Thailand
I visited 16 mosques across Northern Thailand | Muslim travel in Thailand and halal restaurants in Bangkok
Articles • ahmedla posted the article • 0 comments • 117 views • 2026-01-22 10:35
My Halal Trip to Bangkok — Food and Stay
I headed to Thailand for the May Day holiday this year—my first trip abroad in three years, Alhamdulillah. Even though it’s the peak of summer and the heat is intense, everyone’s spirits were high. You could hear Chinese voices all over the streets of Bangkok. On this trip, I visited 9 Yunnanese Muslim mosques and 7 Indian mosques in Northern Thailand, as well as 9 different Muslim communities in Bangkok. I’ll be sharing more about those soon, Insha'Allah. In this post, I want to start by sharing the street food I found at Halal stalls in Bangkok and the Muslim hotel where I stayed.
The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand
We started our morning with breakfast at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand. It’s a beautiful modernist building designed by a young Bengali Muslim architect, Paichit Pongpunluk. Construction began in 1970 and took 11 years to finish because of funding—but once it was done, it became a true landmark and hub for the community.
We picked up some Basil Chicken Rice (Pad Krapow), grilled chicken skewers, and Thai red tea. "Pad Krapow" uses Holy Basil, which grows all over Southeast Asia; stir-frying it with meat makes for a perfect meal. The Thai tea is made with Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, and milk. You can have it hot for breakfast, but usually, people drink it iced. There are plenty of Halal stalls downstairs, though not all were open since we arrived early. Besides the food, they have books, clothing, and community events—it’s definitely worth a visit.
Street Food Stalls at Haroon Mosque
After praying Asr, we went for lunch at the stalls right outside Haroon Mosque by the Chao Phraya River. The mosque is named after Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Indonesian merchant who came to Bangkok with his father in the 1820s or 30s. He settled down, got married, and built the mosque, and a Muslim neighborhood grew around it.
First, we had the beef and chicken ball glass noodles. The beef was so incredibly flavorful—Zainab and I both agreed it was the best meal we had in Bangkok! Then we had the Basil Chicken with meatballs and chicken liver over rice. After that, we tried a bowl of braised chicken feet. They were so tender and soaked up all the flavor, though the soup was super spicy, haha!
In the Bangkok summer heat, there are two things you absolutely need for street food: a powerful electric fan and an ice-cold drink! Otherwise, you’d have no appetite at all.
We also had the classic Pad Thai. It’s made with rice noodles, stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and fresh shrimp, served with lime and chives. While Chinese immigrants brought the concept of stir-fried noodles here centuries ago, it only became the "national dish" in the mid-20th century. During WWII, when rice was scarce, the government promoted these noodles to help the country get through the shortage.
If Pad Thai is what people first think of when they think of Thai food, then "Roti" is definitely the first thing people think of for Thai Halal food. You’ll find a Muslim brother or sister with a Roti cart at almost every night market, and they’re always popular.
ICONSIAM Food Court
For any brothers and sisters (Dosty) visiting Bangkok in the summer, I highly recommend SOOKSIAM on the ground floor of the ICONSIAM mall. It brings together snacks from all over Thailand and has many Muslim stalls, many run by Malay Muslims from the South. Best of all, the AC is great—you won't want to leave!
We started with the steamed egg crab. It was full of roe and tasted amazing with the spicy and sour "Nam Chim" dipping sauce. They also have shrimp, squid, and all kinds of seafood. Our Malay Muslim brothers from the South are experts at cooking seafood.
Next, we had the classic Thai Muslim street snack: Roti with Thai milk tea. "Roti" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for bread, brought here by South Asian and Malay Muslims. Unlike in South Asia, Thai Roti is sweet—you can add bananas, eggs, and chocolate, and it’s topped with sweetened condensed milk.
We also tried the Thai chicken sausage with lotus root salad and the green mango oyster salad (Tam Mamuang). They use raw long beans in their salads here, unlike back home where we usually blanch them. These salads are all about that spicy and sour kick from lime and bird’s eye chilies. If you can’t handle heat, you definitely need to ask for "no spice" or "little spice."
The green mango salad belongs to the "Tam" category, which means "pounded." The most famous version is green papaya salad. They pound the mango with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce to bring out the aroma, then add palm sugar and lime juice.
Finally, for the main course, we chose Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai). This dish came from Hainanese immigrants in the late 19th century. The rice is cooked in chicken broth and is so fragrant. Unlike the version in Singapore or Malaysia, the Thai style uses a paste made of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and oil to braise the chicken, and it's served with "Nam Phrik," a sweet and spicy sauce.
Mango Sticky Rice at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Right before we left, I grabbed some traditional Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) from a Halal fast-food spot at the airport. It’s the perfect snack for the plane. During mango season in April and May, everyone loves this. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar, usually served with the sweet Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango varieties. This dessert goes back centuries to the Ayutthaya period and is now famous all over Southeast Asia.
Al Meroz Muslim Hotel
This time in Bangkok, we stayed at the best Muslim hotel in town, the Al Meroz. It’s near the Ramkhamhaeng station on the Airport Rail Link—only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport. There’s a canal boat nearby that takes you straight to the Old City so you can skip the traffic. The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand is right across the street, so you can really feel the local Muslim atmosphere.
The hotel has three high-end Halal restaurants and a bakery. The buffet breakfast is amazing—you can try Malay, South Asian, and local Thai Halal flavors all in one place.
