Nothing embodies the history of Bangkok like a bowl of bah mee moo daeng at a streetside stall: the Chinese origins, the nostalgic reminder of the construction workers who built this city stopping to have a quick lunch. Here we round up four of the best places to get a bowl or two.

Chuwan Sawoey

The sign outside this two story shophouse warns you against wandering into another restaurant. This and the bah mee offering to the ancestral shrine indoors, should prepare you for the confident, near arrogant, staff, who barely acknowledge that they’ve heard your order. But all that will be forgiven when you receive your bowl of deep golden, nearly al dente, bah mee. A regular bowl comes topped with the works: fresh, white crab meat, boiled but crunchy bok choy, slightly fatty moo daeng—so spiced and well-roasted it reminds one of an Indian tikka—not to mention the fattest, most densely-packed kieow (pork and shrimp dumplings) you’ve ever had. Their broth is mellow, easy on the pork/radish/onion flavors, but with a peppery bite at the end. The price tag is a measly B30 per bowl. Stop on your way out to shoot the breeze with the adorable grandpa who sits outside, expertly rolling up kieow.
207 Silom Rd., 02-235-1860. BTS Sala Daeng. Open daily 8am-8pm

Ekamai 19

This little gem deep inside Soi Ekamai positively glows in the dark with the white fluorescent streetlights falling on its converted pick-up truck display and overlit, dangling moo daeng—so daeng, in fact, you’d think it was Peking duck. Sitting at their rickety metal tables and little stools in a pre-monsoon evening breeze, you can’t help but feel like a character in a moody, independent film. They don’t serve alcohol, but there is a Family Mart diagonally across the road from the stall, where you can buy some beer or whiskey and bring it over. A bowl with the works costs B50 and comes with moo daeng, kieow, veggies and a delicately hard-boiled egg that breaks to reveal a golden, creamy yolk. If you like a super porky soup, theirs comes with tons of moo sap (minced pork).
Ekamai Soi 19, Sukhumvit 63. Open Tue-Sun 7pm-midnight

Sawang Bah Mee

A family-run joint not too far from the train station, this wide shophouse is populated with regulars and friends and has both indoor and outdoor seating. The bowls here range from B50 to a whopping B100, depending on what you add in. A B100 bowl doesn’t just contain crab meat, but the claws as well! Oh, and be advised that there is no soup or broth to go with your noodles, but that just intensifies other flavors like bits of crispy pork skin, chopped spring onion heads and lots of garlic flakes. The bah mee and the moo daeng are darker in color and taste like they’ve been marinated longer with a slightly earthy flavor. Having change might be advisable, though, as the zany, old uncle manning the cash drawer has been known to yell at those offering big notes. Still, there’s something to be said for sitting at a sidewalk table with the low buildings allowing for a lovely, unobstructed view of the early evening sky.
336/2 Rama 4 Rd. MRT Hua Lamphong. 02-236-1772. Open Tue-Sun 5-11pm

Racha

The tiniest operation in our round-up, this cart and its four tables outside the Family Mart across from Sukhumvit 24 juggles packed tables and a steady line of take out orders from nearby office workers, motorcycle taxi drivers and the occasional passer-by. No, they haven’t been around for hundreds of years and yes, they use pre-packaged bah mee noodles (which are beautifully yellow, firm and non-sticky). Unlike some other moo daeng displays, which glow a scary neon red, theirs has the healthy and appetizing red-brown color of a legitimately roasted pig with just the right amount of marinade. In fact, much of the good taste at Racha has to do with mild flavors that let the textures share the stage. The broth is classic radish, without pepper or pork overkill, letting the moo daeng and peppery kieow really shine. B30 per bowl.
Corner of Sukhumvit Road and soi 39/1. BTS Phrom Phong. Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm