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.
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.
Crust Restaurant is an excellent Italian venue located on the outskirts of Phuket Town. The food is very well priced and so good that the restaurant was mentioned in the Michelin Guide for Phuket several years in a row. The restaurant is set in a beautiful and colourful Sino-Portuguese shophouse, not far from Central Festival Phuket
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.
Located on Dibuk Road, close to the heart of Old Phuket Town, Day & Night Of Phuket is a large restaurant with impressive architecture and attractive design. The restaurant serves a vast choice of creative Thai dishes, including some Phuket specialities prepared with local flavours and personal twists.
Krua Ohm is a small and modest local Thai restaurant in Kathu with a mention on the famous Michelin Guide for two consecutive years.
Suay Cherngtalay is a popular and excellent restaurant serving modern Thai cuisine with a creative touch by chef Noi Tammasak.
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.
A restaurant and theatre hidden in plain sight Grind Cafe Phuket at Junkyard Theatre is a surprisingly beautiful restaurant and art gallery hidden on the… Read More »Grind Cafe Phuket at Junkyard Theatre
Coconuts Café is a lovely little bakery and restaurant hidden in a small lane of Chalong, in the south of Phuket Island. The coffee shop is a tiny house on stilts, with a garden surrounded by a vast green natural landscape and immense coconut trees.
Siam Supper Club is a long-established cosy restaurant near Bang Tao Beach, on the west coast of Phuket. The restaurant is mostly a steakhouse that also serves an excellent choice of European comfort food.
Arva is an authentic traditional Italian restaurant at the iconic Amanpuri Resort on the private Pansea Beach. The restaurant serves excellent, sustainable Italian cuisine. Arva is the perfect place to treat yourself and your loved one to a unique and unforgettable dinner in Phuket.
Pine Beach Bar is a beautiful venue on the sand of Kamala Beach and part of the prestigious Intercontinental Phuket Resort. With such a wide strip of soft white sand and a beautiful landscape, the north end of Kamala is an ideal place to spend the afternoon.
Surf & Turf by Soul Kitchen is a small Thai-German-owned restaurant on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town that received a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide. The menu is short but changes monthly, and Chef Tom takes great pride in composing European-Thai dishes, including some vegetarian options.
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.
Best Thai Beef is the place to treat yourself if you are craving a perfectly cooked steak after a day of exploring Old Phuket Town. The restaurant is on Dibuk Road, in an old-fashioned house with a wooden facade that reminds a bit of an old Japanese shop.
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.
The Cove Phuket is a lovely little hideaway nestled in Ao Yon Beach near Panwa, a beautiful part of Phuket where very few tourists set foot. This small open-air restaurant and bungalow resort is blessed with a beautiful seaside view
Kin-Kub-Ei Restaurant is a hidden gem serving delicious southern dishes cooked by Khun Tubtim (the lady in the photos) with her family recipes and served in a beautiful garden hidden from the main road on the way to Bangtao Beach.
Patong Sunset View Restaurant is a great spot to end the day with a nice dinner or even just a drink while enjoying one of Phuket’s famous sunsets
Little Tiger Restaurant Little Tiger is a small and hidden restaurant with a superb view, perched on a hillside of Merlin Beach near Patong Beach.… Read More »Little Tiger Phuket Restaurant on Merlin Beach
