Phuket Street Food Guide: Street Food Vendors 101

A quick guide on the types of stalls to get your street food fix in Phuket!

You can be absolutely certain of one thing when you embark on your travel trip to Phuket – it will be impossible to go hungry on this tropical island! One can find a diverse plethora of food items and stalls here, ranging from local fare and international cuisine served at high-end restaurants, to food and beverage chain stores as well as local eateries.

We feel that experiencing the culture and cuisine is an essential aspect of travel. When in Phuket, eat as the locals do! There is no better way to do this than to sample and savour the variety of food items sold at the street food stalls. Street food outlets in Phuket comprise of an eclectic mix of stalls, ranging from temporary roadside setups, to food being sold right out of rattan baskets!

We have come up with a short guide about the different types of food stalls found on the island. Check it out before you make your foray into hunting for street food in Phuket!

Rattan Baskets Vendors

Modern city dwellers may find these vendors, ambling along the street with a slender pole above their shoulders, from which two brimming rattan baskets are attached, to be an eyebrow-raising sight.

These vendors usually sell an array of ready-to-eat items, such as grilled bananas or sweet potatoes, steamed corn, sticky rice dishes or a selection of grilled meats and sausages out of their rattan baskets.

Motorbike Vendors

Motorbike vendors hawk food items from a cart attached to their motorbikes. These vendors settle at a spot for the day, and set up chairs and tables surrounding their cart, allowing for customers to take a seat and consume their food items by the street.

These ingenious vendors may equip their mobile carts with a variety of cooking equipment, such as hot plates, grills and a food preparation section to whip up a variety of dishes, ranging from quick snacks to hearty mains.

Stainless Steel Cart Vendors

Wander along the streets of Phuket, and chances are that you would have spotted at least a few vendors lined along the road selling their wares out of large steel carts. In most instances, vendors with these steel carts are ice cream sellers, hawking icy, sweet treats to passersby seeking a refreshing respite from the tropical heat.

These ice creams are sold in individual, rectangular blocks, and may be consumed in a variety of ways. They may be set on wooden sticks, served in cups with toppings such as crunchy peanuts or lashings of condensed milk, or slapped in between two soft slices of bread.

Hawker Stall Vendors

Street food hawker stalls may be found in just about any place in Phuket – by the beachfront, along the roads, sandwiched in between stalls at outdoor markets or lined up in a row at large-scale outdoor events.

These food vendors cook up a wide variety of dishes, some of which may not be available in local restaurants or food outlets. Adventurous foodies will definitely delight in exploring these food stalls in quest of unique and exotic food items!

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