MBK Food Legends — Restaurant in Wang Mai Subdistrict

MBK Center is probably Bangkok's most legendary shopping mall, popular with both tourists and locals, and busy with shoppers every day. There are 8 floors packed with 2,000 shops that sell everything from clothing, fashion accessories, handbags, leather products and luggage to furniture, mobile phones, electrical appliances, cameras, stationery and DVDs.

Opened in 1986, MBK Center is a beehive of activity, especially on weekends, when half of Bangkok converges to shop for bargains. It's not as upmarket or stylish as neighbouring Siam Discovery, Siam Centre or the glitzy Siam Paragon, but it does offer a mindboggling range of goods, spread over 89,000 sq m, and is considerably less expensive.

photo by Wpcpey (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified Exploring MBK Shopping Center On the ground floor of MBK, you'll find lines of stalls selling fashion, shoes and handbags, fast food outlets and a Tops Supermarket, with an open space dedicated to sales offering prices discounted by 30% to 50%. As you move up the levels, you’ll find enclaves of products almost randomly placed. Part of the fun of MBK is exploring the long, straight paths looking out for things that take your fancy. As a rough guide, fashion is mostly on the lower floors, a mass of electronics is found on the 3rd and 4th floors, with home furnishings and souvenirs on the 5th and 6th.

Like every shopping complex in Bangkok, there are plenty of options for when you get hungry. There are 2 food courts – a local one on the 6th floor and an international one on the 5th – with plenty of choices. The top floor comprises an entertainment complex boasting a multi-screen cinema, karaoke, a computer games arcade and many other restaurants. MBK also has a 3D Trick Art Museum, which is a fun family activity that’s also perfect for a rainy day.

MBK Center is relatively easy to reach thanks to a direct walkway linking to National Stadium BTS Skytrain Station. Literally, every taxi driver knows MBK as it’s among the most famous shopping malls in Bangkok. So, you can hail a cab from anywhere, but mind that traffic can be intense around the mall.

photo by Wpcpey (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified Bargains galore – and free air-conditioning! To start with, fashion outlets cover everything from jeans, outsized clothing (for the 'larger' western frame), shoes, handbags, accessories, jewellery, trendy apparel and famous-name brands. The bargain prices of many of these items mean that merchandise is often copy products or of questionable origin. It's important to take a closer look at the quality and craftsmanship.

But if your idea of a shopping bargain is to pay a few dollars for an Adidas T-shirt or a Gucci belt – and authenticity is not an issue – head straight to MBK. Many of the products that can be found here are similar to those at markets, but the convenience of shopping in an air-conditioned environment beats hot and sticky markets, especially in the hot season!

And, just like the markets, all prices are negotiable; MBK is probably the only mall in Bangkok where you can put your bargaining skills to the test. You'll be surprised how much a big smile can knock off the original asking price. If you're shopping wholesale, prices tend to get even more competitive.

photo by Wpcpey (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified Heaven for electronics and mobile phones The 4th floor is dedicated to mobile phones, DVDs, and all kinds of related gadgets and paraphernalia in a market-type environment, with stalls crammed into every available space. New phones, second-hand phones, starter packs, the latest (copy) movies, PC games and game consoles, MP3 players and what have you...

A flagship tenant is the 4-storey Tokyu Department Store, the only one in Bangkok and a leading department store in Japan which offers a wide range of quality merchandise like clothing, apparel, cosmetics and household goods at reasonable prices. On the 4th level, you’ll find a...

If stores and shopping over 8 floors seems tiring and makes you feel hungry, MBK Centre has a solution for you. They have an enormous food court (should be called an Oasis not an island) witb food of all kinds on sale. The system the food court uses is to sell pre-loaded cards that are to be swiped after each purchase and the cash balance collected before one exit's the food court. The food court is supposedly popular by itself as Bangkok tourat attraction (like the mall MBK Centre in which it is based) and thus likely many people come to MBK just to patronise it's food court. Large number of food stalls of local and regional South East Asian cuisine vie for your attention ranging from food, drinks and even desserts (colourful Thai ones with the multi coloured jellies attractively displayed and enticing). We were pleasantly surprised by availability of vegetarian food at stalls. One of the 2 is Vegan and served numerous local dishes that can be had with red rice. The portions are large and filling. The staff at the vegan stall at MBK Food Island patiently answer customer queries and also help customer's choose and customise the servings based on request. Prices are very reasonable. It's popularity means that MBK Food Island can be very crowded...

I have been to MBK many times and has never really tried to go to the food market area. I was pleasantly surprised and will definately go back to the area again. It's a great opportunity to kick back and relax while enjoying a range of Asian foods including thai. Make sure to get a card and put any amount of thaibat on it then select you food and there you go. What's great is that you can select various options at one or many counters, thus affording you the opportunity to try a range of dishes. What's not so great is that the counters does not have soft drinks and one has to go elsewhere for that. The bubble tea counter located on that floor offers a range of different drinks however one has to pay cash as they are not part of the card system. Another great thing is that limited English is spoken there donuts helps when you are a tourist. Prices range but are relatively affordable and comparable with fast food outlets...you know the ones that you can find in your own country. So when in Bankok enjoy the food court....its good. As always, ...