buranond in Food Guides On December 22, 2022, 9:21 am

7 Thai-Style Char Siu With Rice Hawkers Who’ve Fed Hungry Bangkokians For At Least 50 Years

Thai-Style char siu hawkers in Bangkok

Thai-style char siu is a little bit different than char siu in most countries. The dish is served with not only char siu but also crispy pork belly, Chinese sausages, and boiled eggs. This beloved dish can usually be found in every urban neighbourhood, so Bangkokians won’t have to go far to get a taste.

But some Thai-style char siu hawkers have a well-established reputation of taste that Bangkokians are making the long trek to not only try the dish, but also to become regulars.

Here is a list of 7 Thai-style char siu hawkers that have served Bangkokians for at least 50 years.

Table of Contents

Thai-Style char siu hawkers in Bangkok

1. Si Morakot – Over 70 years of charcoal-roasted char siu

Image credit: hunnyischubby

Si Morakot (สีมรกต), meaning emerald colour in Thai, is a char siu hawker that has gone from being a simple food cart, to starting a stall in a market. Now they have their own property next to the street.

Image credit: japan_market2022

Over the course of serving char siu for 70 years, they have developed a well-earned reputation of being one of the char siu hawkers that Thais must make the pilgrimage to eat at least once in their lives.

The quality of their food makes it easy to see why.

Image credit: Wan Ubumrung

First, their char siu pieces are bigger than most hawkers in Bangkok since it comes from pork tenderloin. After being marinated, the pork is roasted over charcoal in the shop’s signature method, which gives it a unique fragrance and tenderness.

The crispy pork belly isn’t to scoff at either. It is triple-cooked to perfection to ensure both a crispy crust as well as a melt-in-your-mouth eating experience.

Image credit: Srimorakot

Their boiled eggs are also extremely inviting. While many Bangkok hawkers will have hard-boiled chicken eggs, Si Morakot soft-boils their duck eggs in the char siu marinade to give their eggs an orange tinge with a creamy texture and a rich taste.

All of this is topped by their brown, thick gravy that coats each piece of pork with fragrant spices.

The dish costs ฿55 (US$1.58) and with an additional ฿10 (US$0.29) to add an egg. You can choose to have only char siu, only pork belly, or a bit of both. But if you’re making a longer journey, we recommend their larger serving, costing ฿140 (US$4.03), to get the full eating experience.

Si Morakot
Address: 80-82 Sukon 1 Alley, Talat Noi, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
Opening hours: 9:30am-4pm, Daily
Contact: +66 81 567 9006 | Si Morakot’s Facebook | Google Maps

2. Tanee Khao Moo Daeng – Top-tier overnight-cooked crispy pork belly

Image credit: Wongnai 05

When it comes to Thai-style char siu, barbequed pork is usually just a member of the cast. For Thais, the crispy pork belly is just as important, if not the star of the dish itself.

Tanee Khao Moo Daeng takes this to heart and it is their crispy pork belly that keeps bringing eaters back.

Image credit: supertanee

The hawker cooks their pork belly overnight to ensure that it comes out nice and crunchy on the outside, with the fat rendered out. This makes for a smooth eating experience when paired with their bright and thick gravy.

Image credit: lapatkun

The char siu can come along for the ride too. The char siu and crispy pork with rice costs ฿60 (US$1.73).

Tanee also serves egg noodles with char siu, as well as Yen Ta Fo, which is noodle soup colored pink by fermented bean paste. So if you’re down for some slurping, the noodles cost ฿60 (US$1.73).

Tanee Khao Moo Daeng
Address: Soi 28, 296 Chok Chai 4 Rd, Lat Phrao, Bangkok 10230
Opening hours: 7am-4pm, Daily
Contact: +66 9 7168 0083 | Tanee’s Facebook | Google Maps

3. Sunee Red Pork Rice Talad Plu – Historic market ambience with trains while eating

Image credit: Kat Warisara

Ambience is an important part of the eating experience and you can’t do much better than eating in one of Bangkok’s oldest markets.

Image credit: Asavanate

Sunee Red Pork Rice sits inside Talad Plu which is one of the oldest Chinese markets in the country. In fact, Talad Plu is where the first Chinese migrants in Thailand originally settled before moving to Sam Peng. Today, Talad Plu is well-known for its bustling street food stalls.

So you could say this is one of the best locations to enjoy a Thai-style Chinese dish.

Image credit: สุณี ข้าวหมูแดงตลาดพลู

As for the char siu itself, Sunee’s forte is their especially thick, sticky, and sweet gravy. With the recipe passed down for over 60 years, you can really taste the history in the food.

The char siu pork with rice costs ฿40 (US$1.15) and an additional ฿10 (US$0.29) for an egg.

Sunee Red Pork Rice Talad Plu
Address: 854/8 Soi Thoet Thai 25, Talat Phlu, Thon Buri, Bangkok 10600
Opening hours: 6am-8:30pm, Daily
Contact: +66 8 9892 7857 | Sunee Red Pork Rice Talad Plu’s Facebook | Google Maps

4. J Soay Char Siu Rice – A lean meal with an intense gravy

Image credit: Joke_Somchai

J Soay Char Siu Rice has the most intensely coloured gravy among all the hawkers featured here. But don’t be intimidated by it. Despite its deep brown colour, its flavour is actually very well-balanced. If you’re looking for a gravy that isn’t too sweet, nor too salty, this will fit the bill.

