Pad Kra Pao in Bangkok ผัดกะเพรา
Pad kra pao is the holy-basil wok with minced pork or chicken and a fried egg. It is the usual first Bangkok lunch.
Photo: Takeaway (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Thaiผัดกะเพรา · phat kaphrao
Price60 to 90 THB
AreaThewet and Samsen lunch
HeatAsk for pet nit noi
What it tastes like
- Peppery holy basil, garlic, and chili in a dry wok. The fried egg is the sauce. Crispy pork (moo krob) is the richer order.
How to order it
- Thai name: phat kaphrao (ผัดกะเพรา).
- Say: Khor phat kaphrao mu sap khai dao, pet nit noi, khrap/kha.
- Say mai phet for no chili. Ask for holy basil, not Thai basil, if they offer both.
Typical price
- 2026 cash: 60 to 90 THB.
Where to try it
- Thewet and Samsen lunch shophouses, Near Krua Apsorn, Dusit, Chao Phraya N15 Thewet. 10:00 to 20:00; many close Sunday. 60 to 90 THB. Hotel fried rice is a different plate. Walk the lunch block.
Spice level and diet
- Heat: Medium to hot unless you ask for mai phet.
- Diet: Usually pork or chicken, fish sauce, and egg. Tofu versions exist at some stalls.
Next plates
- Back to the Bangkok food hub for the neighbourhood rows.
- Use the Bangkok street food page if you want the walk, not a second dish.
- Khao Man Gai is the nearby order if this plate is done.
- Khao Pad is the nearby order if this plate is done.
- Tom Yum Goong is the nearby order if this plate is done.
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- Pork or chicken first?
- Minced pork is the usual stall order. Chicken is milder. Crispy pork costs more.
- Is hotel kra pao the same?
- Rarely. Holy basil wilts in a hotel wok. Use a lunch shophouse.