A Guide to Online Grocery Shopping in Bangkok

Tired of eating noodle soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Unwilling to shell out THB 490 for a spinach pizza at the food cart du jour? Keen to impress a date with home-cooked food? Then you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

By the way, that home-cooked food thing actually works. Or so I’ve been told. I can’t boil water without burning the bubbles. But back to the matter at hand: stocking your fridge.

Taking a taxi to a supermarket on a Saturday morning is an adventure worth experiencing. Witness cashiers pack your bags in slow motion while stocking up on three different kinds of things you don’t need on the checkout isle. See how many donut shops you can pass before the delicious crumblies make short work of your self-discipline. Experience the thrill of negotiating with a taxi driver who insists that carrying change for anything more than a twenty Baht bill is preposterous idea.

I’m serious. Supermarket trips probably offer more insight into what’s going on in a country than any commission-incentivized tour guide. However, If the above isn’t an ordeal you’d like to go through every time you run out of cucumbers, then you are not alone and this guide is for you.

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Why Order Online

In recent years, online grocery deliveries have really taken off in Bangkok. It’s becoming much more popular because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ordering online has a lot of advantages over the usual Saturday morning resupply excursion.

  • It saves time. It’s a lot faster to go through an online list of groceries than to drive to a supermarket, find what you’re looking for and queue up at checkout. On average, it takes me about ten minutes to place an order online, whereas an extensive visit to a supermarket on a busy day can take up to two hours door to door.
  • It’s cheaper. Most people forget the cost of commuting and additional expenses while out shopping. It’s not only the cost for a taxi or your own car – it’s also the snacks, coffees and other little pleasures you buy while out shopping that makes it hard to compete with the average THB 60 delivery charge.
  • It’s healthier. Few people manage to walk out of a supermarket only with what they planned to buy, and I’m no exception. Impulse buys catch us all at some point, and the checkout isles aren’t stocked with vegetables and fat-free dairy products. If there’s chocolate in the house, I’ll eat it. The only way that works is not to buy it in the first place. Shopping for groceries online has been the best strategy when I worked on losing weight.

However, there are some downsides to online orders: inventory is usually a lot smaller than what you find in-store. Items might not be in stock. Online orders can be even more inconvenient than buying groceries in person if you have to travel around Thailand and plan your schedule being at home for the delivery.

My solution to that is to set delivery times to the same times as the cleaning of my apartment. My maid accepts the deliveries and fills up my fridge.

About Me

Before I go over how I make use of Bangkok’s myriad of online shops, I want to give you a bit of an idea of my own lifestyle and consumption habits.

I’m an entrepreneur with a company registered in Bangkok (and blogger, it seems) who mostly eats vegetarian and is somewhat nutrition-focused. When ordering groceries, I try to streamline the process while keeping things healthy. I’m not too big on organic foods and am probably not the city’s biggest foodie.

When I say ‘not the city’s biggest foodie’, that’s a euphemism for ‘if it blends, I can drink it’. (accomplishments in that category include Nattō and egg tofu). Of more relevance for the average reader is that I like to make smoothies with frozen fruit and vegetables, so sourcing these is a major challenge for me when ordering online.

If you’re still not sure what my food choices entail, here’s an example of what I consider an acceptable ‘home-cooked’ dinner.

However, in order to make this article useful for a large number of people, I’ve set out to gather input from a number of friends who contributed their own favorites for specific diets, family-friendly options, organic choices and gourmet selections.

Online Grocery Shops

Having established that I don’t attempt to cook Martha Stewart recipes, let’s get to the gist of it. Here’s a guide to online grocery outlets and my experience with them.

Supermarkets

Not all supermarkets in Bangkok offer online deliveries, some only sell non-refrigerated products online, others don’t have their inventory online on their own website but do make it available through third party websites like LineMan.

The biggest difference between individual supermarkets is usually not the price or the products (which tend be rather uniform for most items), but usability and delivery times (which vary a lot).

TOPS

TOPS is one of the cheaper online grocery shops, especially for smaller orders. It can be your one-stop shop for buying groceries online.

Even though not all promotions that are featured in the homepage are available in the online shop, the actual offer pages are easy to find and buy.

Delivery times are somewhat limited, giving you the choice between three time slots: 12pm to 3.30pm, 3.30pm to 7.30pm, and 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Based on my experience though, those are just rough guidelines, and similar to Big C, they’ll call you with an actual delivery date and time that you can confirm or change.

With free deliveries from THB 888 and no product price markups.

