Da Sandro Kathu

A Home-Style Italian Restaurant in Kathu

Da Sandro is a family-run Italian restaurant on Wichit Songkhram Road in Kathu, the area between Patong Beach and Phuket Town. It is one of those places that locals and long-term residents in Phuket recommend to each other, run by Sandro and his family with a focus on traditional Italian home cooking rather than anything fancy or reinvented. The restaurant sits on a main road and is easy to miss from the outside, but inside, it fills up reliably every evening.

What to Order

The menu covers the Italian classics done well: pasta dishes with proper sauces, wood-fired pizzas, and seafood prepared simply. The pasta is the strength here. Dishes like spaghetti alle vongole, carbonara, and penne arrabbiata are cooked the way you would expect in a good family trattoria in Italy, with honest portions and straightforward flavours.

The pizzas have a thin, crispy base and come out of the oven fast. Seafood dishes rotate depending on what is available, and there is a short but reasonable wine list to go with the meal. The menu is not trying to impress with length. It focuses on doing a smaller number of dishes properly, which is usually a good sign in any Italian restaurant.

The Atmosphere

Da Sandro is decorated in a warm, traditional Italian style with soft lighting and simple wooden furniture. The space is not large, which adds to the cosy, neighbourhood feel. Service is friendly and unhurried. Sandro or a family member is usually around, and the staff are happy to suggest dishes if you are not sure what to go for. The restaurant is at its best from around 7 pm onwards, when tables start to fill, and the room gets lively. Earlier in the evening, it can feel quiet, so timing your arrival later makes for a better experience. It is the kind of restaurant where tables stay for the whole evening, talking and ordering another bottle, which says something about the atmosphere.

Good to Know

Da Sandro is in Kathu, roughly 10 minutes from Patong by car and about 15 minutes from Phuket Town. It is not on the tourist trail, which is part of why it has stayed consistent. The restaurant is closed on Wednesdays. Parking is available along the road outside. If you are staying in Patong and want a break from beach-road dining, the short drive to Kathu is worth it for a genuine Italian meal in a relaxed setting.

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