Pad Thai ผัดไทย
Thin rice noodles wok-fried with tamarind, palm sugar, fish sauce, egg, tofu, dried shrimp and peanuts — Thailand’s national noodle.
- Spice:
- 🌶 Mild
- Also spelled:
- phat thai, phad thai
What is Pad Thai?
Pad thai is the dish most visitors eat first and many Thais eat least, but a good plate is a lesson in balance: sour tamarind, sweet palm sugar and salty fish sauce cooked into thin rice noodles (sen lek) over a very hot wok, with egg, firm tofu, dried shrimp, chives and bean sprouts.
It is a 20th-century dish. It was promoted in the 1930s–40s under Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram as a patriotic noodle at a time of rice shortages and nation-building — the name literally means “Thai stir-fry”.
On the table you season it yourself: lime, chilli flakes, sugar and crushed peanuts. Purists like it drier and smokier; tourist versions tend to be sweet and wet.
Regional versions
Bangkok’s old-town shops wrap it in a thin omelette (pad thai hor khai), use fat river prawns (goong mae nam) or add crab. Pad thai woon sen swaps the noodles for glass noodles.
How to order it
“Pad thai goong sod” = with fresh prawns. Ask “mai sai tua” for no peanuts, or “mai wan” for less sweet.
Watch: Pad Thai on YouTube
Embedded from the creators’ own channels (Mark Wiens, Best Ever Food Review Show, Pailin's Kitchen). View counts as of 14 Oct 2026.
Top 4 places not to miss for Pad Thai
Only places backed by the MICHELIN Guide, reputable food press or a creator who filmed there; each one shows its source. We list fewer rather than pad the list.
- Maha Chai Road, Phra Nakhon (old town), Bangkok
The benchmark pad thai shop near the old Ghost Gate, famous for its egg-wrapped pad thai.
- Dinso Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok
Smoky, high-heat pad thai with char-grilled pork or fresh prawns; MICHELIN Bib Gourmand.
- 3. Baan PhadthaiCharoen Krung / Sathorn, Bangkok
A sit-down pad thai house known for its crab pad thai; Bib Gourmand 2018–2023.
- 4. Heng Hoi Tod Chaw LaeThonglor, Sukhumvit, Bangkok
Late-night wok shop for crispy oyster omelette and shrimp pad thai.
More by city: Bangkok food map