🔄 Last checked 2 Jul 2026 · details and hours can change — check the venue before you go
Who would have thought a pad thai shop charging 45 THB a plate, tucked into a small shophouse on Ruenchit Road in downtown Khon Kaen, would become a name the whole province is proud of — Sriruen Pad Thai is the only restaurant in Khon Kaen to win a first-time Bib Gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide 2025, and it held onto the award again in the 2026 edition. Behind the hot wok is Chef Sriruen, a cook who moved from Phitsanulok — a city long known for its noodles and noodle dishes — and settled in Khon Kaen, hand-frying pad thai one wok at a time for more than 30 years. That three decades of patience at the wok is exactly what makes every plate come out consistent enough that the MICHELIN inspectors took note.
The point MICHELIN calls out directly is the duck egg — most pad thai shops use chicken egg, but this one chooses duck egg, which gives a richer, more full-bodied flavour and coats the noodles just the right amount of soft and chewy. Duck-egg pad thai is therefore the dish to order first, followed by hot oyster omelette straight from the same wok, and stir-fried macaroni, which sounds ordinary but is the dish regulars keep ordering again and again. All of this starts at only around 45 THB a plate, earning it MICHELIN's most budget-friendly ฿ symbol — genuine guidebook-level food for under a hundred baht.
For Khon Kaen locals, this shop is a familiar dinner spot, since it's only open from three in the afternoon to half past nine at night — perfect timing for the end of the workday and school day in a university city like Khon Kaen, where the young crowd is large and the culture of eating dinner out is strong. What's interesting is that Isan's capital city, full of som tam, grilled chicken, and Vietnamese-style noodles, has a pad thai shop — a dish most people associate with central Thailand — representing it on the MICHELIN list. It says something about how good food doesn't care about region, as long as the cook cares enough. Anyone driving through Khon Kaen or stopping by Bueng Kaen Nakhon and getting hungry in the evening should walk into this small shophouse and order a plate of duck-egg pad thai — you'll understand right away why MICHELIN came back to award it two years running.
Sriruen Pad Thai (Ruenchit Road)
Prices start around 45 THB a plate — MICHELIN's most budget-friendly ฿ rating — for duck-egg pad thai, oyster omelette, and stir-fried macaroni. The shop is walk-in only, with no online booking; call 081-369-3297 for questions, and bring cash, since it's cash only. It's open every day from 15:00-21:30, afternoon through evening only, and gets busy in the evening after winning the Bib Gourmand, so arriving right at opening (15:00-17:00) means the shortest wait.
The restaurant is on Ruenchit Road, downtown Khon Kaen. There's no fixed dress code — come as you are.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| MICHELIN award 2026 | 🍽️ Bib Gourmand |
| Province | Khon Kaen |
| Cuisine | Noodles |
| Approx. price | Starts around 45 THB a plate (MICHELIN's most budget-friendly ฿ rating) |
| Booking | No online booking — call 081-369-3297 |
| Hours | Daily 15:00-21:30 (afternoon to evening only) |
| Landmark / getting there | Ruenchit Road, downtown Khon Kaen |
| Area | Downtown |
Before you go
Call 081-369-3297; cash only · Open 15:00 to 21:30 only — it gets busy in the evening after the Bib Gourmand award, so arrive right at opening (15:00-17:00) for the shortest wait
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🏅 MICHELIN restaurants across Thailand 2026