Pattaya’s food scene is full of life and flavour, where you’ll find everything from smoky street food stalls to stylish beachside restaurants. The local food packs a serious punch, whether you’re picking up spicy som tum (papaya salad) at a night market or enjoying a bowl of hot and tangy tom yum soup. Seafood lovers are in for a treat, too — fresh prawns, grilled fish, and spicy crab curries are everywhere, especially at spots like the floating market. And if you’re in the mood for something fancy, places like Casa Pascal mix Thai ingredients with European cooking to create something special. No matter your taste or budget, Pattaya has something delicious waiting around every corner.
Pattaya Is Underrated in Thailand’s Food Scene
When people talk about Thailand’s food culture, places like Bangkok or Chiang Mai often steal the spotlight. But Pattaya, a coastal city just a few hours from Bangkok, quietly offers a food experience that’s just as exciting—if not more diverse.
Pattaya is often seen as a beach and nightlife destination, but its food scene is a hidden gem. The city’s location by the sea gives it access to some of the freshest seafood in the country. From grilled prawns to spicy crab curry, seafood lovers are spoiled for choice. Local Thai street food, especially in markets like Thepprasit and Naklua, brings bold flavors at budget-friendly prices. What sets Pattaya apart is its global influence. Thanks to its international tourist base, you’ll find authentic Japanese ramen, Korean BBQ, Indian thalis, Russian dumplings, and even German sausages—often made by expats who have brought their culinary traditions with them.
Despite this rich variety, Pattaya rarely gets mentioned in food guides or gourmet lists. It deserves more attention, not just for the flavors it offers, but for the way it blends cultures on a plate. If you’re a curious eater, this city is full of surprises waiting to be discovered.
Nang Nual- the oldest restaurant of Pattaya
To understand Pattaya’s food culture, the best place to start was with the first restaurant that ever opened there — Nang Nual. The name? I had no idea what it meant. Maybe someday, the place sat right next to the infamous Walking Street. What did we order? A dish immensely popular in Kolkata — yet mysteriously missing from our Bangkok itinerary — Thai Green Curry. And this, my friends, is one of the most common dishes in search of the best food in Pattaya.
Please check the Google location here
Creamy, coconut milk-based, to be eaten with steamed rice. Alongside it, we had Tom Yum Gai — the spicy Thai soup, this version with shrimp and a creamy broth. The soup came in two styles: a clear broth or a creamy one. We had chosen creamy. When ordering, they asked: mild, medium, or very spicy. We went for something very spicy. Still, it was not much. Naturally, we ordered steamed rice too — available in two sizes: a modest bowl, or the larger one that we picked. The Thai green chicken curry was rich and comforting. The price? Just 200 Baht — roughly 500 Indian Rupees. Enough for two, maybe even three. The soup? 220 Baht, and from that one bowl, we got four servings. Frankly, that was more than reasonable.
The Floating Market
After a fat lunch in the afternoon, we headed to one of the more unique places in Pattaya — the Floating Market. Now, the Floating Market. A vast space built over water, with platforms and stalls spread across the surface, boats gliding through the middle. The entry fee was 200 Baht per person. Boat rides cost 800 Baht each. Ideal for couples, even honeymooners. But us? We weren’t there to sightsee. We were there to eat. To relax. And then eat again.
Please check the Google location here
Under the Sea- trip to the Coral island
Now, this bit is not for kids. Adults only. You’ve been warned. We found ourselves in possibly the most well-behaved and innocent part of Pattaya — a place where people came to eat. In every sense of the word. What you chose to consume was entirely up to you. Just be careful. Back to adventure: one of the must-do things in Pattaya was water sports.
First, they took us in a speedboat to a larger vessel anchored mid-sea. From there, the activities began: parasailing, underwater walking, banana boat rides, jet skis, the works. We picked just the underwater walk. It costs 1600 Baht per person. We roamed under the sea for 20 minutes. Saw the fish. The birthplace of the prawns we just ate.
Final destination — Coral Island. We had seen it from underwater. Now we walked on it. The water was crystal clear. Green. So clear that your legs — and other things — were all visible.And shockingly clean. No floating plastic. No chaos. Either they fined people strictly or trained them well. We had a seating area, fixed by our tour group. Lunch was served there. We ate, floated in the water, and did nothing else.
Our travel partner: Hermes Voyages
Royal Kolkata for Bengali food
Dal. Rice. Aloo posto. Bengali meat curry. Bengali fish. Call it what you will, but that craving hit hard. So we went looking. And found a place — just 100 metres from the beach road in Central Pattaya — called Royal Kolkata Restaurant. Owned by a typical Bengali gentleman, Pintu Roy, from Rishra, Srirampore. He had come to Thailand, settled down, and started serving proper Bengali food.
Please check the google location here
We ordered a chicken thali. Because ordering à la carte would’ve been too much for two people. What did it include? Rice. Masoor dal. An aloo preparation (either bhaja or chorchori). A bowl of aloo posto. Three good pieces of chicken. Salad. Papad. Chutney.All for 220 Baht.And the best part? They deliver. Anywhere in Pattaya. We tasted the food. And yes, in Pattaya, a Bengali restaurant served actual Bengali food. Homestyle. That mattered. That needed to be shown. This restaurant deserved a place in Pattaya’s food scene. And for any Bengali or Indian, this should come while searching for the Best food in Pattaya.
Night Markets of Pattaya
By now, we were tired. We had walked underwater, jumped in the sea, and eaten our way across the city. But there was one last stop — the Pattaya Night Market. What was a night market? Well, it came alive after sunset — rows of food stalls, lit up, sizzling, smoking, grilling. There was Chicken. Beef. Even a frog. We ordered grilled fish. And some garlic bread and fried chicken for our cameraman. One of the must-try dishes here was the salt-grilled fish — a big tilapia, crusted with salt, grilled to perfection. You peeled off the skin, scooped out the moist white flesh, and paired it with chili chutney and salad. Beautiful.The stall we bought it from? Run by Abdul Hamid and his little daughter. She was even younger than my son.
Please check the Google location here
No matter how much you plan or how many videos you watch beforehand, you can never truly explore a city’s food scene in just one visit.
We missed a few things. But we found plenty more. And next time, we’d return with new stories.
Bon appetite!!!
indrajit.lahiri@ymail.com
Our team member Madhuritu roy has been supremely instrumental in writing this piece.