I’m really not sure why supermarkets need my passport number, but TOPS belongs to the few that think it’s necessary.

Big C

Big C was one of the first supermarkets to support online orders. Big C does not offer refrigerated items in their own online shop. For non-refrigerated items though, the offering on their own website seems to cover pretty much everything you find in store.

Previously, Big C has a bad search system in which any product searched on their website returns a list of all products that contain any one of the words you entered. If you search for ‘non fat milk’, you’ll get a list of all products that contain either the word ‘non’, ‘fat’ or ‘milk’. 

But their search function has been improved over the time and now you can get an accurate result of the item you are looking for.

For delivery times, you can pick one of four different time slots between 10am and 8pm. In practice though, they’ll call you up and discuss the actual delivery time with you directly. Consider the time slot you selected online a ‘rough estimate’.

The good news is that free delivery combined with a no-markup policy makes Big C the cheapest online supermarket for non-refrigerated goods.

Tesco Lotus

Tesco Lotus is by far the shop I’ve been using the most.

While the product offers on the website are not as extensive as in their actual stores, the range is quite broad. You won’t find all products, but you’ll find something in every category (including low-fat options, which can be hard to come by at other shops).

One of the biggest strengths of Tesco Lotus is their user interface and search. It has one of the best searches and browsing functions of all grocery stores, making it very easy to find the products you’re looking for. Their entire listing catalog is bilingual.

Of the tested shops, Tesco Lotus seems to stock the largest inventory online based on my own shopping experience. Their prices for vegetables and fruit are pretty competitive when compared to other supermarkets.

Frequent promotions (check the website and the sales slip you get with your order) mean you often get about 10% off your order.

Tesco Lotus does automatic replacements. If a product you ordered is not in stock, they’ll replace it with a similar one and give you a heads-up by phone. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to ‘disable’ this feature. I’d rather have them never replace anything as I’m usually not at home when they deliver.

There is no minimum spend. Delivery fee is THB 60, regardless of order amount. What I absolutely adore about them though is the ability to select any two hour window between 10am and 10pm weeks in advance. This is what makes it possible for me to schedule deliveries for the times my maid is at home. The downside? Delivery slots for the next 24 hours are usually booked out.

International and Ethnic

There are a few delivery services that stand out for their very extensive product ranges for specific countries. While some of them store a variety of local products, these shops mostly stand out for the products you will be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

Big Food Bazar

Big Food Bazar stocks a large selection of Indian groceries with some more generic essentials mixed in. From 39 different types of dal to paneer by the kilo, Big Food Bazar appears to be the best choice to order South Asian groceries online.

Minimum order amount is THB 750 with free delivery from THB 1,500.

Western Foods Thailand

Western Foods Thailand offers a range of British specialties, including pies, quiches and burgers. Technically, it’s not really a grocery shop, but if you don’t mind ordering by email it’s a good place to find ready-made British specialties.

Local, Organic and Artisan Shops

If you are keen on organic food or specialty items, you’ll need to bring some patience to the order form. In some cases, online payments are not supported; in others, you have to place your order by e-mail. Nevertheless, it is possible to get hold of a lot of specialty products online, even if you sometimes have to jump through a few hoops.

Passion Delivery

If you’re looking for Wagyu beef or French cheese online, Passion Delivery is a one-stop solution for premium groceries at a price. The company delivers selected items from shops like The Accidental Butcher and Conkey’s, as well as several other Bangkok artisan stores.

They don’t always list all products (or sizes) for sale by individual suppliers (some of which operate their own online store as well). If you can’t find something specific or want to serve on a bulk order, it can be worth contacting the supplier directly (they’re all listed).

Reflecting the high end product selection, their customer support speaks perfect English, making the delivery process a bit more hassle-free.

Delivery is free for orders of THB 10,000 or more, otherwise it starts from THB 90. PayPal is an option, but there’s a 5% surcharge. Bank transfers save you a few baht. You can choose between two delivery time windows: 10am to 2pm or 2pm and 6pm.

Sunshine Market

Branded as local health shop, Sunshine Market offers a lot of speciality food items for people looking for organic food, following specific diets or struggling with food allergies.

Diets

Given Bangkok’s popularity as a tourist destination, it’s easy to find restaurants catering to practically every kind of diet restriction. The online landscape is not as bountiful, but there are a few options available.

Halal

At the time of writing, Halal online grocery store in Bangkok is very limited. You can get it from Souky Official or foodpanda.

Gluten-Free

While I’m not aware of any delivery services providing exclusively gluten-free options, there are some that have gluten-free categories. PassionDelivery has a range of gluten free products.

