MBK Food Court Bangkok: What to Eat, Costs & Tips

Featured image: deror_avi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Quick answer: is the MBK food court worth it?

Yes, if you want a fast, cheap Thai meal in the middle of a shopping day. Stalls sell single-plate dishes such as pad thai, stewed pork leg rice and tom yum kung. A 2016 review put most plates between ฿50 and ฿90. That makes it a budget-tier stop, though current menus may differ. Skip it if you want quiet, a polished setting or tight control over ingredients. Menus are mostly in Thai, so a little preparation helps, and the sections below cover that.

How to find the MBK food court

MBK Center stands at 444 Phaya Thai Rd, Wang Mai, Bangkok 10330. Most visitors arrive from National Stadium BTS, a short walk away and linked to the mall by skywalk. The food court is on the 6th floor, and the mall directory lists floors G and 2 through 7. Take the escalators or elevators up from the entrance you use. Mall hours are daily 10:00 to 22:00 on the MBK Center official site. Individual stalls may open or close at slightly different times, so glance at the shutters when you arrive.

What to eat: dishes worth ordering

Group your choices by what you feel like eating. First-timers do well with pad krapow moo, pad thai or fried rice, which are mild to medium in heat. Spice-averse diners can pick stewed beef noodle soup or yen ta fo, a clear-style fish-ball noodle soup. Adventurous eaters can try kway chap, a herbal soup with rice rolls and braised pork offal. A 2016 review noted that the fried oyster stall had a long queue. Many dishes contain pork, and vegetarian options are not confirmed, so ask at the stall. Prices below are from that 2016 review and are a guide to the budget tier only.

• Rice dishes: pad krapow moo ฿55, fried rice with prawn ฿60, stewed pork leg rice ฿60.
• Noodles: pad thai ฿50, egg noodle with shrimp wontons about ฿60, kway chap ฿60, stewed beef noodle soup ฿70, stir-fried kway teow with seafood ฿70.
• Soups and salads: yen ta fo ฿55, som tum ฿60, tom yum kung ฿90.
• Seafood snack: fried oyster ฿75.

How to order and pay if you don't read Thai

Menus at the stalls are in Thai, but every stall carries a number. Use that number to remember where you liked a dish, and photograph the menu board for next time. Pointing at a neighbor's plate works well, and so does showing a dish name on your phone. Learn a few names first: pad krapow, pad thai, som tum, tom yum kung. Payment setups vary between Bangkok food courts, with some using prepaid coupons and others taking cash at the stall. Look for a cashier or sign near the entrance and ask before loading any balance. Ask the price before you order, especially for seafood dishes.

Cost and timing: what a meal costs and when to go

At 2016 prices, pad thai was ฿50 and tom yum kung was ฿90. A pad thai plus a som tum came to ฿110 then. Treat those as a floor, since current stall prices may be higher. Mall hours run 10:00 to 22:00. Expect queues around typical lunch and dinner hours, particularly at popular stalls. Arriving near 11:00 or in the mid-afternoon should be calmer. Large groups find it easier to split up, order at separate stalls and meet at a table. Many travelers fit it in as a rest stop between shops on other floors.

MBK vs other Bangkok food courts

MBK's pitch is budget Thai plates in a busy shopping mall. The other major malls vary in setting, prices and ease of ordering. Compare current menus before you commit to a trip. Our Terminal 21 Food Court (Pier 21): Guide, Prices & Tips guide covers the closest comparison readers ask about. For a food hall setting, see Siam Paragon's food hall. Riverside diners can read about the ICONSIAM Food Court Bangkok: SOOKSIAM Guide & Tips. Another option is the CentralWorld food court. Finally, there is the EmQuartier Food Hall Bangkok: What to Eat, Hours & Tips. Official mall sites such as Terminal 21 Asok list current hours.

Who should skip it, and mistakes to avoid

MBK suits travelers who want inexpensive Thai food and don't mind a busy mall. A few groups will be happier elsewhere, and a few errors are easy to dodge.

• Skip it if you want quiet, a formal sit-down meal or an upscale atmosphere.
• Skip it if you follow a strict diet, since many dishes are pork-based and menus are in Thai.
• Don't assume 2016 prices still apply. Ask before you order.
• Don't expect English menus. Use stall numbers, photos and dish names.
• Don't arrive at peak meal hours with a large group.