Top 10 Khao Kha Moo in Bangkok: Where to Eat Stewed Pork Leg Rice
Ten Bangkok shops known for khao kha moo, from Michelin-listed Charoen Saeng in Bang Rak to southern-style pork leg with peanuts in Khlong San.
A great plate of khao kha moo is all about patience. Pork leg is braised for hours in a dark, glossy stock of soy sauce, sugar and Chinese spices until the skin turns soft and wobbly, the fat melts and the meat pulls away from the bone with a spoon. It is then sliced over jasmine rice, spooned with a little of the braising liquid and served with pickled mustard greens, a halved stewed egg and a sharp chilli and garlic vinegar sauce that cuts through the richness.
The dish came to Thailand with Teochew Chinese cooks, which is why so many of Bangkok's best-known versions sit around Charoen Krung, Bang Rak and the old Chinese quarters. Today it is sold everywhere, from pushcarts to food courts. The ten shops below are all known first and foremost for pork leg: some are long-running family businesses, some put a southern or modern spin on the braise, and between them they cover the old town, the riverside and the Thonburi side.
If you would rather make it at home, our khao kha moo recipe walks you through the braise step by step. If you are heading out to eat, here is where to go.
What to look for
- Skin that is soft but still holds its shape. Good kha moo skin should be tender and gelatinous, not falling apart into mush.
- A balanced braising liquid. Sweet, salty and fragrant with star anise and cinnamon, but never cloying. A dark colour comes from soy sauce and caramelised sugar, not food colouring.
- The right sides. Pickled mustard greens, a stewed egg, a fresh bird's eye chilli or clove of raw garlic, and a homemade chilli vinegar sauce. Some shops add blanched greens or Chinese broccoli.
- Choice of cuts. Most shops let you choose lean meat (nuea), skin and fat (nang), or the knuckle joint (kaki). Ordering a mix is the best way to judge a shop.
1. Charoen Saeng Silom
If one name comes up in every conversation about pork leg in Bangkok, it is this one. Charoen Saeng sits down a narrow alley off Charoen Krung Road at the Silom end, and it is listed in the Michelin Guide. According to the guide, the recipe was created by the current owner's grandfather in 1959 and later adapted by her father.
The pork is stewed in a rich gravy with Chinese herbs and spices until it is soft and caramelised, with a gentle star anise fragrance rather than heavy sweetness. It comes with a homemade vinegar, chilli and garlic sauce and pickles on the side. Many regulars skip the single rice plate and order a whole leg, which arrives filling a bowl, with rice and mustard greens braised in the pork juices.
Where: Soi Charoen Krung 49, off Silom Road, Bang Rak. Morning to early afternoon only, and the pork often sells out. Order: a whole kha moo to share, or khao kha moo with the braised mustard greens.
2. Kha Moo Trok Sung
A roadside shop on Charoen Wiang Road in Bang Rak that has been serving khao kha moo since the 1960s. The pork goes through a five-hour process of grilling, boiling and braising, and the shop gets through around 50 knuckles a day.
Portions are generous and prices are modest. It is a good second stop if you arrive at Charoen Saeng too late, since the two are a short walk apart. Do not confuse it with Nai Muk, a separate Trok Sung pork leg shop on the same road.
Where: Charoen Wiang Road (Trok Sung), Bang Rak. Closed on Sundays. Order: khao kha moo with a mix of meat and skin.
3. Hongte Pork Leg
Hongte began as a food cart in 1978 before moving into a shop. Its pork leg is cooked in the Shantou style from southern China, in a stewing broth seasoned with a long list of spices (32, according to Time Out). The result is deeper and more heavily spiced than the classic Bang Rak braise.
Plates come in several sizes, and the extra-large is the one to order if you want a proper share of both skin and meat.
Where: Sathu Pradit Road, Chong Nonsi, Yan Nawa. Closed on Sundays. Order: khao kha moo in the extra-large size.
4. Khamoo Thewada
A busy pork leg shop on Charoen Krung Road in Bang Rak, and one of the most reviewed on Grab's Bangkok pork leg list, with thousands of ratings. It completes the Bang Rak trio with Charoen Saeng and Trok Sung, so it is easy to compare all three in one morning.
You can order the leg meat, the kaki joint or the hock over rice with an egg, or go for the mixed plate of meat, skin, egg and tofu. The menu also includes a braised fish maw soup, a classic Teochew partner for the pork.
Where: Charoen Krung Road, Silom, Bang Rak. Order: the mixed khao kha moo with a bowl of fish maw soup.
5. Kamoo Kratathong
A southern take on the dish. Kamoo Kratathong was founded in Phuket in 1994 and opened its first Bangkok branch in 2021 on the Thonburi side of the river. In the southern style, crushed peanuts are cooked in the braising liquid and scattered over the meat, adding a soft, nutty sweetness that soaks up the gravy.
