Tops Market Madness

fwiw the emquartier branch is way less hectic than the one at central chitlom if you have the option. same selection but half the cart jams. sunday afternoon around 2pm is surprisingly quiet too, everyone's at the mall food court or napping. just avoid the 4-6pm window when office workers swarm in for their quick dinner grabs

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or you could try going late, like 9pm on a friday night. most people are out eating dinner so the aisles are actually manageable and they restock stuff for the weekend. just check the produce section first since some stuff might be picked over by then. but honestly the weekend morning crowd at tops is a specific kind of chaos i'd avoid entirely

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If you're doing a big Thai cooking session, skip the main Tops branches entirely and hit the one at Villa Market on Sukhumvit 33. It's smaller but the imported Thai ingredients are actually better organized and the weekend crowd is maybe a quarter of what you'd see at Paragon. Thursday evening around 7pm is the sweet spot, they've just restocked for the weekend but everyone's still at work or getting dinner in the city. Just bring cash in case their card machines decide to take a nap, they do that sometimes.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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