🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Tha Khon Yang is the sub-district right in front of Mahasarakham University (the Kham Riang campus, locally known as the "new campus") in Kantharawichai district. This is the hub for dorms, rice shops, coffee spots and snack stalls, with tens of thousands of students cycling through every day. The appeal here is pricing built for a tight budget, plus shops that stay open late enough for anyone cramming for exams or wrapping up a group project. We've grouped everything by what you're craving and noted opening hours and rough prices as posted by each shop.
Rice Plates & One-Dish Meals at Student Prices
The home base for anyone on a 40–60 THB budget is the rice-plate shops scattered along the dorm sois around campus. Most are cooked fresh to order, you can ask for whatever you like, refills on rice are fine, and many stay open into the evening and late at night.
Krua Bai Fern (Made-to-Order)
A rice-plate spot in Tha Khon Yang that students stick with because it's fast and cooked fresh. The menu runs the full range — pad krapao, pad prik gaeng, creamy omelette — all filling over a single plate of rice. Order it mild or fiery, your call, and the flavour stays steady no matter how often you go.
Made-to-Order Shop Opposite Sap Likhit Dorm
A made-to-order spot in front of the dorms that students pass around by word of mouth. The draw is big plates and plenty of rice for not much more than usual — perfect for a night when you just want to eat your fill without overthinking it. Walk straight over from the dorm.
Jan To Khao Man Gai
Tender thigh chicken over fragrant oiled rice, with a punchy fermented-soybean dipping sauce that keeps you coming back. The portions live up to the shop's name ("big plate"). A popular lunch for the campus crowd who want to eat well without denting the wallet.
Yutthana Khao Man Gai
Chicken rice in front of the 7-Eleven near Krungthai Bank, right on the student walking route — quick and easy to order, with both boiled and fried chicken. Good for a grab before class or a light late-night meal.
Student-budget tip
Early in the month the made-to-order shops have the longest queues from around 5pm to 7pm, when classes let out all at once. If you'd rather not wait, push your meal to 8pm or later — the shops thin out and the food is still all there.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Mahasarakham 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.
Som Tam & Bold Isan Food, the Neighbourhood Staple
You're in Isan — how could you not eat tam? Around campus there are tam shops ranging from a small roadside mortar to sit-down spots, ordered alongside sticky rice and grilled chicken. People here treat tam as a main meal, not a snack.
Au Saep Ver MSU
A som tam shop in front of the university that students rank near the top. The shop's own slogan plays up just how student-friendly the prices are. Want a particular flavour? Order it your way — tam thad, tam sua, grilled chicken, grilled pork neck, all under one roof. Open until midnight, so it works for everything from dinner to a late bite.
Song Siao Khao Nam Tam Saep
A tam-over-rice style shop that Tha Khon Yang students review often. Bold and satisfying in the true Isan way — order the tam with sticky rice or steamed rice, your pick — and the portions are worth the price. For anyone who likes their food properly hot and savoury.
Boat Noodles Anusawari Tha Khon Yang
Rich Bangkok-style boat noodles, both tom yum and nam tok versions. The small bowls are cheap, so ordering several won't hurt the wallet — a good light option for an afternoon or a late night when you don't want anything heavy.
Mookata & Shabu, the Late-Night Group Meal
The meal students gather over most is mookata — split between everyone it's cheap, you can sit and talk for ages, and plenty of spots around Tha Khon Yang really do stay open late. The draw is the pay-by-weight system and buffets you can pick to suit your budget.
TA Mookata
The regular haunt for late-night crews in Tha Khon Yang, with both pay-by-weight and buffet options and a cracking jaew dipping sauce. Opens in the afternoon and runs until around 3am — perfect for a night when the group project wraps late and you're still hungry.
MN Mookata & Seafood
A mookata shop whose standout is the seafood — scoop everything in, no minimum. Easy to find next to the Beauty Center, near the 7-Eleven. Good for a group that wants some seafood alongside the usual pork.
Saep Dad Pak (Hot-Pan Suki)
Hot-pan suki with shrimp, pork, squid and other seafood. The selling point is a house dipping sauce students love — blanch it hot, great on a cool evening, and good value split across a group.
Jaew Hon, the Isan-Style Group Feast
If you want something truly signature to this neighbourhood, try jaew hon — a hotpot of intense herbal broth with a jaew dip, eaten with beef and vegetables. It's the dish Mahasarakham locals gather around when there's a big group of them.
Jaew Hon Tha Khon Yang is the legendary spot of the area. Open for more than 40 years — since around 1984 — it has grown into a large garden restaurant seating several hundred. The thick, fragrant herbal broth is what people talk about most. Expect around 101–250 THB per person, open daily 10:00–23:00, at 134 Moo 4, Thinanon Road, Tha Khon Yang, with a wide car park — ideal for a day when you want a long, leisurely group meal. Honestly, it's a step up in price from the rice-plate shops, but split across several people it's still good value.
Straight talk
On Friday and Saturday evenings Jaew Hon gets seriously packed. If your group is more than six, call ahead to book a table to be safe — otherwise you may be waiting in line for a while.
Snacks, Desserts & Student-Priced Milk Tea
Between meals, Tha Khon Yang has snacks and desserts lined up along the walkways, with prices starting in the tens of baht — perfect to carry back to the dorm or nibble while you study.
- Strawberry Case — a snack shop in front of Bangkok Bank, Tha Khon Yang, with a varied menu starting around ฿25. Good for a quick light bite.
- Bubble Milk Tea Shops, Tha Khon Yang — several stalls spread along the row of shops outside campus, at student prices of ten to twenty-something baht a cup. The constant companion to a study session.
- Sinu Zane Bakery — fresh cakes and donuts baked daily, right next to Volume Studio, Tha Khon Yang. For anyone who loves baked goods.
- Bua Loy with Fresh Coconut Milk (Le's Shop) — a warm dessert with fresh coconut milk, perfect to finish a meal or to have in the evening.
Talat Noi MSU and the On-Campus Food Zone
If you'd rather not leave campus, the university grounds have a food zone students rely on every day. Talat Noi MSU gathers rice shops, boat noodles, som tam with grilled chicken, khao soi and desserts in one place — friendly prices, open midday to evening, ideal for a meal between classes when you don't want to walk far. And if you live in the dorms and get hungry late, the shops along the Tha Khon Yang fence are the answer, since they stay open much longer than the on-campus zone.
Where to Eat Late, by the Hour
- Until midnight — Au Saep Ver som tam (closes 23:59) and some made-to-order shops that close around midnight.
- Until 3am — TA Mookata is the anchor for serious late-night eaters: cheap when split and good for a long sit.
- Morning to evening — Jaew Hon Tha Khon Yang (10:00–23:00), plus the chicken-rice and noodle shops that suit lunch.
- Snacks & milk tea — open late along the row of shops outside campus, easy to carry back to the dorm into the night.
On paying
Most student shops accept PromptPay transfers / QR scans, but some small roadside mortar stalls are still easier with cash. Keep a few small notes on you and it'll go more smoothly.
Plan a full day of eating around Mahasarakham
See the Mahasarakham travel guide →