Bangkok Chinatown Street Food: T & K Seafood
T & K (Tony and Kid) Seafood Restaurant is one of the best places to eat Thai style seafood dishes. It is located in Bangkok's main Chinatown District, Yaowarat. This street food restaurant opens only from 4:30pm to 2:00 am each day to sell freshly cooked seafood on the side of the road. Tables and chairs are limited so you need to be there early to get a place and avoid the long queue. Arriving customers are given their queue numbers and while waiting, attendants get your food orders through a pictured-menu. Cooking and grilling are done outdoor. There are only few tables available inside the restaurant which is air-conditioned. But of course, the fun is eating outside with the big crowd beside the busy streets of Chinatown.
T&K offers fresh seafood and other dishes at reasonable prices. Must try dishes: tom yam soup, sizzling oyster or crab omelet, steamed lemon sea bass, Thai yellow egg curry with squid, stir fried morning glory (kangkong) with chilis, crab or egg fried rice, grilled river prawns (US$3 for four big pieces)
Cold drinks, including beer (Chang or Singha) , are available. T&K seafood's staff are easily recognizable with their bright green-colored t-shirt.
T&K seafood restaurant is cited in the book "YAOWARAJ: The Best 100 of Bangkok's Chinatown Street Foods" authored by a Thai Police General and food connoisseur, who is well familiar with vendors and restaurants in the Chinatown area.
T & K Seafood
49-51 Soi Phadung Dao
Yaowarat Road, Bangkok 10100
Open from 4:30pm to 2:00 am
Tel. +66 (0) 1 507 5555
How to get there: T&K is located in the junction of a small Soi called Phadung, which is Chinatown's main road, Yaowarat. Unfortunately, is a bit far from the MRT or BTS but Hua Lumpong Station is not too far from it. Get out of the MRT at Exit 1 or 4 and take a tuk-tuk ($2 -2.5), a metered taxi (same price),or a motorbike taxi ($1-2) to Yaowarat.
Parking: best to park at Grand China Hotel at Yaowarat. Baht 20 (US$.80) for first hour and Baht 40 for every hour thereafter.
Other good restaurants:
- R & L (Rut and Lek) Seafood is equally good. It is located just across T&K. Restaurant is always busy. Restaurant staff wear bright red shirts.
- ODEON Restaurant (Odean Crab Noodle Soup) - Charoen Krung Road (just near Wat Traimit and the big chinatown red gate)
- Cotton Restaurant (2nd Floor of Shanghai Mansion Hotel)
- Double Dog Tea Room - 406 Yaowarat (for afternoon tea and snacks)
