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

Chang Phuak Market is a collection of nighttime food stalls on Manee Nopparat Street, just outside the Old City's North Gate (Chang Phuak Gate) on the other side of the city moat. Locals call it the Chang Phuak Gate Night Market, and it's open every evening from around 5 pm. You can't buy anything here, only cook. Plastic tables are set up between the stalls, and most dishes cost between 40 and 100 baht.

The famous stall is Khao Kha Moo Chang Phueak, the lady in the cowboy hat. Her braised pork knuckle with rice, egg, pickled mustard greens, and tangy chili sauce gained international fame after Anthony Bourdain ate there with Andy Ricker on his show "Parts Unknown." The line can be long. If you're coming for the pork knuckle, you should wait in line once; otherwise, you're better off ordering something else.

The market revolves around this spot. Suki Changphuak, on the corner where Grabenstraße meets the side street, offers fried suki noodles with egg, meat, and vegetables. There's a noodle stand with duck, pad thai, fruit shakes, and Thai desserts like bua loy and coconut ice cream. It's therefore recommended to sample to your heart's content at three or four stalls rather than queuing at just one. If you're looking for the Thanin Market, the fresh market open during the day, you'll find it about a kilometer north up Chang Phuak Road.