While Bangkok is known for its street food scene and ethnic Thai dishes, we all have those days when we just want to take a bite of a juicy cheeseburger at the end of the day, instead of slurping up the city’s delicious pad thai.
Luckily, Bangkok has no shortage of amazing burgers, with many expats opening up restaurants to remind you of the food from home and Thais selling their Asia-infused ramen and somtam sandwiches.
So whether you want to chomp on a 220g beef patty or go for a flavorful eggplant-based vegan burger, we’ve round up the city’s best places to get a burger.
Also, check out our list of the best late night eats in Bangkok, the coolest theme cafes in the Big Mango, the gooiest pizza in Asia’s angel city, and the booziest ladies nights in Krung Thep.
Staring off the list is many expats’ favorite burger joint. Bad Burger is run by Chef Poupée, whose burgers were much in demand when she sold them at her stand in On Nut night market. Since that market closed down, Poupée opened a permanent location in Asoke last year with the mindset that everyone — even those who don’t eat meat — can sit down at her restaurant and enjoy an affordable, well-made burger.
A classic char-grilled Australian patty can be made in three different styles, but if you want to be extra, order one with “Kill Me Cheese” because it’s a “perfect way to die,” according to Chef Poupée.
Vegans can also enjoy the Herbivore No. 2, which is a flavorful burger made of grilled eggplants, zucchini, and mushrooms — plus the buns here are also vegan and the chef makes her own vegan cheese from coconut..
Alley between Sukhumvit Soi 18 and 20
BTS Asoke
Most burger lovers in Bangkok are probably familiar with Daniel Thaiger, which is said to be the pioneer of the food truck scene in the city. When Californian Mark Falcioni and his Thai partner, Honey, opened the business in 2013 there was no burger in the city up to par. At that time, their American, West Coast-style burgers took Bangkok by storm, causing queues to form around the block and disappointed faces to appear when they inevitably sold out of burgers long before the end of the night.
They have two signature burgers, Mr. Steve, which has the secret Thaiger sauce similar to an In-N-Out burger, and Mr. Cowboy, which is seasoned with Thai whiskey barbecue sauce. Both come with a slice of cheese and bacon. The truck is parked at Sukhumvit Soi 30/1 each evening while they also have a permanent location inside Brew on Sukhumvit Soi 11. Check their Facebook page for schedule.
READ: Interview with the man behind Daniel Thaiger, Bangkok’s legendary food truck
Sukhumvit Soi 30/1
BTS Phrom Phong
Located next to an Ari hostel, this cozy burger restaurant is known for their nicely-sized burgers starting at only THB160. It has a fair selection of beer and a relaxing atmosphere, guests can choose to sit in the outdoor garden, making it a perfect hangout spot for after work.
Highly-recommended is the Very Cheesy burger. As the name suggests, this burger features either pork or beef, bacon strips, and an overwhelming amount of cheddar cheese. If you feel adventurous, try the Chiang Mai Spicy, which boasts a Thai-style burger topped with dried shredded pork, a product the northern city is known for. We recommend ordering these with the restaurant’s famous charcoal buns for an extra THB20.
Phaholyothin Soi 5
BTS Ari
A cold beer and a burger, what else do you need?
A hangout spot popular among young Thais, this place simply puts its focus on two things — booze and burgers. It serves up 10 different burgers in normal and junior sizes, but many people have expressed their specific love for the Jim’s Honey Beef Burger (a burger with honey sauce) and the Lava Cheesy (a cheese-filled burger patty topped with melting cheese). For the booze department, it has over 60 imported craft beers to choose from and 6-12 draft beers depending on the location.
The restaurant occasionally has a beer and burger combo promotion, so you might want to check with the server. Jim’s Burgers and Beers has four branches, including one in Pattaya.
Ari Soi 3, Sena Nikhom, Yodse, and Pattaya
If Bad Burger is an expats’ favorite, we’re calling Mother Trucker a Thais’ favorite.
This food truck is among the most featured burger joints in Thai media and food blogs. The menu is pretty simple — do you want single, double, triple, or quadruple patties? All burgers come with a slice of chunky onion ring and bacon, except for the insane Quad Burger, which has four of everything and stands over 6 inches tall.
Their burger sauce is thousand island and is a little on the sweet side, but for what it’s worth, this thing is very Instagram-worthy.
Mother Trucker is parking their truck out in Rama III this month, but check their Facebook for the updated location. They also deliver on Foodpanda and Uber Eats.
We tend to quickly judge hotel restaurants, but many expats and travelers claimed this American bistro at the Pullman Hotel serves the best burger they’ve ever had in their life.
Originated in LA, the Bangkok outpost of 25 Degrees doesn’t disappoint. Aside from five main burger options, which are paired with different cheeses such as mezzo secco jack, burrata, and crescenza, you can also build your own burger choosing from a long list of cheeses, vegetables, and sauces.
The restaurant is open 24 hours, and if it means anything, they recently won the Best American Burger competition held by the U.S. Embassy.
Pullman Bangkok Hotel G
BTS Chong Nonsi
Occupying just one small unit of a shophouse in Asoke, Chef Bar is the perfect epitome of a “hole in the wall.”
The Australian restaurant is run by veteran chef Roland Graham. We recommended the Robbins Island Pasture-Fed Wagyu Burger, which is made with beef imported from Australia and topped with wild mushroom ragout and goat cheese. Although the price is a little higher than many gourmet burger joints (THB430), the portion is generous and most of the ingredients, even the tomato sauce, is homemade.
Sukhumvit Soi 23
BTS Asoke
New York Style Steak & Burger is known for serving among the largest burger in town that you can barely wrap your jaw around. So if you’re extra hangry, its signature burger Manhattan Monster has a 220-gram beef patty, perfectly topped with bacon, cheddar, a fried egg, and lots of crispy fried onions. The secret of their signature burger is using imported beef, freshly grinded every day and all the toppings and condiments being created in house.
The New York-sized burger comes with an equally hefty price tag (THB550), but many reviewers say you can find great discount on restaurant booking apps such as Eatigo.
Sukhumvit Soi 22
BTS Phrom Phong
If you’re in the mood for something other than beef, try Chunky’s Crispy Chicken and Caesar Burger, which is their signature item. It features a massive piece of battered chicken thigh and is served with cos lettuce and fries.
Chunky also has other beef burgers to try. The Chunky Beef Burger is made with Australian beef patty, cheddar, sauteed mushrooms, an onion ring, and their secret sauce. All burgers are served with their homemade brioche buns. You can add an extra fried egg or cheese if you’d like.
Sukhumvit Soi 23
BTS Asoke
This place is perfect when you can’t decide whether to go for Japanese or American. This Lab Ramen burger restaurant serves beef, pork, or chicken patties wedged between slabs of pan-fried ramen. Their sauce is a mix of mayo and teriyaki…just to confuse your palate.
Check Facebook for their current location.
We’re ending the list with a somtam burger that the restaurant probably serves ironically.
Soul Food 555 is the epitome of hipster food. It uses Australian beef to make a simple dish such as pad kaprow and charges THB300 for it, but what caught our eye is their “Thailand Sandwich” menu which features three really Thai burgers.
A piece of Thai-style fried chicken and papaya salad are Thai food staples, but instead of serving them with sticky rice, Soul Food wrapped them in buns and call this creation a “Risky Chicken Burger.”
The Commons, Thonglor Soi 15
BTS Thonglor
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