Rice sold from wooden barrels at Onnuch Fresh Mart on On Nut Road Photo above: Tam TPSC via Google
For most visitors the best Bangkok cooking class is a morning session that starts with a guided walk through a fresh market and ends with a meal you cooked yourself. Four schools with their own websites, Sompong in Silom, Tingly on Surawong Road, Pink Chili in On Nut and Baipai in Chatuchak, all teach at individual cooking stations, and the three that publish group prices list 1,200 to 1,300 baht per adult as of October 3, 2026. This guide compares them, explains what a class includes and shows how to book each one.
Every school detail below comes from the school's own pages, read on October 3, 2026. Schools change menus, times and prices, so confirm when you book. Where a school's website did not state something, this guide says so instead of guessing.
What happens in a Bangkok cooking class?
The pattern is similar at every school here. You meet at the school, walk to a nearby market to see the ingredients, return, watch the instructor demonstrate each dish, then cook your own portion at a station with its own stove and wok. Most menus cover tom yum goong (hot and sour prawn soup), pad Thai or another stir-fry, a curry made from paste you pound yourself, and mango sticky rice for dessert. Curries rotate by weekday at Sompong and Tingly, so the day you book decides whether you make green, red, panang or massaman.
Classes run about three and a half to four hours. Tingly's morning session, for example, runs 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Pink Chili's runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a market walk at the start of each.
How do the main Bangkok cooking schools compare?
| School | Where | Sessions | Market visit | Price on the school's site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sompong Thai Cooking School | Soi Silom 13, Bang Rak | Morning 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; afternoon 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.; evening 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Morning class visits a local market (not named); afternoon and evening use the school's own indoor market | 1,300 baht morning; 1,200 baht afternoon and evening |
| Tingly Thai Cooking School | Soi Prachum, Surawong Road, Bang Rak | Morning 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; afternoon from 1:00 p.m.; evening 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. | Morning class tours Wat Kheak Fresh Market; afternoon and evening have no market | 1,200 baht adults, 900 baht children 5 to 11, under 5 free |
| Pink Chili | Soi On Nut 2, off Sukhumvit 77 | Morning 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; afternoon 2 to 6 p.m.; Monday to Saturday | Both sessions walk to On Nut Fresh Market | 1,200 baht for a four-hour class |
| Baipai Thai Cooking School | Ngam Wong Wan Road Soi 54, Lat Yao, Chatuchak | Morning 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; afternoon 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.; closed Sundays and public holidays | School mentions a herb garden or market tour; which sessions include it is not stated | No price on the pages we could read |
Sompong Thai Cooking School
Sompong is a family school founded in 2008 by Auntie Sompong and her niece, Teacher Koy, on Soi Silom 13 in Bang Rak. Its site lists two morning menus: a "favourite" set with tom yum goong, a basil stir-fry with fried egg, som tum and mango sticky rice, and a "popular" set with tom yum goong, pad Thai, mango sticky rice and a homemade curry paste with the curry of the day. Each guest gets a stove, wok and prep area, and the school says vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergen-friendly versions are available if you tell them in advance. Sompong also takes one private booking a day. Our own Sompong listing has the school's details.
You can book Sompong Thai Cooking School on Viator or on Klook. The school's site shows no cancellation terms, so check the terms on whichever page you book through.
BangkokVacay earns a commission from Viator and Klook if you book through the links in this article, at no extra cost to you.
Tingly Thai Cooking School
Tingly sits on Soi Prachum off Surawong Road, close to Silom. Its morning class begins with a guided walk through Wat Kheak Fresh Market, then returns to the school to make coconut milk by hand, pound curry paste in a stone mortar and cook five items. The afternoon and evening sessions skip the market. The school lists vegetarian and vegan options, halal chicken and allergy options, and its menu changes by weekday. It also takes children from 5 to 11 at a lower price and offers private classes and team-building sessions for up to 42 people, priced on request.
The morning class with the market tour is on Viator and the afternoon lesson is also listed there. Klook sells a Tingly class experience as well. Tingly's own pages do not state a cancellation policy, so read it before you pay.
Pink Chili
Pink Chili is the one school here that walks every guest to the market, morning or afternoon: the school says both sessions go to On Nut Fresh Market, and that late arrivals miss the walk. It describes itself as a ten-minute walk from BTS On Nut, Exit 1. The four-hour class covers four dishes and five recipes including curry paste, and the school says every dish has a vegetarian version. Its pages give different group-size limits (8, 10 and 12), so ask when you book. Bookings go through an online form and you pay in cash after class.
