Lock Tien food court in Phuket Town is a place every person living in Phuket long enough knows. It doesn’t look like much but with 50 years old history, it’s probably the oldest food court on the island. What really matters is that Lock Tien serves some real Phuket specialities.
Peang Prai Restaurant (Krua Piang Prai) is an excellent local venue in a green nest next to Bang Pae waterfall. Mostly unknown to tourists because of its remote location, Peang Prai is one of the two great places to have lunch if you happen to be in the area.
The Pad Thai Shop is a tiny restaurant on the side of the back road of Karon Beach. It’s so small and modest; you would drive past it without paying much attention if it wasn’t for its growing reputation and a large yellow signboard that says ‘The Pad Thai Shop’.
Kanom Jeen is a traditional Thai breakfast dish that’s particularly popular in Phuket and southern Thailand. It consists of fresh, thin white rice noodles served cold or at room temperature with a curry of your choice. Common options include fish curry (Nam Ya Pa), beef curry (Kang Nua), chicken curry (Kang Kai), or sweet prawn curry (Kang Nam Prik).
Phuket street food is fun, cheap, and a great way to experience simple real Thai food. It definitely is more authentic than in tourist restaurants you find in Patong Beach. It’s fast and a lot cleaner than you might think.
Phuket floating restaurant ‘Kruvit Raft’ is one of the most original ways to enjoy dinner when you get tired of your ‘Same Same but Different’ Thai food restaurant. Try this unusual but popular place floating between Phuket Island’s east coast and Maphrao Island.
Mor Mu Dong is quite an unusual restaurant in Phuket. If you enjoy eating off the beaten tracks where many locals go for a great lunch or dinner, Mor Mu Dong is your place. Every Phuket resident knows it, and you have to count the cars in the parking to know that something special is cooking here.
Thanoon Seafood Restaurant is perfect for spending a half-day in a unique location, a breezy place right on the beach of a stunning bay in the very north of Phuket Island. Thanoon Seafood has found itself a little golden spot no one had thought about before: next to the Sarasin Bridge connecting Phuket to the mainland. This small bay benefits from a gentle breeze with amazing views of both the open sea and the new bridge on the other side.
Nai Dam Restaurant in Kathu looks just like any restaurant by the roadside of Phuket. It’s not fancy, there are no exterior signs of luxury and even the restaurant signboard is hardly visible.
Kin Dee Restaurant Phuket is not exactly what you would call a ‘local’ restaurant in the pure sense of it, but it’s not a touristic place either.
Kan Eang at Pier is a trendy seafood restaurant in Chalong Bay on the way to Rawai Beach, in the south of Phuket. Popular since decades, Kan Eang is a relaxing place in the shade of huge trees with a beautiful sea breeze.
Kan Eang 2 is not the most accessible place to find, but it’s one of Phuket’s best local seafood restaurants. Everyone here knows that there are 2 Kan Eang Seafood restaurants on the island.
Kaab Gluay is one of the few authentic local Thai restaurants in Patong Beach. The food is delicious and well priced, and the staff is always amiable.
One Chun Restaurant is one of the best Thai restaurants in Phuket Town. Serving southern Thai and uniquely Phuket cuisine without compromise. They first succeeded with locals who are not easy to impress when it comes to their food: great food, reasonable price, fun atmosphere, excellent service and good location.
Bang Pae Seafood is a great local restaurant, very hidden on the east coast of Phuket. It’s not so easy to find, and yet, it’s busy on weekends with a mix of Thai, expats and some tourists brought by local friends.
We had ’10 Typical Phuket Dishes’ and ’10 Best Really Local Restaurants’, and even ’10 Fried Insects for Gourmets’ now we need to move on to serious business: ’10 Hardcore Thai Food, only for the Brave’… Will you dare?
Thai food in Phuket is delicious, varied and cheap. You can enjoy it by the street, on the beach, in surprisingly excellent local restaurants and even at fancy Michelin restaurants. Phuket also has many specialities you should try, but remember that some dishes can be seriously spicy!
The best seafood in Phuket is mostly in local restaurants, which are sometimes away from tourist places, but also in some more upmarket restaurants around the island. Of course, the seafood you will find in Patong, Kata, Karon is good, but local restaurants have a little more.
Nam Yoi Restaurant is a discreet local place tucked away on a remote street in Phuket Town. While it’s challenging to find, the effort is worth it for their excellent local and southern Thai cuisine. The setting is simple, prices are very affordable, and the food is exceptional.
Like most of the great restaurants serving excellent good old-fashioned Thai food in Phuket, Jun Phen didn’t bother much with the design.
