🔄 Last checked 2 Jul 2026 · details and hours can change — check the venue before you go
In a city full of pretty cafes and famous northern Thai restaurants, there's a tiny fried-snack stall outside Prince Royal's College that the MICHELIN Guide has awarded a Bib Gourmand year after year, through the 2026 guide. Tue Ka Ko Na Prince is a roadside stall on Kaeo Nawarat Road that's been frying for around 40 years, founded by "Uncle Buay" before he passed it on to his granddaughter, Mae Ket (Ketsarin Khamsa), the second generation, who still stands at the wok every day frying to this day. The name "Tue Ka Ko" might sound puzzling — it comes from Teochew Chinese and literally translates to "pig's-leg-shaped snack," but what it actually is is sliced taro dipped in batter and deep-fried until crisp. It's a Chinese-style snack that's been rooted in the Wat Ket neighbourhood for about as long as the school across the street has stood there.
What sets this stall apart from ordinary fried taro is the technique. Here, they use three separate woks staged at different temperatures, so the taro cooks through evenly, turns light and crisp, and never ends up greasy — a technique MICHELIN calls out directly, praising the taro fritters as light, crisp, and fried fresh in small batches rather than sitting around waiting for customers. Order it, and it gets fried right then. The dish to take home is the tue ka ko drizzled with a three-flavour dipping sauce topped with crushed peanuts — sweet, sour, and a touch of spicy, cutting nicely through the richness of the fried taro. Just as popular with the queue is the fried tofu — hot, crisp outside, soft inside. Prices stay true to old-school Chiang Mai: THB 20 a set, and even eating your fill won't run past a hundred baht a person.
Half the charm here is the context. Wat Ket, on the east bank of the Ping River, is one of Chiang Mai's old trading quarters, where Chinese and other communities have lived side by side for over a century. A Teochew-style snack like tue ka ko isn't out of place here — it's evidence of just how lively this neighbourhood once was. Generations of Prince Royal's College kids grew up on bags of fried taro from this very stall, and parents picking up their kids stop to grab a bag on the way home, turning it into a shared memory for everyone around Kaeo Nawarat Road. MICHELIN stumbling onto it and awarding it year after year just confirms what people in Chiang Mai have known all along — this twenty-baht bag of fried snacks is made with the same care as places charging dozens of times more.
Tue Ka Ko Na Prince
Tue Ka Ko Na Prince is a roadside stall with no seating — takeaway only — located outside Prince Royal's College on Kaeo Nawarat Road, in the Wat Ket neighbourhood on the east bank of the Ping River, near Nawarat Bridge. Prices are very light: THB 20 a set, and eating your fill won't run past THB 100 per person. It's open roughly 09:00-16:00, but the key thing is it closes as soon as it sells out, not at a fixed time, and some sources say it's closed on Sundays — best to call ahead and check at 091-072-5891.
No booking needed and none is possible — just walk up and buy at the stall. They fry to order, one wok-load at a time, so the queue runs long right after school lets out. The best time to go is late morning to early afternoon, while stock is still full and before it gets crowded with parents picking up their kids. Order the tue ka ko with the three-flavour peanut dipping sauce, and add a bag of fried tofu — eat it hot for maximum crispness. If you're driving, look for parking around Kaeo Nawarat Road or the Wat Ket side, then walk to the school gate. Easy to combine with a wander around Wat Ket or a walk across the bridge to Warorot Market in the same trip.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| MICHELIN award 2026 | 🍽️ Bib Gourmand |
| Province | Chiang Mai |
| Cuisine | Street food / Teochew-style fried snacks |
| Approx. price | THB 20/set (under THB 100 per person) |
| Booking | No online booking — call 091-072-5891 |
| Hours | Roughly 09:00-16:00, closes early once sold out (some sources say closed Sundays — check before you go) |
| Landmark / getting there | Outside Prince Royal's College, Kaeo Nawarat Rd. |
| Area | Wat Ket / Kaeo Nawarat Road |
Before you go
Roadside stall with no seating — takeaway only, call 091-072-5891 · They fry to order, one wok-load at a time — go late morning to early afternoon, since it sells out and closes early
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