🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
The name "Kad Kong Ta" comes from the Northern Thai dialect: kad means market and kong ta comes from the word for a river landing, so together it means the market by the boat landing. The quarter runs parallel to the Wang River, which in the old days was the route for shipping teak and trade goods in and out of Lampang. The shophouses lining both sides of the old market street were the homes of wealthy merchant families, built from the reign of King Rama V onward, and many of them are still standing today.
The charm here isn't just the food, it's getting to walk a street where the atmosphere still feels much as it did a century ago. Carved wooden buildings, Chinese-style brick houses, and European gingerbread homes line the street one after another. Once Saturday or Sunday evening comes around, the stalls spread out across the whole road and buskers play in spots along the way, giving it the feel of a small open-air temple fair.
Which days and what times it's open
- Open days: Saturdays and Sundays only (on weekdays it's a normal street with traffic, and you can still walk and look at the old buildings, but there's no market)
- Hours: roughly 4:00-10:00 PM. It starts to get busy after 6 PM once the air cools down
- Entry fee: free, no admission charge
- Best time: 6 to 9 PM. There's still light in the sky for photographing the old buildings, then you can graze your way along through the evening
Tip
Bring plenty of small notes and coins. Most of the food costs only a few baht, and the small stalls often can't easily break large notes, so you won't have to wait around for change.
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Old buildings worth stopping for
Just walking and eating is fun on its own, but what sets Kad Kong Ta apart from an ordinary walking street is the old buildings. Look up at the facades as you walk and you'll see three styles mixed together in one quarter. These are the ones locals point out most often.
Mong Ngwe Zin House
A white wooden building in a Burmese-meets-gingerbread style with a hipped roof, standing out for the carved woodwork all around it. It's the most photographed house in the quarter, built by a wealthy Burmese family who came to work in the teak trade in the old days.
Fong Lee Building
A two-storey brick building on the corner of the old market street, with unpainted brick and wood and a Chinese gabled roof crossed with Western touches. Raised about a metre above the street, it's the signature image of this quarter.
Shophouse row along the old market street
All along the street there's a mix of European gingerbread houses, Chinese shophouses, and old wooden homes. Walk slowly and look up at the carved wooden windows and doors and you'll spot details that new buildings just can't reproduce anymore.
For the best photos
The old buildings look best once the sky starts to darken and the stall lights come on (around 7 to 7:30 PM), when the warm light from the stalls plays off the old facades for moody shots. If you want photos with fewer people, come around 4 to 5 PM when the market is just setting up.
The best street food at Kad Kong Ta
The food here leans toward local specialties and cheap snacks you can graze on all the way down the street. These are the ones people stop for most often. Prices are rough ranges that depend on the stall and the size.
Khao Tan with watermelon juice (rice crackers)
A Lampang signature: sticky rice soaked in watermelon juice and palm sugar, then fried until crisp, sweet and fragrant. Buy it to snack on or take home as a gift. Several vendors make it, so you can taste and compare.
Sai Ua (Northern herb sausage)
Grilled Northern sausage fragrant with herbs. Eat it on a stick as a snack, or get a bag to go with sticky rice. The flavour isn't too strong, so kids can eat it too.
Grilled meatballs
Big pork and beef meatballs grilled hot. They hand you a knife and stick to cut them yourself, then dip in a tangy-spicy sauce. A hugely popular snack that kids love.
Khai Pam (banana-leaf grilled egg)
Beaten egg with seasonings wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled over coals, fragrant with the banana leaf and a dash of soy sauce and pepper. An old-school snack that's getting harder to find by the day.
Khao Kaep / traditional rice balls
Naturally coloured rice flour shaped into small bite-size sweets and drizzled with syrup. Easy to eat and just sweet enough, sold in little cups. A homey local treat.
Kuay Jap / khanom jeen nam ngiao
A filling Northern-style savoury dish. Nam ngiao, a mildly sour broth, is ladled over rice noodles and eaten with pork crackling and fresh veg. There are proper sit-down stalls for this in the quarter.
Fried garlic chives (kuychai)
Thin-pastry garlic-chive parcels fried crisp, with several fillings including chive, taro and bamboo shoot, dipped in sweet dark soy. An easy snack that's hard to stop eating.
Fried fish balls
Hot fried fish balls with a homemade dipping sauce. Bouncy texture eaten with a sweet-and-spicy sauce. An easy snack you'll find all the way down the street.
Shaved ice
Cool shaved ice loaded with toppings like grass jelly and lod chong, drizzled with milk, to cool off after a long stretch of eating. Pick your own toppings.
Cheese fries
A snack for the younger crowd: hot fries topped with melty cheese, with a choice of seasoning powders. Good for kids and anyone who wants a break from the local fare.
Besides the food, there are also handmade goods, souvenirs, local clothing, and Lampang ceramics (the city is famous for its rooster bowls) to browse between bites. Some prices can be haggled a little, but most are already set at fair, friendly levels.
How to make the most of the walk
An unhurried walk through Kad Kong Ta, about 2-3 hours
Parking
On market days the street is closed, so you'll need to park around the edge of the quarter and walk in. There are lots and roadside spots nearby. If you come in the evening when it's busy, leave a little extra time to find parking, or take a Lampang horse-drawn carriage in for a different kind of arrival.
How to get to Kad Kong Ta
- Location: Talat Kao Road, Suan Dok subdistrict, Muang Lampang district, running parallel to the Wang River near Ratsadaphisek Bridge (the White Bridge)
- From downtown Lampang: it's within the city itself, so a horse carriage, a hired ride, or driving yourself all work. It's a short distance.
- From Lampang Railway Station: about 2-3 km. A samlor (three-wheeler) or a hired ride gets you there easily.
- Pair it with nearby sights: Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao and the old-town quarter aren't far. Do them in the daytime, then finish with Kad Kong Ta in the evening.
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