Shopping for Phuket Specialities
Cham Cha Market (ตลาดฉำฉา), sometimes called Lor Rong Market, is a small food market in Phuket Town where locals come for traditional Phuket dishes you won’t find anywhere else. The market is on Ranong Road, past the local bus station and the famous Jui Tui Shrine. I drove past this market for years without stopping. It looked like any other roadside food stall. That was a mistake. Once you know what to look for, Cham Cha Market becomes one of the most interesting food spots in Phuket Town.
The market isn’t big. Just a covered area with maybe a dozen vendors. But the food here is special. These are old Phuket recipes passed down through generations, dishes with Chinese-Hokkien roots that you won’t find in tourist restaurants or even in Bangkok. The vendors are proud of what they make, and they’re always happy when visitors come to try.
What Makes It Special
The first thing you notice is the flower stall at the entrance. Bright orange marigolds, roses in every colour, orchids, and chrysanthemums. Locals buy these for temple offerings or home shrines. It’s a good sign. When a market sells temple flowers, you know you’re in a real neighbourhood spot.
Then there’s the food. Vendors prepare everything fresh, right in front of you. One lady wraps fried noodles in banana leaves. Another deep-fries snacks in a big wok. Someone else grills satay skewers over charcoal. The smell alone is worth the visit.
Where is the Market?
Cham Cha Market is located past the local bus station, after the famous Jui Tui Shrine. If you have your transportation, it is fairly easy to find. So you should stop over to sample some of these Phuket specialities. If you really can’t make it to this area, some of these dishes can also be found in the middle of town at Loktien Restaurant, but it is always more fun to go off the beaten path and sit among locals.
Some Sweets to Try at Cham Cha Market
Kao Maow Tod
Banana deep-fried with a coating of young rice crumbs. The rice gives it an extra crunch you don’t get with regular fried banana. The batter often includes coconut and sesame seeds too. It is very nice but certainly not diet-friendly. The stall opposite the market is one of the best fried banana spots in Phuket, and during cempedak season they deep-fry that too.
Kanom Krok Phuket Style
Small coconut milk and rice flour sweets cooked in a special dimpled metal pan with little clay lids. When done right, the outside is just crisp enough to hold a soft, wobbly, molten centre. In Phuket, they are often topped with spring onion, corn or taro, which surprises visitors expecting something purely sweet. Locals eat them with sugar, usually bought by the half dozen.
O Eow
Phuket’s own shaved ice dessert. The jelly at the bottom is made from banana flour and the seeds of a local plant similar to chia. It sits under a mountain of crushed ice, softened red beans, and a sweet red syrup. The jelly is said to help cool down your body temperature, which explains why it has been a favourite on this hot island for generations.
Savoury Dishes
Poh Pia Phuket Style
Phuket-style fresh spring rolls are nothing like the deep-fried ones you find elsewhere in Thailand. These are Fujian-style popiah brought by Chinese immigrants over a century ago. A thin, crepe-like wrapper is rolled around cured Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, shredded omelette, and preserved radish, then smothered in a thick, sticky sweet sauce similar to hoisin. Some versions include roasted peanuts or crispy pork skin.
Mee Hoon Kradook Moo
This dish is very particular to Phuket. Thin rice vermicelli wok-fried in soy sauce, topped with crispy golden shallots and spring onion. There is nowhere to hide with something this simple. The noodles should be deeply savoury and peppery, not overcooked. It comes with a small bowl of slow-cooked pork rib soup seasoned with soy sauce. Add chilli flakes and a little white vinegar from the table for extra heat and tang.
Mee Thai
Same noodles as above, but fried with brown sugar and coconut milk, then topped with sliced omelette and served without soup. The result is sweeter and richer, with a slightly sticky texture. This version is harder to find, and Cham Cha Market is one of the few places that still make it.
Loba
The dish that separates the adventurous from the cautious. Loba is deep-fried pork offal. Intestines, ears, belly, and sometimes liver, marinated in Chinese five spice, wrapped in bean curd skin, and fried until crispy outside but chewy inside. It is served with a tangy tamarind or sweet brown sauce and sliced cucumber. The dish has Hokkien and Teochew roots and has been a Phuket favourite for generations.
More Photos of Cham Cha Market
Cham Cha Market Info
Location: Phuket Town
Address: Ranong Road, Talat Nuea, Mueang Phuket 83000
Open: 6 am – 4 pm
Cham Cha Market Map
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