านตามสั่งครับ | ráan níi bpen ráan dtaam-sàng khráp | this is a made-to-order shop |
| ร้านนี้ขายอะไรครับ | ráan níi khǎai a-rai khráp | what does this shop sell? (man speaking) |
The rhythm is: catch the cook's eye, say hello, order, sit, eat, pay, compliment. You pay at the end at most sit-down stalls and at the start for takeaway from a cart. If you're unsure, watch the person before you.
Ordering: dish, how many, how spicy
Thai orders are built in a fixed order: the dish, then the number of plates, then any changes. Men end the sentence with ครับ khráp, women with ค่ะ khâ; the khráp and khâ guide explains why.
| Thai | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| เอาข้าวผัดไก่หนึ่งจานครับ | ao khâaw phàt kài nèung jaan khráp | one chicken fried rice, please (man speaking) |
| ขอไก่ย่างหนึ่งจานค่ะ | khǒr kài yâang nèung jaan khâ | one plate of grilled chicken, please (woman speaking) |
| ขอบะหมี่เกี๊ยวหนึ่งชามครับ | khǒr bà-mìi kíaw nèung chaam khráp | one bowl of wonton egg noodles, please (man speaking) |
| ผัดกะเพราไก่ไม่เผ็ดค่ะ | phàt kà-phrao kài mâi phèt khâ | holy basil chicken, not spicy (woman speaking) |
| หนึ่งจาน | nèung jaan | one plate |
Two openers are doing the work here. The first line starts with a plain "I'll have"; the next three start with a slightly politer "may I have". Either is fine at a stall. Both are followed by the dish, then the count.
Not spicy, a little spicy
Thai "normal" is hotter than most visitors expect. Ask for not spicy and you'll still get flavour; the chilli is what goes. If you like some heat, ask for a little and you'll usually get a sensible amount.
| Thai | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ไม่เผ็ด | mâi phèt | not spicy |
| เผ็ดน้อยๆนะครับ | phèt nói-nói ná khráp | just a little spicy, please (man speaking) |
| เผ็ดนิดหน่อยก็ได้ค่ะ | phèt nít-nòi kôr-dâai khâ | a little spicy is fine (woman speaking) |
| เผ็ด | phèt | spicy |
Say it when you order, not after the first mouthful. And remember the cook has heard every version of a foreigner saying "not spicy", so even a rough attempt will land.
Rice, noodles and the small requests
Noodle stalls will ask which noodle you want. Thin or wide rice noodles and egg noodles are the usual three. They may also ask soup or dry. Pointing at the noodle basket is completely normal here, but the words are short.
| Thai | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| เส้นเล็ก | sên lék | thin rice noodles |
| เส้นใหญ่ | sên yài | wide rice noodles |
| บะหมี่ | bà-mìi | egg noodles |
| ผมเอาเส้นเล็กน้ำครับ | phǒm ao sên lék nám khráp | I'll have thin noodles with soup (man speaking) |
| ข้าวเปล่า | khâaw-bplào | plain rice |
| ขอข้าวเพิ่มครับ | khǒr khâaw phêrm khráp | more rice, please (man speaking) |
| ใส่ไข่ด้วยครับ | sài khài dûay khráp | with an egg as well, please (man speaking) |
| ใส่ผักเยอะๆได้ไหมครับ | sài phàk yóe-yóe dâai mǎi khráp | could you put in lots of vegetables? (man speaking) |
| ผมไม่กินเนื้อสัตว์ครับ | phǒm mâi kin núea-sàt khráp | I don't eat meat (man speaking) |
The word for rice is a tone trap. Three words that sound the same to an English ear:
khâaw · rice
falling
khàaw · news
low
khǎaw · white
rising
At a food stall, context will save you: nobody thinks you're ordering a plate of news. In other settings it won't. The Thai tones guide explains the five tones and the pronunciation guide covers vowel length, which is the other half of saying rice properly.
