Specific dishes that are naturally vegetarian, and how to navigate a meat-heavy cuisine as a plant-based eater.
Pad pak (stir-fried vegetables), khao ob (steam rice), khanom jeen with vegetable curry, fresh fruit, desserts (most are naturally vegan), tofu-based dishes.
Look for yellow flags with red text reading 'เจ' — means completely vegan according to Buddhist precepts (no meat, no fish sauce, no eggs).
Show this phrase: 'ผมกินมังสวิรัติ ไม่กินเนื้อ ไม่กินปลา ไม่ใส่น้ำปลา' (I'm vegetarian, no meat, no fish, no fish sauce) — results vary but usually get something.
Banglamphu (Khao San area) has the most vegetarian-friendly restaurants aimed at tourists; Sukhumvit has several dedicated vegetarian restaurants.
Bangkok's annual Vegetarian Festival (usually October) turns street stalls city-wide yellow-flagged and fully vegan for about nine days — an easy, high-quality window to eat this way without effort.
Fish sauce, shrimp paste, and oyster sauce appear in many dishes that otherwise look plant-based — specifying "jay" style cooking is the most reliable way to avoid them entirely.