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

Timing is crucial here. The market opens at 10 a.m. and stays open until midnight. If you arrive at 9:30 p.m., you'll often find it still a bit sleepy, and it's usually even emptier on weekday afternoons. As it's a relatively new open-air food market, it's not yet fully developed. So expect to find empty stalls alongside the open ones. Arrive around 10 p.m., and you'll find the best version: festively decorated, with comfortable seating, some entertainment, and Thai food at Thai prices – not at the prices of the beach promenade.

The footbath with its fish pool is an interesting feature: 100 baht for an hour, the pools are kept clean and the filters are running. Entry is free and restrooms are available. At least one Thai guest complained that local guests were served more slowly than Chinese and Korean guests, which led to an argument with the staff. The service seems to be inconsistent rather than consistently bad, but it's good to be aware of this.