Water
Stalls sell bottled water, and many put a jug of iced water on the table for free. Ask for water and you'll get whichever they have.
| Thai | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ขอน้ำ | khǒr nám | water, please |
| น้ำสิบบาทครับ | nám sìp bàat khráp | water is ten baht |
| ขอโอเลี้ยงหน่อยครับ | khǒr oo-líang nòi khráp | iced black coffee, please (man speaking) |
Eat here or take away
You'll be asked, especially at carts with no tables. Takeaway means a bag, a rubber band and a small spoon of chilli on the side.
| Thai | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| กินที่ร้าน | kin thîi ráan | to eat in |
| เอากลับบ้านครับ | ao klàp bâan khráp | to take away, please (man speaking) |
| นั่งที่นี่ได้ไหมคะ | nâng thîi-nîi dâai mǎi khá | may I sit here? (woman speaking) |
The bill
Catch the cook's eye and say the bill. Prices at a stall are fixed, so there's no bargaining, and you'll usually be told the number out loud. If it goes past you, hold out a note and let them take the right one; that's normal too.
| Thai | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| เช็คบิล | chék bin | the bill |
| จ่ายบิลหน่อยครับ | jàai bin nòi khráp | pay the bill, please (man speaking) |
| เท่าไหร่ | thâo-rài | how much |
| ที่นี่รับบัตรไหมครับ | thîi-nîi ráp bàt mǎi khráp | do you take cards here? (man speaking) |
Most stalls are cash or Thai bank QR only, so carry small notes. There's more on asking for the bill and on how to say how much.
Saying it was delicious
This is the part most visitors skip and the part that costs nothing. Say it to the cook as you leave, with a smile.
| Thai | Romanisation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| อร่อยมาก | à-ròi mâak | very tasty |
| อร่อยเลย | à-ròi loey | really tasty |
| ข้าวผัดร้านนี้อร่อยเลยครับ | khâaw phàt ráan níi à-ròi loey khráp | the fried rice here really is tasty (man speaking) |
| อาหารไทยอร่อยมากครับ ผมชอบทุกอย่าง | aa-hǎan thai à-ròi mâak khráp phǒm chôp thúk yàang | Thai food is very tasty, I like everything (man speaking) |
| ขอบคุณค่ะ | khòp-khun khâ | thank you (woman speaking) |
There's a page just on how to say delicious in Thai, with the tones drawn out.
Practise before the stall
- Open the Survival Pack lessons Coffee & ordering food and Ordering food and water. Repeat each line straight after the Thai audio, out loud.
- Put ข้าว khâaw and ไม่เผ็ด mâi phèt through the free Pronunciation Lab, which draws your pitch against a native reference and scores how close it is.
- Say your whole order once at home: hello, the dish, one plate, not spicy, your polite ending.
Questions travellers ask
How do I order one plate of something in Thai?
Say the dish, then หนึ่งจาน nèung jaan (one plate), then your polite ending. For example เอาข้าวผัดไก่หนึ่งจานครับ ao khâaw phàt kài nèung jaan khráp is one chicken fried rice, please, said by a man.
How do I say not spicy in Thai?
ไม่เผ็ด mâi phèt. For a little heat, เผ็ดน้อยๆนะครับ phèt nói-nói ná khráp means just a little spicy, please. Say it when you order, not afterwards.
How do I ask for the bill at a Thai food stall?
เช็คบิล chék bin with your polite ending. Prices are fixed, so there's no bargaining over food, and most stalls take cash or Thai bank QR rather than cards.
How do I say delicious in Thai?
อร่อยมาก à-ròi mâak, very tasty. Say it to the cook as you leave. It's the cheapest way to be remembered kindly.
Is it rude to point at food in Thailand?
No. Pointing at the dish or the noodle basket is normal and nobody minds. A few words on top of it are simply a pleasant surprise for the person cooking.
More for your trip
Learn enough Thai in two weeks · Bargaining at markets · Your first 48 hours in Bangkok · Airport, taxis and Grab · All the essential phrases
Order your first plate in Thai
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