P’Aor – Best Tom Yum soup in Bangkok

I love the hot and sour taste of a good tom yum soup, and the one at P’Aor is one of the best in Bangkok.
Most people order the tum yum kung (sweet and sour soup with shrimp) for 60THB. The bowl comes topped with a big, juicy jumbo shrimp, and it’s a feast for the eye as well as for the palate.

P’Aor is located down the alley between Petchaburi Soi 5 and Soi 7. The tiny restaurant is nice and clean, and some might even call it hip. In front of the restaurant, there’s a big, simmering pot of tom yum broth. This is the open-air kitchen, and this is where the food is made. The secret ingredient in P’Aor’s legendary tom yum soup is all the goo from the shrimps’ heads. It might not sound very appetizing, but this is what gives the soup the rich, irresistible flavor and the creamy texture.

Usually, tom yum soup is served with a bowl of rice, but at P’Aor, they throw in some rice noodles in the soup instead, so even though the portion isn’t very big, the noodles make the dish very filling.

The lobster tom yum soup is another of P’Aor’s signature dishes. This is a big bowl loaded with lobster, crab, salmon, squid, mussels and egg, and there’s more than enough for two persons to share. Tom yum with a big lobster costs 1200THB, while the smaller lobsters are approximately half the price.

The restaurant is a very popular spot among local tom yum fans as well as the occasional traveling foodie, so even though you will not find many tourists in the area, P’Aor is always really busy.

• Petchaburi Soi 5 is among the best spots in Bangkok for street food, so when you’re done with your tom yum soup, head out for dessert at one of the street stalls. There’s a really nice khanom krok (coconut cream dumplings) stall at the corner between the alley, where P’Aor is located, and Petchaburi Soi 5.

•  Finding P’Aor can be a bit tricky so here’s a quick guide: From Ratchathewi BTS station, walk a short distance on Phayathai Road towards Victory Monument and Phaya Thai station. Turn left down the big Petchaburi Road and walk approximately 300m until you see a footbridge. Walk over that footbridge to the other side of the road. Then walk back a short distance along Petchaburi Road in the same direction that you came from, and you’ll find Petchaburi Soi 5. Walk down Petchaburi Soi 5 approximately 150m and turn right, when you reach the corner, where there’s a vendor selling sticky rice with mango. P’Aor is almost halfway down the alley (there are also several other restaurants there). There’s only a small paper sign outside saying P’Aor, but everybody in the area knows the place, so if in doubt, just ask.

P’Aor, The alley between Petchaburi Soi 5 and 7, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, Tel: +66 2612 9013, Hours: Tue-Sun: 10:00-21:00, Monday closed, Nearest BTS: Ratchathewi