Krua Kao Kuk is a hidden gem on the outskirts of Phuket Town, praised for its simple and delicious southern Thai cuisine. Founded by a Peranakan family in 1995, it’s a favourite among locals for fresh seafood dishes, vegetables with ginger, and classic Thai comfort food like omelettes and pork belly.
Kha Mu Boran is a very discreet and modest restaurant at a busy intersection of Kathu. It is easily missed as you drive by and not easy to park, but when you know the place, it is worth it for a delicious casual lunch.
Salaloy Seafood Restaurant in Phuket is located on Rawai Beach, in the very south of Phuket. Divided into two parts on each side of the busy beachfront road, the kitchen and main dining room are on one side and a sidewalk by the ocean and under the tall trees.
Thai Mueang Restaurant is set in an ancient house that is more than 100 years old and has been renovated to make it new and beautiful just next to the Chinpracha House Museum.
Meespam is a a famous 50-year-old restaurant located on the outskirts of Phuket Town and owned by a local Phuketian Khun Yai Chian, listed in the Phuket Michelin Guide.
Piset Restaurant is a fun place on Yaowarat Road in the old Phuket town that has been very popular with the young local crowd for serving creative Thai food for many years. The restaurant is run by Khun Praew, a famous local influencer and a member of one of the longest-established families in Phuket.
Green Heart Garden is a superb hidden restaurant perched high on the hills above Kata Beach and blessed with incredible panoramic views of the Andaman Sea.
Pa Mai Kanom Jeen (ขนมจีนป้ามัย) is a modest local Thai restaurant located at the intersection of Dibuk Road and Satun Road, just next to the famous Blue Elephant Restaurant in Old Phuket Town. Pa Mai has been a popular local place for decades.
Khao Tom Thanon Di Buk is a local restaurant famous for its morning rice porridge and noodle soup, located on Phang Nga Road in the back of Phuket Town, and only open from 6 in the morning to 12 pm. The restaurant has been listed three years in a row in the Michelin Guide for Thailand.
We Camping Phuket is a local restaurant in Kathu, with a fun camping decor and a vast outdoor sitting area. Despite the name, the place is not related to camping at all.
Somtam Puma 2 Kathu (ส้มตำปูม้า 2) is another hidden local restaurant we alwats enjoy in Kathu.
Red Clam in Kathu, or Hoi Pai Daeng in Thai, is a local restaurant serving good and simple Thai food, perfect for sharing with your friends at the end of the day, the way Thai food is best enjoyed. The restaurant is modest, but the setting is fun, with a vast open-air garden with open tables and those typical bamboo huts so popular in Thai restaurants. In case of rain, there is also a large covered area in the back.
Tasak Seafood is a modest but excellent local restaurant serving inexpensive seafood in a beautiful seaside location in Paklok.
Wanlamun is the most popular Thai sweets and Thai desserts restaurant in Phuket Town. The restaurant has been open for decades and serves an astonishingly large choice of local sweets you probably didn’t even know existed.
Krua Ohm is a small and modest local Thai restaurant in Kathu with a mention on the famous Michelin Guide for two consecutive years.
Ta Tuay is a little-known local restaurant, hidden not far from the Sarasin Bridge in the very north of Phuket, near Sai Kaew Beach. Ta Tuay serves excellent local food and dishes from Phuket.
Jadjan is an excellent local Thai restaurant hidden on the outskirts of Phuket Town. Not many travellers know that a former chef from a 5-star hotel in Bangkok runs it.
Krua Jongjit restaurant in Kathu is proof that a restaurant doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive to be excellent, and even receive a Michelin Plate for fresh ingredients, carefully prepared. The restaurant is local and modest, the prices are low and the food served is excellent and truly local, making it a good culinary experience while in Phuket.
Kanom Jeen Saphan Hin is a long time favourite restaurant in Phuket Town where mostly locals come for a late breakfast, lunch or even dinner.
Hong Khao Tom Pla is a discreet and long-established restaurant in Phuket Town, named after its famous fish rice porridge speciality. Behind this modest appearance is a little gem, so good that the Michelin Guide awarded them a ‘Bib Gourmand’, which is a sign of good quality and good value cooking.
