12 things to eat before you leave Sukhothai
Starting with the town's signature Sukhothai noodles, on through the market eats and local sweets — with a note on which area each one is in and roughly what it costs.
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This is the first thing people think of in Sukhothai, and a noodle bowl unlike any other — thin rice noodles with pork (both minced and slices of red or roast pork), meatballs, sliced long beans, crushed roasted peanuts and a scatter of fried garlic. What sets it apart is the broth, balanced to be lightly sweet-savoury, with a touch of palm sugar cutting against the sour and salt. The flavour is mild rather than fiery, easy to like, and you can order it with broth or dry. Have a bowl as the first meal of your trip and you'll see why this town's noodles are what it's known for.
Sukhothai noodles come both with broth and dry, and the two share the same set of toppings — pork, meatballs, long beans, crushed peanuts and fried garlic — differing only in whether there's soup. The soup version lets you sip a mellow, lightly sweet broth, while the dry version tosses everything in the seasoning for a bigger flavour, with the peanuts and fried garlic standing out more. Many shops let you order a larger "special" or add extra red pork. If you're in a group, order one of each and swap a few bites so you can tell which you prefer — it's the best way to get the most out of the signature dish in a single meal.
The Yom River runs through the New Town, so there are riverside restaurants built around freshwater fish. The favourites are a big salt-grilled fish you flake and dip in seafood sauce, fried fish topped with fish sauce with crisp skin and soft flesh, and a rich, sharp tom yum. River fish is sweeter and softer than sea fish, without a fishy edge, eaten with hot rice on a cool evening by the water — the atmosphere that suits this town. To be honest, this is the heavier meal of a trip, but come as a group and share a few dishes and it's good value and lets you try several. It's a dinner that's a change from noodles and market eats.
Beyond noodles, Sukhothai has the everyday made-to-order shops you can fall back on for any meal — pad krapao with pork or chicken, stir-fried chillies, fried rice, omelettes and mild local curries. You'll find them in the Old Town near the park and, with more choice, in the New Town. These are the dishes to reach for when you're tired of noodles or travelling with a group who all want something different. Order a few dishes to share over rice and it's a filling, good-value meal. The cooking isn't far off central-Thai made-to-order food generally, and it's the safest, easiest thing to find when you're not sure what to eat.
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After a full day at the temples, the evening food market in the New Town is where locals come to graze. It's by the Yom River near the town centre, open from late afternoon into the evening, with rows of food carts — fried things, grilled skewers, noodles, made-to-order dishes, Thai sweets and fruit — at local prices. You can wander and eat one thing at a time. The feel is plain and unpolished, not dressed up for tourists, so you get a genuine local dinner, and it's the best value meal of the day. Note that market days and hours can change with the season and festivals, so it's worth checking with your hotel first.
Around the historical park in the Old Town, small shops and stalls are scattered near the entrance gates and along the surrounding roads — noodles, curry over rice, fried snacks, fruit shakes and fruit. They're handy for refuelling while you cycle the temples, which sit far apart across a wide, hot park, so a full day in the saddle means stopping for water and a snack now and then. To be honest, there are fewer places here than in the New Town and many close in the evening, so if you're set on lunch near the temples, plan to drop in from late morning to afternoon — and save dinner for the New Town, where there's more choice.
Sukhothai has Thai sweets and local desserts to graze on at the markets and from carts — coconut-based sweets like khanom krok and khanom thuai, sweet sticky rice, layered khanom chan, and coconut-milk desserts that change with the season. They're a few baht each, so you can try several without spending much. You'll find them at both the morning and evening markets in the New Town and at small stalls around the Old Town. They make a good snack during the day or a finish to a meal, and an easy way to taste local-style sweetness without committing to a whole plate. Buy a few different ones, one at a time, and share them around.
Sukhothai gets hot and the sun is strong, especially from March to May when the open park has no shade, so a café stop is really part of a day among the temples. There are cafés in both the Old Town near the park and the New Town, many in wooden houses or with green gardens, serving coffee, Thai tea and desserts in a cool, easy setting. Drop in through the hottest midday-to-afternoon hours, then head back out to the temples when the light softens — it's far more comfortable. Reckon on around ฿50–120 a cup. We describe these by area rather than naming places, since cafés open and close often; have a look around or ask your hotel for one that's currently open.
On a day of cycling the temples in the sun, cold desserts are a real help — coconut ice cream with toppings like peanuts, sticky rice and lod chong, shaved ice in colourful syrups, and seasonal fruit cut and chilled, like mango, pineapple and watermelon. You'll find them at carts, markets and dessert shops in both towns, a few baht each but a big boost. They're a good snack during the day or after a heavy meal, especially in the hot season when the park has almost no shade. Track down a cup of coconut ice cream in the late afternoon and you'll feel revived straight away.
Because the park is fiercely hot at midday, many Sukhothai visitors set out to cycle the temples early, while the sun is still gentle — which makes breakfast matter. The easy options are congee and rice soup, youtiao (Chinese doughsticks) with soy milk, and old-style coffee; some guesthouses lay on breakfast too. The morning market in the New Town buzzes before dawn, with both savoury and sweet to choose from. A warm breakfast before heading out to the temples early gives you the energy to ride and skips the midday heat — the most comfortable rhythm for a town where you're outdoors all day.
Before you leave, look for dried snacks and local sweets to carry home. The New Town markets have dried snacks, longer-keeping Thai sweets, chilli pastes and local processed foods to choose from, all inexpensive — gifts that carry a local flavour without weighing down your bag. Bear in mind that coconut sweets or anything fresh should be eaten within a day or two, while dry goods like chilli paste and baked sweets keep longer and travel better as gifts. Swing by a New Town market at the end of your trip and pick everything up at once — it's the easiest way. If you're unsure how long something keeps, just ask the seller; they'll tell you.
To round things out, a dish everyone at the table will happily eat — stewed chicken and duck noodles in a herbal Chinese-style broth. A warming bowl, the broth mellow and fragrant with spices, the chicken or duck stewed soft until it falls apart, finished with spring onion and cilantro. It isn't spicy and there's no strong offal, so children and adults can all enjoy it. You'll find it across town in market shops and street stalls, perfect as a light meal during the day or a breakfast before heading out. If you're travelling as a group with picky eaters or kids, this is the safe, easy-to-love choice — handy for the times no one fancies Sukhothai noodles or anything bold.