Paleo

Started as a paleo-compliant meal delivery service, Paleo Robbie has expanded to offer a grocery delivery service that specializes in pastured animals and wild caught fish. Minimum order amount is THB 1,500.

Supplements

For some reason, supplements are usually sold at a tremendous markup in Bangkok. Prices are in fact so ludicrously high that you could order from the US, and in spite of shipping charges, it would still be cheaper. However, there are some local budget options that allow you to stock up within a reasonable amount of time and more tolerable prices.

Fitwhey

At the time of writing, Fitwhey is my go-to choice for protein powder – simply because it not only has the cheapest prices of all online and offline stores that I know of, but also ships for free. The fact that they accept credit cards is a welcome convenience.

iHerb

iHerb is a US-based online store for supplements that stocks pretty much everything you need at US prices (read: dirt cheap).

The reason I’m including a website based outside of Thailand in this listing can be summed up in one sentence: iHerb ships to Thailand for four dollars. There are local online shops that ship barely 30 minutes away from my place that charge me more than that.

In order to avoid issues with customs, a lot of people recommend to keep orders to less than USD 50 (including shipping charges).

My Personal (Sorta) Healthy Online Shopping List

Since online grocery shops don’t carry the same inventory as their offline counterparts, some products can be a bit difficult to come by. Below I’ve listed the ones that are a bit harder to find (as well as with information which shops stock them).

Where possible, I linked directly to the product page at each shop. For HappyFresh, you have to use their online search to find them (be sure not to include ‘%’ in searches – currently that doesn’t seem to work). Products on sale at multiple stores, I linked to whichever store offered it at the cheapest price.

It’s a rather subjective list, but if you share my smoothie-incorporating, nutrition-focused diet, there might be some useful gems.

  • Almonds, Raw, 500g: Nuts are good. Almonds are tasty. Sums it up. Available online at Radiance Wholefoods.
  • Ayam Light Reduced Sugar and Light Sodium Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce 425g: I’m not terribly worried about sodium, but oh well. Here are some baked beans that have a bit less than the usual amount. Available online at Tesco Lotus.
  • Betagen Fermented Milk Fat 0% Sugar 2%: The lowest calorie fermented milk drink on the market. Available online at Big C.
  • Chabaa 100% Pomegranate & Grape Juice 1000ml: Superfood or not, I can’t stand eating actual pomegranate. Juice is fine though and I don’t mind the grapes. Available online at Tesco Lotus.
  • Dotter Henn Tammachad Eggs Add DHA 10 pcs: Eggs with added DHA. Not really necessary if you take a supplement for that. Available online at Tesco Lotus.
  • Foremost Omega Plain Flavoured UHT Milk 180ml x 4pcs: I read nutrition labels for 30 minutes to pick the fortified milk suitable most suitable for vegetarians. Available online at Tesco Lotus.
  • Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 226g: Comes in a box. You’ll appreciate that once you tried to pry cocoa powder out of an aluminum bag. Good for smoothies. Available online at Tesco Lotus.
  • Lindt Excellence Dark 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate 35g: Once chocolate is in the house, it’s gone. That’s why I order it in 35g packs. Available at Tesco Lotus.
  • Meji Bulgaria Original Flavour Set Yoghurts 110g x 4pcs: Due to low sugar and fat contents, this is my favorite yogurt sold online. Available online at Tesco Lotus.
  • Meiji Non Fat Pasteurized Milk 2,000ml: My favorite low fat milk, though Dutchmill is a close second. Available online at Tesco Lotus.
  • PA by Panasia Frozen Mandarin Orange: These are great for smoothies: blend them with ice, yogurt and vanilla protein powder. Available online at Big C.
  • Président Light Processed Cheese Slices 10 slices: Low-fat cheese is a decent source of vegetarian protein, though ‘gourmet’ it certainly is not. Available at Tesco Lotus.
  • Quaker Instant Oatmeal 800g: Mixed in yogurt and with fresh fruit (apples preferred), this is my breakfast of champions. Available online at Big C and Tesco Lotus.
  • Silk Organic Soy Milk Unsweetened 946ml: Absolutely the most delicious thing you can put in your coffee. Available online at Big C.
  • Sunny Day Frozen Raspberry: I’m a bit on the fence about these as the seeds make them a tad unpleasant for smoothies but still doable. Available online at Big C.
  • Tchibo Exclusive Decaf Coffee 100g: Not a Pacamara (so good, go try), but a decaf coffee option that’s moderately priced. Available online at Tesco Lotus.
  • Twinings Earl Grey Decaf Tea 50g: Not cheap, but a game changer if you love tea and want to avoid caffeine. Available online at TOPS.

