Places to Eat in Tak

Tak is by no means a culinary adventure, but while in town you should not miss the local kuay tiao noodles. Several Burmese influenced flavours add a twist to otherwise dull dining scene there.

Markets and street stalls

The most obvious destination for a dinner in Tak is the local night market that comes alive on Chumpon road along the river every night at 5:00pm. This is where you will find the most authentic Thai food ranging from the classic barbecue, chicken and pork skewers, noodles, chicken with rice to more local traditional sausages and some Isaan specialties.

For something different try Burmese traditional flavours like _krabong cho, fried pumpkins that are usually served with a sweet and sour dip made of garlic, peanuts, tamarind juice, sugarcane juice and salt. What you can find now is not actually the original recipe: it has been modified to include other vegetables in addition to pumpkin. Grab a plastic bag of krabong chin (THB30) and continue browsing other stalls.

Miang chomphon is another popular snack in Tak with centuries-old history and originating from the north of Thailand. Tea leaves (or other kind of leaves depending on the recipe) are used to wrap different ingredients like dried fried rice, roasted coconut, peanuts, dried shrimps, crispy pork skin and soya bean sauce. You’ll find it at any town market, day or night.

There are only few noodles shops in Tak that still offer kuaitiao phuen mueang, a local dish which is rapidly disappearing from. It is a local version of the famous and ubiquitous kuai tiao noodles but in Tak the use small flat noodles and add dried shrimps and pork skin in addition to shallots, lemon, sugar and fish sauce. According to your preferences you can choose between dry noodles or noodle soup. The dish is simple, delicious and cheap (THB40); give it a try if you find a shop still offering it.

Local Food

Located on the west side of the river and close to highway 1, Bankhiangnam Restaurant is a good place for a delicious Thai dinner in a beautiful setting seating comfortably at a table rather than strolling down the market. Unfortunately the menu is only in Thai and even if the friendly staff will try to practice their broken English, don’t be surprise if some miscommunication happens. There are a lot of options to choose from – from Thai traditional cuisine to Isaan food and some freshwater fish dishes, too. Everything is really cheap and the popularity of the venue among locals guarantees the best quality and authenticity of the food.

Grab a table next to the river for a romantic dinner at sunset.

Western and international food

If you’re after some Western food – we are sorry. The lack of Western tourist-oriented guesthouses means no choice of pasta, burgers and pizza.

In Umphang

If you travel to Umphang, good street food is available over there as well; even if there’s nothing like a night market, a lot of food stalls are scattered all around town and it will not take long to check them all since it takes no more than 20 minutes to walk from one side of town to the other. Several simple restaurants offer traditional Thai cuisine, but don’t expect English menus or English speaking staff.

If you need a lot of energy for your next day trip to Thi Lo Su Waterfall, head to Ruing Arun Muu Kata, a Korean style barbecue venue where you can get as much meat and vegetables as you want and cook them by yourself in the pot in the centre of your table for THB160. The price also includes an unlimited buffet with precooked dishes. If you’re in Umphang during weekend, expect this place to be quite crowded with locals.

Quite surprisingly for such a remote place, at Roi Wela in the northern side of town you can find decent pizza and burgers, along with delicious roti.