Ordering food in Thailand comes down to three things: saying how much chili you want before the cook starts, explaining clearly what you cannot eat, and recognizing a handful of words on the menu. Thai cooks are used to adjusting dishes, but chili, fish sauce and peanuts go in early, so you have to ask at the moment you order.
Our article on essential Thai phrases already covers greetings, numbers and the basic "not spicy" and "a little spicy". This page builds on it: the extra words you need for medium heat, chili on the side and food allergies, plus a short menu decoder. Thai script is included so you can show the phrase on your phone if your pronunciation does not land.
How Thai spice levels really work
In most Thai dishes, heat comes from two places: chili in the curry paste or dressing, made before you order, and fresh or dried chili added in the wok or mortar. You can control the second, not the first. A green curry made from a hot paste will never be truly mild, while a stir-fry or a papaya salad can be made with no chili at all.
That is why "not spicy" sometimes still arrives with a kick, and why the safer request is often "chili on the side". Thai "a little spicy" is also measured against Thai taste, which is several steps above what most visitors call medium. If you are unsure, order mild and add heat from the condiment set on the table. Our guide to Thai dishes by region shows which dishes are usually mild and which are fiery.
| What you want | Say | Thai |
|---|---|---|
| Medium spicy | phet klang | เผ็ดกลาง |
| No chili at all | mai sai prik | ไม่ใส่พริก |
| Chili on the side | prik yaek | พริกแยก |
| Just one chili (som tam, salads) | prik met diao | พริกเม็ดเดียว |
| Less sweet (drinks, desserts) | wan noi | หวานน้อย |
| Is this spicy? | phet mai | เผ็ดไหม |
Add khrap (men) or kha (women) at the end, as the phrases article explains. For som tam, larb and other salads pounded or mixed to order, counting chilies works better than any adjective: one chili is mild by Thai standards, two or three is normal, and a local order can go much higher.
The condiment caddy is your volume control. At noodle stalls and many restaurants you will find dried chili flakes, chili in vinegar, fish sauce with sliced chili and sugar. Ordering mild and adding from these is the easiest way to find your level without sending anything back.
Explaining a food allergy
The key word is phae (แพ้), "allergic to". Put it in front of the food: phom phae ... (men) or chan phae ... (women). Then name the food, and add that it is serious.
| English | Say | Thai |
|---|---|---|
| I am allergic to peanuts | phom / chan phae thua lisong | ผม / ฉันแพ้ถั่วลิสง |
| Nuts (beans and nuts in general) | thua | ถั่ว |
| Shrimp | kung | กุ้ง |
| Crab | pu | ปู |
| Seafood | ahan thale | อาหารทะเล |
| Fish | pla | ปลา |
| Egg | khai | ไข่ |
| Milk | nom | นม |
| Wheat flour | paeng sali | แป้งสาลี |
| Sesame | nga | งา |
| Severe allergy, I can get very sick | phae run raeng | แพ้รุนแรง |
| Does this contain ...? | mi ... mai | มี...ไหม |
| Please don't add ... | mai sai ... | ไม่ใส่... |
Spoken phrases are easy to mishear in a noisy market. If your allergy is serious, carry a short written card in Thai, on paper and as a photo on your phone, saying what you cannot eat, that it includes sauces, pastes and oils, and that it can make you very ill. Show it every time, also to the cook, not only to the person taking your order.
Where peanuts, shellfish and fish sauce hide
Knowing the dish is as important as knowing the words. Some common traps:
- Peanuts are crushed over pad thai, mixed into som tam thai and massaman curry, and in satay sauce and many dipping sauces. Some desserts and snacks use them too.
- Shrimp appears as dried shrimp in som tam and fried rice, and as shrimp paste (kapi, กะปิ) in most curry pastes and chili dips, where you cannot see it.
- Fish sauce (nam pla, น้ำปลา) seasons almost every savory dish. "Mai sai nam pla" removes the splash at the end, not the fish in a curry paste.
