The night market near Surin's train station is the best and cheapest eating option in the city. Stalls set up by late afternoon and the market reaches full swing around 6–9pm. The selection is classic Isan: grilled pork and chicken (ped yang, gai yang), som tam papaya salad in the fiercely sour local style, sticky rice, and larb — minced meat salad with toasted rice powder and herbs.
A few stalls specialise in Surin-specific dishes. Look for khao tom mat, sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and steamed with banana or taro, which vendors sell from large baskets. Prices are absurdly low even by Thai standards — a full meal with a cold beer rarely exceeds 100 baht.