🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Ask anyone from the south where to eat in Hat Yai and you'll get a two-part answer every time: Kim Yong and Santisuk Market in the Nipha Uthit area during the day, then a night market come evening. The city draws influence from Chinese, Thai, and Malaysian-Singaporean culture — cross-border shoppers have shaped the food scene here in ways you won't find elsewhere. We've mapped out where to be at each time of day, what to eat, and what to take home.
Hat Yai Night Markets — Which One to Choose
Hat Yai has several night markets, each with a different feel. If you want good photos and a relaxed vibe with fairy lights and chill music, Greenway is your spot. If you want cheap finds, a long walk, and plenty of food stalls, head to Asean Night Bazaar. And if you want a floating market with cultural flair, it's worth the short drive out to Klong Hae.
Greenway Night Market
A central city market with pretty lights, a food station zone covering street food, grilled items, fresh-squeezed juices, and a vintage clothing section. Open Tuesday–Saturday, roughly 17:00–22:00. Great if you like photos and a relaxed sit-down atmosphere.
Asean Night Bazaar
A large open-air market on Chotiwithi Road near the bus terminal, walkable from Greenway. Heavy on cheap finds, loads of food stalls, second-hand clothes — you can easily walk for hours.
Klong Hae Floating Market
The first cultural floating market in southern Thailand — boats selling local food alongside land stalls. Open Friday–Sunday, roughly 16:00–21:00. Has a full range of savoury and sweet southern dishes. Slightly outside the city centre.
Plan your days carefully
Greenway is closed on Mondays and sometimes on Sundays depending on the period. Klong Hae is only open Friday–Sunday. If you're arriving early in the week, check the market's Facebook page before you head out — nothing worse than showing up to a closed stall.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Songkhla 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.
Street Food and Snacks Worth Trying
Don't fill up at the first stall — Hat Yai night markets have a lot of snacks and the prices are low. Here's what locals actually order, from grilled and fried to sweet.
Hat Yai Fried Chicken (Kai Tod Hat Yai)
Marinated fried chicken topped with crispy fried shallots. The real deal has crackling skin and juicy meat inside. Eat it with hot sticky rice. You'll find it at famous shops around town and at market stalls — this is the one dish you shouldn't skip.
Tao Kwa
A southern-style salad of rice noodles, fried tofu, boiled egg, prawns, pork belly, and blanched vegetables dressed in a tangy-sweet-spicy sauce. A light snack that's hard to find outside the south.
Roti & Teh Tarik (Cha Chak)
Crispy-outside, soft-inside roti drizzled with condensed milk, paired with pulled-tea teh tarik frothed by stretching between two cups. A Malaysian-influenced duo — order them together.
Fried or Grilled Fish Balls
The star stall at every night market. Skewered fish balls, fried or grilled, dipped in sweet-chilli sauce. Easy walk-and-eat food, very cheap, kids love them.
Khanom Tokyo
Thin crepe-style wrappers rolled around sweet cream, savoury fillings, or sausage. A classic market snack made fresh at the stall — they're hot and gone fast.
Grilled Squid (Pla Muek Yang)
The south is coast country. Fresh squid chargrilled over charcoal, served with a sharp, tangy seafood dipping sauce. A reliable snack at grilled-food stalls throughout the night market.
Sticky Rice with Fried Chicken / Black Sticky Rice with Salted Fish
Southern-style sticky rice wrapped for easy eating. Either paired with fried chicken or the more unusual black sticky rice with salted fish — a salty-sweet contrast. Available at halal food shops and market stalls.
Fresh Fruit Juice & Iced Tea
Walking a hot market means you need something cold in hand. Fresh-blended fruit juices and iced milk tea are everywhere, and cheaper than in Bangkok. Genuinely refreshing.
Late-Night Congee & Dim Sum
Hat Yai has a well-known dim sum culture — some shops in the market area and nearby hotels stay open late into the night. A bowl of hot congee and steamed dim sum is a solid way to end the evening.
Honest note
Night market snacks are about fun and value — not every stall is going to blow your mind. Your best bet is to follow the queue: stalls with a line and fast turnover mean the food is fresh. For anything grilled or fried, fresh off the heat is everything.
Kim Yong Market — Shopping for Souvenirs
Kim Yong Market is Hat Yai's top souvenir destination — open all day, generally 06:00–18:00, with the outer fresh-produce section starting as early as 06:30. The big draws are imported nuts and dried goods, dried fruit, processed seafood, and Malaysian-Singaporean snacks that cross the border and land right here. The ground floor is where you'll find food stalls, nuts, dried fruit, and imported snacks.
- Imported Nuts & Dried Goods — Cashews around ฿400/kg, pistachios around ฿440/kg, almonds around ฿540/kg, macadamias around ฿380/kg. Most are vacuum-sealed and keep for months.
- Malaysian & Singaporean Biscuits and Chocolate — Imported biscuits, snacks, and chocolate brands you rarely see in Bangkok. Prices are good because they come directly from across the border.
- Dried Fruit and Snacks — Preserved plums, peaches, raisins, seaweed, dried mango. Stalls at the front of the market will let you try before you buy.
- Processed Seafood — Dried squid, salted fish, dried fish strips, quality shrimp paste (kapi) from the south. Good souvenirs for people who cook.
- Fried Durian & Crispy Fried Chips — Fried durian, jackfruit, taro — crunchy, bagged, easy to share. Simple to buy and hand out.
Kim Yong shopping tips
Tasting samples at stalls is normal market etiquette here — feel free. If you're buying multiple things from one seller, asking for a small discount or a freebie is fair game. And when buying nuts, go for the vacuum-sealed packs over the loose scooped-into-a-bag option — they'll stay fresh much longer.
Santisuk Market & Nipha Uthit — The Everyday Shopping Belt
Right next to Kim Yong is the Santisuk Market area and Nipha Uthit roads 1–2–3, Hat Yai's long-standing budget shopping strip for clothes, bags, shoes, cosmetics, and miscellaneous food items. It's all in the same neighbourhood, so you can walk between Kim Yong and here without backtracking. Best done late morning to mid-afternoon before splitting off for dinner.
- Santisuk Market — Everyday goods, clothing, and miscellaneous souvenirs at low prices. Bargaining is fine.
- Nipha Uthit Road — Shops stretch in a long row, continuous with Kim Yong. Food shops are dotted throughout.
- New Kim Yong Morning Market — Fresh produce, food stalls, and souvenirs from early morning. Worth it if you're an early riser who enjoys a fresh-market walk.
Hat Yai in 2 Days — Eat Everything, Shop Everything
Two days is enough to cover Hat Yai properly. Day one focuses on the city and the night market; day two wraps up souvenir shopping with a side trip to Klong Hae.
City Centre + Night Market
Souvenirs + Klong Hae Floating Market
Plan your full Hat Yai–Songkhla trip — accommodation, food, and things to do
See Songkhla Travel Guide →