- Oyster sauce (nam man hoi, น้ำมันหอย) is standard in stir-fries.
- Shared woks, oil and mortars at street stalls mean cross-contact is likely even when an ingredient is left out.
Street stalls cannot promise an allergen-free dish. One wok and one mortar serve every order. If a trace could make you seriously ill, eat where food is cooked to order in a separate pan, choose simple dishes you can see being made, or pick packaged food whose label you can check. Carry your own prescribed medication, and know the ambulance number: 1669.
For vegetarians and vegans, avoiding fish sauce and shrimp paste is a daily task rather than an allergy issue; our guide to vegetarian, vegan and halal food covers jay food and the phrases for it.
Packaged food: what the label must show
Supermarket and convenience-store food is the one place where you can check allergens in writing. Under the Ministry of Public Health's Notification No. 450 (2024), in force since 19 July 2024, prepackaged food sold in Thailand must carry a Thai-language label that identifies allergens; the notification added shellfish, squid and their products to the list, and older-style labels could be used only until 19 July 2026. Labels are in Thai, so a translation app's camera mode helps. Our list of useful travel apps includes translation tools, and 7-Eleven is the most convenient place to buy labeled snacks and ready meals.
Reading a Thai menu: ten words that do most of the work
Many dish names are a cooking method plus a main ingredient, so a few words decode a lot of menus. "Phat kaphrao kai" is stir-fried (phat) with holy basil (kaphrao) and chicken (kai).
| Word | Thai | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phat | ผัด | stir-fried |
| tom | ต้ม | boiled, soup |
| kaeng | แกง | curry |
| thot | ทอด | deep-fried |
| yang | ย่าง | grilled |
| yam | ยำ | spicy salad |
| mu / kai / nuea | หมู / ไก่ / เนื้อ | pork / chicken / beef |
| kung / pla / thale | กุ้ง / ปลา / ทะเล | shrimp / fish / seafood |
| khao | ข้าว | rice |
| kuay tiew | ก๋วยเตี๋ยว | rice noodles |
Two more: yam on a menu almost always means hot, and a chili symbol printed next to a dish in a tourist restaurant is usually a fair warning. At markets with no menu, pointing works; our night market guide explains how ordering and paying usually go.
If something goes wrong
For mild reactions, pharmacies are everywhere in towns; see what you can buy at Thai pharmacies without a prescription. For a serious reaction call 1669 for an ambulance, or 191 as a general emergency number; the UK government notes that hospitals require a guarantee of payment before treatment, so keep your insurance details at hand. Our guides to hospitals in Thailand and travel insurance explain the rest. If you bring prescribed adrenaline or other medicine, check the rules in taking prescription medicine into Thailand.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "not too spicy" in Thai?
"Phet noi" means a little spicy and "phet klang" (เผ็ดกลาง) means medium. If you want to be safe, ask for "prik yaek" (พริกแยก), chili on the side, so you can add it yourself.
Is it safe to eat Thai food with a peanut allergy?
It can be, with care. Peanuts are common in pad thai, som tam thai, massaman curry and sauces, and street stalls share woks and mortars. Carry a written Thai allergy card, choose simple dishes cooked to order and carry your own prescribed medication.
Can I ask for food without fish sauce in Thailand?
Yes: "mai sai nam pla" (ไม่ใส่น้ำปลา). It stops the cook adding fish sauce, but curry pastes and chili dips often contain shrimp paste or fish, so for a strict diet choose jay (vegan) restaurants instead.
Do Thai menus have English translations?
In tourist areas, malls and most restaurants, yes, often with photos. Local stalls and markets frequently have Thai only, so the menu words above, pointing and a translation app's camera mode help.
Sources
- Tilleke & Gibbins – Thailand updates food labeling requirements (MOPH Notification No. 450) (checked October 2026)
- UK FCDO – Thailand travel advice: getting help (checked October 2026)
- UK FCDO – Thailand travel advice: health (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Discover Thai cuisine through its famous four regions (checked October 2026)