The MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2023 Bib Gourmand selection
The MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2023 Bib Gourmand selection, featuring 189 budget-friendly dining venues. Out of all that made the list, 53 are first-time entries, while 6 are promoted entries.
The 2023 Bib Gourmand list comprises 82 venues in Bangkok & Surrounding Cities; 13 in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya; 27 in Chiang Mai; 23 in Phuket; 11 in Phang-Nga; and 33 in the four representative cities of Thailand’s Northeast or “Isan” region, newly covered in the sixth edition of The MICHELIN Guide Thailand – namely 9 in Nakhon Ratchasima, 11 in Khon Kaen, 6 in Ubon Ratchathani, and 7 in Udon Thani.
The Bib Gourmand distinction, symbolized by the famed ‘Bibendum’ or ‘Michelin Man’ licking his lips, recognizes both restaurants and street food eateries for offering high-quality food at budget-friendly prices of no more than THB 1,000 (for a three-course meal: starter, main course, and dessert – exclusive of beverage).
In total, there are 105 restaurants and 84 street food eateries in the 2023 Bib Gourmand list. It is notable that the number of Bib Gourmand venues under the “Street Food” category equals that of those under the “Restaurant” category for Bangkok & Surrounding Cities (41 venues in each category). The ratio of restaurants vs. street food eateries in the following cities just differs by one: Ayutthaya (6 to 7), Nakhon Ratchasima (5 to 4), Khon Kaen (6 to 5), and Chiang Mai (14 to 13).
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of MICHELIN Guides, revealed: “The high proportion of street food eateries on the Bib Gourmand list marks Thailand’s quintessential culinary scene as an ultimate street food haven for budget-savvy diners. Street food is practically a savory way of life in Thailand. It is ubiquitous throughout the country, offering an incredible variety of unique, flavorful dishes. Therefore, street food provides not only an authentic Thai eating experience, but also a cultural adventure into the tasty Thai culinary tradition.”
The 53 first-time entries to the 2023 Bib Gourmand list include: Bangkok & Surrounding Cities: Kin Kub Koi, a restaurant serving skillfully cooked dishes made from choice seafood – such as standouts grilled river prawns, and stir-fried crab with bitter beans and shrimp paste; Pae Pochana, a restaurant that has been serving old-school Thai-Chinese dishes for over 50 years, with recommended dishes like the minced featherback fish and minced pork in tofu sheets, the spicy stir-fried featherback fish with herbs, and the fried sun-dried snakehead fish; Samlor, a cozy restaurant serving flavorsome, well-presented elevated Thai cuisine inspired by local street food with specially selected ingredients; and Arunwan, a street food establishment that has opened for more than 60 years, famed for its signature dish from a family recipe that features tasty pickled cabbage and fresh offal in a delightful sweet pork broth.
