Half BBQ grill, half hotpot — the Thai way to eat with a group, slow-cooked over charcoal at the table.
A domed charcoal grill sits in the center of a ring of bubbling broth — grill meat on the dome, cook vegetables and noodles in the surrounding soup simultaneously.
You order raw ingredients (pork belly, beef, shrimp, squid, mushrooms, vegetables) and cook at your own pace; sauces on the table for dipping.
Mookata restaurants throughout Bangkok, especially popular in Ratchada, On Nut, and residential areas; evening and night-time eating.
All-you-can-eat mookata from 199–299 THB at popular chains; premium spots 350–500 THB; always good value for the experience.
A genuinely social, unhurried meal best suited to a group of three or more — expect to spend an hour or two at the table given the pace of grilling and cooking.
Pork belly and beef are the standard grill items; add seafood and a variety of vegetables and noodles to the broth ring for a fuller, more balanced meal.
Mookata restaurants are spread across residential Bangkok rather than concentrated in tourist areas — a short Grab ride from most Sukhumvit or On Nut accommodation gets you to a decent one.