🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
To really get Surat Thani, come in the evening. Ban Don (the town centre of Surat) has been a riverside trading town on the Tapi for as long as anyone can remember, and as dusk approaches the markets open one after another. The food this place is known for isn't fancy restaurants but carts and tiny stalls in the evening markets. We've picked the best markets and the dishes worth trying, with opening hours and rough prices we've checked.
San Chao Market — the town's street-food heart
Ask a local what to eat tonight and the most common answer is "go walk San Chao." San Chao Market sits on Ti Lek Road in Talad sub-district, in central Ban Don, and it's the most famous night food market in the province. It's a narrow lane with carts and small stalls lined up on both sides — around 30 to 40 of them — mixing savoury, sweet, fruit and fresh juice all together. You'll bump shoulders a little, but it never feels cramped.
- Location: Ti Lek Road, Talad sub-district, Mueang district (in central Ban Don, walkable from the bus terminal / Kaset Market)
- Opening hours: Daily, around 3:30–9:00 PM (many of the best stalls sell out before dark)
- Style: Grazing skewer by skewer and plate by plate, prices starting in the low tens of baht, lots of southern Thai street food
- Good for: A dinner of many small bites, or takeaway back to your room
Tip
San Chao Market gets lively from around 5:00 PM onward, and famous stalls like the Tha Chang pad thai usually have a queue. If you'd rather not wait long, go early in the evening before 6:30 PM and it's smoother. Bring cash, too — many vendors still don't take QR payments.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Surat Thani 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.
Dishes worth trying at San Chao Market
Pa Nui's Tha Chang Pad Thai
The famous name of San Chao Market. Southern Tha Chang–style pad thai adds coconut milk / coconut cream into the sauce, so it leans sweet and rich with soft noodles — clearly different from central Thai pad thai. This stall has no branches; you have to eat it here.
Southern curry rice / Khao yam
The curry-rice stalls in the market offer several bold southern curries to choose from — yellow curry, tai pla curry, khua kling. Khao yam, rice tossed with budu fish sauce and chopped vegetables, is a light meal southerners eat all the time.
Grilled squid / grilled meatballs
Snacks to carry as you walk: grilled squid with zingy seafood dipping sauce, plus grilled meatballs and sausages brushed with marinade. These are the first thing most market-goers grab.
Fried bites — mushrooms / potato / fried chicken
The fried-food stalls have battered mushrooms, spiral potato chips and fried chicken — eaten hot while you walk. Easy on the wallet and great with a cold sweet drink.
Noodle soups
The market has several noodle stalls — pork noodles, thin noodles in clear broth, and southern curry-broth noodles. Friendly prices, good for anyone who wants something warm as a main meal.
Fresh fruit juice / old-school soda
Walking a hot market, you'll want a cold drink in hand. There's freshly squeezed fruit juice and old-fashioned soda for around 20 baht a glass — sweet and refreshing in a homey way.
Traditional local sweets
At the far end of the lane there are stalls of old-style Thai sweets — khanom sai sai, khanom tom, khanom jak and coconut-milk desserts. Grab them to finish on a sweet note or take back to your room.
Seasonal fruit
Surat is fruit-orchard country, and the market has stalls of fresh seasonal fruit — rambutan, mangosteen, durian (heaviest around mid-year). Some come peeled and bagged ready to eat.
Ban Don floating market — eating along the Tapi River
If you want atmosphere as much as food, save a Sunday evening to walk the Ban Don floating market at Lan Tha Pla Wan, on the bank of the Tapi River. This was the province's first "market to see," and it has two parts mixed together: food stalls set up along the riverside embankment, and a floating market selling from pontoons out on the river. The focus is fresh seafood — shrimp, shellfish, crab, fish — plus freshly cooked dishes. Sit by the water and the sunset is lovely.
- Location: Lan Tha Pla Wan, beside the Tapi River, Talad sub-district, Mueang district
- Opening hours: Every Sunday, around 3:00–9:00 PM
- Highlights: Riverside seating, the whale plaza, sunset-viewing spot, family atmosphere
- Standouts: Fresh seafood, Surat Thani oysters, grilled food, local sweets
Golden hour on the Tapi
Arrive around 5:00–5:30 PM and you'll get both the soft evening light for photos and a riverside seat before they fill up. The crowd builds before sunset. If you come on a weekday this floating part may not open, so head to San Chao Market instead.
Southern eats not to miss when walking Surat's markets
Surat is known for seafood and southern Thai specialties. As long as you're walking the evening markets, keep an eye out for these — many are local to the area and hard to find elsewhere.
Surat Thani oysters
A large local oyster variety with sweet, juicy meat and no fishy edge — a GI-registered product of the province. Find them at seafood stalls and riverside restaurants.
Tha Chang pad thai
Southern-style pad thai made with coconut milk, sweet and rich in a way you won't find elsewhere. It originates from Tha Chang district and you can find it at San Chao Market.
Khao yam with budu
Rice tossed with budu fish sauce, chopped vegetables and herbs — a genuinely southern light meal, great with fried chicken or fried fish.
Khanom jak
A sweet wrapped in nipa palm leaf and grilled over fire, filled with sticky-rice flour and coconut milk — a southern Thai folk dessert. Eat it on the spot or take some home.
Other evening markets in Surat Thani city
Beyond the two main markets, Surat Thani city has evening markets scattered around. If you're staying several nights you can hit a different one each time.
Coliseum Night Market
A newer market gathering popular food vendors, open daily around 2:00–9:00 PM with both food and shopping. Good for an evening stroll.
Suratthani Night Market (by Central)
A market in front of the Central shopping centre with a wide range of food stalls, easy to continue to straight from the mall. Handy if you're staying in that area.
Kaset Market / Ban Don morning market
If you're an early riser, try the fresh market in town for a southern breakfast — curry rice, kopi coffee, pa thong ko — before the evening markets open.
Planning your market walk so it's worth it
- Visiting on a weekday: Walk San Chao Market (open daily) for your main dinner
- Here on a Sunday: Save Ban Don floating market by the Tapi for that evening — food and a view in one
- Staying several nights: Alternate Coliseum / the Central market so it doesn't get repetitive
- Bring cash: Most carts take cash, so carry small notes
- Go early in the evening: Many of the best stalls sell out fast — before 6:30 PM is best
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