A Taste of Home: Where to Find Western Food in Thailand

No matter how much you love Thai food, there are times you want to eat western food in Thailand. Today Stephen shares how he satisfies his cravings for food from home when they hit.

So you’ve eaten nothing but rice and noodles for the past three days, and suddenly, you desperately need a burger and fries or at least a Western-style salad. You’re in luck! The multicultural food choices in Thailand are plentiful. Here’s my complete guide on where to get Western food, no matter what you’re craving.

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Before diving in, I need to make one thing clear. Sure, it’s available all over Thailand, but Western food is considerably more expensive than local food. Keep that in mind if you’re travelling on a strict budget but still crave your food from home. You may want to limit the times you indulge.

Let’s get started. First, Western food is easy to find here—just head to the nearest shopping mall. The Central group is by far the most prominent.

Central Shopping Malls

If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to read the rest of my article, this section may be all you need. Central is the largest shopping mall chain here in Thailand. As you’d expect, they have a supermarket, department store and, of course, stacks of restaurants, fast food, local chains and highbrow options.

Western food is plentiful in these malls. As of 31 December 2023, Central Retail operates 1,755 stores across 60 provinces in Thailand. That means they’re not confined to major cities or tourist spots. From as far north as Ubon Ratchatani to as south as Hat Yai, there’s a mall serving up Western food.

Western Style Breakfast and Brunch Options

It is easy to come by a Western-style breakfast. Just about every cafe has a mixed menu, both Thai and Western. The standards are eggs done many ways, sausages, ham, and toast. Extras like mushrooms, hash browns, and baked beans can also be found in many places.

The quality of these can range from blah to really delicious. I’ve even made it a mission to try out as many places as possible to see if I can find the best.

Many hotels offer buffet breakfasts, and you don’t need to be a guest to enjoy them. You can walk in off the street and pay before being seated. The 5-star hotels, hands down, have the best breakfast buffets. Go on the weekend and get the free-flowing mimosa package. It’ll set you back, but it’s oh-so worth it.

Fast-Food Favourites: Where to Grab a Quick Bite

I recently wrote an entire article on the many fast-food restaurants in Thailand and the local options available there.

All your favourites are here: McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, and even Krispy Kreme. Canadians may be surprised to find Tim Horton’s too!

KFC is the granddaddy of all fast food here, with over 800 stores. This is most likely because fried chicken (Gai Tod) is a staple in Thailand and available on many street corners. I’m a big fan of KFC’s Tuna and Corn salad. I order it almost every time.

Surprisingly, McDonalds isn’t that widely represented here, with just over 200 stores. You’ll find these two in malls, street fronts and many PTT and Banchak gas/petrol stations across the country. The other fast-food chains are more often only found in shopping malls.

We eat fast food often, maybe a little more than we should. Now and again, I have a craving for beef. My husband doesn’t eat it, and it’s very expensive here (most of it comes from Australia), so I head to my nearest McDonald’s to fulfil that need—problem, solution, hehe.

Supermarkets and specialty stores: cooking western food at home

If you’re here for an extended day or even staying in a hotel or a serviced apartment with a kitchen, you may want to cook. You should have these three supermarket chains on your radar.

• You’ll find a Tops Supermarket in most of the tourist cities, including Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, and Phuket. They have an extensive foreign section where you’ll find plenty of goodies from back home. Aussies will find they even stock a line of Coles supermarket brands!
  
• Villa Market is another expat hot spot with a good range of your favourites from home. It has stores in places expats settle, with over a dozen in Bangkok, four in Phuket, and others in Pattaya and Hua Hin. This is my favourite. They seem to have more interesting options than the others, and you can buy alcohol there, even during the 2 pm to 5 pm blackout period (well, at least at the Hua Hin one, you can).
  
• Gourmet Market is the final option for expat friendly supermarkets, and it is Paula’s favourite as it has an excellent salad bar that always includes special treats like olives and cranberries. You will find Gourmet Market in Bangkok, at Siam Paragon and EmQuartier, and in Hua Hin

Yes, my fellow Aussies, you can find Vegemite in most of these stores. However, with the import charges added on top, most expat food is very expensive at the supermarket. That small jar of Vegemite is A$8!

Night Markets: Probably Not Your First Thought

Surprisingly, I’ve been able to get great Western food at many different night markets all across Thailand.

It’s pretty standard to find a burger, hot dog or kebab shop nestled in between the pad Thai and local dessert stores, so be sure to take a close look whenever you visit one. You will also notice that they are a lot cheaper than those in the mall.

I love the hot dogs at the night markets. I’ve never seen such a range of sausages before; they seem to come from all over the world. It’s hard for me to go past a chorizo though.

Fine Dining Experiences in Bangkok

Thailand has fantastic restaurants from all over the world. Japanese and Korean food is found everywhere. Once again, the major tourist destinations have French, German, Italian, Scandinavian, Indian, African and South American options.

Many 5-star hotels, especially those in Bangkok, have one or more Western or fusion restaurants. Ones located along the river are great places to celebrate a special occasion.

Check out our guide to the various neighbourhoods in Bangkok for some more tips on where to find the best international eats.

I generally don’t go to these too often because my budget doesn’t allow it. When I lived in Pattaya, I enjoyed Nordic restaurants; these guys know how to cook and serve fresh fish!

Breakdown By Food Types

Ok, so you have a specific craving for something from back home. I’m confident I’m about to cover all the primary ones. At least these are the ones my friends ask me about when they’re here. Let’s start off with salad, as that’s a biggie for many Westerners.

Salad Spots: Fresh and Healthy Options

One of the foods that many Westerners ask me about is where to get a good salad or at least their own ingredients. Thailand’s version, Papaya Salad (SomTum), isn’t quite what tourists have in mind. Don’t worry, your standard lettuce, tomato, carrots, style salad can be found at supermarkets in tourist centres.

Tops Supermarket and Gourmet Market have a gourmet salad bar with an awesome range of ingredients. Heap up your plate or takeaway container with whatever salad ingredients you like, and it gets charged by weight. I love the little premixed salads containing tuna or salmon.

Sizzler is another international chain that you will find throughout Thailand. They offer a decent salad bar that is a mix of western and local items.

Mini-marts like 7/11 and Family Mart often have pre-packaged salads. I recommend you try to find them in the morning, as they’re almost always sold out by dinner time.

Ok, you’ve had your fill of healthy food; let’s move on to the not-so-healthy but craving fillers.

Burger Joints: Not Just the Global Names

Yes, you’ve got McDonald’s, Burger King, and even Shake Shack. I love a good burger, and while McDonald’s is nice and convenient, there are so many choices. In fact, Thailand has its own burger joints.

Some of them are tiny hole-in-the-wall vendors, and their burgers are really fresh, made-to-order and well-priced at around 75 baht each.

My favourite burger chain is Jim’s Burgers. They’re big burgers packed with all your favourites but expensive. You’re looking at around 300 baht just for one, and that’s without the French fries and drink.

Keeping to the high-carbs category, who doesn’t love pizza?

Pub Grub: Where to Find Western Comfort Food

Being Australian, I love pub food. Now and again, I get a craving for bangers and mash, which I introduced to my Thai husband, who is now addicted to it, too. When that happens, I have to go to a local pub to get it.

Once again, you’ll find these pubs in every major tourist area, and you’ll also find trivia, bingo, and karaoke events held there.

I love pub food, and surprisingly it’s done really well here. I’ve never had a bad dining experience at any of the pubs, no matter what province I’ve been in. Hemingway’s in Jomtien, Pattaya, is one of my favourites. They have nightly specials, too.

Dessert Destinations: Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Thai desserts are very different from Western ones. While I’ve become a fan of the local ones, now and again, I miss a banana split or an ice cream sundae. My favourite place to go is Swensens, an ice cream chain from the US, found in most central shopping malls. Shopping malls have takeaway booths like Wendy’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Dairy Queen.

If local Thai restaurants offer dessert, it’s usually ice cream. Once again, if you’re looking for dessert at the end of a meal, the fine-dining restaurants I mentioned earlier are the easiest place to ensure it’s on the menu.

Get Your Western food Fix

As you can see, Western food is really easy to find in Thailand, especially in tourist areas or in a Central shopping mall. Even after eight years of being here, I still crave food that isn’t rice or noodle-based. These days, I usually keep pizza, fried chicken, and french fries in the freezer so I can immediately fill that need. If I crave beef, the local McDonalds is my first port of call.

If you’ve got the extra cash, fine dining restaurants, be it street front, rooftop, or riverside, can offer some of the best Western food you’ll find outside your home country.