Image credit: ข้าวหมูแดงเลิศรส เจ๊โส่ย

The char siu here uses a very lean cut of meat. In fact, the pork belly is also quite lean, with most pieces having more meat than fat, so this is a great place to eat if you’re looking to cut down a bit on calories.

When ordering sides, J Soay has stuffed bitter melon that will complement the char siu.

Speaking of the meal being light on your calories, it’ll also be light on your wallet. The char siu dish, including an egg, only costs ฿50 (US$1.44), while the bitter melon costs ฿25 (US$0.72).

J Soay Char Siu Rice
Address: 198 Soi Chula 18 Wang Mai, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
Opening hours: 6am-2pm, Daily
Contact: +66 8 4112 1181 | J Soay Char Siu Rice’s Facebook | Google Maps

5. Kit Ki Restaurant – Char siu with roasted duck

Image credit: ห้องอาหารกิ๊ดกี่

For something a little different, you can pair char siu with roasted duck at Kit Ki Restaurant. Their secret roasting techniques have kept customers coming back for over 50 years.

Image credit: ห้องอาหารกิ๊ดกี่

At Kit Ki, you can mix and match various meats with various carbs. You can get the roasted duck with the crispy pork over some egg noodles, for example.

Image credit: ห้องอาหารกิ๊ดกี่

You can even add some wontons to the mix.

To complete the full Thai-Chinese food experience, you can order some shumai to eat right after.

Although the char siu over rice costs ฿55 (US$1.58), we recommend getting the full plethora of meats which costs only ฿90 (US$2.59) for the full roasted goodness.

Kit Ki Restaurant
Address: 571/1 Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Road, Bukkhalo, Thon Buri, Bangkok 10600
Opening hours: 8:30am-4pm, closed Tuesdays
Contact: +66 2476 9558 | Kit Ki Restaurant’s Facebook | Google Maps

6. Khao Moo Daeng Texas – Yaowarat-style delicious mess

Image credit: ข้าวหมูแดงเท็กซัสเยาวราช

Not every meal has to look pretty. Some of the best meals are just a plate of messy grub.

Khao Moo Daeng Texas delivers that delicious mess in a tight alley in Yaowarat. The ambience perfectly captures the vibe of the hard-nosed business-driven lifestyle of Thai-Chinese migrants in the 50s. The hawker is named after the alley it sits in: Soi Texas.

Image credit: ข้าวหมูแดงเท็กซัสเยาวราช

The hawker uses the same cooking techniques and recipes for the past 70 years, giving the char siu pork a fragrance that is unique to this hawker. The gravy is the hawker’s forte. It is a mixture of various spices along with peanuts and sesame, which gives it that rough, thick texture. The dish is then topped with coriander and chilis in the traditional Thai style.

The eggs they add on to the char siu is plucked straight out of the five spice stew (Kai Pa Lo).

The char siu pork with the works costs ฿60 (US$1.73).

Khao Moo Daeng Texas
Address: Phadung Dao Rd, Samphanthawong, Bangkok 10100
Opening hours: 8am-3pm, closed Wednesdays
Contact: +66 8 1615 6429 | Khao Moo Daeng Texas’s Facebook | Google Maps

7. Khao Mu Daeng Nai Hui – Everything cooked with charcoal

Image credit: ข้าวหมูแดงนายฮุยนาครสนุก

One surefire way to recognize if an eatery is good is when their walls are plastered with framed newspapers and photographs.

Khao Mu Daeng Nai Hui’s walls are littered with recognition of its excellence of over 70 years.

Image credit: เก็บตะวัน

What makes this shop unique is that everything they serve on a plate of char siu is made using a charcoal grill, even the rice. Their charcoal cooking methods impart a strong smokey flavor in their dishes.

Image credit: เก็บตะวัน

This hawker uses lard to cook their Chinese sausage, ensuring that it tastes and smells just right.

Image credit: ข้าวหมูแดงนายฮุยนาครสนุก

Their char siu with rice costs ฿80 (US$2.30).

Khao Mu Daeng Nai Hui
Address: 728 1 Charoen Krung Rd, Wang Burapha Phirom, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
Opening hours: 8am-3pm, closed Sundays
Contact: +66 2222 1630 | Khao Mu Daeng Nai Hui’s Facebook | Google Maps

The best Thai-style char siu in Bangkok are decades-old family secrets

The best char siu hawkers in Bangkok have recipes that are closely guarded family secrets. These delicious secrets have kept these hawkers in business for over 50 years.

So when you visit Bangkok and get a craving for some sweet and savory red pork, these hawkers are prepared to give you an experience you’re sure not to forget.

Other heritage hawkers in Bangkok:

Cover image adapted from: ห้องอาหารกิ๊ดกี่, lapatkun, ข้าวหมูแดงนายฮุยนาครสนุก, ข้าวหมูแดงเท็กซัสเยาวราช