🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Udon is a genuine night-eating town. Daytime can look plain, but from about 6pm the area in front of the train station comes alive fast. The heart of it is UD Town, a half-mall, half-open-air walking street you reach just by walking out the front of the station from the platform. Around it sit the Mum Mueang market and the train night market across the road, all connected on foot. The food here blends two cultures you rarely find together in other towns — punchy Isan and mellow Vietnamese — because Udon has had a long-settled Vietnamese immigrant community.
Read before you go
The UD Town mall itself runs roughly 10am-10pm, but the night-market zone, walking street, and open-air food stalls are busiest from early evening on. Around 5-6pm the sky darkens, the lights come on, live music starts, and the crowds build. For the full atmosphere, come in the evening. The train night market across the road also opens around 5pm — the food there is cheaper and more local.
UD Town vs. Mum Mueang market — what's the difference?
This isn't just one spot — it's a cluster of different markets sitting side by side, all walkable. Knowing them ahead of time helps you plan a more rewarding eating route.
- UD Town — a half-mall, half-open-air walking street next to the train station, with street-food stalls, an air-conditioned food court (UD Food Center, over 60 vendors), chill-out spots, a beer garden, live music, and clothing shops. It's where most visitors come to walk — clean, with parking and proper restrooms.
- Mum Mueang market / Udon walking street — the market zones spread around UD Town and along Prajak Sillapakhom Road, selling food, clothes, and everyday goods at local prices. Good for a long, easy wander with a real night-market feel.
- Train Night Market — across from the station, open around 5pm daily. It's one of the city's biggest night markets, leaning toward budget Isan street food — som tam, grills, fried snacks, desserts. Plenty of locals come to eat here.
- UD Food Center — the air-conditioned zone inside UD Town, gathering a wide range of vendors in one place. You can order from several and sit at one table — handy on hot nights or when your group wants different things.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Udon 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.
What to eat at Udon's night markets
This ranking goes in order of 'what to try first if it's your opening night at Udon's night markets,' weighing how distinctive each dish is to the city, the flavors people talk about, and value for money — mixing the Isan and Vietnamese food that defines this area. Prices are rough ranges and may shift by stall and time of day.
Tam thad / bold-flavored som tam
The star of Isan food, found on nearly every corner of Udon's night markets. Tam thad is loaded som tam on a big platter — shredded papaya plus rice noodles, khanom jeen, moo yor, boiled egg, crispy pork, and dried shrimp — built for sharing. The flavor is full-on and bold, true Isan style. Order it with grilled chicken and sticky rice and you're set.
Naem nuang
Udon's most famous dish. Grilled pork sausage, charcoal-fragrant, served as a set with thin rice paper, a plate piled with fresh herbs, and a thick peanut dipping sauce. You wrap each bite yourself. Around UD Town and the surrounding shops there are several places to try — skipping it on a trip to Udon counts as a miss.
Grilled pork skewers, chicken & Isan grills
The smell of grilled pork is the signature scent of Udon's night markets — wherever you walk you hit a grill: pork skewers for a few baht each, Isan-style grilled chicken, grilled pork neck, grilled sausage. Eat them with sticky rice and jaew dipping sauce. Cheap, filling snacks for walking and grazing.
Fresh spring rolls
A light, easy Vietnamese snack — rice paper wrapping shrimp, moo yor, fresh herbs, and glass noodles, unfried, dipped in a sweet-and-sour sauce. Good as a starter before the heavy stuff, or to grab and eat as you walk the market. Many stalls make them fresh right in front of you.
Saep Nae (UD Town Soi 5 branch)
An air-conditioned sit-down spot in UD Town that puts Isan and Vietnamese under one roof. Standout dishes include steamed free-range chicken, tam thad, and naem nuang. Good for a night when you want to sit comfortably in the AC but still get punchy Isan flavors — a solid option if you'd rather not sit outdoors.
UD Food Center (air-conditioned food court)
The food court inside UD Town brings together over 60 vendors — noodles, rice with curry, Isan food, fried snacks, desserts, drinks — and you can order from several and sit at one table. Prices are easy on the wallet at ฿50-70 a plate. Great for a group that wants different things, or on a hot night.
Thongyai Noodle
A noodle shop in the UD Town area that reviewers mention often, known for bold tom yum noodles and roast duck over rice, with fried bananas and grilled meatballs as snacks too. It's across from the Starbucks in UD Town — good for a night when you want a hot bowl before walking on.
Fried / grilled moo yor
Moo yor is smooth ground pork steamed in banana leaf — dense and bouncy. Fry it crisp outside and soft inside, or grill it fragrant, and it becomes a seriously good Vietnamese snack. Tasty dipped in chili or eaten plain. You can grab it to eat on the spot or pack some home as a souvenir.
Desserts — soy milk & roti
Close the meal with roadside sweets — hot soy milk with toppings, bua loy, khanom buang, banana-egg roti, coconut ice cream, and fresh fruit smoothies. Sip and snack as you wander along the way. These are easy-on-the-wallet desserts that round the night off nicely.
Grilled seafood / grilled prawns
The train night market has grilled-seafood stalls worth trying — grilled prawns, grilled shellfish, grilled squid, eaten with a punchy seafood dipping sauce. It costs a bit more, but it's worth it if you want something fresh in a night-market setting.
An eating plan for Udon's night markets
If you have several nights, try splitting them by theme so you cover everything without repeats. Start out from the front of the train station — every zone is within walking distance.
Start at UD Town, focus on the classics
Cross to the train night market for cheap street food
An easy night — air-con seating + live music
Tips to eat well and not miss out
This stuff is more fun if you know the timing. Follow these and you'll eat well and stay comfortable.
Bring plenty of cash
Most street-food stalls and market vendors take cash only. Some have PromptPay, but not all. Keeping small bills on hand is easier.
Come hungry — an empty stomach wins
There's a lot of food and it's cheap. Come full and you'll only manage a few things. Eat a little at a time from many stalls so you can try it all.
Hit the train night market early
Fresh and popular items tend to sell out fast. Go between 5 and 6pm for the best choice — everything's still stocked and the crowds aren't too thick.
Insider tip
If you're in a group, order one big tam thad platter and add grilled chicken, sticky rice, and one naem nuang set — you'll get both Isan and Vietnamese in a single meal, and it's better value than several single plates. On rainy days, duck into the air-conditioned UD Food Center and stay dry.
How to get to Udon's night markets
- Walk from the train station — UD Town is right next to Udon Thani train station; step off the train, walk out the front, and you're there. Closest option for anyone arriving by rail.
- Grab / motorbike taxi — a few minutes from the downtown hotel area. Tell the driver UD Town or the front of the train station — the whole city knows it.
- Drive yourself — UD Town has a parking lot. Weekend evenings get crowded, so come before early evening to find a spot more easily.
- It's all walkable — UD Town, Mum Mueang market, and the train night market are all in the same area, connected by crossing the street, so you can plan to walk the whole thing in one go.
Plan a full eating trip through Udon Thani
See the Udon Thani travel guide →