The morning after

What to Eat in Bangkok With a Hangover

Rice porridge. Jok and khao tom are what Bangkok eats when it feels rough, and both are widely available in the morning — warm, salty, mild, and easy on a stomach that has had a night. Add coconut water or an electrolyte drink for the part the food does not fix. Skip anything aggressively spicy until later in the day, whatever the internet says about sweating it out.

The short version

—Jok and khao tom — rice porridge and rice soup — are the local answer
—Warm, salty and mild beats spicy the morning after
—Coconut water and electrolyte drinks do the rehydration half
—Convenience stores cover the 4 AM version
—Huai Khwang, the district RCA is in, runs street food well past midnight

What to Eat in Bangkok With a Hangover — illustrative artwork, not a photograph of any venue — Illustrative image — not a photograph of any venue.

The local answer is rice porridge

Jok is a thick rice congee, usually with minced pork, ginger and often an egg stirred through. Khao tom is a thinner rice soup with a clearer broth. Both are breakfast staples, both are cheap, and both are what people here actually eat when they are suffering.

The logic is straightforward — warm, salty, high in liquid and low in anything that fights back. Ginger helps if your stomach is unsettled, and an egg adds something to it without adding weight.

What to drink

Coconut water is everywhere, cheap, and genuinely useful, since the problem is as much dehydration and salt as anything else. Electrolyte drinks and salt tablets are sold in every convenience store.

The climate compounds this more than visitors expect. A night out in Bangkok dehydrates you in a way the same night in a cooler city does not.

The 4 AM version

Leaving a club is not the moment for a considered meal, and the practical options at that hour are convenience stores and street food.

—A toasted sandwich and a large water from a convenience store, which is the default for a reason
—Electrolyte drink now rather than in the morning — it works better before you sleep
—Street food in Huai Khwang, which runs well past midnight and is a short ride from the strip
—Something salty and warm beats something sweet, whatever you feel like at the time

What to avoid

Very spicy food the next morning, which is a popular theory and an unpleasant experience. Save the tom yum for lunch, when it is genuinely good and your stomach has caught up.

Coffee before water is the other common mistake — it is a diuretic, and dehydration is most of what is wrong with you.

Questions

What is the best Thai food for a hangover?

Jok or khao tom — rice porridge and rice soup. Both are warm, salty, mild and widely available in the morning, and both are what people in Bangkok actually eat when they feel rough.

What should I get from 7-Eleven with a hangover?

Water first, an electrolyte drink, and something warm and salty such as a toasted sandwich. Take the electrolyte drink before you sleep rather than in the morning if you can manage it.

Where can I eat near RCA late at night?

Huai Khwang, the district containing RCA, is known for street food running well past midnight, and absorbs much of the crowd leaving the strip at closing time.