Watsana Chicken Rice has loyal fans despite moving thrice

Good chicken rice is plentiful in Thailand. But finding one whose taste alone will have you in its grip so tightly, that you seek it out even after it has moved away, is rare. Watsana Chicken Rice is a chicken rice hawker that has managed to move but keep its customers three times over the course of its 30-year history.

Here’s the dish that has ensnared locals.

A Thai-style chicken rice with a long history of ensnaring locals

Image credit: The Smart Local

One of the kings of the Thai street is our very own chicken rice. While Hainanese Chicken Rice, or Singaporean chicken rice, has a bit of a midrange or premium reputation in Thailand, Thai-style chicken rice has its peculiarities that are worth experiencing.

You can find Thai chicken rice at every market or neighborhood in the country. And the prices are fairly consistent throughout, as if they were all franchised to some diabolical street food mega-corporation.

With how easy it is to find a chicken rice shop, you might expect locals to be quick to adapt to a new shop if the old one ever moved. But you’d be wrong.

Thai locals can be undyingly loyal to the hawkers they’ve spent a great deal of time eating at. Watsana is one of the best examples of this as this particular shop has relocated three times and its fans have followed them to all three locations.

Image credit: The Smart Local

These moves weren’t short either, as each was about a half hour’s worth of driving from the previous location, so you know they really have these loyal fans wrapped around their fingers for the past 30 years.

Just like in their previous locations, the shop still finds itself fully packed during breakfast and lunch. And with the additional popularity of delivery services, they even have a line of delivery riders right outside their doorstep as well.

Image credit: The Smart Local

They’ve gotten so popular that chicken rice shops that have opened in their previous locations have sought to use their name to draw in locals. That’s why Watsana has put up a sign that proudly claims that this is their only shop and that they have no other branches.

A Michelin-worthy taste that won’t break the bank

Image credit: The Smart Local

If those loyal fans aren’t enough proof for you that there is something special about this chicken rice hawker, then perhaps their inclusion in Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list will. After being placed on the list in 2019, the shop has retained its spot on the list for 5 straight years as a place that offers great taste for an extremely affordable price.

At ฿50 (~US$1.43) per standard plate of chicken rice, you’ll find yourself wanting to order a second.

Image credit: The Smart Local

Many local reviewers have stated that they’ve found the portions to be small. But you can be the judge here as to if their portions are indeed too small or if the food is just that good that it tickles the inner glutton in all of us.

Image credit: The Smart Local

Although their remarkably fragrant rice is said to be the best part of their shop, you can’t disregard their fried chicken either. The fried chicken at most chicken rice hawkers can be incredibly varied but Watsana’s is always a perfect and crisp golden brown.

Their use of chicken thighs also means that the chicken will always come out moist and succulent which pairs terrifically well with their excellent rice.

Definitely worth a visit before exiting town

If you want a taste of chicken rice that’s more than just chicken rice, then you can’t do much better than Watsana. But its location in the suburbs of southeastern Bangkok means that it truly is a well-hidden gem that is tailored for locals.

Still, it is well worth the slight detour if you have an itch for some of the best chicken rice in the country – especially if you’re looking to travel out of Bangkok to the east.

Watsana Khao Man Gai
Address: 9/275 Phuttabucha Rd., Bang Mot, Chom Thong, Bangkok 10150
Opening hours: 7am–3.30pm, Daily
Contact: +668 7711 6456 | Google Maps

More street food worth a visit in Bangkok:

Cover image adapted from: The Smart Local Thailand

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