The Ramadan buffet ad, the prayer hall (Musalla), the wudu area, and the rooftop pool at the Al Meroz Hotel. view all
I headed to Thailand for the May Day holiday this year—my first trip abroad in three years, Alhamdulillah. Even though it’s the peak of summer and the heat is intense, everyone’s spirits were high. You could hear Chinese voices all over the streets of Bangkok. On this trip, I visited 9 Yunnanese Muslim mosques and 7 Indian mosques in Northern Thailand, as well as 9 different Muslim communities in Bangkok. I’ll be sharing more about those soon, Insha'Allah. In this post, I want to start by sharing the street food I found at Halal stalls in Bangkok and the Muslim hotel where I stayed.
The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand
We started our morning with breakfast at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand. It’s a beautiful modernist building designed by a young Bengali Muslim architect, Paichit Pongpunluk. Construction began in 1970 and took 11 years to finish because of funding—but once it was done, it became a true landmark and hub for the community.
We picked up some Basil Chicken Rice (Pad Krapow), grilled chicken skewers, and Thai red tea. "Pad Krapow" uses Holy Basil, which grows all over Southeast Asia; stir-frying it with meat makes for a perfect meal. The Thai tea is made with Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, and milk. You can have it hot for breakfast, but usually, people drink it iced. There are plenty of Halal stalls downstairs, though not all were open since we arrived early. Besides the food, they have books, clothing, and community events—it’s definitely worth a visit.
Street Food Stalls at Haroon Mosque
After praying Asr, we went for lunch at the stalls right outside Haroon Mosque by the Chao Phraya River. The mosque is named after Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Indonesian merchant who came to Bangkok with his father in the 1820s or 30s. He settled down, got married, and built the mosque, and a Muslim neighborhood grew around it.
First, we had the beef and chicken ball glass noodles. The beef was so incredibly flavorful—Zainab and I both agreed it was the best meal we had in Bangkok! Then we had the Basil Chicken with meatballs and chicken liver over rice. After that, we tried a bowl of braised chicken feet. They were so tender and soaked up all the flavor, though the soup was super spicy, haha!
In the Bangkok summer heat, there are two things you absolutely need for street food: a powerful electric fan and an ice-cold drink! Otherwise, you’d have no appetite at all.
We also had the classic Pad Thai. It’s made with rice noodles, stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and fresh shrimp, served with lime and chives. While Chinese immigrants brought the concept of stir-fried noodles here centuries ago, it only became the "national dish" in the mid-20th century. During WWII, when rice was scarce, the government promoted these noodles to help the country get through the shortage.
If Pad Thai is what people first think of when they think of Thai food, then "Roti" is definitely the first thing people think of for Thai Halal food. You’ll find a Muslim brother or sister with a Roti cart at almost every night market, and they’re always popular.
ICONSIAM Food Court
For any brothers and sisters (Dosty) visiting Bangkok in the summer, I highly recommend SOOKSIAM on the ground floor of the ICONSIAM mall. It brings together snacks from all over Thailand and has many Muslim stalls, many run by Malay Muslims from the South. Best of all, the AC is great—you won't want to leave!
We started with the steamed egg crab. It was full of roe and tasted amazing with the spicy and sour "Nam Chim" dipping sauce. They also have shrimp, squid, and all kinds of seafood. Our Malay Muslim brothers from the South are experts at cooking seafood.
Next, we had the classic Thai Muslim street snack: Roti with Thai milk tea. "Roti" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for bread, brought here by South Asian and Malay Muslims. Unlike in South Asia, Thai Roti is sweet—you can add bananas, eggs, and chocolate, and it’s topped with sweetened condensed milk.
We also tried the Thai chicken sausage with lotus root salad and the green mango oyster salad (Tam Mamuang). They use raw long beans in their salads here, unlike back home where we usually blanch them. These salads are all about that spicy and sour kick from lime and bird’s eye chilies. If you can’t handle heat, you definitely need to ask for "no spice" or "little spice."
The green mango salad belongs to the "Tam" category, which means "pounded." The most famous version is green papaya salad. They pound the mango with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce to bring out the aroma, then add palm sugar and lime juice.
Finally, for the main course, we chose Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai). This dish came from Hainanese immigrants in the late 19th century. The rice is cooked in chicken broth and is so fragrant. Unlike the version in Singapore or Malaysia, the Thai style uses a paste made of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and oil to braise the chicken, and it's served with "Nam Phrik," a sweet and spicy sauce.
Mango Sticky Rice at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Right before we left, I grabbed some traditional Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) from a Halal fast-food spot at the airport. It’s the perfect snack for the plane. During mango season in April and May, everyone loves this. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar, usually served with the sweet Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango varieties. This dessert goes back centuries to the Ayutthaya period and is now famous all over Southeast Asia.
Al Meroz Muslim Hotel
This time in Bangkok, we stayed at the best Muslim hotel in town, the Al Meroz. It’s near the Ramkhamhaeng station on the Airport Rail Link—only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport. There’s a canal boat nearby that takes you straight to the Old City so you can skip the traffic. The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand is right across the street, so you can really feel the local Muslim atmosphere.
The hotel has three high-end Halal restaurants and a bakery. The buffet breakfast is amazing—you can try Malay, South Asian, and local Thai Halal flavors all in one place.
The Ramadan buffet ad, the prayer hall (Musalla), the wudu area, and the rooftop pool at the Al Meroz Hotel. view all
My Halal Trip to Bangkok — Food and Stay
I headed to Thailand for the May Day holiday this year—my first trip abroad in three years, Alhamdulillah. Even though it’s the peak of summer and the heat is intense, everyone’s spirits were high. You could hear Chinese voices all over the streets of Bangkok. On this trip, I visited 9 Yunnanese Muslim mosques and 7 Indian mosques in Northern Thailand, as well as 9 different Muslim communities in Bangkok. I’ll be sharing more about those soon, Insha'Allah. In this post, I want to start by sharing the street food I found at Halal stalls in Bangkok and the Muslim hotel where I stayed.
The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand
We started our morning with breakfast at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand. It’s a beautiful modernist building designed by a young Bengali Muslim architect, Paichit Pongpunluk. Construction began in 1970 and took 11 years to finish because of funding—but once it was done, it became a true landmark and hub for the community.
We picked up some Basil Chicken Rice (Pad Krapow), grilled chicken skewers, and Thai red tea. "Pad Krapow" uses Holy Basil, which grows all over Southeast Asia; stir-frying it with meat makes for a perfect meal. The Thai tea is made with Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, and milk. You can have it hot for breakfast, but usually, people drink it iced. There are plenty of Halal stalls downstairs, though not all were open since we arrived early. Besides the food, they have books, clothing, and community events—it’s definitely worth a visit.
Street Food Stalls at Haroon Mosque
After praying Asr, we went for lunch at the stalls right outside Haroon Mosque by the Chao Phraya River. The mosque is named after Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Indonesian merchant who came to Bangkok with his father in the 1820s or 30s. He settled down, got married, and built the mosque, and a Muslim neighborhood grew around it.
First, we had the beef and chicken ball glass noodles. The beef was so incredibly flavorful—Zainab and I both agreed it was the best meal we had in Bangkok! Then we had the Basil Chicken with meatballs and chicken liver over rice. After that, we tried a bowl of braised chicken feet. They were so tender and soaked up all the flavor, though the soup was super spicy, haha!
In the Bangkok summer heat, there are two things you absolutely need for street food: a powerful electric fan and an ice-cold drink! Otherwise, you’d have no appetite at all.
We also had the classic Pad Thai. It’s made with rice noodles, stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and fresh shrimp, served with lime and chives. While Chinese immigrants brought the concept of stir-fried noodles here centuries ago, it only became the "national dish" in the mid-20th century. During WWII, when rice was scarce, the government promoted these noodles to help the country get through the shortage.
If Pad Thai is what people first think of when they think of Thai food, then "Roti" is definitely the first thing people think of for Thai Halal food. You’ll find a Muslim brother or sister with a Roti cart at almost every night market, and they’re always popular.
ICONSIAM Food Court
For any brothers and sisters (Dosty) visiting Bangkok in the summer, I highly recommend SOOKSIAM on the ground floor of the ICONSIAM mall. It brings together snacks from all over Thailand and has many Muslim stalls, many run by Malay Muslims from the South. Best of all, the AC is great—you won't want to leave!
We started with the steamed egg crab. It was full of roe and tasted amazing with the spicy and sour "Nam Chim" dipping sauce. They also have shrimp, squid, and all kinds of seafood. Our Malay Muslim brothers from the South are experts at cooking seafood.
Next, we had the classic Thai Muslim street snack: Roti with Thai milk tea. "Roti" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for bread, brought here by South Asian and Malay Muslims. Unlike in South Asia, Thai Roti is sweet—you can add bananas, eggs, and chocolate, and it’s topped with sweetened condensed milk.
We also tried the Thai chicken sausage with lotus root salad and the green mango oyster salad (Tam Mamuang). They use raw long beans in their salads here, unlike back home where we usually blanch them. These salads are all about that spicy and sour kick from lime and bird’s eye chilies. If you can’t handle heat, you definitely need to ask for "no spice" or "little spice."
The green mango salad belongs to the "Tam" category, which means "pounded." The most famous version is green papaya salad. They pound the mango with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce to bring out the aroma, then add palm sugar and lime juice.
Finally, for the main course, we chose Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai). This dish came from Hainanese immigrants in the late 19th century. The rice is cooked in chicken broth and is so fragrant. Unlike the version in Singapore or Malaysia, the Thai style uses a paste made of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and oil to braise the chicken, and it's served with "Nam Phrik," a sweet and spicy sauce.
Mango Sticky Rice at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Right before we left, I grabbed some traditional Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) from a Halal fast-food spot at the airport. It’s the perfect snack for the plane. During mango season in April and May, everyone loves this. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar, usually served with the sweet Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango varieties. This dessert goes back centuries to the Ayutthaya period and is now famous all over Southeast Asia.
Al Meroz Muslim Hotel
This time in Bangkok, we stayed at the best Muslim hotel in town, the Al Meroz. It’s near the Ramkhamhaeng station on the Airport Rail Link—only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport. There’s a canal boat nearby that takes you straight to the Old City so you can skip the traffic. The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand is right across the street, so you can really feel the local Muslim atmosphere.
The hotel has three high-end Halal restaurants and a bakery. The buffet breakfast is amazing—you can try Malay, South Asian, and local Thai Halal flavors all in one place.
The Ramadan buffet ad, the prayer hall (Musalla), the wudu area, and the rooftop pool at the Al Meroz Hotel.
