Meals on the Bangkok-Chiang Mai overnight train?

Hi there,

I’d love to know if any of you have recently eaten on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

We’ve always ordered food on the train, and it was really good (and super convenient). But in 2022, we ended up feeling like total idiots (with our 4-year-old daughter...) when we boarded the train only to find out that this service was no longer available... (It was the first time we’d traveled right after COVID.)

That’s also when we saw once again how kind Thai people are—they all offered to share their food with us, even though we were mortified. In the end, we managed to buy some instant noodles, which was better than nothing. Anyway, that’s the little story behind it.

In the following years, we’ve always brought our own meals.

I’ve read online that meal trays are back in service (could you confirm this, please?), but that the quality is really poor. I’ve also seen multiple reports that, even though you can eat well everywhere in Thailand, the train meal was the worst food travelers had during their trip...

Could you give me a recent opinion on this? We’ll be departing from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station—do you know if there’s anywhere to buy a meal there before boarding the train?

Thanks so much for your help, and have a great Sunday!

Hi,

We’ll be leaving from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station—do you know if there’s anywhere to buy a meal there before boarding the train?

Yes. There’s at least one food court and several food stalls.

The meal on the train was the worst meal the travelers had ever eaten... Can you give me a recent review?

No. But here’s a tiny Thai lesson that might come in handy for this or other situations: no matter where you are—the restaurant or the stall—just add "klap ban" (go back home) to the name of the dish you’re ordering, and they’ll serve it "to go" in a little bag or styrofoam container with a plastic spoon.

a quick little Thai lesson that might come in handy for this or other situations, yes: no matter where you are—the restaurant or the stall—just add "klap ban" (return home) to the name of the dish you order, and they’ll serve it "to go" in a little bag or styrofoam container with a plastic spoon.

That’s awesome, thanks so much!! 😄