Yai Mak Market — Attraction in Pattaya City

Yai Mak Market is not to be confused with Jomtien Night Market and Big Market on the same road. Yai Mak Market is mainly not a "Thai market", but a Russians-oriented food court. One big difference to a typical Thai market: there are lots of seats including rather comfortable plastic chairs, not just benches without backrest, mostly on artificial lawn. Except Russians there's a sprinkling of Koreans and attached Thais. And there are many cocktail stalls.

My cocktail in a plastic chair was ruined by howling drunk Russians, a durian + cigarette stench and differing music from three directions. Sawat-dee, sawat-dee phrathet Thai.

At another stall, I accepted the very high price posted for a basic snack. Sitting there eating, the vendor told me the cost would only be half from what is posted. Some stalls down the aisle I settled for a “Pina Corada” (no kidding) because of the fun Thai music there; once seated, they switched to AI-generated Russian pop; mentioning I came for the Thai music didn't better things. What live music I saw was half playback - singers with playback music, yodeling international oldies without understanding their meaning.

(For a much more authentic Thai market in the non-Thai Pattaya mayhem, google "Thai Fresh Market” - an afternoon affair around South Pattaya with great cooked foods, fruit and fresh fish, but no seating whatsoever and looking run down compared to any market upcountry.)

Differences of Yai Mak Market to the nearby Jomtien Night Market a little closer to town: it's happily much less crowded, aisles are less narrow, there's more comfortable seating, there's “live music” and more cocktails (Jomtien Night Market has only the crowded, friendly, bar-like, but low-rent “Ched” cocktails); the food may be less cute and less varied.

There's also the Big Market even further out of town than Yai Mak Market, yet another Russians-oriented food court; that I found too dark and not appealing in spite of a number of interesting food stalls and no musical mayhem. Most seats there have no backrest. The entry is claustrophobically narrow.

Why at Yai Mak they must play differing music from 3 directions I don't know: they organize the seating centrally for many stalls; they should organize the music centrally for many stalls as well. There's no such problem either at Jomtien Night Market nor at Big Market.

But then, at least this cacophony is very Thai...

Good food great taste. I buy pawn biriani 180B + 2 samosa 60B from Indian Family shop at front of the market. And 2 egg fired rice with 60B each plate.

I try biriani from India once and yet the Food they served is wonderful like u eat jn India everything textures and flavors. Very good. And what's impressed me is the shop gives a lot of pawns. And u could get pawn every spoon u digin. And yes they give me a long slim rice shape with all the spices in the dish. I know 180B / dish must be a bit expensive for street food but I recommend u have to try this because this is worth. U will not regret. If u went to India still hard to find a good...

This is an authentic Thai market on the southern end of Beach Road at Jomtien. It opens in the evenings for outdoor dining. Good Pad Thai. Fresh fruit smoothies, nice freshly sqeezed orange juice. Pizza was available too. Cheap and cheerful. Concrete tables and chairs. Staff were clearing tables and wiping them down between customers. Toilets available for 10 baht. We chose to go to this market because it is within easy walking distance of DVaree Hotel. The other outdoor market at the northern end of Jomtien is much bigger and has a great...