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🦐 Rayong food trip

Rayong Food Trip
Ban Phe–Seafood–Dried Seafood

Rayong is under three hours' drive from Bangkok, yet you eat seafood straight off the boats. This trip is built for eaters: fried sea bass with fish sauce from the old-school spots on Saeng Chan Beach, made-to-order seafood by the Ban Phe pier, and a market stroll to load up on dried seafood for the trip home. It's laid out hour by hour over 2 days and 1 night, so you can just follow along.

🦐 Fresh Ban Phe seafood🐟 Dried seafood to take home🚗 2 days, 1 night

Rayong Food Trip Ban Phe–Seafood–Dried Seafood

🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026

If the whole point of the trip is to eat, Rayong is worth every drop of fuel. The seafood here comes off the boats around Ban Phe and goes straight into the kitchen, and prices are still gentler than at a lot of beach-resort towns. We planned this one with no rush: eat well, browse the market for dried goods without any pressure, then head home. To be upfront, we didn't hit every restaurant in a single day. We picked the spots that locals and reviews keep mentioning and strung them into a route you can actually drive in order.

Read this before you set off

A lot of Ban Phe seafood places and dried-goods markets close early, and some shut mid-week. Check opening days on the shop's page before you get in the car. If you come on a weekend, the popular spots get long lunchtime queues, so leave yourself some buffer.

Day 1 — Into Rayong town, seafood at Saeng Chan Beach

Day 1

Rayong town–Saeng Chan Beach–Yommarat

10:30

Leave Bangkok, drive into Rayong town via the motorwayAbout 180 km, roughly 2.5–3 hours. Worth one coffee stop at a service station along the way.

13:00

Seafood lunch around Saeng Chan BeachThis stretch is the home of fried sea bass with fish sauce, with shops that have been open for decades. Common orders are fried sea bass with fish sauce, grilled squid, and baked prawns with glass noodles. Reckon on around 250–400 THB a head if you come as a group.

15:00

Check in to a stay in town or along Saeng Chan BeachRest up and walk the beach to work up an appetite before dinner. Saeng Chan Beach and Mae Ramphueng Beach run into each other.

17:30

Walk Yommarat Road in the old town, snacking shop by shopThe old buildings along the road hide well-known noodle spots like Ban Saphan Mai (mu liang) and Je Muay (yen ta fo). Grab something light between meals; the atmosphere is relaxed and good for photos.

19:00

Dinner, a full seafood spreadPick a beachfront place, order it fresh: steamed blue crab, oysters, grilled prawns, finished off with seafood tom yum. Once you're full, head back to your room.

🎟️

Book the activities in your Rayong trip ahead

Booking online ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide is usually cheaper than the gate and skips the queue. Pick only the experiences you actually want — prices and availability are shown live on each site.

🎟️ Top tours in RayongHighlights, guided Klook 🎟️ Rayong attractions & ticketsSkip-the-line entry tickets Klook 🚐 Day trips from RayongOut and back in a day Klook 🌎 Rayong activities (GetYourGuide)Global tour marketplace GetYourGuide

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Day 2 — Ban Phe made-to-order seafood + dried-goods market

Day 2

Ban Phe–dried-seafood market–home

08:30

Light breakfast at your stay, then drive down to Ban PheFrom Rayong town to Ban Phe is about 17–20 km, an easy half-hour drive. You pass fruit orchards on the way, so if it's the season, stop for durian and mangosteen.

10:00

Made-to-order seafood near the Ban Phe pierAround the pier there are made-to-order seafood places like Khun Jiab Talay Tam Sang Ban Phe (open 07:00–16:00, closed Tuesdays). You can order a single dish; it's fresh off the boats and the prices are friendly.

11:30

Walk the Ban Phe fresh market and pick up dried seafoodBan Phe Municipal Market and Nuan Thip Market are the main sources for dried goods: dried squid, dried shrimp, salted fish, shrimp paste, fish sauce. Most are price-tagged with a little room to haggle. Open roughly 08:00–18:00.

13:00

Lunch by the sea in Ban Phe before packing upKrua Ban Talay Phe and the other beachfront spots around here are easygoing, with a cool breeze. Order seafood one more time to close out the trip.

15:00

Hit the road home, trunk full of dried goodsAvoid leaving late on a Sunday unless you want to hit the inbound Bangkok traffic. Setting off early afternoon goes a lot smoother.

Ban Phe dried seafood: what to buy

Dried seafood is the souvenir nearly everyone hauls back from Rayong, because it keeps for a long time and you can actually cook with it. Here's what to look for at the Ban Phe markets, and what's worth a taste or a sniff before you buy.

Dried squid / seasoned squid sheets — Ban Phe's signature. You'll find whole dried squid for grilling and ready-to-eat sheets. Pick ones with firm flesh and even color.
Dried shrimp — go for a natural orange color, fully dried with no dampness. Larger ones cost more but taste sweeter; great for som tam or yum.
Salted / sun-dried fish — several kinds to choose from. Ask the vendor how salty it is before you commit.
Shrimp paste & fish sauce — Rayong shrimp paste is fragrant and fine-textured, a kitchen staple that plenty of people buy to take home.
Other processed snacks — fried durian, fried taro and other treats from Rayong's orchards. Pick some up to snack on along the way.

