🔄 Last checked 2 Jul 2026 · details and hours can change — check the venue before you go
Mention Khon Kaen food and most people think of Khao Suan Kwang grilled chicken or stewed pork noodles, but the MICHELIN Guide found another gem tucked into a small shophouse on Thanon Lang Mueang: "Khun Jaeng Guay Tiew Pak Mor Kao Wang," one of the first shops in Khon Kaen serving Vietnamese-style steamed pak mor noodles, which has won a Bib Gourmand and stayed in the MICHELIN Guide for several years running, through the 2026 edition. What makes this shop especially charming is the story behind it — the pak mor recipe was passed down from the owner's mother, who sold pak mor in Bangkok for more than 30 years before the recipe made its way to settle in Khon Kaen. And crucially, the shop has only one branch, no franchise — if you want the real thing, this is the only place to get it.
The heart of the shop is the batter itself — MICHELIN went as far as praising the pak mor and sago wrappers here as flawless. The steamed wrapper is thin and soft yet chewy enough to hold the filling without tearing, and one bite tells you it's steamed fresh, sheet by sheet, by hands that have done this their whole lives. The dish MICHELIN calls unmissable is "pak mor tom yum egg noodle" — pak mor dropped into a sour, fiery tom yum broth with a cracked egg stirred in to thicken the soup — a pairing of something soft with something punchy that works together more than you'd expect. The chive-filled pak mor is also a standout, packed with fragrant, deep-green chive filling in every bite. Fans of the classic can order the pork sago with its clear, chewy pearls, or try the thick-broth pak mor, another of the shop's signatures. All of this comes in at under a hundred baht a head — genuinely the kind of value MICHELIN intends when it hands out a Bib Gourmand.
What makes this shop even more special than it first appears is that pak mor is a dish rooted in Vietnamese culture that has long been woven into Isan life — around Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Nong Khai you'll come across this style of steamed-batter food here and there, but few shops do it well enough for MICHELIN to write about. That a small shop on Thanon Lang Mueang, in the old quarter where Khon Kaen locals have walked the market for as long as anyone can remember, has become a destination for food lovers from across the country says something — good food doesn't need a mall or a spot by Bueng Kaen Nakhon. Just do the same thing well every day. Anyone planning a trip to Khon Kaen should save room for a breakfast here, drop into this small shophouse, and you'll understand why a recipe over 30 years old still stands at the top.
Khun Jaeng Guay Tiew Pak Mor Kao Wang
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| MICHELIN award 2026 | 🍽️ Bib Gourmand |
| Province | Khon Kaen |
| Cuisine | Steamed pak mor noodles · Vietnamese-style steamed-batter snacks |
| Approx. price | Under THB 100/head |
| Booking | No online booking — call 085-000-1668 |
| Hours | Daily 08:30-16:00 |
| Landmark / getting there | Thanon Lang Mueang, in-town Khon Kaen |
| Area | In-town (Thanon Lang Mueang) |
Tips before you go
Call 085-000-1668 · cash only · small shophouse with limited seating, packed during breakfast-to-lunch hours, and closed by 4pm sharp — go before noon or during the quieter early afternoon
Stay near Khon Kaen and trace the full MICHELIN list
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