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Sam Beltran

Bangkok’s best street food has always existed on a kind of mental map for Thai food writer Choltanutkun Tun-atiruj.
It is built from habit, cravings and neighbourhood rhythms: the office crowds, the schools, the university nearby and the vendors selling everything from moo ping (grilled pork skewers) and sticky rice to pad thai and kuay teow reua – a bowl of rice noodles in dark broth flavoured with cow or pig’s blood, then topped with meat and spices.
“I can’t tell you my favourite because I rotate between vendors, depending on what I’m craving that day, but ever since I moved to this area a few years ago, I’ve never had to order anything on [food delivery and ride-hailing super-app] Grab ever again,” said Choltanutkun, who lives in Sukhumvit in the heart of the Thai capital.
Officials are now trying to turn mental maps like hers into a more formal one.
The Thai Street Gold Star app, developed by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion and Suan Dusit University, was launched in late July. It is being rolled out across Bangkok, Pattaya in Chonburi province and Chiang Mai.

The app aims to boost the visibility and reach of food vendors while supporting efforts to lift the sector to international standards. Users can search for approved vendors, browse menus and find directions to each stall.
To receive certification, vendors must meet requirements covering food hygiene and sanitation, the identity and memorability of their dishes and customer service standards.
The use of digital technology alongside higher standards would improve operators’ competitiveness, generate income for small and medium-sized enterprises, stimulate tourism and help establish Thailand as a global gastronomy and wellness-tourism destination, said deputy government spokeswoman Lalida Persvivatana.
Aphisavadh Sirivadhanawaravachara, a researcher on hospitality management and tourism in Thailand, said the app had potential to elevate the sector by increasing vendors’ visibility and creating new marketing opportunities.
“It should not be viewed simply as a way to regulate or relocate vendors, but as an opportunity to create an ecosystem that helps vendors develop their businesses, build their brands, access new markets, and connect more effectively with tourism,” Aphisavadh said.
Thailand had an enormous advantage in the diversity of its local cuisine, he said, suggesting that the app could eventually showcase the distinctive food, ingredients, culinary traditions and experiences of each region.
Food and lifestyle writer Sansern Srisawat said the app could help locals and tourists navigate the myriad food stalls around the country.
“Nowadays, I see people using Google Maps as a guide, but it isn’t designed specifically for food,” he said. “It will help customers make decisions and trust those vendors more.”
It could also serve as an alternative marketing avenue for vendors facing lower profits after signing up for food delivery platforms to reach more customers, Sansern said.
Big money
For many tourists, Thailand’s street food is a major reason to visit the country. Government figures put the value of the country’s street food market at more than 261 billion baht (US$7.9 billion).
But researchers say its importance goes far beyond tourism.
“Street food is not a tourist attraction added on top of Thai cities; it is how urban Thailand feeds itself every day,” said Weerapak Samsiripong, a researcher for the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University.
Weerapak, whose research spans street food and urban security in Thailand, said many locals relied on street food, but it was especially important for lower-income populations, accounting for two-thirds of their household food budget.
That made the app design important, he said, particularly because Thailand already had several street food certifications. “Gold Star will be most useful if it is aligned with the existing standards … It can become the unifying mark this landscape needs.”
But he said gaps remained in the level of support, communication and practical guidance that some vendors received, especially when policies were carried out at the local level.

Street food policy needed to involve vendors, Aphisavadh said, pointing to the apprehension of those operating in unauthorised areas. “Of course, regulations and public order are important. But we can also look at these situations as opportunities rather than simply problems,” he said.
Weerapak said policymakers needed a clearer picture of the sector itself, adding that government figures on street food income accounted only for the “visible” parts of the sector, while the contributions of vendors operating without fixed addresses remained unknown.
“Without knowing how many vendors there are, where they operate and what they need, it is difficult to design support that actually fits them,” he said.
Lost in translation
The local government’s recent attempt to manage kerbside stalls by moving vendors into designated market areas has also raised concerns that the city could lose some of the charm that has made it popular among visitors.
“Unless you go somewhere like Chinatown or Khao San Road … there are fewer vendors than from a few years ago. Many street vendors have been moved or organised away,” Choltanutkun said.
While she appreciated Bangkok’s cleaner footpaths, especially in areas such as Sukhumvit, Choltanutkun said street food vendors brought “so much charm and character to the city”.
Sansern said he still wanted to see long-standing vendors “thrive while staying true to their originality”, rather than transforming themselves into stalls in large department stores or tourist-heavy areas.

But it did not have to be an either-or solution, Weerapak said, because Thailand did not need to choose between preserving the charm of its street food stalls and making them more organised.
“Good street food management is not about banning or permitting; it is about the balance between control and support,” he said. “Street food policy works best when economic promotion, tourism, city orderliness and health are pursued as one synergistic package rather than separately.”
Aphisavadh added that the initiative had the potential to preserve and elevate Thai street food culture, provided it helped vendors become more professional while protecting their authenticity.
“If we can achieve that, the Thai Street Gold Star app could become much more than an app for finding street food,” he said. “It could become a strategic tool for Thai street food development, culinary tourism and local economic development.”


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The Thai Street Gold Star app lists approved vendors, shows menus and gives users directions to each stall


The Thai Street Gold Star app lists approved vendors, shows menus and gives users directions to each stall.


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Bites to bytes: Thai street food app feeds into hunger for authenticity

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Thai Street Gold Star app lists approved vendors, shows menus and gives users directions to each stall

The Thai Street Gold Star app lists approved vendors, shows menus and gives users directions to each stall