Or Tor Kor Market

Come here in the morning. That's the whole trick with this place. Regulars turn up early for coffee, moo ping and mango sticky rice, and the fruit stalls look their best before the day warms up. The halls are covered and fan-cooled rather than air-conditioned, so by mid-afternoon it's warm inside and the energy drops off. Timing matters more here than at a mall food court.

What sets it apart from a standard wet market is the standard of the goods. Or Tor Kor is run by the Marketing Organization for Farmers, a state agency, and it has traded here since 1974. Durian and mangoes are the headline, along with curry pastes, dried food, premium meat and seafood, all arranged with care rather than piled up. In 2017 CNN Travel ranked it fourth among the world's best fresh markets. Vendors have a good name for being friendly rather than pushy, and plenty will let you taste before you buy.

Lunch is the other reason to come. The cooked-food section toward the back sells curries, rice dishes, soups and grilled chicken to eat at shared tables, and recent visitors report prices like ฿100 for crispy pork with Chinese kale and ฿70 for an oyster omelet. You will pay more than at a neighborhood market. That's the deal, and for most people it's a fair one.

It's open every day from about 06:00 to 18:00, with some stalls keeping their own hours, so unlike Chatuchak Weekend Market across Kamphaeng Phet Road you're not tied to a weekend. MRT Kamphaeng Phet exit 3 comes up right beside it, and BTS Saphan Khwai is a longer walk. On a Saturday or Sunday, do Chatuchak first thing and cross over here for lunch.