🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Trat sits at the far tip of eastern Thailand, about a 4–5 hour drive from Bangkok. Most people skip the province itself and head straight for the boats out to Koh Chang, Koh Kood and Koh Mak. But Trat town and the coastline along the way have food worth stopping for. The province has a long shoreline running all the way to the Cambodian border, and small fishing boats land their catch every day, so the seafood is fresher and cheaper than in the bigger tourist towns. Dried goods like shrimp paste and salted fish are local specialties that families here have been making for generations. We've grouped Trat's food into a few big categories so you can eat by neighborhood.
Trat Seafood — Fresh Off the Boat, Easy on the Wallet
Trat's most famous thing to eat is seafood, because it's a fishing province where the boats come in daily. The areas people head to are Trat town, the canalside around Huang Nam Khao, Laem Klat, and Ao Yai. Common orders are steamed blue crab, garlic-fried mantis shrimp, mantis shrimp cured in fish sauce, steamed egg squid with lime, blanched local shellfish, and a sour curry made with riew siew, a local fish from these parts. Prices run noticeably lower than around Bang Saen or Pattaya because it comes straight from the boats without passing through layers of middlemen.
Cherry Ann Seafood (Huang Nam Khao)
A canalside seafood spot in Huang Nam Khao subdistrict, with catch straight from the fishing boats — fresh and not pricey. Common orders are steamed crab, garlic-fried mantis shrimp, mantis shrimp larb, and steamed egg squid with lime. Relaxed seating right by the canal.
Hat Ploi Daeng Seafood (Laem Klat)
A seafood restaurant in the Laem Klat area, known for freshness and bold, on-point flavors. The must-order is steamed blue crab with sweet meat, fresh crab, and the riew siew sour curry. Best with a group so you can order a spread to share.
Krua Lung Tee (Ao Yai)
A seafood spot with a nice setting in the Ao Yai area, open most of the day. Standouts are steamed crab claws with fresh, sweet meat and seafood dipping sauce, plus clear tom yum sea bass. Good for a long lunch.
Sukjai (Mantis Shrimp Noodles)
An in-town spot famous for its rich-broth mantis shrimp noodles, loaded with toppings. Beyond the noodles there's rice tossed with sea-salt chili, mantis shrimp fried rice, and salt-and-chili stir-fried mantis shrimp. Good if you want mantis shrimp without committing to a whole plate.
Kuaytiao Pu Sukhumvit (Crab Noodles)
A well-known spot in Trat town serving made-to-order seafood and crab noodles. Generous crab meat, a well-balanced broth — a place locals and travelers both stop at when passing through town.
Pa Muek-Pa Na Grilled Squid
A legendary charcoal-grilled squid stall in Trat town. Pick a fresh cuttlefish, grilled just to done — bouncy, sweet meat eaten with bold seafood dipping sauce. A roadside snack locals have known for years.
Klomklom
A central-town spot that pulls a wide menu under one roof — seafood, one-plate dishes, and desserts. Standouts are cured crab roe, mantis shrimp cured in fish sauce, and sour curry with acacia-leaf omelet and shrimp. Good when you can't decide and want to settle everything in one place.
Ban Hat Lek Seafood (Khlong Yai)
At the far eastern edge of the country around Ban Hat Lek, there are seafood spots where you can sit down to fresh seafood, watch the sunset, and see the fishing boats trickle back to shore. Good if you've driven all the way to Khlong Yai and want a sea-view dinner.
Seafood tips
Many of Trat's seafood spots are outside town, so driving yourself is the easiest. Weekend evenings get busy, so call ahead to book a table, and ask the "market price" on seafood before you order, since crab and mantis shrimp prices shift with each day's catch. Fresh stuff often sells out early if you go late.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Trat 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.
Khlong Yai Shrimp Paste & Salted Fish — Dried Goods to Take Home
Trat's standout among dried goods is shrimp paste (kapi), made from tiny krill caught along the Khlong Yai and Laem Ngop coast, pounded and fermented the traditional way. It's fragrant, smooth, with a purplish-pink color, and makes shrimp-paste chili dip or curry taste rounder than factory paste. Beyond shrimp paste, fishing families around Ban Hat Lek also make dried seafood to keep and sell — dried shrimp, salted fish, sun-dried fish, and real fish sauce. These keep for a long time and are easy to carry home, the kind of souvenir Trat folks are proud of.
Khlong Yai-Laem Ngop Shrimp Paste
Real krill shrimp paste from the Trat coast — fine and smooth, fragrant, and it makes a deeply savory shrimp-paste chili dip or curry. Sold at in-town markets, souvenir shops, and the fishing communities around Khlong Yai. Pick one labeled pure krill for better aroma and flavor.
