Places to Eat in Phrae

Food scene in Phrae is all about local food. There are not so many Western and international options, but Thai food – especially its northern variation – is exceptional.

Markets and Street Food

A small night market on Charoen Mueang, close to the police station and the old city moat, opens every day at around 5.00pm. A bit disappointing compared to what you can usually expect from a food market in Thailand, it is still a good choice for a quick and cheap dinner. Though it does not offer a big variety, all the street food favourites are there, and you’ll have no problem to find grilled chicken, meat skewers, noodles and a selection of rice dishes. A few tables are available to enjoy your dinner on site.

Local Food

A popular spot among locals, Pan Jai (Wira Road, open every day from 8.00am till 5.00pm) is located in the old town close to the city hall and it’s a great spot to have a break for lunch during your visit. It’s a food court kind of a restaurant, but in a more traditional setting than your usual shopping mall food court. They offer a large variety of dishes, with the majority of them being specialties of the Northern Thai cuisine.

Khao soi is a rice noodle dish, coming from the Burmese culinary tradition, and extremely popular in the Northern provinces. A bowl will come for just THB30. Khanom chin nam ngiao is a variation on the classic thin rice noodles coming with pork blood in the soup. There is a salad bar where you can order different kind of papaya salad (som tam), a famous dish coming from the Isaan provinces; keep in mind that it comes extra spicy, even if they usually prepare it in a softer version when they see a westerner. None of the counters have an English menu but many of them have a dashboard with pictures of the plates (and some of them have an approximate English translation). Or you can simply look at the pots and the trays and choose what you feel more attracted to. Everything is extra cheap, with the majority of dishes coming for less than THB50. If you want to avoid the peak hours, go there before 11.30am or after 2.00pm.

Few hundred meters away from Pan Jai, Khao Soi Che Lek (35 Nam Kue Road) is, as you can guess from the name, the place to go to try one of the best khao soi in town, in the province, and according to some locals and Thai visitors – in the whole country. Unfortunately there’s no English sign, but if you can’t find it ask anybody in the old town and they’ll be able to direct you. There is not a lot of choice apart from their main dish, but pork or chicken satey and a good selection of desserts will complete a great meal. Again you don’t have to worry about the bill; you’ll never spend more than THB50 for a single dish.

Dining in style

For a fine dining experience in a wonderful setting you’ll need to move a bit out of the city centre and head close to the Bic C Superstore. Rom Mai Yai Restaurant (234 Phaya Pon road) will impress you from the very first moment you sit at your table on a wooden platform on the pool/pond with plenty of fishes keeping you company while you’ll be having your dinner. The menu is quite extensive with lots of choices of Thai food, all delicious and well presented. We tried the lab plaa (minced fish salad) and it was really worth it. On a nice open terrace overlooking the dining area, a band performs soft music every night, and, if you feel like it, there’s room for a slow dance. All this will come for a price, but considering the setting and everything else we wouldn’t say it’s excessive.