K. Panich Sticky Rice
The Old Town benchmark on Tanao Road, with a Michelin Bib Gourmand and rice steamed with salted coconut cream. Go in the morning; it closes at 17:00 and all day Sunday.
Thirteen places for mango sticky rice in Bangkok, from the Michelin-listed Old Town shop and Thong Lo's famous corner to late-night stalls in Silom and the market with the city's best fruit, ranked with hours and prices.
The Old Town benchmark on Tanao Road, with a Michelin Bib Gourmand and rice steamed with salted coconut cream. Go in the morning; it closes at 17:00 and all day Sunday.
Thong Lo's famous corner by BTS Thong Lo, open 06:00 to 22:00, with a choice of Nam Dok Mai or Ok Rong mango and boxes made to take away.
An air-conditioned mango café a few minutes from Wat Pho. The sticky rice is the order, with smoothies and bingsu if you want a longer break from the heat.
Where to stay
My pick at each price level in Bangkok, going by Google's hotel class. Hotels from my ranked list of the 10 best come first, then the best-reviewed. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com with your dates filled in.
#1Luxury · 5-star
Millennium Hilton Bangkok4.6 (12,976 reviews)
Upscale riverside hotel on the Chao Phraya with strong service and sweeping river views.
Check rates
#8Mid-range · 4-star
Centara Watergate Pavilion Hotel Bangkok4.5 (4,456 reviews)
Sleek Bangkok hotel with spacious rooms, rooftop bar, spa, and an unbeatable location near top shopping.
Check rates
The Sukhumvit Soi 38 cart across from Mae Varee, cheaper with bigger mangoes and four sizes of box, from early afternoon to about 22:00.
A small counter at the mouth of Sukhumvit Soi 18 near Asok, the late-night pick in mango season when it is reported to stay open around the clock.
A third-generation family shop on the Wat Arun side of the river, with Damnoen Saduak mangoes and generous portions.
A friendly street-food restaurant on Chakrabongse Road near Khao San that is known for its mango sticky rice and stays open until midnight.
A family café in an old Song Wat shophouse, the sit-down dessert stop on a Chinatown walk, with a choice of mango varieties.
Bangkok's premium fresh market beside Chatuchak, where several dessert counters use the best fruit in the city. Go early; the good mangoes sell first.
An evening stall on Sala Daeng Road selling pad thai and mango sticky rice until 01:00, closed Mondays.
A fruit and mango sticky rice stall on Banthat Thong Road's late-night food strip, open from late afternoon to about midnight.
The Lat Phrao shop known since 1977 for nine-color sticky rice dyed with natural ingredients, a trip for anyone who wants the colored version.
A modern mango dessert counter at ICONSIAM, air-conditioned and reliable when you're already at the riverside malls.
K. Panich on Tanao Road in the Old Town, near the Giant Swing, is the one with the history and a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and it is open Monday to Saturday from 07:00 to 17:00. Mae Varee at the mouth of Soi Thong Lo is the other famous name, open every day from 06:00 to 22:00 a short walk from BTS Thong Lo.
Expect about ฿80 to ฿120 a box at a street cart or market stall and about ฿120 to ฿180 at the famous shops, depending on the size and the mango. Cafés with seating, such as Make Me Mango near Wat Pho, charge a little more. Prices rise outside mango season.
Nam Dok Mai, the mango most shops use, peaks from about March to June, when the fruit is sweetest and cheapest. Shops sell mango sticky rice all year, but fruit from October to December tends to be a little more tart and costs more.
Joom on Sala Daeng Road in Silom runs until 01:00 (closed Mondays), Mae Jim on Banthat Thong Road until about midnight, and Mae Varee and Ning's Mango Stand in Thong Lo until about 22:00. Chef Ple at Sukhumvit Soi 18 is reported to stay open around the clock in mango season.
Make Me Mango on Maha Rat Road is a few minutes' walk from Wat Pho and has air conditioning. K. Panich is about 15 minutes away on foot near the Giant Swing, and across the river Saleethip is a short walk inland from Wat Arun.
Cho Sornkaew in Lat Phrao is known for sticky rice in nine colors, each dyed with a natural ingredient such as butterfly pea or pandan. It is out in the north of the city, so most visitors go only if the colored version is the point.
Nam Dok Mai is the classic, golden and perfumed, and it is what most shops serve. Ok Rong is sweeter and less fragrant. Mae Varee, Saleethip and Wanjai Cafe House let you choose between them.