When I first visited Thailand back in 2011 I struggled to eat. Concerns of fish sauce, cross contamination and other animal remnants were forefront in my hungry brain so I lived on fruit, cocktails and the occasional falafel. A very unauthentic experience.
Fast forward to 2023 when I left my job in Dubai to travel. Heading straight to Thailand I discovered not only hundreds of western style vegan joints (no pun intended) but vegan restaurants everywhere. Hello JAY food!
“The Thai word for vegetarian is mungsawirat, but the word jay is also commonly used and one to know if you are vegan. The word jay is derived from Jainism, an ancient eastern religion with some similarities to Buddhism. Jains follow a strict vegetarian diet that even precludes eating some root vegetables such as potatoes and onions”
(fanclubthailand.co.uk)
When traveling to small towns and villages I was amazed to find JAY food pretty much everywhere. Mostly buffets serving curries, mock meats and veggies; your average plate of food costing 60-80 Thai Baht (less than £1)!
Below is a selection of what I ate during my five month trip. There are so many places not listed on Happy Cow: https://www.happycow.net/asia/thailand/
So Google Maps is your best friend; You find a lot more local places that way.
One thing to be mindful of is that many JAY restaurants open very early in the morning 6/7AM and close early afternoon (2/3PM) My strategy was to get takeaway to eat in the evenings. Grab food is also a great option in major cities: https://www.grab.com/th/en/food/ Just make sure you order from a vegan/vegetarian restaurant that doesn’t cook or serve meat. Another thing to be mindful of is that many western/tourist restaurants close for the rainy season (July to November) This information isn’t always updated online so call ahead to check.
My final point is that wherever there is a 711 you can always eat. They have a variety of frozen vegan meals including soy with basil and rice, Chinese Stew and American Classic Lays Crisps! Their pickled mustard greens are also vegan. Just look for this sign on the products:
Several restaurants that I visited across Thailand are below: Bangkok, Chiang Mai/Rai, Mae Hong Son, Phuket, Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta, Nan, Trang, Hat Yai Lampang and Phrae with links to each restaurant.
The locals who run JAY restaurants are so kind, so patient, so welcoming and understanding of food needs. A fantastic surprise for me but not my waistline!
My next stop was Malaysia…probably the best food on Earth!
PinkyBinks 
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