The Bangkok branch is open from morning into the evening, unlike most kha moo shops, and it is a good choice if you want to compare the southern version with the Teochew-style shops across the river.
Where: Charoen Nakhon Soi 21, Bang Lamphu Lang, Khlong San, near a Shell petrol station. Order: khao kha moo with plenty of the peanuts.
6. Chan Charoen
Another southern-style khao kha moo shop, this time on Chan Road in Bang Kho Laem. The old-fashioned dining room has the feel of a 1970s Chinese canteen, which is part of the appeal.
As its full name (Chan Charoen Khao Kha Moo and Kuaitiao Kai) suggests, the shop also serves chicken noodles, and kha moo comes with guang tong egg noodles as well as rice, so it works well for a group with different appetites.
Where: Chan Road, Wat Phraya Krai, Bang Kho Laem. Order: khao kha moo, plus kha moo with guang tong noodles to share.
7. Khao Kha Moo Por. 4
Por. 4 takes a 40-year-old family recipe and gives it a modern method: the pork is cooked sous vide and then stewed with Chinese spices for more than 14 hours. The aim is meat that is very tender but still holds its shape.
It is one of the highest-rated shops on Grab's Bangkok pork leg list, with more than a thousand reviews, and sits in Din Daeng, well away from the tourist areas.
Where: Soi Prachasongkroh, Din Daeng. Order: khao kha moo with egg.
8. Kamoo Bonkai
Kamoo Bonkai (also listed as Rabiang Thong) has been running for more than 30 years on Rama IV Road in Lumphini, which makes it handy for anyone staying around Silom or Sathorn. Its pork is simmered for over 24 hours with shiitake mushrooms in a dark, Chinese-spiced broth, giving the gravy an extra earthy depth.
The menu is wider than at most kha moo shops, with pork leg stir-fried with holy basil or with garlic and pepper, and pork leg fried rice. The combo plate, with meat, skin, kaki, egg and intestines, is the one to order if you want to try a bit of everything.
Where: Rama IV Road, Lumphini, Pathum Wan. Closed on Saturdays. Order: the combo khao kha moo.
9. Bang Wa Kha Moo
A long-running neighbourhood pork leg shop on Phetkasem Sai Kao Road in Bang Wa, Phasi Charoen, on the Thonburi side of the river. The pieces of pork leg are large and firm, with skin that is soft without being fatty, and the sauce is rich, sweet and savoury at once. Plates come with a spiced stewed egg, pickled mustard greens and a punchy seafood-style dipping sauce.
What sets it apart is the pork offal, prepared fresh every day: liver, tongue and heart are all on the menu alongside the leg, so it is a good stop for anyone who likes to eat the whole pig.
Where: Phetkasem Sai Kao Road, Bang Wa, Phasi Charoen. Open daily from morning to mid-afternoon. Order: khao kha moo with a stewed egg, plus a side of offal.
10. Kao Lao Sam Mu (Khao Kha Moo Roi Ajarn)
In the Chulalongkorn University area, where several pork leg shops cluster, this single-branch shop pairs khao kha moo with kao lao sam mu, a noodle-free soup of three kinds of pork. The light soup is a good partner for the rich braise and turns a rice plate into a full meal. It also keeps longer hours than most, opening late morning and running into the evening.
Where: Chula Soi 18, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan. Order: khao kha moo with a bowl of kao lao sam mu.
Tips for eating khao kha moo in Bangkok
- Go early. Most kha moo shops are breakfast and lunch places, and the best cuts sell out first. Late morning is a safe time to arrive.
- Learn the cuts. Say nuea for lean meat, nang for skin and fat, and kaki for the knuckle joint. Ruam means a mix.
- Add the extras. Ask for khai palo (stewed egg) and use the chilli vinegar sauce generously. The raw garlic and fresh chillies on the table are there to be eaten alongside the pork.
- Order a whole leg for groups. At many shops you can order kha moo on its own in a bowl and rice separately, which is the best way to share.
- Bring cash. Many of these shops are small, family-run operations and some do not take cards.
- Check opening days. Several shops close one day a week (Trok Sung and Hongte on Sundays, Kamoo Bonkai on Saturdays), so check a map listing before you set off.
Curious why so many of Bangkok's favourite rice plates are Teochew in origin? Read our story on the Chinese influence on Thai food, or try the closely related moo palo at home. Heading north? Chiang Mai has its own pork leg legend at Khao Kha Moo Chang Phueak.
Leonidas Georgiadis
Leonidas Georgiadis is the founder and writer of Aroy Mak Mak. He is from Greece, has been travelling in Thailand for almost twenty years and is married to a Thai wife, so Thai food is everyday family cooking in his home.