I headed to Thailand for the May Day holiday this year—my first trip abroad in three years, Alhamdulillah. Even though it’s the peak of summer and the heat is intense, everyone’s spirits were high. You could hear Chinese voices all over the streets of Bangkok. On this trip, I visited 9 Yunnanese Muslim mosques and 7 Indian mosques in Northern Thailand, as well as 9 different Muslim communities in Bangkok. I’ll be sharing more about those soon, Insha'Allah. In this post, I want to start by sharing the street food I found at Halal stalls in Bangkok and the Muslim hotel where I stayed.
The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand
We started our morning with breakfast at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand. It’s a beautiful modernist building designed by a young Bengali Muslim architect, Paichit Pongpunluk. Construction began in 1970 and took 11 years to finish because of funding—but once it was done, it became a true landmark and hub for the community.
We picked up some Basil Chicken Rice (Pad Krapow), grilled chicken skewers, and Thai red tea. "Pad Krapow" uses Holy Basil, which grows all over Southeast Asia; stir-frying it with meat makes for a perfect meal. The Thai tea is made with Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, and milk. You can have it hot for breakfast, but usually, people drink it iced. There are plenty of Halal stalls downstairs, though not all were open since we arrived early. Besides the food, they have books, clothing, and community events—it’s definitely worth a visit.
Street Food Stalls at Haroon Mosque
After praying Asr, we went for lunch at the stalls right outside Haroon Mosque by the Chao Phraya River. The mosque is named after Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Indonesian merchant who came to Bangkok with his father in the 1820s or 30s. He settled down, got married, and built the mosque, and a Muslim neighborhood grew around it.
First, we had the beef and chicken ball glass noodles. The beef was so incredibly flavorful—Zainab and I both agreed it was the best meal we had in Bangkok! Then we had the Basil Chicken with meatballs and chicken liver over rice. After that, we tried a bowl of braised chicken feet. They were so tender and soaked up all the flavor, though the soup was super spicy, haha!
In the Bangkok summer heat, there are two things you absolutely need for street food: a powerful electric fan and an ice-cold drink! Otherwise, you’d have no appetite at all.
We also had the classic Pad Thai. It’s made with rice noodles, stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and fresh shrimp, served with lime and chives. While Chinese immigrants brought the concept of stir-fried noodles here centuries ago, it only became the "national dish" in the mid-20th century. During WWII, when rice was scarce, the government promoted these noodles to help the country get through the shortage.
If Pad Thai is what people first think of when they think of Thai food, then "Roti" is definitely the first thing people think of for Thai Halal food. You’ll find a Muslim brother or sister with a Roti cart at almost every night market, and they’re always popular.
ICONSIAM Food Court
For any brothers and sisters (Dosty) visiting Bangkok in the summer, I highly recommend SOOKSIAM on the ground floor of the ICONSIAM mall. It brings together snacks from all over Thailand and has many Muslim stalls, many run by Malay Muslims from the South. Best of all, the AC is great—you won't want to leave!
We started with the steamed egg crab. It was full of roe and tasted amazing with the spicy and sour "Nam Chim" dipping sauce. They also have shrimp, squid, and all kinds of seafood. Our Malay Muslim brothers from the South are experts at cooking seafood.
Next, we had the classic Thai Muslim street snack: Roti with Thai milk tea. "Roti" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for bread, brought here by South Asian and Malay Muslims. Unlike in South Asia, Thai Roti is sweet—you can add bananas, eggs, and chocolate, and it’s topped with sweetened condensed milk.
We also tried the Thai chicken sausage with lotus root salad and the green mango oyster salad (Tam Mamuang). They use raw long beans in their salads here, unlike back home where we usually blanch them. These salads are all about that spicy and sour kick from lime and bird’s eye chilies. If you can’t handle heat, you definitely need to ask for "no spice" or "little spice."
The green mango salad belongs to the "Tam" category, which means "pounded." The most famous version is green papaya salad. They pound the mango with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce to bring out the aroma, then add palm sugar and lime juice.
Finally, for the main course, we chose Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai). This dish came from Hainanese immigrants in the late 19th century. The rice is cooked in chicken broth and is so fragrant. Unlike the version in Singapore or Malaysia, the Thai style uses a paste made of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and oil to braise the chicken, and it's served with "Nam Phrik," a sweet and spicy sauce.
Mango Sticky Rice at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Right before we left, I grabbed some traditional Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) from a Halal fast-food spot at the airport. It’s the perfect snack for the plane. During mango season in April and May, everyone loves this. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar, usually served with the sweet Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango varieties. This dessert goes back centuries to the Ayutthaya period and is now famous all over Southeast Asia.
Al Meroz Muslim Hotel
This time in Bangkok, we stayed at the best Muslim hotel in town, the Al Meroz. It’s near the Ramkhamhaeng station on the Airport Rail Link—only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport. There’s a canal boat nearby that takes you straight to the Old City so you can skip the traffic. The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand is right across the street, so you can really feel the local Muslim atmosphere.
The hotel has three high-end Halal restaurants and a bakery. The buffet breakfast is amazing—you can try Malay, South Asian, and local Thai Halal flavors all in one place.
The Ramadan buffet ad, the prayer hall (Musalla), the wudu area, and the rooftop pool at the Al Meroz Hotel.
