POWER TRAVEL · MY BANGKOK · NATA’S NOTES
The 50-baht chicken
I keep coming back for
A small place I first thought had no name. Charcoal-grilled chicken, sticky rice, a tangy, spicy dipping sauce — and five days of wanting to come back.
A favourite, one lunch at a time
I have been coming here for this chicken for five days now. It is so juicy that I keep reaching for the same words: wonderful, divine chicken.
One day I arrived and the place was closed. I was honestly upset: how was I going to go without my chicken? That was when I realised this little spot had become part of my Bangkok.
I want to keep it in my travel guide, with the colourful plates, the people cooking and the meals I will remember. And I want you to be able to find it too.
What my 50 baht buys
My generous portion includes a chicken drumstick and thigh, a square parcel of sticky rice and dipping sauce. The chicken is beautifully juicy. The sauce tastes tangy and spicy, with a citrus note; I do not know its exact recipe.
They grill fish as well, as you can see in my photos. I have not tried it yet, so my personal recommendation is the chicken.
The place around the plate
The photographs show wooden tables, seats made from stacked tyres with round cushions, fans and walls decorated with road signs and number plates. The grill is by the entrance. I kept the cooking scenes, the room and even the plates after lunch: together, they are my memory of this place.
Will they be open?
I have not figured out their schedule. Sometimes I stopped by at ten or eleven in the morning and was told they were not open yet. Once, they were closed all day.
Now it is Sunday, around seven in the evening, and I am thinking of walking over to see whether they are cooking. “Free spirits,” I joke. I do not know the reasons behind the closures, and I cannot promise specific opening hours.
If you are making a special trip, try to confirm their hours locally first and keep an alternative in mind.
How to find it
The Google Maps listing is ร้านส้มตำกระทันหัน. I have confirmed that this is the place in my photographs.
Map coordinates: 13.803737, 100.5118407. Compare the frontage with the photo above: a blue awning, an open entrance, the grill on the left and the display counter on the right.
Before you go
My order: grilled chicken drumstick and thigh, sticky rice and sauce, 50 baht at the time of this note, November 2026.
Payment: I use cash. QR payment is also available; compatibility depends on your banking app.
Hours: not independently confirmed. I have found them closed in the morning and once for a whole day.
Fish: available on the grill, but I have not tasted it.
This is a little piece of Bangkok I want to take with me: chicken, rice, sauce, and the wish to come back tomorrow.