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Phuket Restaurants: where and what to eat in Phuket


Phuket restaurants serve all kinds of cuisine but finding real Thai food can be a little challenging. The large majority of the restaurants in the island’s tourist areas, such as Patong Beach, Kata or Karon, have been adjusting their tastes to accommodate first-timers. You probably would never see Thai people eating in those places, and it’s usually a sign. Real Thai food is often found in more modest areas of Phuket, and we list some great Local Thai Restaurants here. Phuket Seafood is also famous, and you should try the real thing without paying a fortune by checking out our Best Local Seafood Restaurants list.


Kampong Kata Hill

Kampong Kata Hill Restaurant

    Kampong Kata Hill is a bit touristy with mixed reviews, but if you travelled that far to discover Asia and you are looking for more than ‘just food’ while remaining within an acceptable budget.

    Bang Pae Seafood

    Bang Pae Seafood

      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.

      Best Restaurants in Phuket, by beaches

      Phuket Restaurants Directory

        Phuket restaurants can keep a food writer busy forever. In our many years here, we tried countless of them. Thailand is blessed with great cuisine and endless food choices from around the country. In recent years, international cuisine has also flourished around the island as a great addition to Thai food.

        Bon Island - Lunch at Bon Island Restaurant

        Bon Island Phuket 🏝️ Lunch at Koh Bon Restaurant

          Bon Island (or Koh Bon) is located just south of Rawai Beach in Phuket and is just a short longtail boat ride away. A few sandy beaches pepper the coast of this tiny island, and despite being so close to Phuket, it is not too busy with tourists.

          Weird Food in Phuket

          10 Hardcore Thai food, only for the brave!

            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?

            After Beach Bar Phuket on Kata Noi Beach

            After Beach Bar

              After Beach Bar Phuket is a very popular Thai restaurant perched high on a cliffside above Kata Noi Beach, on the way to Nai Harn Beach; from the outside, the restaurant looks modest, with low thatched roofs and an old-fashioned reggae atmosphere.

              Thai Food in Phuket

              14 Local Thai Food to Try in Phuket

                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!

                Thai Food in Phuket

                10 Best Thai Food in Phuket

                  Thai food is popular and famous worldwide and doesn’t need to be introduced anymore. If you reached this page, you probably already tried some and heard plenty about it.

                  Best Seafood Restaurants in Phuket

                  15 Best Seafood Restaurants in Phuket

                    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.

                    Mom Tri's Villa Royale

                    Mom Tri’s Kitchen Phuket and Mom Tri’s Villa Royale

                      Mom Tri’s Villa Royale is not just your regular hotel in Phuket. It was the private house of Mom Luang Tridhosyuth Devakul, a famous artist and architect better known in Thailand as ‘Mom Tri’, a descendant of King Mongkut Rama IV.

                      La Gaetana Italian Restaurant in Phuket Town

                      La Gaetana

                        La Gaetana is one of the best and longest-established Italian restaurants in Phuket. It’s well known and recommended by longtime residents and Thais and is in our Top romantic restaurants in Phuket. It’s all about La Gaetana’s excellent cuisine and very cosy atmosphere.

                        Nam Yoi Restaurant Phuket

                        Nam Yoi Restaurant Phuket

                          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.

                          Hor Mok Talay

                          Hor Mok Talay (Spicy Fish Mousse)

                            Hor Mok Talay is not exactly a Phuket or Southern Thailand’s speciality, but the specific type and taste of Hor Mok you can find in Southern Thailand is Phuket style.

                            Phuket View Restaurant on Khao Rang Hill

                            Phuket View Restaurant on Khao Rang Hill

                              Phuket View is another restaurant you must add to your list of ‘Dining with a View while in Phuket’. This dining venue sits for almost twenty years on top of Khao Rang Hill, one of the highest hills in Phuket Town.

                              Indochine Restaurant Phuket

                              IndoChine Waterfront Restaurant

                                IndoChine Waterfront Restaurant is a fancy place for dinner in a trendy setting and with a good panoramic view of Patong Beach. With an original design and a large selection of wines, it is a fun experience to share on a special occasion.

                                Jun Phen Isan Restaurant in Phuket Town

                                Jun Phen Isan Restaurant

                                  Like most of the great restaurants serving excellent good old-fashioned Thai food in Phuket, Jun Phen didn’t bother much with the design.

                                  Mang Da Giant Water Bug in Phuket

                                  Mang Da Na – Giant Water Bug

                                    Mang Da looks like oversized, mutated cockroaches, but I can confirm that they’re not. They are called Mang Da Na in Thai, and apparently are the biggest kind of water bug there is. I think the English name is ‘Giant Water Bug’.

                                    Phuket Brasserie

                                    Phuket Brasserie

                                      Phuket Brasserie is one of the best French dining venues in Phuket town, owned and operated by Belgium chef Alain Tabruyng.

                                      China Inn Phuket

                                      China Inn Phuket Restaurant

                                        China Inn is a lovely little restaurant in the middle of Thalang Road, the historical street of Phuket Town. Everyone who walked down that street admired it, and most even took photos.

                                        Best Thai Restaurants in Phuket

                                        53 Best Local Thai Restaurants in Phuket

                                          Our list of the best local Thai restaurants in Phuket keeps growing because local food in Phuket is great, especially if you step away from Patong Beach! We chose not to list any places and no trendy venues here; our blog is about local food and only local food!

                                          Mama vs WaiWai Instant Noodles

                                          Most Popular Instant Noodles in Phuket

                                            Mama Instant Noodles and WaiWai are both top-selling brands of instant noodles in Thailand, and ‘Mama’ has been the universal term for Thai people to refer to any instant noodle. Some love WaiWai but still refer to it as ‘Mama’.

                                            Tam Sua Thai Dish Mixed Hardcore Salad

                                            Tam Sua – Mixed Hardcore Salad (only for the brave!!) :D

                                              Tam Sua is a tough variation of the well-known Som Tam even though the word Tam Sua practically means ‘salad anything’. The dish looks pretty much like the photo above every time I order it. So what’s inside? Here’s my version of Tam Sua. You’ll find that it’s really similar to a Som Tam… for the brave!