Restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand
62-year congee institution. Michelin price-to-value winner.
Pae Brass Pot Porridge 38 Years has been serving congee from its signature brass pots in Bang Sue since 1962, earning back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025. At a single-฿ price point with a 4.3 Google rating across 290 reviews, it is the clearest value play on Bangkok's Michelin map. The mixed rice porridge is the order.
If you are in Bangkok and want to understand what a Michelin Bib Gourmand congee spot actually delivers at a street-food price point, Pae Brass Pot Porridge 38 Years is the right call. It earns back-to-back Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, holds a 4.3 Google rating across 290 reviews, and charges at the lowest price tier in the city. For a solo traveler, a couple, or a small group wanting a grounded, no-frills Bangkok meal that still carries a credible quality signal, this is an easy yes. If you are celebrating an anniversary or closing a business deal, look elsewhere — the format here is communal and casual, not occasion-dress.
The name needs a small correction upfront: the "38" in Pae Brass Pot Porridge 38 Years is not the age of the restaurant. It is a nod to the founder's lucky number. The venue itself has been operating since 1962, which makes it over six decades of continuous service in Bang Sue, putting it in a genuinely short list of Bangkok food institutions that have run across three generations of the same family. That kind of continuity is not marketing — it is the reason the Michelin inspectors keep returning.
The format is congee, specifically rice porridge served in the brass pots that give the restaurant its name. The aroma that greets you as you approach is the slow, starchy steam of long-cooked rice , warm, faintly savoury, the kind of smell that signals something has been simmering for hours rather than minutes. This is not a quick-boil operation. The brass pot method retains heat through service, which means the porridge arrives at the table still actively warming, rather than cooling on a ceramic bowl.
Mixed rice porridge option is the one Pearl flags as the house pick. Without confirmed menu data beyond what is documented, we will note what the venue record confirms: the mixed option is the recommended order for first-timers, and it is what has driven the repeat Bib Gourmand recognition. The price range sits at the single-฿ tier, which in Bangkok means this is genuinely affordable , expect a full meal at a fraction of what you would spend at any of the city's Michelin-starred tables.
Address is 320 Pracharatchasai 1 Road in Bang Sue, a residential and working-class district north of central Bangkok. This is not a tourist corridor. You will not stumble onto this place. You go because you looked it up, and that small friction is part of what keeps the room feeling local rather than performative.
There is no cocktail program here, and the editorial angle of a formal bar program does not apply to a congee shop operating at the ฿ price tier. What this venue does well, in the beverage sense, is what most great Asian porridge houses do: the liquid is the dish. The porridge itself , the slow-cooked, stock-thickened rice base , functions as the primary drink-adjacent element of the meal. If you are coming expecting wine pairings or a considered non-alcoholic menu, recalibrate. Come for the warmth of the broth, not a spirits list. For Bangkok's actual cocktail scene, the city's full bars guide is the right place to start.
Pae Brass Pot Porridge 38 Years is located in Bang Sue at 320 Pracharatchasai 1 Road. No phone number or website is available in the current record, which means walk-in or local knowledge is the booking method. Hours are not confirmed in the data , check Google Maps before you travel, especially if you are making a dedicated trip from central Bangkok. Given the Bib Gourmand recognition and the 290-review Google footprint at 4.3 stars, expect the venue to be busy during peak meal periods. Arriving early in the morning or at off-peak times is likely your leading buffer against a wait.
Dress code is not specified and, given the price tier and neighbourhood context, almost certainly casual. A single-฿ brass-pot porridge shop in a residential Bangkok district is not a venue with a jacket policy. Come comfortable.
For broader context on eating in the city, see our full Bangkok restaurants guide. If you are also planning accommodation or activities, our Bangkok hotels guide and experiences guide are the logical next stops.
Among congee specialists beyond Bangkok, A Hsing Congee in Tainan and Dayong Street No Name Congee, also in Tainan, offer interesting regional comparisons for the format across Southeast and East Asia. Within Thailand, AKKEE in Pak Kret and AKKEE Thai Delicacies and Tasting Counter in Nonthaburi are worth knowing if you are exploring the greater Bangkok dining periphery. For Michelin-tracked Thai food beyond the capital, PRU in Phuket and Aeeen in Chiang Mai represent very different registers of the same award ecosystem.
Quick reference: Congee, Bang Sue Bangkok, ฿ price tier, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2024 and 2025, 4.3 stars (290 reviews), walk-in recommended, casual dress, no reservations system confirmed.
Pae Brass Pot Porridge 38 Years does not compete directly with Bangkok's high-end Michelin roster. The comparison table below maps it against the city's most-discussed fine-dining names to help you understand what you are trading off at each price tier.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pae Brass Pot Porridge 38 Years | Don't let the name mislead you – "38" is a nod to the founder's lucky number. This porridge hotspot has been simmering since 1962, serving up porridge in its signature brass pots for three generations. Our favourite is the mixed rice porridge option.; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | ฿ | — |
| Sorn | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | ฿฿฿฿ | — |
| Baan Tepa | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ฿฿฿฿ | — |
| Côte by Mauro Colagreco | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ฿฿฿฿ | — |
| Gaa | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ฿฿฿฿ | — |
| Sühring | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | ฿฿฿฿ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The name is slightly misleading: the "38" is a lucky number, not the restaurant's age. This place has been running since 1962, which means three generations of operation and two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025). Come for the mixed rice porridge served in the signature brass pots, pay street-food prices (฿ tier), and expect a no-frills setting where the food does the talking.
For congee at a comparable price point, Bangkok's Chinatown and Silom neighbourhoods have long-running porridge shops, but few carry Michelin recognition at this tier. If you want to move up the price scale entirely, Sorn and Gaa offer Michelin-starred Thai experiences at a significantly higher spend. For the specific combination of Bib Gourmand recognition and street-food pricing, Pae Brass Pot is one of the stronger cases in the city.
No phone number or website is listed in the current record, which suggests walk-in is the primary access method. Arriving early is the practical move, especially after the 2024 and 2025 Bib Gourmand listings increased foot traffic. If you are making a special trip to Bang Sue, go at opening rather than peak lunch or dinner hours.
Whatever you would wear to a street-food stall. This is a ฿-tier congee shop in Bang Sue, not a sit-down restaurant with a dress expectation. Comfortable, casual clothes are fine.
Not in the conventional sense. There is no cocktail program, no tasting menu, and no private dining. What it offers is a genuinely historic Michelin-recognised institution at a price point where almost nothing else holds that recognition. If your occasion is about eating well without spending much, or exploring Bangkok's working-neighbourhood food culture, it makes a strong case. For a celebratory dinner, Sühring or Sorn would be more appropriate.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