I visited 16 mosques across Northern Thailand | Muslim travel in Thailand and halal restaurants in Bangkok
Articles • ahmedla posted the article • 0 comments • 117 views • 2026-01-22 10:35
My Halal Trip to Bangkok — Food and Stay
I headed to Thailand for the May Day holiday this year—my first trip abroad in three years, Alhamdulillah. Even though it’s the peak of summer and the heat is intense, everyone’s spirits were high. You could hear Chinese voices all over the streets of Bangkok. On this trip, I visited 9 Yunnanese Muslim mosques and 7 Indian mosques in Northern Thailand, as well as 9 different Muslim communities in Bangkok. I’ll be sharing more about those soon, Insha'Allah. In this post, I want to start by sharing the street food I found at Halal stalls in Bangkok and the Muslim hotel where I stayed.
The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand
We started our morning with breakfast at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand. It’s a beautiful modernist building designed by a young Bengali Muslim architect, Paichit Pongpunluk. Construction began in 1970 and took 11 years to finish because of funding—but once it was done, it became a true landmark and hub for the community.
We picked up some Basil Chicken Rice (Pad Krapow), grilled chicken skewers, and Thai red tea. "Pad Krapow" uses Holy Basil, which grows all over Southeast Asia; stir-frying it with meat makes for a perfect meal. The Thai tea is made with Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, and milk. You can have it hot for breakfast, but usually, people drink it iced. There are plenty of Halal stalls downstairs, though not all were open since we arrived early. Besides the food, they have books, clothing, and community events—it’s definitely worth a visit.
Street Food Stalls at Haroon Mosque
After praying Asr, we went for lunch at the stalls right outside Haroon Mosque by the Chao Phraya River. The mosque is named after Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Indonesian merchant who came to Bangkok with his father in the 1820s or 30s. He settled down, got married, and built the mosque, and a Muslim neighborhood grew around it.
First, we had the beef and chicken ball glass noodles. The beef was so incredibly flavorful—Zainab and I both agreed it was the best meal we had in Bangkok! Then we had the Basil Chicken with meatballs and chicken liver over rice. After that, we tried a bowl of braised chicken feet. They were so tender and soaked up all the flavor, though the soup was super spicy, haha!
In the Bangkok summer heat, there are two things you absolutely need for street food: a powerful electric fan and an ice-cold drink! Otherwise, you’d have no appetite at all.
We also had the classic Pad Thai. It’s made with rice noodles, stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and fresh shrimp, served with lime and chives. While Chinese immigrants brought the concept of stir-fried noodles here centuries ago, it only became the "national dish" in the mid-20th century. During WWII, when rice was scarce, the government promoted these noodles to help the country get through the shortage.
If Pad Thai is what people first think of when they think of Thai food, then "Roti" is definitely the first thing people think of for Thai Halal food. You’ll find a Muslim brother or sister with a Roti cart at almost every night market, and they’re always popular.
ICONSIAM Food Court
For any brothers and sisters (Dosty) visiting Bangkok in the summer, I highly recommend SOOKSIAM on the ground floor of the ICONSIAM mall. It brings together snacks from all over Thailand and has many Muslim stalls, many run by Malay Muslims from the South. Best of all, the AC is great—you won't want to leave!
We started with the steamed egg crab. It was full of roe and tasted amazing with the spicy and sour "Nam Chim" dipping sauce. They also have shrimp, squid, and all kinds of seafood. Our Malay Muslim brothers from the South are experts at cooking seafood.
Next, we had the classic Thai Muslim street snack: Roti with Thai milk tea. "Roti" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for bread, brought here by South Asian and Malay Muslims. Unlike in South Asia, Thai Roti is sweet—you can add bananas, eggs, and chocolate, and it’s topped with sweetened condensed milk.
We also tried the Thai chicken sausage with lotus root salad and the green mango oyster salad (Tam Mamuang). They use raw long beans in their salads here, unlike back home where we usually blanch them. These salads are all about that spicy and sour kick from lime and bird’s eye chilies. If you can’t handle heat, you definitely need to ask for "no spice" or "little spice."
The green mango salad belongs to the "Tam" category, which means "pounded." The most famous version is green papaya salad. They pound the mango with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce to bring out the aroma, then add palm sugar and lime juice.
Finally, for the main course, we chose Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai). This dish came from Hainanese immigrants in the late 19th century. The rice is cooked in chicken broth and is so fragrant. Unlike the version in Singapore or Malaysia, the Thai style uses a paste made of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and oil to braise the chicken, and it's served with "Nam Phrik," a sweet and spicy sauce.
Mango Sticky Rice at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Right before we left, I grabbed some traditional Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) from a Halal fast-food spot at the airport. It’s the perfect snack for the plane. During mango season in April and May, everyone loves this. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar, usually served with the sweet Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango varieties. This dessert goes back centuries to the Ayutthaya period and is now famous all over Southeast Asia.
Al Meroz Muslim Hotel
This time in Bangkok, we stayed at the best Muslim hotel in town, the Al Meroz. It’s near the Ramkhamhaeng station on the Airport Rail Link—only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport. There’s a canal boat nearby that takes you straight to the Old City so you can skip the traffic. The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand is right across the street, so you can really feel the local Muslim atmosphere.
The hotel has three high-end Halal restaurants and a bakery. The buffet breakfast is amazing—you can try Malay, South Asian, and local Thai Halal flavors all in one place.
