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All Thailand Bangkok

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Bangkok

43 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Bangkok, Thailand

Updated May 20, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

Half-Century-Old Soup

At a Bangkok bistro, one pot of beef stew has been cooking non-stop for more than 45 years.
Sifting for the perfect protection at the market

Bangkok, Thailand

Amulet Market

Bangkok's men with dangerous jobs come here in search of protective talismans.
The massive warehouse is home to everything quirky.

Bangkok, Thailand

Papaya Studio

Vintage furniture and art share space with all manner of collectibles at this quirky shop in Bangkok.

Bangkok, Thailand

Siriraj Medical Museum

A treasure trove of pathological, forensic, parasitological, and anatomical specimens.
The temple.

Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Mahathat (Temple of the Great Relic)

The headquarters of the Mahanikai school of Buddhism, Thailand's largest monastic order.

Bangkok, Thailand

Haoma

An on-site urban farm and fish pond supply some of the produce for this upscale restaurant.
Superheroes made of condoms.

Bangkok, Thailand

Cabbages & Condoms

A condom-covered Thai restaurant that is more concerned with birth control than food.
Wat Arun.

Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Arun

This dazzling Buddhist temple was constructed from over one million ceramic tiles salvaged from a British shipwreck.
See All 43 Things To Do in Bangkok

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

Half-Century-Old Soup

At a Bangkok bistro, one pot of beef stew has been cooking non-stop for more than 45 years.

Bangkok, Thailand

Haoma

An on-site urban farm and fish pond supply some of the produce for this upscale restaurant.
Superheroes made of condoms.

Bangkok, Thailand

Cabbages & Condoms

A condom-covered Thai restaurant that is more concerned with birth control than food.

Bangkok, Thailand

Jok's Kitchen

A three-table eatery sits inside the home-kitchen of a seafood virtuoso in Bangkok's Chinatown.
See all 16 Places to Eat in Bangkok
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Gastro Obscura’s 11 Essential Places to Eat and Drink in Bangkok

Sure, Bangkok’s gilded temples will leave a lasting impression, but the best way to get to know the Thai capital is through your stomach. In this high-octane city, eating is a national sport, a dawn-to-way-after-dusk pastime that has shaped its infrastructure throughout the centuries. Major roads and neighborhoods have evolved around wet markets and street food hubs; modern food courts and fine-dining restaurants now take over prime real estate. Poke your head down any random soi (alleyway), and you’re almost guaranteed to find a sidewalk vendor slinging skewers of grilled meat, noodle soup, or fiery som tum (papaya salad). Bangkok’s most emblematic eats offer more than a tasty lunch—they tell stories of royal heritage; economic boom times; and centuries of migration from China, India, and beyond. Timeworn mom-and-pop restaurants still cook up recipes that have remained virtually unchanged for generations, while a new crop of young Thai chefs has started remixing these traditions with bold, innovative swagger. Below, we’ve picked 11 restaurants, food stalls, and drinking dens that capture the city’s multi-layered culinary identity, from decades-old Chinatown stalwarts to achingly hip small-plate diners. Think of this collection as a starting point for your food crawl, not a definitive list of Bangkok’s best. Because in a city where even a humble street cart can serve up an unforgettable meal, the best bowl of noodles is almost always the one right in front of you.

View Itinerary
At Charmgang, the house-made curry pastes add remarkable depth and complexity to the dishes.

Explore Bangkok, Thailand

Restaurants 9
Architecture 7
Street Food 6
Architectural Oddities 6
Shrines 5
Temples 5
Collections 5
Food 5
Buddhism 5
Shops 4

Bangkok Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. chrsschlkx
    8
  2. Fred Cherrygarden
    3
  3. katielou106
    2
  4. nbj914
    2
  5. barnumbrownie
    2
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Bangkok.

Places Edited

  1. linkogecko
    8
  2. Fred Cherrygarden
    7
  3. Lee Scott
    6
  4. Rachel
    5
  5. poppyoana
    3

Places Visited

  1. rickyjamer
    20
  2. tntula
    19
  3. MidlifeAdventuring
    19
  4. RichardATravels
    19
  5. katielou106
    18
Join the Ranks!
Visit a place in Bangkok.

Recent Bangkok Activity

  • remcrae

    wants to go to ChaTraMue

  • remcrae

    wants to go to Tep Bar

  • isabellachupp12

    wants to go to Charmgang

  • isabellachupp12

    wants to go to Aksorn

  • Sean Em

    has been to ChaTraMue

Stories About Bangkok

A baker at Kanoom Farung Lan Mea Pao picks freshly baked cakes out of the charcoal brazier and moves them to a metal box to cool.

The Bangkok Bakeries Preserving a 250-Year-Old Cupcake Recipe

The treat represents the diverse history of the Kudeejeen neighborhood.
by Nam Cheah
June 6, 2025
The monks collect alms in Nakhon Pathom province.

Thailand's Bhikkhunis Want Recognition and Respect

In a country with only a few hundred female monks in the Theravada branch of Buddhism, the lifestyle is quietly radical.
by Isobel van Hagen
December 17, 2020
Cars at a standstill in rush hour in Bangkok on May 25, 2020, following the lifting of the city’s pandemic restrictions.

Motorcycle Midwives Brave Bangkok's Traffic to Help Expecting Mothers Deliver

The first episode of TED's Far Flung podcast looks at the city's unique challenges.
by Anna Phelan
June 3, 2020

Lists Featuring Bangkok

Bolivia’s Witch Market
Dubrovnik Maskeron
The Statue of St. Anthony’s Pig
The Guardhouse Monkey

15 Unlikely Places to Re-Up Your Luck

Luck be a... llama fetus?

15

Including Bolivia's Witch Market, Dubrovnik Maskeron, and Statue of St. Anthony's Pig

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