Dining in Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok was full of surprises when it comes to finding vegetarian food. These are the places we were happy to dine at…

Govinda Italian Vegetarian Restaurant

We decided to try Govinda’s after reading reviews in our hotel room on the internet, especially the ones on Happy Cow. The place may be called Govinda, but it is not an Indian restaurant. It is actually a vegetarian Italian restaurant in the middle of Bangkok with a big pizza oven. Apparently, it was chosen as one of the top 10 best vegetarian restaurants in Asia by PETA.

It is centrally located – just off Sukhumvit – and surrounded by other restaurants and hotels. It is pretty easy to find. The owners are Italian; however, they are not as friendly as they are said to be in those reviews. The service is a little slow, but it seems like the only vegetarian place in Bangkok where you can get European-style vegetarian food. Let’s face it, you get fed up with the local food pretty fast.

Filetto di Soia al Pepe o al Gorgonzola (above). Soy Chicken Breast with Pepper Sauce or Gorgonzola Sauce.

Puré di Patate Speciale (above): Mashed Potato with Soy Bacon and Mushroom.

Govinda Italian Vegetarian Restaurant

Khun Churn
Quietly tucked in the Mediplex building—easily accessible by BTS—Khun Churn provides a serene atmosphere with an extensive menu which includes vegan options. We just loved the food and dined there three times during our holiday in Bangkok.

The place is open daily from 10:00 am to 08:30 pm. They come around at 8 to ask if you want anything else, since the kitchen closes at 08:30.

How to Get There
From BTS Ekkamai station, take exit 2, which takes you directly into the Mediplex building. Take the lift right next to reception and go down to the lower ground floor. When the doors open, you will be face to face with Khun Churn.

There is another Khun Churn in Thaveewatana district, but the one in the Mediplex Building was quite close to our hotel, and we were so pleased with this one that we didn’t need to try the other branch.

Po Piah Sod Khun Churn: Fresh Roll served with Chef’s sweet & sour sauce and fresh vegetables on the side

Ped Pa Lo: Faux Duck and Morning Glory topped with Five-Spice Gravy served with Pickled Ginger.

Tofu Pad Med Ma Muang: Stir-Fried Tofu and Cashew Nuts with Dried Chilli, Red Bell Pepper, Spring Onion & Onion.

Gaeng Keaw Wan: Green curry with coconut sprout, veggie protein, long bean, Thai eggplant and sweet basil.

Brown rice.

Vegan-Friendly Food Stalls in Bangkok
When you are out and about in Bangkok, you may need to eat something in a hurry and carry on what you’re doing, whether it is visiting a temple or shopping. Temples are a little tricky because there aren’t many options nearby. You need to know the area, and most taxi drivers refuse to use a taxi meter, which makes it even more difficult. Shopping centres, on the other hand, are easy. I mean most of them. They usually have at least one vegetarian food stall where you can ask for vegan food. They are incredibly cheap too. 

Here are a few that we visited during our stay in Bangkok:

Vegetarian Food Stall at Terminal 21
This was the nearest one to our hotel. Terminal 21 is a shopping mall right opposite Asok BTS station. It is a food court style dining kind of place with many Thai dishes—most of them quite spicy. Some dishes may contain egg, so you may need to ask.

Vegan-Friendly Food Stalls at MBK
MBK is another shopping mall, quite famous and quite big and very busy. The shopping mall itself is located on 444 Phayathai Road. We noticed that MBK has two vegan-friendly places to eat. One is located on the 5^th floor, and the other one is on the 6^th.

Big PAPA
This is on the 5th floor inside the food court. They make you buy a card that is topped up with a set amount of money, so you may want to choose your food and check the prices first to estimate how much you will need. Then you go up to the stall and order your food. Just before you leave, you pay with the card you purchased. 

Vegetarian Food
This one is located on the 6^th floor, inside the food court, kiosk number C-8. They have vegan Chinese-style food, and all dishes are displayed. Again, you have to buy the card and pay as you leave.