Phuket Food & Dining Guide

Eateries by Location

Browse through our guide on some of the best eateries at various locations around the island

Bang Tao

Offers some of the best local and international dining on the island. Within the luxury resort of the Laguna area, is a myriad of choices for dining - little wonder many visitors don't feel the necessity to venture out of this area at all.

At the Dusit Laguna Hotel there is lots to choose from, but especially enjoyable is La Trattoria, the sophisticated Italian haute cuisine restaurant with a view of the sweeping lawn, or Ruen Thai, a beautiful Thai-style restaurant on a romantic lagoon. The traditional Thai cuisine is elegantly served in handsome dishes accompanied with carved vegetables. At La Trattoria, the chef recommend you try his homemade pastas and polish off your meal with cold, refreshing gelato made on the premises. Open daily from breakfast.

The Banyan Tree Phuket also features some great eateries, including the upmarket local expat favourite, Saffron, which features Mid-Eastern and Asian dishes prepared and served with flair on unique pottery dishes and grills at surprisingly reasonable prices for a 5-star resort. Relaxed ambiance. Lunch and dinner daily. The beautifully situated Watercourt restaurant overlooks calm waters. Chefs prepare exquisite meals ranging from Asian seafood to dishes with a Mediterranean touch.

At Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, sample some Southern Thai and Phuket dishes at Chao Lay. The air-conditioned restaurant also features traditional Thai architecture with Thai seating. Diners can enjoy the view of the lagoon, while traditional Thai music is provided as background music. Also enjoyable is Puccini, a northern Italian restaurant, the hotel's signature restaurant with a mouthwatering menu that offers a highly satisfying alternative to Asian.

TeaHouse serves authentic Cantonese and Szchuan cuisine prepared by a top Chinese chef. The Peking Duck is wonderful and the decor entirely appropriate.

At the entrance to the resort, along Srisoonthorn Road, are some of the most popular restaurants visited by local expatriates and visitors alike. Tatonka is a great value restaurant where Thais, Westerners and local expatriates mingle to sample innovative dishes or "Globetrotter Cuisine" as the European chef and owner, Harold, likes to call it. Right next door is the sophisticated Supper Club, the place to gather for cocktails or to linger late into the night over a bottle of good wine and a wonderfully simple yet satisfying mixed and changing a la carte menu. The mood music, slick decor and mix of people found here make this a one of a kind venue on the island.

Toto Laguna serves classical Italian fare from Tuscany at the ever-effervescent Bepy's second Phuket restaurant at the entrance to Laguna Phuket. Toto Latino is in the Why Not? Bazaar across from Toto Laguna. It features a tapas menu that can be enjoyed in the peaceful, garden setting of this Thai-style village.

Kamala

The small community of Kamala hosts some gems of eating-places within a very small area close to the beach. Indeed, there is no better way to enjoy the relaxed calm of Kamala village, than to while away the time at any of the beach side restaurants, savouring the best of local food, sea breezes and scenic views.

On the headland next to Kamala Beach Estate is Paul's Place, an intimate restaurant housed in a wooden villa which completely opens out to a romantic view of the bay. Serving Thai and international food for both lunch and dinner, the restaurant is relaxed and modestly priced, with friendly local service. Open Daily.

On the beach road that follows through into the village, there are a few little restaurants serving seafood and standard Thai fare. The pick of them all is Kamala Seafood, easy to spot and always full of people in the evenings during high season. Their selection of fresh seafood dishes is extensive and the service is always friendly. High season they are open daily for dinner. Toto's has also opened in Kamala recently - and for the uninitiated - this is where you'll find good moderately priced Italian fare.

Along the northern end of the beach are a number of little beach side restaurants that set up over high season, providing simple Thai fare for lunch and dinner. Also look out for the village markets held on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons at the southern end of the bay beside the main highway. Try some freshly cooked spring rolls, deep fried sweet potato, banana and jack fruit, steamed corn, Thai style pancakes, steamed ground nuts, natural ice-cream flavoured with durian, corn, coconut or taro, coconut and sticky rice steamed in bamboo, freshly cut fruit and much much more.

For non-Thai fare, look for Café Java, just off the main highway. Under French management, they serve a good selection of home style cooking in hefty portions. Also has a bar and pool table.

Karon Beach

Karon Beach has many eateries to choose from, and whether it's Thai food or a taste of something different, you'll find lots to please here.

On the Rock at Marina Cottage, south end of Karon Beach serves seafood of the highest international standard right on a rocky promontory with a superb view of Karon Beach. Tel: 330 625. Old Siam located along Karon Beach Road at Thavorn Palm Beach Hotel, is a stylish Thai restaurant serving excellent Royal-Northern cuisine. Choose the terrace or traditional teakwood house. Classical dance performed Wednesdays and Saturdays. Open noon-2.30pm, 6-10pm.

Flamingo Patak Road, opposite the Boathouse serves great thin-crust pizza straight from a wood-fired oven, plus an extensive selection of other Italian dishes. Open daily, breakfast through dinner.

Karon Café Inn & Restaurant at the Islandia Resort Complex, Karon Centre serves home-style American cooking with a few Continental dishes thrown in. Try the roast beef, steaks, spareribs and salad bar; reasonable prices. Open daily 7.30am-dinner.

Kata Beach

Bluefin Tavern is known for it's American food served in a neighborhood bar-style restaurant. And now they've gone big with Tex-Mex! Try their excellent burritos and their special nachos, or the hamburgers that have to be the most delicious and authentic in Phuket. Superb piña coladas, American-style pizza, sandwiches and more. Open daily 11.30am-late.

Talay-Tai at Karon Villa Phuket serves Thai and international seafood and meat dishes in a relaxed setting on the beach road. Select your own fresh Phuket lobster, crab or saltwater fish. Reasonable prices. Open daily 11am-11pm.

The Boathouse Wine and Grill at Mom Tri's Boathouse serves haute cuisine comprising of a tantalizing combination of Thai and Western tastes served in an elegant atmosphere right on the beach for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Excellent wine cellar. Live jazz at 9pm every Saturday; happy hour every evening. Bookings strongly suggested for dinner.

Gung Seafood adjacent to the Boathouse Inn at Kata Beach, serves lunch and dinner right on the beach. The menu features simple yet tasteful Thai food and fantastic cocktails served with flare.

Nai Harn

For eating in the Nai Harn area, try Coconut Café (next to Phuket Yacht Club) which serves good local food and is popular with expat residents. Don's Café in Sayuan village offers one of the islands most extensive menus in a local village style setting. Nok Yung Restaurant serves Thai food in pleasant surroundings and nearby The Wall offers French and Thai cuisine in an Indonesian style open restaurant on stilts. Quarterdeck Restaurant at the Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, is where you'll find the true ambiance of a yacht club. White-clothed tables on an open verandah overlook the beautiful bay of Nai Harn. Attentive service. Try the huge dinner buffet, overflowing with gourmet dishes, or the shady outdoor terrace restaurant that makes a lovely spot for lunch and serves lighter specialties during the heat of the day. Both open daily from breakfast.

By Location:
BangTao/Surin - Kamala - Karon - Kata - Nai Harn - Patong
Phuket Town - Rawai/Chalong - Rest of the Island