Chanthaburi is a cool little place in Eastern Thailand. It’s got a little bit of everything including nice beaches, great natural parks and Chanthaboon Riverside Village which is one of the more unique destinations in the country. You can learn more about it here. Anyway, Chanchao Market is bringing some of the food and products popular in the region to Bangkok.
Having opened at the start of the year, Chanchao Market is a relative newcomer to Ekkamai. It’s also totally different from most other places around. While there are no shortage of Isan and Phuket restaurants around, you don’t see many offering Chanthaburi cuisine. And that’s somewhat surprising because the food there is pretty good.
There are quite a few curries on offer along with several other dishes. I’m no expert on this stuff and most of it is too gross looking for my tastes. That usually means normal farangs will like it. That being said, most of the pork dishes were nice and not overly spicy.
In terms of beverages, calamansi is in just about everything. There is a calamansi Americano, calamansi smoothies, calamansi honey drink, sparkling calamansi soda and the list goes on. Calamansi-flavored drinks are refreshing and these hit the spot on your typical, hot-ass Bangkok day. But you’re kind of out of luck if you don’t like calamansi.
Ice cream is another big thing in Chanthaburi and Chanchao Market has that in stock as well. The peanut candy bar ice cream is a must try, although you may be drawn to some of the other flavors. Unsurprisingly, they have calamansi ice cream too.
As its name implies, Chanchao Market has a store where you can also find various products from the region. It’s a neat addition and gives the shop a little extra character. There is a good selection of items including nam prik, honey and various ingredients that I assume are popular in Chanthaburi.
Chanchao Market is open 11am to 8:30am Tuesday-Sunday. It is located in the spot that Beeston use to occupy on Ekkamai Soi 2.
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Recommendation
Moo Chamuang is my choice here. It’s a pork belly curry that is sweet and a little sour. I’m also a big fan of the calamansi and mint smoothie.
Price
Nothing here is overly expensive, although it isn’t cheap either. Drinks are in the THB100-150 range while most dishes are under THB200.
Getting there
Chanchao Market can be found in the little shopping complex on the corner of Sukhumvit 63 and Ekkamai Soi 2. It is a five-minute walk at most from the Ekkamai BTS Station. Some parking is available, but it is extremely limited. Alternatively, you can park at Park Lane across the street.
