Phuket Town’s Hokkien noodles are a simple way to taste the island’s Peranakan roots. We’re talking thick yellow egg noodles, stir‑fried fast in a hot wok with seafood or pork, leafy greens, soy sauces, and a little stock for a glossy finish. Many shops crown the plate with a soft or barely set egg and serve lime, chilli, vinegar, and sugar on the side, so each bowl can be tuned at the table.
The noodle itself traces back to Fujian (Hokkien) migrants who arrived during the tin‑mining boom; over time, local cooks adapted the recipe with Phuket seafood and Thai seasonings. In Old Town and nearby villages, the dish is also called Mee Sapam, after a coastal community where families have fried these noodles for generations.
Hokkien noodles sit firmly within Phuket’s Peranakan (Baba‑Nyonya) foodways, a blend of Chinese techniques with Malay and Southern Thai ingredients, now central to the island’s identity and festivals. Recent events even spotlighted Hokkien mee on the big stage, underlining how a humble wok dish speaks for Phuket’s diverse heritage.
Ko Yoon Restaurant is a very small and discreet place serving amazing Hokkien Noodles. If you happen to visit Phuket Town, chances are you walked passed it without noticing it, it looks like any other anonymous local hole-in-the-wall restaurant. But Ko Yoon has prepared those delicious big yellow noodles for decades and locals know how good they are ...
Go La Restaurant is a tiny local restaurant located at 11 Kra Road in Phuket Town, away from the busy centre and a bit hard to find. This third-generation family-run restaurant is renowned for its authentic Hokkien-style fried noodles ...
Mee Ton Poe received a 'Michelin Plate' rating in the Phuket Michelin Guide. A ‘Michelin Plate' is a recognition of excellent food. Mee Ton Poe (Mee Ton Poh) has served some of the best-known Hokkien noodles on Phuket island for many years since 1946 to be precise. It used to be a tiny, modest restaurant at the clock circle in Phuket town where locals and expats would go for a cheap bowl of noodles, and that was it. Good, cheap and super casual. The location close to downtown Phuket town made it easy to stop and long ago, this used ...
Som Chit Restaurant is famous for its delicious Hokkien Noodles Soup, and people from Bangkok who know about it would stop here for lunch when they visit Phuket Town ...
Kopitiam by Wilai is a recently renovated restaurant serves classic Thai food in an old-style Chinese shop on the most popular street in Phuket Town. Thalang Road changed from just an old busy street to a full-scale tourist attraction, bars and restaurants have started to appear like flies on honey. ...
Rong Kopi (โรงโกปี๊) is a small, always-busy restaurant tucked beside the Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town. It’s the kind of place you might walk past if you’re not paying attention—but once you step inside, it’s hard to forget ...
Willy Thuan is the founder of Phuket 101. After travelling through 40+ countries and working with Club Med and Expedia, he settled in Phuket in 1994. He shares real travel insights and original photography from across Thailand.View Author posts
