Eating at Jay Fai’s Michelin Guide restaurant is something we really wanted to do in Bangkok. We’d seen this celebrity chef working the woks in her trademark goggles on our last trip, but we hadn’t had the chance to eat there. Her shop is easy to find and it’s not far from most of the major attractions in Old Bangkok. This is the area we usually stay in when we visit the city today. This post is about the experience of eating at Jay Fai, the queues, booking, the menu, and prices. Was it worth it? For us, yes it was.
What’s in this post?
There are loads of photos throughout this blog post of the food at Jay Fai, the menu, and the restaurant.
A visit to Jay Fai was included on our Michelin Guide street food tour of Bangkok. You can read about that experience here. Alternatively, check out that tour and see if it’s for you, right here. The visit did not include food, you will have to follow our instructions here to eat at Jay Fai.
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Who or What is Jay Fai Bangkok?
Jay Fai is the name of the cook. The name actually means “Aunty Mole” or similar, our lady chef has a mole on her cheek.
The Michelin Guide classifies her food as street food, although it’s actually a small restaurant. She holds 1 Michelin star for her famous crab omelette and drunken seafood noodles. As you can see from our photo of the menu, below, there are many other items to choose from.
The Michelin Guide entry for Jay Fai is here.
Where Is It?
Here’s a map to help you find Jay Fai’s restaurant in Bangkok. We’ve also marked the Grand Palace, Khao San Road and the Giant Swing to help you get your bearings.
You can easily walk there from either. The restaurant is within Rattanakosin Island, Old Bangkok, Phra Nakon district.
How To Eat At Jay Fai
How will you know when Jay Fai is open? The best way we found is to follow the chef and her restaurant on Instagram. (@jayfaibangkok, here.)She regularly posts about closures and changes to opening hours.
We learned our lesson in 2023 when we planned a short Bangkok trip primarily to eat at Jay Fai. She was shut. In 2024 we made sure she would be open!
The stated opening hours on her Instagram are 9 am to 7 pm Wednesday to Saturday, at the time of writing. This may change, so check for yourself. We went there for lunch
The Michelin Guide says there is no way to book to eat at Jay Fai. We have seen booking options on her Instagram account, but when we messaged her to request a booking, it wasn’t possible.
You just have to turn up and stand in the queue.
We waited around an hour in the line above for a table.
The line and orders are managed very well by staff. They bring menus to waiting customers and take orders long before you are seated.
You cannot leave one person in the queue to hold a place for multiple friends. We saw people try and it wasn’t allowed, which is great.
Can you eat here with kids? Of course! I visited with my teen child, but there were families with small kids in the restaurant. Just be aware of that long queue and be as quick as you can. Nobody rushes you, it’s just polite.
The Menu, Prices, And What To Eat
Jay Fai is not cheap. It’s possibly the most expensive street food you’ll ever find in Bangkok. Is it worth it? Yes, we thought so, for the experience and as a learning opportunity. You’ll never know unless you try, will you?
The crab omelette was 1,400 Thai Baht, that’s about $41 US, $66 Au, 32 UK pounds, 40 EUR. That’s a huge amount for Thai street food. We more commonly pay around $2 per dish.
There was a lot of crab in the omelette and it was huge. You could easily order one between two people. Portion sizes were generous.
We also tried the seafood drunken noodles, this wasn’t a huge portion, but it was great. It had a lot of chillies. Some call this “spicy” I like hot food.
The crab omelette is not hot at all, but crispy and light.
Where To Stay Near Jay Fai’s Restaurant, Bangkok
There are two places we’ve stayed near Jay Fai in the last couple of years. Both were good. One was a hostel, with private family rooms and rooms for couples, this one.
The hotel we used on our next visit was this one, a lovely old building and great breakfasts. This is a really good part of Bangkok to stay, highly recommended.
You’ll find photos of both, plus more info, in our “favourite accommodation in Southeast Asia post”.
Also, check out our “Things to Do in Bangkok” it has to be the most comprehensive guide out there!
Is It Worth It?
It was worth it for us for the experience and to see Jay Fai in action. Was the food mind-blowing, no. I’ve never had a crab omelette before in Thailand, it’s simply not something I’d order, so it was cool to try this dish and know it was the best possible version.
We didn’t mind the 1 hour wait at all for Raan Jay Fai.
If you are travelling on a budget should you go? No. It would have blown our entire daily budget back in the day. But if your interest is high enough and it’s worth it to you, then of course, you must go!
What do you think? Will you go?
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