What to Do and Where to Stay in Bangkok Chinatown?
Bangkok Chinatown is often known for the colourful Yaowarat Road Signboards, but it is a lot wider and covers a vast area. It is a buzzing area famous for its street food, bustling markets, and beautifully crafted Chinese temples. By day, explore narrow alleys filled with gold shops, traditional Chinese medicine stores, and many temples like Wat Mangkon.
As the sun sets, Yaowarat Road transforms into a lively food paradise, offering everything from grilled seafood to dim sum and desserts. The colourful neon signs, the crowds and the aromas of freshly cooked dishes create a lively atmosphere. Don’t miss hidden gems like Talat Noi, where you’ll find street art and heritage buildings.
What to Do in Bangkok Chinatown?
Bangkok Chinatown is a colourful district full of sights, flavours, and history. Start at Yaowarat Road, famous for its busy street food scene and Chinese gold shop signs. Parallel to Yaowarat, Sampheng Lane is a narrow, bustling alley filled with affordable clothing and accessories. Visit Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, the largest Chinese temple in Bangkok, known for its intricate architecture and peaceful atmosphere. Don’t miss Wat Traimit, home to the world’s largest solid gold Buddha statue, an incredible piece of Thai history. Walking through Chinatown is a unique mix of old traditions and Bangkok’s vibrant city life.
Yaowarat Road and street food
Yaowarat Road is the main street running through Bangkok’s Chinatown. The one-way road is the place to go in Bangkok for the Chinese New Year. Busy enough on any given day, it really comes to life in the evenings, when the bright neon signs on almost every building light your way to outstanding street food.
Wat Traimit
The striking spire of Wat Traimit protects a 5-metre-tall seated Buddha statue made of solid gold. Weighing in at 5.5 tonnes, the statue dates back to the 13th century and was originally covered in plaster. Somewhat ironically, the statue’s true value was only revealed when movers accidentally dropped it, breaking away some of the plaster.
Song Wat Road
Song Wat Road transformed from a forgotten trading street into one of Bangkok’s coolest neighbourhoods. Named after King Rama V, who “drew” its path following a 1906 fire, this 1.2-kilometre riverside stretch once housed rice and spice warehouses for major Thai companies like CP Group and Bangkok Bank. After decades of decline when container ports made its piers obsolete, Song Wat experienced a renaissance starting in 2016 with street art and the Made in Song Wat community initiative.
Today, it features speciality coffee shops, restaurants, and restored Sino-Portuguese shophouses alongside century-old establishments. Thanon Song Soem, Thailand’s shortest road at 20 meters, branches off Song Wat to end at a Chao Phraya River pier. Time Out ranked the area as the world’s 39th coolest neighbourhood in 2023.
Sampeng Market (Sampeng Lane)
Sampeng Lane is essentially one giant market that dominates a narrow, covered, mostly pedestrianised (barring the occasional moped or push cart) street that runs parallel to Yaowarat Road. Like its larger neighbour, it is prone to traffic jams, but the cause here is an excellent array of goods on sale for very good prices.
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat is the best of the cultural things to do in Chinatown, Bangkok’s largest Chinese Buddhist temple. Built in 1846, the temple’s design is unmistakably Chinese. The statues of the Four Heavenly Kings at the entrance are particularly impressive, though the main Buddha statue in the ordination hall is also impressive.
Where to Eat in Chinatown?
Bangkok Chinatown, especially Yaowarat Road, is famous for its incredible street food scene. In the evenings, the street fills up with food carts, small local restaurants, and the irresistible smell of dishes cooked in woks. Many stalls have been run by the same families for decades, each focusing on just a few specialities. Popular dishes include guay jub (rolled rice noodle soup), grilled squid, oyster omelettes, pad Thai with prawns, mango sticky rice, and Chinese doughnuts. Some places are easy to find with long queues, while others are hidden in small lanes. All recommendations are based on personal visits and real experiences.
Hagow Yaowarat
Hagow Yaowarat is a well-known restaurant in the heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown. Its bright red LED lights and unique exterior make it stand out along Yaowarat Road. Whether you’re just passing through or searching for delicious dumplings or Chinese food, this place certainly attracts you.
Cuisine: Chinese
Phone: 063 956 2752
Hours: 8 am – 10:30 pm
Price: Reasonable
Map: Click Here
Tanbo Chicken Rice
Tanbo Chicken Rice is a small and humble restaurant right on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok Chinatown, next to the famous Hua Seng Hong. It’s easy to miss, but locals and visitors line up for their chicken rice, especially in the evenings.
Cuisine: Chicken Rice
Phone: 065 058 5505
Hours: 7 am – 11 pm
Price: Cheap
Map: Click Here
Restaurant Potong
Potong is a modern Thai fine-dining restaurant hidden in a narrow alley in the very heart of Bangkok Chinatown. Set in a beautifully restored 120-year-old building that once housed Chef Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij’s family’s traditional Chinese herbal medicine shop, it offers a unique dining experience.
Where to Stay in Bangkok Chinatown?
Chinatown has a great mix of places to stay, from simple guesthouses to beautifully restored boutique hotels hidden behind old shophouse facades. Most are tucked in the small sois around Yaowarat Road, so you’re always close to the street food and markets that make this area so much fun to explore. I’ve stayed in a few over the years, and while rooms can be compact, the charm is in the location. Some hotels keep the vintage look, others feel more modern, but all put you right in the heart of one of Bangkok’s most vibrant neighbourhoods.
Shanghai Mansion Bangkok
Shanghai Mansion Bangkok is an award-winning hotel located right in the heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown on Yaowaraj Road. The hotel pulses boutique heritage in a 130-year-old historic building with its original structure, bringing together modern luxury and 1930s Shanghai elegance. At the atmospheric Red Rose Restaurant, guests can relax with live jazz music, among other rejuvenating offerings at Spa Burasari with its traditional treatments. Once part of the rich cultural scenes of Bangkok, the building today keeps its charm alive, giving modern comfort to its guests.
Range: 4-star
Restaurants and bars: 1 restaurant and bar
How many pools: 0
Closest BTS or MRT station: MRT Wat Mangkon: 350 m
Distance to the river: 430 m
Check the rates
ASAI Bangkok Chinatown
ASAI Bangkok Chinatown is a modern lifestyle hotel situated at the heart of Bangkok’s old Chinatown and centrally located on the famous Charoen Krung Road. It reflects modern design elements within the local character and is accented by a chic JAMJAM Eatery & Bar, a fully equipped fitness centre, and beautifully designed community areas perfect for interaction.
Range: 4-star
Restaurants and bars: 1 restaurant and bar
How many pools: 0
Closest BTS or MRT station: MRT Wat Mangkon: 120 m
Distance to the river: 570 m
Check the rates
W22 by Burasari
W22 by Burasari is a modern boutique lifestyle hotel at 422 Mittphan Road, in the dynamic heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown. This 3-star accommodation fuses a relaxed city style with a Chinese residential atmosphere. Staying here is a great way to experience one of the most culturally diverse places in Bangkok.
Range: 3-star
Restaurants and bars: 0
How many pools: 0
Closest BTS or MRT station: MRT Wat Mangkon: 450 m
Distance to the river: 700 m
Check the rates
Bangkok Chinatown Map
Photos of Bangkok Chinatown
Bangkok Neighbourhoods