The Ramadan buffet ad, the prayer hall (Musalla), the wudu area, and the rooftop pool at the Al Meroz Hotel. view all
I headed to Thailand for the May Day holiday this year—my first trip abroad in three years, Alhamdulillah. Even though it’s the peak of summer and the heat is intense, everyone’s spirits were high. You could hear Chinese voices all over the streets of Bangkok. On this trip, I visited 9 Yunnanese Muslim mosques and 7 Indian mosques in Northern Thailand, as well as 9 different Muslim communities in Bangkok. I’ll be sharing more about those soon, Insha'Allah. In this post, I want to start by sharing the street food I found at Halal stalls in Bangkok and the Muslim hotel where I stayed.
The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand
We started our morning with breakfast at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand. It’s a beautiful modernist building designed by a young Bengali Muslim architect, Paichit Pongpunluk. Construction began in 1970 and took 11 years to finish because of funding—but once it was done, it became a true landmark and hub for the community.
We picked up some Basil Chicken Rice (Pad Krapow), grilled chicken skewers, and Thai red tea. "Pad Krapow" uses Holy Basil, which grows all over Southeast Asia; stir-frying it with meat makes for a perfect meal. The Thai tea is made with Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, and milk. You can have it hot for breakfast, but usually, people drink it iced. There are plenty of Halal stalls downstairs, though not all were open since we arrived early. Besides the food, they have books, clothing, and community events—it’s definitely worth a visit.
Street Food Stalls at Haroon Mosque
After praying Asr, we went for lunch at the stalls right outside Haroon Mosque by the Chao Phraya River. The mosque is named after Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Indonesian merchant who came to Bangkok with his father in the 1820s or 30s. He settled down, got married, and built the mosque, and a Muslim neighborhood grew around it.
First, we had the beef and chicken ball glass noodles. The beef was so incredibly flavorful—Zainab and I both agreed it was the best meal we had in Bangkok! Then we had the Basil Chicken with meatballs and chicken liver over rice. After that, we tried a bowl of braised chicken feet. They were so tender and soaked up all the flavor, though the soup was super spicy, haha!
In the Bangkok summer heat, there are two things you absolutely need for street food: a powerful electric fan and an ice-cold drink! Otherwise, you’d have no appetite at all.
We also had the classic Pad Thai. It’s made with rice noodles, stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and fresh shrimp, served with lime and chives. While Chinese immigrants brought the concept of stir-fried noodles here centuries ago, it only became the "national dish" in the mid-20th century. During WWII, when rice was scarce, the government promoted these noodles to help the country get through the shortage.
If Pad Thai is what people first think of when they think of Thai food, then "Roti" is definitely the first thing people think of for Thai Halal food. You’ll find a Muslim brother or sister with a Roti cart at almost every night market, and they’re always popular.
ICONSIAM Food Court
For any brothers and sisters (Dosty) visiting Bangkok in the summer, I highly recommend SOOKSIAM on the ground floor of the ICONSIAM mall. It brings together snacks from all over Thailand and has many Muslim stalls, many run by Malay Muslims from the South. Best of all, the AC is great—you won't want to leave!
We started with the steamed egg crab. It was full of roe and tasted amazing with the spicy and sour "Nam Chim" dipping sauce. They also have shrimp, squid, and all kinds of seafood. Our Malay Muslim brothers from the South are experts at cooking seafood.
Next, we had the classic Thai Muslim street snack: Roti with Thai milk tea. "Roti" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for bread, brought here by South Asian and Malay Muslims. Unlike in South Asia, Thai Roti is sweet—you can add bananas, eggs, and chocolate, and it’s topped with sweetened condensed milk.
We also tried the Thai chicken sausage with lotus root salad and the green mango oyster salad (Tam Mamuang). They use raw long beans in their salads here, unlike back home where we usually blanch them. These salads are all about that spicy and sour kick from lime and bird’s eye chilies. If you can’t handle heat, you definitely need to ask for "no spice" or "little spice."
The green mango salad belongs to the "Tam" category, which means "pounded." The most famous version is green papaya salad. They pound the mango with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce to bring out the aroma, then add palm sugar and lime juice.
Finally, for the main course, we chose Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai). This dish came from Hainanese immigrants in the late 19th century. The rice is cooked in chicken broth and is so fragrant. Unlike the version in Singapore or Malaysia, the Thai style uses a paste made of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and oil to braise the chicken, and it's served with "Nam Phrik," a sweet and spicy sauce.
Mango Sticky Rice at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Right before we left, I grabbed some traditional Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) from a Halal fast-food spot at the airport. It’s the perfect snack for the plane. During mango season in April and May, everyone loves this. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar, usually served with the sweet Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango varieties. This dessert goes back centuries to the Ayutthaya period and is now famous all over Southeast Asia.
Al Meroz Muslim Hotel
This time in Bangkok, we stayed at the best Muslim hotel in town, the Al Meroz. It’s near the Ramkhamhaeng station on the Airport Rail Link—only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport. There’s a canal boat nearby that takes you straight to the Old City so you can skip the traffic. The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand is right across the street, so you can really feel the local Muslim atmosphere.
The hotel has three high-end Halal restaurants and a bakery. The buffet breakfast is amazing—you can try Malay, South Asian, and local Thai Halal flavors all in one place.