I’ve left out fresh fruits and vegetables from the above list as the availability of them is very seasonal.

For organic options, you can check artisan and organic stores like Adams Organic. Otherwise Tesco Lotus would be my shop of choice for fruits and vegetables.

For lazy muesli and smoothies, I recommend going with pre-cut fruits and veggies

As you can see, most of the items I buy are stocked by Tesco Lotus, making it my preferred choice for orders, with HappyFresh coming in a close second.

Tricks and Deals

There’s a few things to keep in mind when ordering online to make sure you get the best service quality and the lowest price possible:

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  • Delivery times can be set to when your maid is at home. I always have orders delivered on the same time and day. She accepts the orders and fills up my fridge.
  • Order before you run out (duh!). If items weren’t in stock on the day of the delivery (happens with at least one product in two out of three orders), you still have time to buy it elsewhere.
  • If there is a coupon requiring a minimum purchase, add things like water, toiletries, bathroom supplies to reach the required minimum spend. Anything that can be stored for a long time works out well for this purpose.
  • Keep a list of favorites. Some shops create it automatically (e.g. Tesco Lotus), in which case you have delete stuff from it that you don’t plan on ordering again. Others require you to manually add items. It’s usually much faster to go through a list of favorites than to select products one by one from the shop. I found that I mostly order the same ~100 products. Saves me also the work of making a shopping list. The favorite list is easier to ‘work through’ and reorder whatever I’m out of.

Other Options

I remember when Silk soy milk was sold out across most stores in Bangkok (they solved that problem by increasing the price by 50%). I ended up calling the importer directly and had it delivered to my place (at retail price).

The above is a list of shops officially offering online order services. It helps moving and living in Thailand a lot easier. In reality, a lot of specialty stores, restaurants and importers deliver products to your door if you just call them up. If you’re not sure who stocks it, check the manufacturer or import labels on the products.

There are constantly new shops and delivery services launching. LINE recently announced that they will offer a grocery delivery service soon. If there’s one you know of that you’d like to recommend, please let me know in the comments and I’ll make sure to give it a spin and add it to the list above.

My name is Karsten and I'm a 30-something pro-gamer turned tech entrepreneur. I'm the youngest of three sons to a British mom and a German dad who met while working in Canada. As management trainee at Lufthansa German Airlines I worked in India, Dubai, Austria and Germany.

14 thoughts on “A Guide to Online Grocery Shopping in Bangkok”

  1. Nice post man. Careful with Big C, they tend to forget products or change what your order for different products without asking for your permission. We usually use Happyfresh, a bit more expansive but easier to use.

    Reply
  2. Do any of them accept US credit cards? Like if I want to send a friend in Bangkok some sourdough and cheese, what can I use?

    Reply
    • Passion Delivery accepts PayPal payments, though there’s a surcharge. Probably also a good chance they stock these kind of products. Happy Fresh and Tesco Lotus are worth a shot, but not sure about US credit cards. Cheesequintessence specializes in cheese. Especially with the smaller shops you can also send them an e-mail or call them up in advance and they might work something out for you.

      Reply
  3. Great detailed article! I myself am into eating healthy and hitting my daily macros (especially protein). However due to my work, cooking meals myself will be quite time challenging. Do you have experience or information regarding any food delivery service that delivers ready made food (frozen or non frozen) that is healthy and affordable? Such as http://www.fitmealfood.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/powerfoood . Also, do you have any idea where to buy pasteurized liquid egg whites? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Liquid egg whites you can get in Foodland, TOPS, Gourmet Market (or at least in two of those three). Didn’t check if they’re pasteurized.

      Food delivery for healthy food with lots of protein is often a recommendation for Paleo Robbie. Cheap though, it is not. My general experience with trying to go for a high protein bulking diet is that you’ll pay through the nose for anything pre-prepared.

      I’ve resorted to instead either batch cook food and freeze it in single-portion containers or to do easily repeatable stuff: e.g. semi-hard boiled eggs on wholewheat bread with mustard or self-made, unsweetened, low-fat yogurt with oatmeal and fruit.

      Reply
    • Thanks! Big fan of iHerb. They actually not only stock supplements. I once ordered some makeup brushes as well. Awesome deal. Just be sure to stay below THB 1,500 to avoid customs issue (and above THB 1,427 for free shipping)… tricky 😉

      Reply

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