Fast Food in Thailand offers a unique window into how global chains adapt to local tastes. In this piece, our regular writer Stephen takes us on a culinary journey through familiar logos and surprising flavors. Drawing from years of living (and eating) in the Land of Smiles, he explores how Western fast food giants have embraced Thai ingredients and cooking styles. Prepare for a mouthwatering ride that goes far beyond the standard burger and fries.
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Fast food is everywhere here in Thailand. You can go into the store, drive-through, or have it delivered by any number of food apps, including the stores’ own. I admit that I eat my share of fast food; it’s perfect when I have a Western food craving.
One thing that I like the most about visiting fast food in another country is that often, there are local menu items that you can only get there.
Anyone who has seen the movie Pulp Fiction will remember the comment about McDonald’s in France having to name its Quarter Pounder a Royale With Cheese due to the metric system. While it’s not the actual name of a burger at any McDonald’s, it did highlight to the world how these chains’ menu items differ from country to country.
In Thailand, fast-food restaurants offer most of the regular menu items available internationally, but there are always a few unique local inclusions. Keep in mind that, like many things in Thailand, nothing remains permanent.
A regular menu item at the time of writing this might disappear overnight, primarily due to stock supplies or it being deemed unpopular. So don’t come at me with a pitchfork if something I’ve mentioned is no longer available ha-ha!
Okay, it’s time for a fast food crawl, Thailand-style. Here they are in order of their presence in the country.
Thai KFC
KFC is immensely popular here in Thailand. Unlike most other countries, it’s more popular than McDonald’s. There are over 800 KFC stores across 77 provinces. I see the red and white sign everywhere. I think it’s because many of the PTT brand petrol stations on the country roads have them.
If you ask a Thai person about their favorite fast food, the first one that comes to mind is fried chicken (gai tod). It’s a Thai dish, and there are street vendors are on almost every corner cooking it up. I remember running in Chatachuk Park every morning, only to pass a vendor on the way home. The smell would hook me, and then I would completely undo the good of the run.
I think the other reason KFC is number one in Thailand is because pretty much every menu item is geared to the local market. The most significant example is that the standard offering is ‘hot and spicy’ chicken. I’ve often been told that the original recipe is Mot Lau (finished for today), which most often means it’s unavailable at the store, ever.
For a quick snack, grab a shrimp donut. It looks like a giant calamari ring but is actually deep fried crumbed prawn meat shaped in a ring. Another seafood item at KFC Thailand is their tuna corn salad, which I eat every time, I feel like I’m balancing the salad with the fried chicken.
One of the other permanent menu items at KFC in Thailand is the rice bowls. I’ve never seen these as a promotion in Australian stores.
There are two on the permanent menu.
- KFC Green Curry Crispy Chicken
- KFC Spicy Chicken
You can also just order a bowl of rice to go with your regular menu items. Promotional flavors appear from time to time. The dessert offering here is a Portuguese egg tart, not particularly Thai but very popular in Thailand.
McDonald’s in Thailand
McDonald’s isn’t as well represented here as KFC is, or as it is in many other countries. There are currently 230 stores, which is 1/4 of the number of KFCs. I think its limited popularity is the opposite reason why KFC is number one. McDonald’s in Thailand is too similar to every other branch in the world.
The Samurai Burger is the only core menu burger that’s exclusively Thai. It’s a pork burger with a mildly spicy barbecue sauce. I’ve had it many times and really like it.
There’s also a permanent rice dish on the menu, ka prao with crispy chicken.
If you arrive early enough, you can try the McD Porridge, a rice congee base with fried chicken tenders and coriander. You can even order a side of Patongko, the traditional fried dough sticks to go with it!
The dessert menu expands on the standard. There are no apple pies here, but don’t worry. Pineapple pies and corn pies are permanent menu items, and there’s even been a ham and cheese pie (okay, so it’s not technically a dessert, but the pie casing was still sweet), and it worked. At the time of writing this there was a banoffee Pie on promotion and it’s delicious!
Burger King
Burger King has just under 100 stores, and that’s a shame, as I think they’d do better. Why? In Thailand, Burger King does something I haven’t seen in other countries, but I’d love to know if it happens elsewhere.
Because many Thai people don’t eat beef, the core menu items are available in both beef and pork, with pork being slightly cheaper. It’s a very savvy way of catering to a broader audience. My husband appreciates this as he doesn’t eat beef. He can get the pork one and I can get beef and we’re both happy. Very clever Burger King, you know how to cater to the local market.
Now to the local menu. There is a range of Tom Yum flavoured items on offer including Tom Yum fries, chicken bites and chicken pieces.
Like the other fast food chains in Thailand, there are permanent rice dishes on the menu.Don’t be fooled by some promotional Thai menu items with Japanese names—it’s just clever Thai marketing.