The same class is on Viator as Pink Chili's market tour and Thai cooking class. If you want a class that pairs a big market with a ride, one Viator listing adds a tuk-tuk ride to a large-market visit.
Baipai Thai Cooking School
Baipai teaches in an open-air, two-storey Thai house in Lat Yao, Chatuchak, and has done so since 2002. The school puts itself about two kilometers from BTS Ratchayothin and about 30 minutes from downtown, so it suits a morning when you are already heading to Chatuchak. Classes hold up to 12 guests at individual stations, family classes accept children from 7, and the school describes its menus as halal friendly with vegetarian options and a food-allergy field on its booking form. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. We list it as Baipai Thai Cooking School.
Other classes sold online
Viator and Klook list many more Bangkok classes than these four schools, and we could not check all of them. Viator has hands-on classes with a market tour in Silom, Sukhumvit and Sathon. Klook lists a class at Mango Cooking School in On Nut and White Lotus Thai Cooking Class. We found no official website for Mango Cooking School, so we have not checked its schedule or menu.
We have left Silom Thai Cooking School out of the comparison. Its own site still carries a banner saying it was temporarily closed until January 1, 2023, and we could not confirm its current schedule, so call before relying on it. Our Silom listing has what we know.
Which session should you choose?
Choose a morning class if you want the market. At Sompong and Tingly the market walk is part of the morning session only, while Pink Chili includes it in both. Choose an afternoon or evening class if you would rather spend the morning at a temple or sleep in; you still cook the same style of dishes, but you skip the outing. Rain is another factor, and our guide to the rainy season in Bangkok covers when showers are likely.
How do you book a Bangkok cooking class?
You can book directly with the school or through Viator or Klook. Direct booking uses each school's own form, phone or messaging line; Pink Chili checks availability and replies, and Sompong's office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Marketplace pages sometimes use different prices, cancellation terms and meeting points, so compare the details before you pay, and keep the school's meeting point handy. For other food experiences, see our Bangkok street food guide and the guide to what to eat in Bangkok.
For more guided outings, see our guides to bike and tuk-tuk tours and private guides and custom tours.
Sources: Sompong Thai Cooking School, Tingly Thai Cooking School, Pink Chili, Baipai Thai Cooking School, Silom Thai Cooking School. Checked October 3, 2026.
As listed on the schools' own sites on October 3, 2026: Sompong charges 1,300 baht for the morning class and 1,200 baht for afternoon and evening; Tingly charges 1,200 baht for adults and 900 baht for children aged 5 to 11; Pink Chili charges 1,200 baht. Baipai's pages did not show a price. Viator and Klook may charge different amounts, so compare.
Most run three to four hours. Sompong's morning class runs 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tingly's runs 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Pink Chili's is a four-hour class starting at 9 a.m. or 2 p.m., and Baipai's morning session runs 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Sompong's and Tingly's morning classes include a market walk, Tingly's at Wat Kheak Fresh Market. Pink Chili walks both its morning and afternoon groups to On Nut Fresh Market. Sompong's afternoon and evening classes use the school's own indoor market, and Tingly's afternoon and evening classes have no market.
Yes at these schools, with notice. Sompong lists vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergen-friendly options. Tingly lists vegetarian, vegan, halal chicken and allergy options. Pink Chili says every dish has a vegetarian option, and Baipai's booking form has a food-allergy field.
Tingly accepts children aged 5 to 11 at 900 baht and under-fives free, and Baipai runs family classes for children aged 7 and over. Sompong's and Pink Chili's pages did not state an age policy, so ask before booking.
Yes. Sompong takes one private booking a day with a fully customized menu and no listed price. Tingly offers private and team-building classes for up to 42 guests, priced on request. Pink Chili's pages list private half-day prices from 6,000 baht per person for one guest down to 2,000 baht per person for six or more, though that page may be older. Baipai lets private groups pick up to four dishes.
It is wise to. Pink Chili checks availability for each booking request, Sompong runs a limited number of stations, and Baipai is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Arrive on time for morning classes, because Pink Chili says late guests miss the market walk.
We could not confirm it. Its official website still shows a notice that it was temporarily closed until January 1, 2023, and we found no later update, so contact the school directly before booking.