The Ramadan buffet ad, the prayer hall (Musalla), the wudu area, and the rooftop pool at the Al Meroz Hotel. view all
My Halal Trip to Bangkok — Food and Stay
I headed to Thailand for the May Day holiday this year—my first trip abroad in three years, Alhamdulillah. Even though it’s the peak of summer and the heat is intense, everyone’s spirits were high. You could hear Chinese voices all over the streets of Bangkok. On this trip, I visited 9 Yunnanese Muslim mosques and 7 Indian mosques in Northern Thailand, as well as 9 different Muslim communities in Bangkok. I’ll be sharing more about those soon, Insha'Allah. In this post, I want to start by sharing the street food I found at Halal stalls in Bangkok and the Muslim hotel where I stayed.
The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand
We started our morning with breakfast at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand. It’s a beautiful modernist building designed by a young Bengali Muslim architect, Paichit Pongpunluk. Construction began in 1970 and took 11 years to finish because of funding—but once it was done, it became a true landmark and hub for the community.
We picked up some Basil Chicken Rice (Pad Krapow), grilled chicken skewers, and Thai red tea. "Pad Krapow" uses Holy Basil, which grows all over Southeast Asia; stir-frying it with meat makes for a perfect meal. The Thai tea is made with Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, and milk. You can have it hot for breakfast, but usually, people drink it iced. There are plenty of Halal stalls downstairs, though not all were open since we arrived early. Besides the food, they have books, clothing, and community events—it’s definitely worth a visit.
Street Food Stalls at Haroon Mosque
After praying Asr, we went for lunch at the stalls right outside Haroon Mosque by the Chao Phraya River. The mosque is named after Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Indonesian merchant who came to Bangkok with his father in the 1820s or 30s. He settled down, got married, and built the mosque, and a Muslim neighborhood grew around it.
First, we had the beef and chicken ball glass noodles. The beef was so incredibly flavorful—Zainab and I both agreed it was the best meal we had in Bangkok! Then we had the Basil Chicken with meatballs and chicken liver over rice. After that, we tried a bowl of braised chicken feet. They were so tender and soaked up all the flavor, though the soup was super spicy, haha!
In the Bangkok summer heat, there are two things you absolutely need for street food: a powerful electric fan and an ice-cold drink! Otherwise, you’d have no appetite at all.
We also had the classic Pad Thai. It’s made with rice noodles, stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and fresh shrimp, served with lime and chives. While Chinese immigrants brought the concept of stir-fried noodles here centuries ago, it only became the "national dish" in the mid-20th century. During WWII, when rice was scarce, the government promoted these noodles to help the country get through the shortage.
If Pad Thai is what people first think of when they think of Thai food, then "Roti" is definitely the first thing people think of for Thai Halal food. You’ll find a Muslim brother or sister with a Roti cart at almost every night market, and they’re always popular.
ICONSIAM Food Court
For any brothers and sisters (Dosty) visiting Bangkok in the summer, I highly recommend SOOKSIAM on the ground floor of the ICONSIAM mall. It brings together snacks from all over Thailand and has many Muslim stalls, many run by Malay Muslims from the South. Best of all, the AC is great—you won't want to leave!
We started with the steamed egg crab. It was full of roe and tasted amazing with the spicy and sour "Nam Chim" dipping sauce. They also have shrimp, squid, and all kinds of seafood. Our Malay Muslim brothers from the South are experts at cooking seafood.
Next, we had the classic Thai Muslim street snack: Roti with Thai milk tea. "Roti" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for bread, brought here by South Asian and Malay Muslims. Unlike in South Asia, Thai Roti is sweet—you can add bananas, eggs, and chocolate, and it’s topped with sweetened condensed milk.
We also tried the Thai chicken sausage with lotus root salad and the green mango oyster salad (Tam Mamuang). They use raw long beans in their salads here, unlike back home where we usually blanch them. These salads are all about that spicy and sour kick from lime and bird’s eye chilies. If you can’t handle heat, you definitely need to ask for "no spice" or "little spice."
The green mango salad belongs to the "Tam" category, which means "pounded." The most famous version is green papaya salad. They pound the mango with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce to bring out the aroma, then add palm sugar and lime juice.
Finally, for the main course, we chose Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai). This dish came from Hainanese immigrants in the late 19th century. The rice is cooked in chicken broth and is so fragrant. Unlike the version in Singapore or Malaysia, the Thai style uses a paste made of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and oil to braise the chicken, and it's served with "Nam Phrik," a sweet and spicy sauce.
Mango Sticky Rice at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Right before we left, I grabbed some traditional Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) from a Halal fast-food spot at the airport. It’s the perfect snack for the plane. During mango season in April and May, everyone loves this. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar, usually served with the sweet Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango varieties. This dessert goes back centuries to the Ayutthaya period and is now famous all over Southeast Asia.
Al Meroz Muslim Hotel
This time in Bangkok, we stayed at the best Muslim hotel in town, the Al Meroz. It’s near the Ramkhamhaeng station on the Airport Rail Link—only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport. There’s a canal boat nearby that takes you straight to the Old City so you can skip the traffic. The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand is right across the street, so you can really feel the local Muslim atmosphere.
The hotel has three high-end Halal restaurants and a bakery. The buffet breakfast is amazing—you can try Malay, South Asian, and local Thai Halal flavors all in one place.
The Ramadan buffet ad, the prayer hall (Musalla), the wudu area, and the rooftop pool at the Al Meroz Hotel.
