Thai beef noodle shop hasn't changed the broth pot for nearly 50 years

Wattana Panich - Ảnh 1. — Wattana Panich's giant broth pot - Photo: Business Insider

Located on Ekkamai Road in the heart of Bangkok, Wattana Panich is a family-run eatery that has been passed down through three generations.

Diner Marielle Descalsota told Business Insider that during a business trip to Bangkok, she took the time to dine and experience the atmosphere here:

"From morning till evening, the restaurant is always bustling with diners and delivery drivers coming to buy the special noodle dish, which has been cooked continuously since the 1970s."

The restaurant's interior has a distinctly nostalgic feel. The walls are decorated with paper cutouts, newspaper clippings, and framed photos of monks, including certificates awarded by the Michelin Guide (Wattana Panich was once included in the Michelin Guide Thailand in the Street Food category).

Behind that is a bustling food preparation area, where more than a dozen kitchen assistants work non-stop.

The atmosphere was almost electric at Wattana Panich - Video : Bk Magazine

The beef noodle soup has a taste that's been around for nearly half a century.

On Google Maps, many diners stated that the biggest reason they sought out this restaurant was their curiosity about the broth pot that has been simmering for "almost 50 years without being turned off."

Chi Quyen Tang commented: "I came to the restaurant after seeing reviews from TikTokers, and I was particularly impressed with the huge pot of broth, which has been maintained for 50 years," but she noted that the beef noodle broth was blander than what Vietnamese people would prefer, not as expected.

Meanwhile, Hien The shared her feeling that the beef noodle soup has a distinctly traditional flavor, and when you eat it, you can feel the "essence of time" from over half a century ago.

The restaurant offers about a dozen dishes, including the most popular ones: Chinese herbal goat stew and beef noodles. Nattapong Kaweenuntawong explains that the Chinese herbs make their broth different from the traditional broths of other Thai restaurants, which use local ingredients like lemongrass and chili peppers.

Wattana Panich - Ảnh 2. — The beef noodle soup is said to have a flavor that has been around for nearly half a century - Photo: Janie Lin - Google Maps

The current owner, Nattapong Kaweenuntawong, told Business Insider : "This pot has been simmering for over 45 years. We don't make a new pot of broth; instead, each night we preserve the leftover broth and the next day we add more meat, spices, and water to continue cooking. The pot never runs dry."

The rich, concentrated broth, made from bones, meat, and spices, slowly permeates each noodle strand and soaks into the tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat, leading many diners at Wattana Panich to say that a single taste is enough to leave a lasting impression.

On Google Maps, the restaurant attracts thousands of positive reviews, mostly from international tourists, with high average ratings and many descriptions of the noodles as "so unforgettable that you'll want to return to Bangkok just to eat them again." Prices here range from 100 to 250 Thai baht per serving, depending on the dish.