🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Chachoengsao — locals just call it "Paet Riu" — has several old markets, but Ban Mai is the one people think of first, because it's still a living wooden riverside market, not just a photo backdrop. Walk into the shophouse lanes and you'll catch the smell of noodle broth, old-school coffee, and Thai and Chinese sweets all mixed together. The thing a lot of people come here specifically for is the noodle shops that have stayed open through several generations of the same family.
Before you go
Ban Mai Market really only comes alive on weekends and public holidays, from morning to afternoon. On weekdays most shops are closed. A few (like Baan Pa Nu) open every day. If you want to try all the noodle shops in the market, come on a weekend and arrive late morning.
Ranking the noodle and noodle-dish shops
This ranking is based on how distinctly Chachoengsao each shop is, plus what real reviewers in the market say — it isn't a fixed measure of which shop is better than another, because each one sells something different. You can easily try several in one meal since the bowls are small and cheap.
Pak Mo Steamed Noodles — Jook Dee
Chachoengsao's signature dish and worth trying at least once: thin fresh-steamed rice sheets wrapped around a filling and topped with sauce. Jook Dee is the original from Phanom Sarakham district that came to set up in the market, with up to 9 fillings to choose from. Easy to eat one bite at a time — a good way to start a meal before moving on to other shops.
Riverside Noodles — Ban Mai 100-Year Market
A noodle shop whose selling point is the seating: tables that reach out over the water behind the shophouse, so you eat with the Bang Pakong river breeze. The pork-bone broth is rich, with both guay chai (chive dumpling) soup and tom yum. Reviewers praise the chive-dumpling skin as just right — not too thin, not too thick. A comfortable, filling meal for under ฿100.
Boat Noodles — bowl by bowl
Small boat-noodle bowls in the "keep them coming" style, eaten one bowl at a time. It's right at the front entrance of the market on the right-hand side, easy to find — thin noodles with nam tok broth and a clear-broth option that's nicely balanced. This is usually the first shop tourists stop at, because you run straight into it as you walk in.
Old-style guay jub in the market
Another noodle dish people like to order alongside their noodle soup: rolled guay jub noodle sheets in a fragrant peppery broth with offal and crispy pork. It's an old Chinese flavour that suits the wooden-shophouse setting well. You'll find it at shops in the lanes through the middle of the market.
Rice-and-curry & stir-fried noodle old shop
Besides noodle soups, the market also has local rice-and-curry and stir-fried-noodle shops that have sold for several generations. Good if you've come as a group and want something more substantial. The prices are homestyle, and you can ask the owner what's fresh that day.
Baan Pa Nu (noodles & riverside food)
A well-known spot in the market right by the pier, with a view of the trains passing. It focuses on Thai food, home-style dishes and grilled seafood, plus some noodle dishes too. The big draw is that it's open every day, 10:00–20:00, even when the market is quiet — good for settling in to watch the Bang Pakong River in the evening.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Chachoengsao food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
The charm of eating in a wooden shophouse
What makes the noodles here different from a shop in town is the "seating." Many shops are still the original two-storey wooden shophouses: the front opens onto the walkway, while the back is a wooden balcony reaching out over the Bang Pakong River. From some tables you can watch boats go by and see the railway bridge, with the river breeze drifting through — an atmosphere that's hard to find at an ordinary noodle shop.
- Come late morning to afternoon — the market runs from morning into the afternoon, and several noodle shops sell out before evening. Arrive too late and you may miss the popular ones.
- Order one small bowl at a time — the bowls here are small and cheap, so you can try several shops in one meal without getting too full to keep walking the market.
- Bring cash — most shops in the old market take cash. Some accept bank transfers, but not all.
- Save room in your stomach — beyond noodles, there's old-school coffee, mooncake-style pastries (khanom pia), khanom kong and lod chong to finish the meal.
After noodles, what else to see in the market
Old-style riverside coffee
An old-school coffee shop in a wooden shophouse, brewed the traditional cloth-bag way. A relaxed spot to sip with the river breeze right after your noodle meal.
Khanom pia & Thai-Chinese sweets
The market's signature take-home treats: khanom pia, khanom kong and other old-style sweets that have been made here for years. Buy some to take home or snack on as you walk.
Bang Pakong river-view pier
A riverside rest spot in the market with a view of the Bang Pakong River and the railway bridge. Good for photos and resting your legs after eating your way around.
Getting there and parking
Ban Mai Market is in Mueang Chachoengsao district, about an hour and a bit from Bangkok. You can drive yourself, or take the Eastern Line train to Chachoengsao station and continue to the market by local transport. The market sits near the railway bridge, with parking under the bridge and around the market. It's busy on weekends, so coming a little earlier makes finding a spot easier.
Tip
If you're coming on a day trip from Bangkok, Ban Mai Market noodles make a late-morning meal. From there you can go on to pay respects at Wat Sothon and Wat Saman Rattanaram, all comfortably in one day.
Plan a full day of eating around Chachoengsao
See the Chachoengsao travel guide →