These are Burger King’s Thai-only menu items:
- Spicy Chicken with Jaew Sauce and Jasmine Rice
- Spicy Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce and Jasmine Rice
- Gai Klua Kruea (savoury salt) with sticky rice.
Every year, Burger King runs a black and pink promotion. In this promotion, a specially prepared meat burger has a black bun, and the fish burger has a pink bun. A permanent menu item in the burger range that’s exclusively Thai is the Whopper Jr. with Black Pepper Sauce.
Throughout the year, promotional items are usually burgers and sauces based on the flavours of one of Thailand’s 77 provinces.
Dessert offerings for those with a sweet tooth include Taro with Corn Pie or Thai Tea Custard pie.
Pizza Hut Thai Style
Pizza is a popular fast food in Thailand. Almost every supermarket has frozen pizzas available, and even 7/11 stores sell them freshly heated. At Pizza Hut, the granddaddy of Pizza shops, there are a few exclusively Thai products on the menu.
For starters, there are Thai-flavoured Pizzas that often appear on the promotional menu, Green Curry, tom yum, and Sriracha are two that I remember.
Pizza Hut loves to come up with unique bases for its pizzas. In Thailand, we have the Crazy Shrimp Crust, which is shrimp wrapped in cheese that surrounds the entire pizza. If you are lucky enough to see it, order the Shrimp Lovers Pizza with the Crazy Shrimp Crust for an overdose of seafood goodness.
Chicken wings are another popular standard menu item at Pizza Hut. In Thailand, we have spicy New Orleans Wings—once again, don’t be fooled by the name. They’re exclusive to Thailand, yet another clever marketing name.
They also sell a full range of Italian pastas. The local addition to this is the Spaghetti Khee Mao Seafood, a spicy seafood mix that is decidedly Thai.
Even the dessert menu has an exclusive Thai offering. Street-food favourite Mango with Sticky Rice is a permanent menu item.
Subway
Subway is my go-to place whenever I have a salad craving. They almost always have a buy-one-get-one-free promotion, which means we both get to eat for a reasonable price. Subway has a pretty fixed menu worldwide, but in Thailand, they offer promotions featuring an exclusive Thai flavour.
In the past, I’ve enjoyed a Green Curry Chicken sandwich and a Spicy Chicken Teriyaki.
Currently (in 2024), a Tom Yum Seafood sandwich, wrap, or salad is on offer, and it’s delicious!
Taco Bell
When I lived in Australia, Taco Bell was my #1 favourite fast-food joint. I was there a lot, a lot. Hehe. When I first moved to Thailand in 2016, I was devastated to find that Taco Bell wasn’t present here.
That all changed in January 2019, when the first store opened. Yes, I was finally in line that first day to fulfill my Taco Bell craving. There are now 29 stores, and the company has a goal of opening at least one branch in every one of the 77 provinces in the next 10 years.
Thai people like their food spicy. Taco Bell gives customers in Thailand the option to ‘up’ the spice level of its menu items.
Some exclusively Thai menu items include the Kicken Chicken Taco and the Mango Madness Freeze icy drink.
Dairy Queen
I go to Dairy Queen for its hot dogs; the chilli cheese one is one of the best I’ve ever had. But yes, Dairy Queen is more known for its ice-cream-style desserts and runs promotions all year. April to August is the durian season in Thailand.
Now, durian gets a bad wrap, and the ‘tastes like heaven, but smells like hell’ tag is mostly accurate. The smell can be overwhelming, but I love the creamy texture and the taste. During the season, many stores offer durian-flavoured items like blizzards and sundaes. Don’t worry—the tell-tale smell has been cooked out of the durian as it’s turned into syrup (thank you, sugar!).
Trying it with ice cream like this is a very easy way to sample durian without the icky bit.
Starbucks
I’ve lumped Starbucks in here as well, as it serves food and drink fast. The regular coffee items are what you’d expect from Starbucks worldwide, but there are some other menu items that are exclusively Thai.
Starbucks is forever having promotional drinks based on Thai flavours, but here, there are three permanent menu items that are only available.
- The Yuzu Cold Brew is an interesting coffee option. It’s a little too strong for me, but I can see why it appeals to locals.
- On the tea menu is a Lychee Earl Grey Tea. The fruit flavour complements the subtle Earl Grey extremely well.
- The Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade is perfect for these super hot summers we’ve been experiencing.
I’ve often seen cakes on the food menu that have Thai flavours, such as coconut and mango.
Go Thai at Your Favourite Fast Food Joint
Feeling hungry yet? While you’re feeding that craving for Western fast food, why not try one of the local menu items? It’s unlikely you’ll ever get it back home, so give it a try; you may end up finding your new favourite.
I need to go on a massive diet now and stop eating fast food. My next article may be all about how to find salad in Thailand.
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