Phitsanulok Thailand – Best Places to Eat

With at least three sizable night markets to get a grab of the cheap local food and plenty street stalls in the very centre of the city Phitsanulok is a good place to indulge into any culinary journey. As for us, we cannot leave this city without incredibly fresh and creamy yogurt from Fa Krao.

Street food and markets

Street food is literally everywhere and for a few nights in town this is your best bet to try authentic and cheap Thai food. At least three night markets are set up every day making it a short walk to get there from wherever your hotel is.

The main and probably best one is on Phra Ong Dam Road, south of the historic attractions. Food stalls with plastic chairs and tables can be found all along the entire street, but in the eastern part, moving away from the river, a proper market opens every night. Delicious grilled chicken, meat skewers, papaya salad, curries, noodles soup, northern sausages and some grilled freshwater fish are all ready to be eaten on the spot or to be taken away. Tables are available, and shops selling sodas or beers at the cheapest prices will sort out your drinking need. Expect to pay THB30/THB50 for the majority of the dishes.

South of the train station a smaller and more local night market opens every night as well. Expect similar choice and prices, but it’s a bit more complicated to eat there since none of the stalls offers tables.

If you move west from the station until you reach the river you will find the night bazaar, a more tourist oriented affair. Food, though not being the main attraction, is plentiful, so opportunities to fill your stomach while wandering around clothes and souvenirs sections abound.

The best time to come to any of the three markets is around 6pm as the majority of the stalls would shut down well before 9.00pm.

Local restaurants

Our personal fave for breakfast is Fa Krao, a Muslim operated joint where they serve simply divine yogurt. Roti with lamb or beef curry are also outstanding accompanied by a tiny glass of hot tea. No English sing, but the place is quite easy to find just east of the Mosque on Phra Ong Dam Road.

For a quick lunch while visiting around, you will find plenty of simple eateries with neither English signs nor menus serving the cheapest and most genuine Thai food. Ask for fried rice with chicken or shrimps if you want something not spicy, or pad kaprao moo (stir-fried pork with basil leaf) if you want to try the most popular lunch dish all over Thailand. Chinese, Muslim and Vietnamese restaurants are also widely available.

A number of restaurants along the river are a great spot to dine in a beautiful and comfortable setting on a traditional raft house. Pae Fa Thai is the most popular place in this category, and even if it’s definitely getting a bit too touristy, we still feel like recommending it due to the great location and delicious (but quite expensive) food that they keep serving. Located on the eastern bank of the Nan river close to Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat (ask anyone if you can’t find it), they have a fantastic menu with freshwater fish and seafood. Start with crabmeat roll as an appetizer and try one of their whole fried fish as a main course. If that is not enough, share a bowl of tom yum gung, a traditional Thai soup, with your friends. Any fish costs around THB250/THB300, while the other entries of the menu are sensibly cheaper. Every night a live band plays on stage and you can even join them for a karaoke session.

Western and International food

Veggie Café (Paya LiThai, two blocks south of the train station) is the best place to have a burger and some other western food. The menu has a lot of vegetarian options along with meat and seafood dishes. If you’re craving for junk food, Topland Plaza (Aka Tossaroth Rd, open from 10.00am to 8.00pm) has some of the major international chains such as McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut.