After visiting countless restaurants, from trying 200 baht ramen to 30 baht 7-Eleven sandwiches, we finally put together the three must-try restaurants near school that you should visit if you haven’t already.
- **Torimaru Karake (โทริมารุ คาราอาเกะ) ** If you need a quick and cheap lunch, this restaurant is your go-to. It is located in the alleyway before Siam Square One, after Siam Center Point, where many stalls are located as well. The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was the mouth-watering aroma of freshly fried chicken, which was what drew me in. Honestly, I can say that what I got for 50 baht was definitely worth it - you get served a generous amount of soft white rice along with crispy, fried chicken drizzled sweet and flavorful teriyaki sauce on top. Moreover, there’s also other menus such as Fried Chicken Larb with rice, or you can even order the fried chicken separately!
What I really like about this restaurant is that the waiting time for food is only 5-6 minutes, and the way they pack the food is very convenient - in paper bowls and with plastic utensils so you can take it back to school to enjoy!
**2. Gold Curry **
Located on the fourth floor of Siam Square One is this delicious curry restaurant that I’m sure most students know and love. This restaurant is on the smaller side; there are only a few tables and chairs, so I suggest going there early, before the restaurant starts to fill in.
The waiting time is about 10-15 minutes, however, once your food is served, all you can think about is how good it looks and how amazing it smells. I ordered one of their signature dishes - the Chicken Katsu - and visually, it exceeded my expectations. The taste? The fried chicken was crispy and topped off with a deep brown sauce I really liked. However the chicken meat itself was a bit bland, with little to no flavor. The curry and rice made up for it though; the curry was flavorful and tasted like homemade food. The rice was high quality and soft; I could tell it was well-made. Alternatively, if you're not a big fan of curry, I would recommend the Miso Katsudon, which is basically deep fried pork flavored with sweet-savory sauce and rice. I really liked this dish, especially when I ate it with their miso soup.
Chicken Katsu
-150 baht
Miso Katsudon
150 baht
**3. Pranakorn Noodle Restaurant ( ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือพระนคร) **
Last but not least, a classic noodle restaurant for spice lovers : ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือพระนคร. However, people who can’t really tolerate spice can still visit this restaurant, but I would recommend you to order food with “no spice”. Me being a person who can’t really tolerate spice myself ordered “low spice” but three bites in, was gulping down water with teary eyes like a person parched in a desert. Many may be surprised to hear this, but their size S noodles are only 18 baht! I ordered the Tom Yum noodles, size L for 79 baht and in my opinion their price was passable. The noodles were soft and chewy, and the broth flavorful, but a little too spicy. Topped off with some cut vegetables, crispy dumplings, roasted red pork and other delicious things that you could find in a noodle bowl, it made sense as to why the noodles were more than 60 baht. Another option could be to order the “boat noodles”, based on the name of the restaurant. According to my friends, it was pretty good and had the perfect amount of spice for people who could tolerate it, and the broth was rich and well-seasoned. This restaurant can get pretty crowded, so as usual, I recommend going there right after classes end to enjoy this delicious goodness in a bowl. The restaurant is located in MBK, on the 5th floor, near Santa Fe.
Tom Yam Noodles 79 baht
Boat Noodle (Pork) 79 baht
Boat Noodle (Pork) 18 baht
Boat Noodle (Beef) 79 baht
After reading this, I hope I was able to give you some more restaurant ideas, or introduce you to more of their dishes. There are many more restaurants near our school, and some may even be more suited to your taste. You can also ask your friends who I’m sure are experts around this area. That’s all for today, happy eating!