Bangkok tourism 2020/2/25 Posted by: Macchan Updated 2024/02/13

Talat Rotfai Ratchada is a night market popular among young people in Bangkok.

"I'm hungry and I want to go shopping. Let's go to the night market where we can do both!"

Hello, this is Macchan.

In Japan, you only see organized street food stalls during summer fairs, but night markets are very common in Thailand and other Asian countries.

Not only in summer, but all year round, you can enjoy shopping and gourmet food until late at night in the night town, which is packed with food stalls. This article introduces the popular night market in Bangkok's Ratchada district, which is crowded with locals every day.

I would like to introduce "Talat Lofai Ratchada". You may have seen photos of this colorful group of tents in Thai tourist magazines.

Yes, this is a view of this night market overlooking the shopping mall next door. You can also take pictures of spectacular views that are sure to look great on SNS. We will introduce how to enjoy Talat Lofai Ratchada and how to get to the scenic photo spots.

About Talat Lofai Ratchada

About the origin of the name

Talat Lofai Ratchada is a night market located in

Ratchada district This is a relatively new night market that opened in 2015, and is a popular spot visited by many locals in the evening. In Thai, Talat (ตลาด) means market and Lofai (รถไฟ) means railway.

Literally translated, it's the railway market. The reason why it is called a railway market is because this market has its roots in a market that originally started using a Thai national railway warehouse located in another Chatuchak area.

Because of this legacy, even after it was moved to Ratchada District, it is still affectionately known as the ``Railway Market''. By the way, there is another "Railway Market" in Bangkok, and this one is called Talat Lofai Srinakarin, and it is located in a different district called Srinakarin. Srinakarin is higher in scale, but Ratchada is a few steps higher in terms of ease of access as it is far from central Bangkok.

The theme is retro & vintage

This Talat Lofai is based on the concept of "retro & vintage". The building successfully combines the atmosphere of the good old days, with an atmospheric bar that cleverly incorporates corrugated iron, scrap wood, and drums, and food stalls made from recycled vintage cars. However, from what I've heard, it has become more popular due to the large number of group tourists from a certain country, and while it has become more lively, it seems that the ``retro and vintage'' feel it had when it first opened has faded a little.

That said, you can find that side everywhere in the market, so be sure to check out the ``retro & vintage'' items on the premises.

Structure of the market premises

Talat Lofai Ratchada is made up of three main areas.

・Gourmet area: Area lined with restaurant stalls
・Miscellaneous area: Area with stalls selling T-shirts, shoes, miscellaneous goods, etc.
・Bar area: Area lined with retro fashionable items

Gourmet area

This is an area lined with food stalls and restaurants. It gets crowded with people around 7:00pm to 8:00pm during dinner time. There are many stalls and shops selling seafood.
At the food stalls, they will give you plastic gloves and put the grilled shrimp and shellfish in a paper container so you can eat them freshly cooked on the spot.

The best part about food stalls is being able to stuff your mouth with it as soon as you buy it. Many of the shrimp sold in Japanese supermarkets are from Thailand. Please enjoy the juicy grilled shrimp that is packed with meat. A familiar insect food in Southeast Asia.
. The grilled crickets I ate in Pattaya were delicious, but the scorpions were a little off. . . This restaurant called "บะหมี่จอมพลัง (Powerful Noodles)" is a popular Chinese-style noodle restaurant. It seemed to be a well-known store with several other stores, so it was extremely crowded.

Ordered pork wonton noodles for 80 baht.

Alloy with chewy sides and plump wontons.
In addition to noodles, there were various side menus. Everyone loves Thai mango. I always eat it when I see it at the night market.

Miscellaneous goods area

This is an area where various miscellaneous goods stalls are lined up.

I get the impression that there are a lot of T-shirts, sandals, and apparel goods. The selection is similar to Chatuchak and other markets. The T-shirt shop I go to every time.

100 baht per piece. This simple but original T-shirt is cute. Every time I go to Tallatorofai I stop here and buy a T-shirt to wear on that trip. ↑The children I got at this store. The one point stands out because it's simple.

I am an elephant

【recommendation! Thai souvenir] Choosing a T-shirt is fun!

Sawa Dee Car! This is Shoko (^ω^) It's starting to be the season to enjoy T-shirts in Japan! In Thailand, where it's hot all year round, T-shirts are essential (;´д｀) You may end up sweating or getting drenched in a squall, so you might have to change two or three shirts a day. It's easy to wear, it dries quickly after washing, it's not bulky, and Thailand has a wide variety of T-shirt designs! Local T-shirt ① Hua Hin ② Amphawa ③ Chatuchak ① I got it at Osha Cafe in Hua Hin It's nice to have the place name on it as a good memory! In Japan, foreigners wear T-shirts with designs like ``Tokyo'' or ``Akihabara''...

bar area

An area lined with stylish bars.
I think this is the place where you can best feel the theme of this market, ``Retro & Vintage.''

All the shops have fancy designs and are fun to browse. There are so many things going on that I'm confused about where to go. "Ma-Ha-Chon" bar. The bar's name is ``BUS BANGKOK'', where a small bus fits comfortably on the first floor.
The yellow bus body is stylish and looks great in photos. ``RETRO CAFE'' bar has cute signboards with various logos.

Most bars charge 100 baht for a small bottle of beer.
We also offer volume discounts such as 250 baht for 3 bottles.

It might be a better deal if you go with a few friends.

I drank Singha yesterday, so I'm toasting with Chang today.
I don't have a particular favorite brand, but I think Singha is fruity and full-bodied, and Churn is refreshing and easy to drink.

Where can you see a spectacular view that looks like a jewel?

Now, where can you see the spectacular view of the sparkling colorful tents that I introduced at the beginning? You can see it from the parking lot of the shopping mall called Esplanade, which is next to this night market. It looks like a mosaic of various colored lights. the adjacent esplanade looks like.

The colorful tents are the lights of the gourmet area and miscellaneous goods area. Esplanade is open until 10pm.

During business hours, take the escalator inside Esplanade to the 4th floor and exit to the parking lot. You can also enter the parking lot directly from the market side without entering the Esplanade.
There will be a lot of cars coming and going, so please be careful and avoid getting in the way of other cars.

How to get to the Esplanade parking lot is explained in detail here by Konkon Tai Issho. Please use this as a reference.

Thailand choice

Talatlotfai Ratchada. Night market sightseeing near Bangkok's one station.

A detailed explanation of the area characteristics, access methods, and tours with a Japanese guide to Bangkok's popular Instagrammable spot Ratchada Railway Market, also known as Talat Rot Fai Ratchada.

Access to Talat Lofai Ratchada

Access by subway

Talat Lofai Ratchada is about a 3-minute walk from Thailand Culture Center MRT Station.

The nearest exit is exit 3 or 4 of Thailand
There is also a signboard inside the station that shows you how to get to Talat Lofai Ratchada, so please refer to it.

Access by public bus

By public bus, take public bus number 73, 74, 136, 179, 185, 206, 514, or 517 and get off at the MRT Thailand Cultural Center bus stop. Follow the Esplanade as a landmark. The market is located at the back of the Esplanade.

Basic information about Talat Lofai Ratchada

MAP

summary

“Enjoy the Bangkok nightlife at Station Chika Night Market!”

Talat Lofai Ratchada is a recommended market that is easily accessible from the station.

If you're tired of shopping on the Esplanade or at the market, take a break with a beer at the stylish bar area.

The view from the second floor seats is also good. Please stop by when you come to Bangkok.

I would appreciate it if you could share it if you found it helpful.

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