🔄 Updated 13 Jun 2026
The charm of Hat Yai's night markets is that everything is piled into one spot. Walk a few steps and you go from smoky grills to hot fried snacks to Malay–Chinese–Thai sweets you'd struggle to find in other cities. Hat Yai is a border town where people of many backgrounds cross paths, so the flavors mix in fun ways. But each market has its own character — knowing that up front helps you pick the one that matches what you're craving and where you're staying that night.
Hat Yai's 3 main night markets, each strong at something different
Greenway Night Market
A big market lot on Kanchanawanit Road with a Greenway Food Station zone — a food court bringing together top stalls for savory dishes, sweets, grilled skewers and fried snacks, with comfortable seating. Open Tuesday–Sunday 5pm–10pm, closed Monday. Great for a full sit-down dinner.
Lee Gardens Night Market
A long street market in the city center, under 1 km from the train station. It opens around 4pm and is mostly a graze-as-you-go street food stretch, ideal for nibbling your way down and within walking distance of central-area hotels.
ASEAN Trade Bazaar (ASEAN Night Bazaar)
An open-stall market on Chotiwithayakul Road near Hat Yai's bus terminal. The building has two floors — clothing, shoes and secondhand finds downstairs, a multi-cuisine food court upstairs. Easy on the wallet, perfect if you like to shop and eat in one stop.
Check the day before you go
Greenway is closed every Monday, while Lee Gardens and ASEAN open almost daily but get busiest Friday–Saturday–Sunday. If you turn up on a Monday and still want a night market, head for Lee Gardens or ASEAN, since Greenway will be shut.
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 night market eats worth trying
We've ordered these by what comes up most often and what you can actually find in the main markets, leaning into the grilled, fried and sweet stuff that defines late-night street food here. The prices listed are rough ranges and will shift a bit depending on the stall and the size.
Grilled squid
The star of the grill at every Hat Yai night market. Fresh squid charcoal-grilled until fragrant, dipped in a punchy southern-style seafood sauce that's spicy, sour and loaded with garlic and chili. Greenway has several grilled-squid stalls to choose from, the smoke drifting toward you from a distance — order it with a cold beer or a fruit juice.
Grilled meatballs / grilled pork skewers
The snack you can't skip while you walk. Meatballs skewered and grilled until fragrant, brushed with a sweet-spicy sauce, while the pork skewers are milk-marinated and grilled soft — they pair perfectly with a small parcel of sticky rice. So cheap they're made for grabbing and grazing on the move before you reach your main-course stall.
Salt-grilled fish / grilled prawns
A big grilled plate for the genuinely hungry. A whole fish packed in salt and grilled until the skin is crisp and the flesh stays juicy, picked apart and dipped in seafood sauce. Greenway has grilled-fish and grilled-seafood stalls where you can sit down for dinner — ideal when you come with a group and share.
Hat Yai fried chicken
The city's number-one fried snack, sold at plenty of night markets. Golden, crispy skin topped with a generous heap of fried shallots, eaten with hot sticky rice. Greenway has fried-chicken stalls to pick from — make it a main or a snack. If you want to zero in on the standout specialist shops, read on in our fried-chicken piece.
Mixed fried snacks — spring rolls, chicken rolls, fried tofu
Fried-snack stalls where everything's heaped out by the tray — fried spring rolls, chicken rolls, fried tofu, oyster omelet, even nuggets and assorted battered bits. Pick what you want into a bag and pay by the piece, then dip in plum sauce or sweet chili sauce. A hugely popular nibble while you walk the market.
Cart-style steak
Budget market-style steak that Hat Yai pulls off better than the price suggests. Beef, chicken or pork in black-pepper sauce, served with fries, corn and beans. Greenway has a well-known steak stall with a queue — one plate fills you up for just over a hundred baht. Perfect when you want something hearty without paying much.
Chicken rice / red barbecue pork rice
Chinese–Thai main-dish plates you'll find in the Greenway food court and the bigger markets. The chicken rice is soft and fragrant, drizzled with a bold fermented-soybean sauce — a dinner that genuinely fills you up. Good for anyone who doesn't want fried and grilled stuff all night and just wants a hot plate of rice.
Tokyo pancakes / Vietnamese rolled crepes
A favorite sweet you'll spot all across the night markets. Thin batter rolled around custard, sausage or various sweet fillings, made fresh and hot, and very cheap. Grab one to finish a meal or carry as you keep walking. Kids love them and adults happily munch along too.
Roti / banana-egg roti
A Malay–Muslim sweet that Hat Yai nails — buttery and fragrant, crisp outside and soft inside, fried fresh on the griddle with banana and egg, drizzled with condensed milk and dusted with sugar. A closing dessert that suits this town perfectly, found both in the markets and at roadside stalls around the late-night zone.
Cold sweets — bingsu, ice cream, shaved ice
Cap off a full belly with something cold to beat the heat — fluffy-ice bingsu, coconut-milk ice cream, shaved ice loaded with toppings. Greenway has several dessert and fresh-milk stalls to choose from, great for a rest before heading back, or to split after a heavy round of grilled food.
Fresh fruit juice / smoothies
The drink that pairs with a Hat Yai night market meal. Fresh-blended fruit juices and smoothies are something Greenway reviewers love to order — fresh and well-priced, cutting nicely through all the grilled and fried richness. There are also tea (cha chak), iced tea and herbal drink stalls to pick from as you like.
Pork bone soup / hot brothy bowls
For a night when you want something hot to slurp, the Greenway food court has a big-pot pork-rib soup stall that locals order. The broth is rich and long-simmered, the meat falling off the bone and tender, eaten with steamed rice. A solid pick if you've walked yourself tired and want something warming.
Carry cash and small bills
Most market stalls take cash or PromptPay, but some small stalls can't scan easily when it's packed. Small bills make paying simpler, and keep in mind that a few popular stalls may sell out before closing if you arrive too late.
Make one night count — 2 routes by location
If you've only got one night and want to make it count, you don't need to hit every market. Pick a route based on where you're staying and the vibe you want. Here are two eating routes already mapped out for you.
City-center grazer — Lee Gardens + roadside stalls
Sit-down and relax — Greenway as a full dinner
Want shopping and eating in one go
If you want both shopping and food in a single spot, the ASEAN Night Bazaar fits the bill — browse clothes and shoes downstairs, then head up to the food court upstairs. Perfect for a night when you want to grab gifts and have dinner at the same time without moving on.
What to know before you go market-hopping
- Opening hours — Greenway: Tuesday–Sunday 5pm–10pm, closed Monday · Lee Gardens: from around 4pm onward · ASEAN: evenings, almost daily. Check the venue's page first if you're going on a weekday.
- When to go — around 6:00–7:30pm is the sweet spot: everything's stocked and it's not yet at peak crowds. Go late near closing and some stalls have sold out or are packing up.
- Getting around — Lee Gardens is in the city center, walkable from many hotels · Greenway and ASEAN sit a bit outside the core, so a motorbike taxi, songthaew or Grab is easier.
- Pace your appetite — there's so much food it's easy to fill up fast. Order a little from many stalls rather than a lot from one, so you can try more without filling up too soon.
- Halal — Hat Yai has plenty of Muslim-run stalls, from grills to roti to main dishes. Look for the halal sign or just ask the stall — options are easy to find.
Done with the night market? Round out your Hat Yai eating-and-sightseeing trip
See the Hat Yai travel guide →