I headed to Thailand for the May Day holiday this year—my first trip abroad in three years, Alhamdulillah. Even though it’s the peak of summer and the heat is intense, everyone’s spirits were high. You could hear Chinese voices all over the streets of Bangkok. On this trip, I visited 9 Yunnanese Muslim mosques and 7 Indian mosques in Northern Thailand, as well as 9 different Muslim communities in Bangkok. I’ll be sharing more about those soon, Insha'Allah. In this post, I want to start by sharing the street food I found at Halal stalls in Bangkok and the Muslim hotel where I stayed.
The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand
We started our morning with breakfast at the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand. It’s a beautiful modernist building designed by a young Bengali Muslim architect, Paichit Pongpunluk. Construction began in 1970 and took 11 years to finish because of funding—but once it was done, it became a true landmark and hub for the community.
We picked up some Basil Chicken Rice (Pad Krapow), grilled chicken skewers, and Thai red tea. "Pad Krapow" uses Holy Basil, which grows all over Southeast Asia; stir-frying it with meat makes for a perfect meal. The Thai tea is made with Ceylon tea, condensed milk, sugar, and milk. You can have it hot for breakfast, but usually, people drink it iced. There are plenty of Halal stalls downstairs, though not all were open since we arrived early. Besides the food, they have books, clothing, and community events—it’s definitely worth a visit.
Street Food Stalls at Haroon Mosque
After praying Asr, we went for lunch at the stalls right outside Haroon Mosque by the Chao Phraya River. The mosque is named after Toh Haroon Bafaden, an Indonesian merchant who came to Bangkok with his father in the 1820s or 30s. He settled down, got married, and built the mosque, and a Muslim neighborhood grew around it.
First, we had the beef and chicken ball glass noodles. The beef was so incredibly flavorful—Zainab and I both agreed it was the best meal we had in Bangkok! Then we had the Basil Chicken with meatballs and chicken liver over rice. After that, we tried a bowl of braised chicken feet. They were so tender and soaked up all the flavor, though the soup was super spicy, haha!
In the Bangkok summer heat, there are two things you absolutely need for street food: a powerful electric fan and an ice-cold drink! Otherwise, you’d have no appetite at all.
We also had the classic Pad Thai. It’s made with rice noodles, stir-fried eggs, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and fresh shrimp, served with lime and chives. While Chinese immigrants brought the concept of stir-fried noodles here centuries ago, it only became the "national dish" in the mid-20th century. During WWII, when rice was scarce, the government promoted these noodles to help the country get through the shortage.
If Pad Thai is what people first think of when they think of Thai food, then "Roti" is definitely the first thing people think of for Thai Halal food. You’ll find a Muslim brother or sister with a Roti cart at almost every night market, and they’re always popular.
ICONSIAM Food Court
For any brothers and sisters (Dosty) visiting Bangkok in the summer, I highly recommend SOOKSIAM on the ground floor of the ICONSIAM mall. It brings together snacks from all over Thailand and has many Muslim stalls, many run by Malay Muslims from the South. Best of all, the AC is great—you won't want to leave!
We started with the steamed egg crab. It was full of roe and tasted amazing with the spicy and sour "Nam Chim" dipping sauce. They also have shrimp, squid, and all kinds of seafood. Our Malay Muslim brothers from the South are experts at cooking seafood.
Next, we had the classic Thai Muslim street snack: Roti with Thai milk tea. "Roti" actually comes from the Sanskrit word for bread, brought here by South Asian and Malay Muslims. Unlike in South Asia, Thai Roti is sweet—you can add bananas, eggs, and chocolate, and it’s topped with sweetened condensed milk.
We also tried the Thai chicken sausage with lotus root salad and the green mango oyster salad (Tam Mamuang). They use raw long beans in their salads here, unlike back home where we usually blanch them. These salads are all about that spicy and sour kick from lime and bird’s eye chilies. If you can’t handle heat, you definitely need to ask for "no spice" or "little spice."
The green mango salad belongs to the "Tam" category, which means "pounded." The most famous version is green papaya salad. They pound the mango with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and fish sauce to bring out the aroma, then add palm sugar and lime juice.
Finally, for the main course, we chose Chicken Rice (Khao Man Gai). This dish came from Hainanese immigrants in the late 19th century. The rice is cooked in chicken broth and is so fragrant. Unlike the version in Singapore or Malaysia, the Thai style uses a paste made of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and oil to braise the chicken, and it's served with "Nam Phrik," a sweet and spicy sauce.
Mango Sticky Rice at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Right before we left, I grabbed some traditional Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) from a Halal fast-food spot at the airport. It’s the perfect snack for the plane. During mango season in April and May, everyone loves this. The sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar, usually served with the sweet Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango varieties. This dessert goes back centuries to the Ayutthaya period and is now famous all over Southeast Asia.
Al Meroz Muslim Hotel
This time in Bangkok, we stayed at the best Muslim hotel in town, the Al Meroz. It’s near the Ramkhamhaeng station on the Airport Rail Link—only 20 minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport. There’s a canal boat nearby that takes you straight to the Old City so you can skip the traffic. The Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand is right across the street, so you can really feel the local Muslim atmosphere.
The hotel has three high-end Halal restaurants and a bakery. The buffet breakfast is amazing—you can try Malay, South Asian, and local Thai Halal flavors all in one place.
The Ramadan buffet ad, the prayer hall (Musalla), the wudu area, and the rooftop pool at the Al Meroz Hotel.