Sulawesi
It's all smiles and good-natured jokes (usually at your expense) at the night market which typically hosts a few dozen ladies selling all kinds of grilled…
Must-see restaurants in Southeast Asia
Hoi An
Down a little alley near the famous well, this local place is renowned for one dish: barbecued pork, served up satay-style, which you then combine with…
George Town
Fresh fish from Japan is flown in twice a week, and you can watch it get carved to perfection from the sushi counter. There's a large selection of sake,…
George Town
This open-air shack has lost the shade of the tree it was originally named after, but it remains a place where locals go for cheap and tasty seafood. Pick…
Sumbawa
Dine cheaply at the night market, located in and around the soccer field. There’s fish and chicken sate, mie goreng (fried noodles) and nasi goreng (fried…
Northern Laos
Set high above the river with views through the palm trees, this basic joint offers a fan-cooled interior and a wide English-language menu with Western…
Flores
Long-running, popular place with a nice porch overlooking the rice fields. The special here is the Moni cake. The gado gado comes recommended and there…
Ko Ratanakosin & Thonburi
The restaurant of the Royal Navy Association has one of the few coveted riverfront locations along this stretch of the Chao Phraya River. Locals come for…
Pontianak
D'Grill is a cosy little Korean-barbecue-style place with inviting alfresco cabanas at the side. Choose from beef, chicken, fish or shrimp and barbecue…
Singapore
Located before the ticket collection point, Ah Meng Kitchen is is a good pit stop before or after visiting the zoo. Tuck into Singaporean favourites…
Manila
A modern gastropub with dark-wood panelling and a winning menu of American food and English pub classics, with an occasional Asian twist. It shares a…
Bolaven Plateau Region
If you're visiting Tat Nyeuang you won't go wrong visiting its namesake restaurant, an open wooden building with novelty music blaring and some good Lao…
Ho Chi Minh City
The Melbourne is a classic cafe downstairs, where you can sip a perfect espresso, while upstairs is more local. There's a wide-reaching Vietnamese menu…
Hua Hin & the Upper Gulf
A friendly spot and one of the longest-running restaurants in Ban Krut, Kasama's has substantial sandwiches, all-day breakfasts, pizzas and real chocolate…
Northern Myanmar
The staff love to see a foreigner here, and the spacious garden setting is pleasant – if a little ramshackle – as it's renovated and extended. The…
Hua Hin & the Upper Gulf
This popular family-run spot to the south of town between the beach and the highway has been pleasing patrons for decades. While pizza is their speciality…
Pai
The expansive menu here ranges from Israeli dishes to standards to surprises – there are kebabs, falafels and shakshuka (eggs poached in a veggie stew),…
Kupang
Reserved for pork lovers, this local haunt is split into a concrete courtyard beside the open kitchen and a couple of tables inside on a shiny, tiled…
Bangkok Region
The road leading to Don Hoi Lot is lined with seafood restaurants, nearly all serving delicious dishes made with hŏy lòrt, the area’s eponymous shellfish…
Cat Ba Island
With a menu traipsing from steaks to seafood, and over to Italy for pasta and pizza (with a small selection of Asian dishes as well), Green Mango is a…
Myanmar (Burma)
Primarily a grungy beer station, Top Star's menu includes a few Thai as well as the standard Chinese-Burmese dishes – they'll bring the fish of the day…
Ko Chang
Squeezed within the bungalow complex of the same name, this laid-back, dark-wood restaurant is the quintessential beachside lounge and serves great…
Kanchanaburi Province
The municipal market, right in the heart of town, is primarily for fresh meat and produce, but you'll also find vendors selling baked goods, grilling…
Ho Chi Minh City
For first-rate, affordable steak in a simple setting, this is a superb choice. Local steak, other beef dishes (such as the spicy beef soup bun bo Hue),…
Hoi An
The setting, inside one of Hoi An's most impressive traditional wooden houses, is beautiful, and the accomplished cooking (both Western and Eastern)…
Phuket Town
Local families, schoolkids and students flock to this smallish central market for the excellent array of food stalls, ranging from barbecue and dumplings…
Eastern Cambodia
Occupying a prime corner on the riverfront, this old favourite serves an OK mix of Khmer curries and Western favourites, though it shines more as a bar by…
Maluku
Fronted by an ornamental longboat, this open-sided rumah makan doesn't stray from the repertoire of Indonesian staples, but it does those well. The nasi…
Chiang Mai
This late-night diner is the perfect place to get American fast-food dishes and other Western comfort foods, as well as breakfast. Its burgers hit the…
Sukhothai
No English is spoken and there's no Roman-script sign, but there is a friendly welcome and an English-language menu at this nicely air-condtioned place…
Kampot
The bustling night market next to the Durian Roundabout is full of cheap food stalls where you can chow down on simple noodle and rice dishes, grilled…
Prachuap Khiri Khan
From 4am to 9am Th Maitri Ngam, in front of the city's main fresh market, is filled with vendors selling take-away breakfast food like fried chicken and…
Siem Reap
No prizes for guessing what's served here. It rightly claims to serve the biggest pizzas in town, conveniently sold by the slice if you can't cope with a…
Sihanoukville
Plonk yourself down on a street-side seat here and dig into cheap rice and noodle dishes, plus Western breakfasts (English, farmer's etc) and mains. It is…
Tanintharyi Region
No relation to the same-named hotel in Kawthoung, this friendly curry house has its dishes on display so you can point and pick. There are meat and fish…
Vientiane
Although somewhat inconveniently distant from the city centre, Bistrot 22 is nonetheless enjoying great reviews for Chef Philippe's lustrous cuisine, with…
Koh Kong City
Riverfront food carts can fire up a seafood barbecue for US$5 to US$10, combining crab, shrimp, squid, clams and/or fish. They also serve fried rice,…
Lake Gardens, Brickfields & Bangsar
There's outdoor and indoor seating at this biryani speciality restaurant just west of Little India in Bangsar. Choose from mutton, chicken, or even…
El Nido
This counter-top Ukrainian–food bar on El Nido's main drag is a surprise. Run by actual Odessans, it serves up authentic motherland faves like varenyky …
Bandar Seri Begawan
On the third level of the glitzy Mall there are 20-or-more stalls serving meals from as far afield as Indonesia, the Philippines and the Middle East. It's…
