Unique food to try in Bangkok: the ghost pepper burger

Bangkok’s food scene is famous for a handful of dishes — Khao San mango sticky rice, Chinatown boat noodles, that famous pad thai queue. If you’ve done the classics and want something you won’t find anywhere else in the city, put the ghost pepper burger on your list.

What’s a “naga” anyway?

The naga — better known outside South Asia as the ghost pepper — is one of the world’s most famous hot chillies. It grows in Bangladesh and northeast India, where it turns up on family dinner tables. In Bangkok it’s an import: Naga Inc. brings in genuine naga chillies and builds every sauce in-house around them.

That’s the plot twist most visitors miss: this isn’t a stunt burger. It’s a hole-in-the-wall burger built properly, with heat as the house signature.

Where to try it

Naga Inc. — 123/2 Sukhumvit Soi 15, open daily from 12:00 PM until 2:30 AM. Sukhumvit is one of the easiest areas to reach on the BTS, and Soi 15 sits between the Asok and Nana stations, so it slots neatly into a day of Bangkok eats.

How not to burn yourself

You choose your own spice level — five of them, from the mild, beginner-friendly Naga Lite to the unrelenting Naga Extreme. First-timers: start low, work up. The house classic for a first visit is a True Naga.

And once you’ve done the classics — pad thai, boat noodles, mango sticky rice — sit down, order one of these, and see what Bangkok tastes like when the chilli is the main character.

See the menu or find us on the map if you’re heading over after a day on Sukhumvit.