Why should you go there and how do you do it right?

The Bangla Night Market is located at the inland end of Bangla Road, towards Rat-U-Thit Road, right next to Illuzion and about 140 meters from Jungceylon. If you're walking from the beach, simply continue until the bars end and the barbecue stalls begin. The market essentially consists of two parts on one site. One half is a covered bazaar selling counterfeit sneakers, designer bags, football jerseys, phone cases, and souvenirs. The other half is an open-air food court surrounded by street food stalls and communal tables.

The food court is the main reason to visit and ideal for a quick bite before an evening with Bangla. They offer pad thai, satay, grilled squid skewers, mango sticky rice, roti, and – for the adventurous – scorpions on skewers. Seafood is the star attraction. You choose your fish, prawns, or lobster from the tanks, the stall prepares it, and you carry your plate to your table yourself. Payment is made separately at each stall in cash.

I would treat seafood like any other purchase in a tourist area. Ask about the price per kilo, watch as the food is weighed, and agree on the total price aloud before it's prepared. The complaints in the reviews almost exclusively concern a change in the price between ordering and paying. Prices at the bazaar are initially high and then decrease over time, so haggle and be prepared to leave if necessary. Don't confuse this market with the Banzaan Fresh Market behind Jungceylon or Malin Plaza at the southern end of Patong. These are separate markets with their own opening hours.