Picking dried goods that are worth it

Always smell before you buy. Fresh dried goods smell good with no musty edge. If you want them to keep, choose the fully dried ones and ask for a vacuum-sealed bag; lots of shops do it for free.

The spots we picked out for you

Here's the rundown of the shops and markets from the route above, so you can see them all at a glance and slot them into your trip by opening days and whichever location is handiest. The prices are rough ranges from reviews and may shift with the season and what you order.

1

Seafood around Saeng Chan Beach

Lunch–dinner · beachfront Saeng Chan Beach, Rayong town

The home of Rayong's fried sea bass with fish sauce, with a string of long-running shops along the beach. The fish is crisp outside and soft inside, drizzled with a balanced sweet-and-salty fish sauce. This is the dish to order the moment you arrive.

SeafoodMust try

Per head ฿250–400

2

Khun Jiab Talay Tam Sang Ban Phe

07:00–16:00, closed Tue · near Ban Phe pier

Made-to-order fresh seafood near the Ban Phe pier, straight off the boats. A big menu, you can order a single dish, with the punchy flavors Rayong is known for and friendly prices. Good for a late-morning meal on market day.

Made to orderFresh catch

Per dish ฿80–200

3

Krua Ban Talay Phe

Phe subdistrict, Rayong · on the sea

A seafront seafood place in Ban Phe, roomy with a cool breeze, fresh food and easygoing service. Reviews call out the seaside setting and the prices that don't sting. A good closing meal before you head home.

SeafoodSea view

Per head ฿200–350

4

Ban Phe Fresh Market (Municipal Market)

Open daily ~08:00–18:00 · near Phe pier

Ban Phe's hub for fresh and dried seafood: dried squid, dried shrimp, salted fish, shrimp paste, fish sauce, the full souvenir lineup. Plenty of parking, and most items are price-tagged with a little room to haggle.

MarketSouvenirs

Depends on the item

5

Nuan Thip Market, Ban Phe

Ban Phe area, Rayong

Another souvenir spot for dried goods where people stop for squid sheets, dried squid and processed seafood. Several vendors to choose from, so it's easy to compare prices in one place.

Dried goodsSouvenirs

Depends on the item

6

Ban Saphan Mai Noodles (Yommarat)

Yommarat Road, Rayong town

A mu liang noodle shop in an old wooden building in the Yommarat old town, with a vintage feel. The mu liang clear soup and dry noodles are the go-to orders. A good stop between meals while you walk the old street.

NoodlesOld town

Per bowl ฿50–80

7

Je Muay Noodles (Yommarat)

Yommarat Road, Rayong town

A long-standing yen ta fo and pork noodle shop on Yommarat Road, with old-style tea and coffee to order alongside. The broth is well balanced; an easy light stop while wandering the old quarter.

Yen ta foOld town

Per bowl ฿50–80

Make this trip your own

1 day

Day trip works too

If you only have one day, trim it to a Saeng Chan Beach lunch, then drop down to Ban Phe in the afternoon to walk the dried-goods market before heading back.

Add-on

Continue to Koh Samet

The Ban Phe pier is where you catch the boat to Koh Samet, in case you want to tack on a beach trip after eating your fill. The ferries leave from the same pier.

Family

Coming with family

Most beachfront places are comfortable to sit at and have non-spicy options for kids. Picking a spot with ample parking makes things easier.

Find a well-placed stay to base your Rayong eating and exploring

See Top 10 Rayong hotels →

FAQ

How many days do you need for a Rayong food trip?

Two days and one night is just right. You get to eat seafood in both the Saeng Chan Beach area and Ban Phe, with time to browse the market for dried seafood without rushing. You can do it in a day, but you'll have to cut a meal or two.

Where's the best place to buy Ban Phe dried seafood?

Ban Phe Fresh Market (the Municipal Market) and Nuan Thip Market are the main sources, with dried squid, dried shrimp, salted fish, shrimp paste and fish sauce. Most items are price-tagged with a little room to haggle. Always smell before you buy.

Where do you eat fried sea bass with fish sauce in Rayong?

The Saeng Chan Beach area in Rayong town is where it started, with a string of long-running shops along the beach. It's the dish to order the moment you arrive.

What hours do Ban Phe seafood places keep?

It varies by shop. Some, like the made-to-order spots near the pier, open from morning to afternoon and close mid-week, while the dried-goods markets run roughly 08:00–18:00. Check opening days on the shop's page before you travel.

How long is the drive from Bangkok to Rayong?

It's about 180 km into Rayong town, roughly 2.5–3 hours on the motorway. Ban Phe is another 17–20 km from Rayong town, about a half-hour more of driving.

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