Street stalls in Thailand: also for delicious drinks!
Thailand blog is usually about food, but you can also go to the street side for tasty, non-alcoholic drinks. Everywhere you see stalls with juices, coffee, shakes and more. Try them out, you will be pleasantly surprised!
In Thailand it is important to have a lot drink. Thailand is one of the hottest countries and Bangkok is even the hottest city in the world. If you don't get enough fluids, you can become dehydrated and sick. Fortunately, you can buy a drink every few meters. The best places to do this – and this goes for any Thai city – are the street stalls. Bangkok has hundreds to thousands of stalls selling lemonade, smoothies and fresh juices. The drinks are cheap, made in front of you and taste great. But what exactly is being sold and what is the best thing to buy?
Fresh orange juice
One of the best drinks you can buy on the street is fresh fruit juice. Many stalls only sell orange juice. The oranges are freshly squeezed. The seller then adds a little bit of salt in addition to sugar (not a bad idea, because your body loses a lot of salt through the heat because you sweat). After mixing, your drink is put in a sealable plastic bottle and served with a straw.
Other fruit juices from street stalls in Thailand
You can also get bottles or small plastic bags with other fresh fruit juices almost everywhere in Thailand. At the street stalls in Bangkok you will find coconut juice, avocado juice, rambutan, pineapple juice, longan, lychee, and endless combinations of these fresh fruits. Some stalls offer the juices already mixed, other stalls mix the fruit while you wait.
Personally, I prefer to go to the latter stalls, because you can indicate that you do not want sugar in your drink. In Thai you say 'Mai Ow Nam Tgan'.
Fruit shakes
You will find more and more stalls with fruit shakes and smoothies in Thailand. I usually take a fruit shake with banana, pineapple and watermelon; delicious! Each stall has a variety of fruit juices that you can mix to your own taste. You can also have your own mix made. They mix the shake with yogurt or soy milk, or just with fruit juice. In other cases you can choose what you want.
Coffee and coffee variations
Coffee is becoming more and more popular in Thailand. You can buy a cup of coffee just about anywhere in Bangkok (and other places in Thailand). Street stalls sell the best coffee. You can go there for regular coffee, but also for Americanos, and lattes with caramel, chocolate, vanilla and other flavors. You always have the choice between hot coffee or iced coffee. Thai coffee is also available. This one is usually very sweet, because it contains a lot of coffee creamer and sugar, but it is quite tasty.
Tea and tea varieties in Thailand
Green tea is popular throughout Asia, including Thailand. At the stalls you can get the normal green tea, cold green tea and iced tea. There are also green tea shakes and smoothies and green tea is mixed with ice. There are many more varieties of green tea that you can encounter.
Thai tea is also an option. This tea is, albeit a bit sweet, very tasty. Thai tea has a distinct orange color – a mix between the color of tea and the color of orange juice. Sugar and coffee creamer are also added to the tea, which will make it too sweet for some people. It does taste good on a hot day. The prices of tea and tea varieties are the same as those of coffee. Sometimes you pay 5 Baht more for a special green tea mix.
Sweet lemonade
You will also come across stalls selling brightly colored lemonade syrup. These drinks are popular with Thai children. You see them in the colors bright red, bright yellow or bright green. They are made from an (artificial) fruit syrup and are often served in a plastic bag with ice and a straw. Dirt cheap, but because of the large amount of sugar it is better not to take too much.
In short: when it comes to drinking, there is something delicious for everyone in Thailand. I regularly buy a drink on the street and have never gotten sick from it. Just try different juices. In Thailand, really fantastic combinations are mixed. It's not expensive and it tastes great!
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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