If you want to eat insects in Bangkok, the most reliable place to find them is a street cart in one of the city's big evening food streets, above all Yaowarat Road in Chinatown, where photos posted to Google Maps show carts of fried scorpions, larvae and other insects on sticks. The other route is Isan (northeastern Thai) cooking, in which ant eggs and ant larvae are traditional ingredients. What you will not easily find is a dedicated insect restaurant: we could not confirm any Bangkok restaurant that currently lists insects on an official menu.
Why insects are on the menu in Thailand
Eating insects is a regional tradition rather than a tourist gimmick. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) describes edible insects as an Isan staple and a favorite snack of the region's rice farmers, and Isan migrants have brought that food culture to Bangkok. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) notes that cricket farming has spread across rural Thailand, with more than 20,000 cricket farms reported, and it has photographed the variety of edible insects on sale in Thai markets.
The MICHELIN Guide's introduction to Isan food lists ant larvae among the ingredients of koi, a salad of raw minced meat, and of mok, a dish steamed or grilled in banana leaf. TAT's coverage of modern Isan fine dining mentions an ant-egg appetizer. In other words, insects turn up in two forms: as a crunchy fried snack, and as an ingredient in regional dishes.
Where to find them
Street carts in Chinatown
Yaowarat Road, the main street of Chinatown in Samphanthawong, is one of the street-food streets TAT names as popular with visitors, along with Khao San Road, and it is where the photographic evidence of insect carts is clearest. Carts move and vendors come and go, so we do not name individual stalls; look for trays of fried insects and skewers displayed under lights once the street fills up in the evening.
Chinatown makes a good evening in its own right. Visit Wat Traimit and its Golden Buddha, between Hua Lamphong and Yaowarat, before dark, then walk into the food streets. If you would rather sit down for dinner, Potong serves a Thai-Chinese tasting menu in a restored shophouse in the same district.
Isan restaurants
For insects as part of a proper meal, Isan restaurants are the place to ask, but menus change with the seasons and many dishes are not translated. Ask whether the kitchen has khai mot daeng (red ant eggs) before you order, and be aware that some Isan salads, including koi, can be served raw. Our Bangkok restaurants guide lists places we have verified.
A note on Insects in the Backyard
Older guides often recommend Insects in the Backyard, an insect-themed restaurant at the ChangChui creative park in Bang Phlat. ChangChui's own website no longer mentions it, and the restaurant's former web address now shows an unrelated site, so treat it as closed unless you can confirm otherwise before you travel.
Food-safety tips
FAO's review of edible insects from a food-safety perspective is the most useful guide here. Its main points for a visitor:
- Shellfish allergy matters. Insects and crustaceans such as shrimp belong to the same animal group, and FAO warns that people already allergic to crustaceans are particularly vulnerable to allergic reactions to insects because of cross-reactivity. If you react to shrimp or crab, skip them.
- Cooked is safer than raw. FAO says food-safety risks can be higher when insects are harvested from the wild and eaten raw, so choose freshly fried or thoroughly cooked insects over raw preparations.
- Fresh from the fryer is better. FAO notes that some bacterial spores can survive drying, boiling and deep-frying. Buy from a busy cart where food turns over quickly and is heated in front of you, rather than from a tray that has been sitting out.
- Farmed insects carry fewer risks. Insects reared under hygienic conditions reduce some hazards, such as microbial contamination, compared with wild-caught ones. Packaged snacks from a registered producer are the most controlled option.
Two practical points: agree on the price before the vendor bags anything, and pull off legs and wings on larger insects, which can be sharp.
Street food is only one part of a Bangkok evening; our Bangkok attractions guide covers what else to see around Chinatown and the Old City.
Sources: TAT: Thai cuisine of the four regions, TAT: Isan cuisine goes gourmet, MICHELIN Guide: 10 must-try Isan dishes, FAO: Looking at edible insects from a food safety perspective, TAT: Bangkok street food, ChangChui Creative Park, Google Maps: Yaowarat Road. Checked September 26, 2026.
Most often from street carts in the evening food streets, especially Yaowarat Road in Chinatown, where carts sell fried insects on sticks. Isan restaurants may also serve dishes made with red ant eggs or ant larvae, depending on the season.
We could not confirm one that is currently operating. Insects in the Backyard at ChangChui is often mentioned in older guides, but its former website now shows an unrelated site and ChangChui's own site no longer lists it.
Street carts typically sell fried insects such as larvae, crickets and scorpions on sticks. In Isan cooking, red ant eggs and ant larvae are used in salads and banana-leaf dishes.
Freshly fried or thoroughly cooked insects from a busy cart are the lower-risk choice. FAO warns that risks are higher for wild insects eaten raw, and that people allergic to shellfish are particularly vulnerable to allergic reactions to insects.
FAO advises caution: insects and crustaceans are related, and people allergic to crustaceans are particularly vulnerable to reactions from insects because of allergen cross-reactivity. It is safest to avoid them.
In the evening, when Yaowarat Road's street-food stalls are set up. Carts are mobile and do not keep fixed hours.
