Places to Eat in Khon Kaen
Choosing where to eat in Khon Kaen can be quite challenging because you’ll have so many choices that if you just stay in the city a couple of nights unfortunately you will have to give up on something; but don’t worry, wherever you decide to go it will be delicious! The only downside is that as Khon Kaen us quite a big city, you will need transportation to get to the best restaurants, but with a little bit of planning you’ll be rewarded with a fantastic dinner.
Street Food and Markets
For street food the best night market in town is located on Ruen Rom Road, 800 m east of the train station. It is also known as Fairly Plaza Night Market because it’s close to the namesake shopping centre. Every day after 4.00pm a section of Ruen Rom Road closes for traffic and vendors set up their stalls to sell a huge variety of cheap and tasty street food.
Classic Thai dishes and Isaan specialties take the lion share, but delicious Vietnamese sausages shouldn’t be missed either. Everything comes at very affordable prices (THB30/THB50 for the majority of the dishes) and there are several tables set up for you to enjoy your meal without any hustle. The market is also a good destination for shopping, since a large section is dedicated to clothes.
Local Food
For an unforgettable Isaan experience head to Gai Yang Rabeab Khao Suan Kwang (253 Theparak Road, open daily 9.00am–3.00pm). Unfortunately it’s open only for lunch, but if you want to understand why the Isaan grilled chicken is so famous all over Thailand there is no a better place than this one.
The restaurant got its name from Khao Suan Kwang, a district in Khon Kaen province where people is particularly skilled in grilling chicken. At Gai Yang Rabeab all the grill stations stand visible to the visitors so you can watch the whole process. Gai yang is basically marinated chicken slowly cooked to perfection – and indeed it does taste like nothing else we have ever tried before.
A full chicken comes for THB160 and it can be shared between two people. As a side course try the famous papaya salad in its Laos version (_som tam lao) which is similar to the classic one with the addition of a fermented crab (THB40). Gai Yang Rabeab is within walking distance (500m) from the old bus station to the west.
Vietnamese Food
If you feel like trying Vietnamese cuisine head to Nam Nuong Lablae (61-67 Klang Mueang Road, open every day from 10.00am to 9.30pm). It is well known among locals for serving some of the best Vietnamese food in town and it can be pretty busy on weekends in the evening. The setting is really nice, with a beautiful garden and a lot of trees with a large dining area plus some more private tables (try to get one of these).
If you have never tried Vietnamese food before, then nam nuong is a must-order dish: combined in a single plate you will find traditional grilled sausages, cucumber or other veggies, garlic, chili and rice paper wraps; to make it simple, it is just the Vietnamese version of the Mexican tortilla. Take one rice paper sheet, fill it with sausages and whatever else you like, wrap everything up, dip it in the peanut sauce and ….well, you’ll find out how good it is.
The price for the full set is THB130. Many other options on the menu are available if you want to keep experimenting with the Vietnamese food. Nam Nuong Lablae is located in Klang Mueang road, close to the Bueng Kaen Nakhon Lake.
Western Food
For western food there are several decent options in and around Soi Kosa, few minutes walk east from the train station. This is a quite small area with a lot of bars, restaurants and nightclubs aiming at the expats living in town and the western travellers. Pizza, pasta, burgers and steaks are just some of the choices that you’ll find walking around here. For Italian food head to Pomodoro (Prachasamran Rd, open daily 5.00pm – 11.00pm), for the best burgers in town don’t miss Yokothai (Soi Kosa, open daily 5.00pm – 10.00pm).