Salted Fish & Sun-Dried Fish
Salted and sun-dried fish from the small fishing boats, easy to fry up with rice porridge or hot steamed rice. Around Ban Hat Lek and Laem Ngop they make it seriously. Pick pieces with firm flesh that aren't overly salty — they keep well and travel far.
Dried Shrimp & Real Fish Sauce
Fresh dried shrimp in a nice orange color, plus real fish sauce from Trat sea fish — pantry staples people buy to cook with back home. The dried shrimp is fragrant pounded into som tum or stir-fried, and the real fish sauce is rounded rather than sharply salty. Find it at souvenir shops and fresh markets.
Tips for buying shrimp paste & dried goods
Real shrimp paste smells fragrant rather than nose-stingingly sharp, with a purplish-pink color rather than a faded gray. You can ask for a sniff before buying. In-town souvenir shops like Je Aom carry several brands and grades to choose from. If you're flying it home, double-bag it in zip-lock bags to contain the smell, and check whether your airline accepts strong-smelling items.
Trat Orchard Fruit — Golden Pineapple, Sweet Salak & Durian
Trat is a genuine fruit town — the foothills around Khao Saming district and the areas next to it are full of orchards. The province's signature is golden Trat pineapple, with golden-yellow flesh, juicy and sweet, with shallow eyes so it's easy to eat, alongside sweet salak that Trat is so known for it hosts the "Sweet Salak, Fruit and Good Things of Trat" festival every late May. The main fruit season runs roughly from April through mid-July, when there's durian, mangosteen, rambutan, longkong and snake fruit to sample. Many orchards open for visits and run all-you-can-eat fruit buffets right in the orchard.
Golden Trat Pineapple
The province's signature fruit, the first thing people think of. Golden-yellow flesh, juicy-sweet and crisp, with shallow eyes that are easy to peel. Eat it fresh or buy whole fruit to take home. It's around all year but best in fruit season — find it at roadside stalls and in-town markets.
Sweet Salak from Khao Saming
Trat salak is known for a sweet-tart balance that's just right, without the astringency you get elsewhere. It's famous enough to have its own annual provincial festival. Late April through July is the best season — buy it fresh to eat or to carry home.
Khao Saming Orchards (Fruit Buffet)
Around Saen Tung and Thung Nonsi subdistricts in Khao Saming district, orchards open for visits — places like Suan Nai Amphoe and Suan Phon Amphai — with durian, mangosteen, rambutan, longkong, snake fruit and golden pineapple. Some run an all-you-can-eat fruit buffet in the orchard during fruit season. Check opening rounds before you go.
Tips for visiting the orchards
Trat's fruit season is short, roughly April through mid-July. If you want an in-orchard fruit buffet you have to come in this window and call the orchard ahead to check which rounds are open and what's ready to eat. Off-season, many orchards close or skip the buffet — but golden pineapple is still on the roadside stalls nearly all year.
Eating in Town — Noodles, Wontons & Old-School Shops
Trat town has old-school shops that have been part of the city for ages, worth a stop. If you don't feel like a heavy seafood meal, try the noodle-and-wonton lane that locals actually eat — easy on the wallet, easy to eat, good for breakfast or a light meal before catching the boat to the islands.
- Kiao Nong Bua — an egg-noodle-and-wonton shop over 50 years old in Trat town, making its own fresh egg noodles. Seafood noodles start around ฿50. A legendary spot Trat locals pass along by word of mouth.
- Chicken & Bitter Melon Noodles — chicken noodles with bitter melon, buffet-style, that locals love for breakfast. Well-balanced and gentle on the stomach eaten warm.
- Sukjai (Mantis Shrimp Noodles) — if you want the taste of the sea in a noodle bowl, this place loads on the mantis shrimp with a rich broth. A filling lunch with all the local bits.
Eat by Area — Pick to Match Your Itinerary
- Trat town — Kiao Nong Bua, mantis shrimp noodles, Pa Muek grilled squid, and souvenir shops for shrimp paste and salted fish. Good for a stop along the way or while waiting for the island boat.
- Huang Nam Khao-Laem Klat-Ao Yai — fresh seafood by the canal and by the sea at good prices. Good if you have a car to drive out of town for a long, leisurely meal.
- Khlong Yai-Ban Hat Lek — the far eastern border, where you eat seafood and watch the sunset, stop by the border market, and pick up shrimp paste and dried goods from the fishing community.
- Khao Saming — the orchard zone, best in fruit season from April to July, for golden pineapple, sweet salak, and an in-orchard fruit buffet.
Want a full eat-and-explore plan for Trat? See the whole-province travel guide.
See the Trat travel guide →