🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Hat Yai's chicken rice traces back to the Hainanese-Chinese who arrived more than 80 years ago, and many shops are still family businesses run generation after generation. Locals tend to go one of two ways: Hainanese chicken rice, with tender chicken poached in a bone broth, or Betong chicken rice, which uses firm-textured Betong chicken with crispy skin. Red pork rice is just as strong a tradition — fragrant roast pork over rice, ladled with a thick sweet-savoury sauce and usually eaten with crispy pork and a side of broth.
Hat Yai chicken rice — the spots locals go to
We'll start with chicken rice. Most shops cluster in the town centre around Niphat Uthit, Pracharak and Khlong Rian roads, opening from morning into the afternoon — and many sell out before closing time. If you've got your heart set on a famous shop, go before noon.
Betong Chicken Rice, Kim Pradit Rd
An old shophouse with a plain front, but the draw is firm-textured Betong chicken with crispy skin — served either poached or fried with crackling skin, plus a choice of dipping sauces. It's one of the first names that comes to mind for Hat Yai locals when they think chicken rice.
Mui Kee Chicken Rice (Mui Kee Ocha)
A legendary shop on Pracharak Rd, with walls weathered by age. It uses firm free-range chicken, fragrant rice and a well-balanced broth — a place the town's old-timers have been coming to for decades.
Hainanese Chicken Rice (Ko Ang)
Proper Hainanese style, near the Hat Yai post office. The chicken is plump and tender, the dipping sauce mixed to your liking, and the room has that classic old Hat Yai feel — a good pick if you want chicken rice the original way.
Ko Tee Ocha
In the Niphat Uthit 3 area, this one serves the chicken and rice on separate plates. The chicken is tender and the broth fragrant; reviewers praise it for being clean and consistent. An easy-to-find lunch option in the centre of town.
Tai See Hee Chicken Rice (Betong)
On Niphat Songkhro 5 Rd, the rice is cooked just right — not too oily — and the broth comes with seaweed, easy to drink. Another Betong-style chicken rice spot that people in town bring up often.
Chef Mong Chicken Rice
On Khlong Rian 1 Rd, a busy shop with a steady crowd — tender chicken, fragrant rice and friendly prices. Good for a quick lunch in the Khlong Rian area.
Padang Chicken Rice
On Suphasan Rangsan Rd, this shop used to sell over near Padang. The standout is a house dipping sauce a lot of people get hooked on, and the old shop blends right into the town's old commercial district.
Banana Leaf Chicken Rice (Po Mor branch)
Served on a banana leaf instead of a plate, so the rice picks up that banana-leaf fragrance. Prices are easy on the wallet, you can add a side of ribs, and it's open from afternoon into the evening — handy if you wake up late but still want chicken rice.
When to go
Plenty of the famous chicken rice shops sell out before the afternoon. If you want an old-school spot like Mui Kee or Ko Ang, going before noon is your surest bet. The Banana Leaf branch at Po Mor opens in the afternoon, so it's the fallback for late risers.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Hat Yai 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.
Hat Yai red pork rice — the lunchtime classic
The other half of this story is red pork rice. Hat Yai red pork stands out for its tender, fragrant roast meat and a thick sauce that lands just right between sweet and savoury. Many shops also do crispy pork, roast duck and chicken so you can combine them on one plate. Prices start around ฿40, which makes it a filling, good-value lunch.
Chin Kit Red Pork Rice (Zone 8)
A Hat Yai legend going back more than 70 years, started near the Yanyong market in Zone 8 before spreading into branches across town. The red pork is roasted over fire with real fragrance and the sauce is distinctive — if you're after Hat Yai red pork rice, this is the name people bring up first.
Apichat Red Pork Rice
An old family business that reviewers praise for big slices of tender red pork and a well-balanced sauce. Review scores stay consistently high, and it's a place Hat Yai locals recommend to each other often.
Ko Hom Red Pork Rice (old recipe)
Red pork rice done the old-fashioned way — tender pork with a little marbling, and crispy pork made by roasting and grilling. Dishes start around ฿40, with that traditional aroma and flavour that's getting harder to find.
S. Saeng Thong Red Pork Rice
A clean, airy room in cream-white tones. The menu runs from crispy pork rice and red pork to roast duck, stewed pork leg and chicken rice, all combinable on one plate — good for a group where everyone wants something different.
Sam Meng Red Pork Rice
A small shop with high review scores. The highlights are house-made Chinese sausage and a distinctive pickled-vegetable broth — a stop for traditional red pork rice fans.
Order smart
Most Hat Yai red pork rice shops let you combine red pork and crispy pork on one plate, and some will add a boiled egg or Chinese sausage. If there are a few of you, order the combo plate and share around so you taste everything.
Planning a chicken-rice and red-pork lunch run
With two days in Hat Yai you can easily pair a chicken rice trip with a red pork rice one. Most shops are in the town centre, within walking distance or a short motorbike ride of each other. Here's an unhurried way to lay out the days.
Hainanese & Betong chicken
The legendary red pork
Tips for a fun food run
- Bring cash — many old-school shops still take cash only, so small notes make life easier.
- Go before noon — the famous chicken rice shops sell out fast, while red pork rice is a little more flexible on time.
- Ask about the sauces — every shop has its own recipe, so taste before adding more to get the flavour they intended.
- Pace yourself — if you're hitting several shops, order a half plate or share around so you can taste it all.
Want to know what else there is to eat in Hat Yai? See the full city eat-and-explore guide.
See the Hat Yai guide →