Raya Restaurant

Legendary Phuket Cuisine in an Old Sino-Portuguese Mansion

Raya Restaurant (ระย้า) is a legendary local restaurant in Phuket Town, serving traditional Phuket and Southern Thai cuisine from a 100-year-old Sino-Portuguese mansion on Dibuk Road. It was opened in 1994 by Kularb Jesadawal, known locally as Pa Kularb, who started cooking her family recipes for friends and eventually built one of the most famous kitchens on the island. Raya held a Michelin Bib Gourmand from 2019 to 2024, was moved to the Selected list in 2025, and dropped from the 2026 Phuket MICHELIN Guide. Despite the delisting, Raya is still one of the most talked-about local restaurants in Phuket Town, and the food is still the same family recipes that made it famous. I have been going for more than 15 years.

Raya can seat around 250 people across two floors, but it never feels that big. The ground floor has small tables and quiet corners, and the upstairs is open when the downstairs fills up or when a group has booked ahead. The original mosaic tiles on the floor have probably welcomed several generations of feet, and the green wooden windows with Portuguese stained glass frame the dining rooms beautifully. Everything is well-maintained, but nothing has been over-restored. It still feels like a real Phuket Town house that happens to serve food.

When I first started going, Raya was quiet. The old Sino-Portuguese houses of Phuket Town were still underappreciated and not yet considered heritage. The food was excellent, the prices were affordable, and it was the best way to understand what Phuket food really tastes like. Over the years, word of mouth spread. It did not happen overnight, and there was no visible advertising, but the reputation grew. By the time the Michelin Guide came to Phuket in 2019, Raya was already famous across Thailand.

If you go for lunch you will usually get a table without booking. In the evening, it is busier, and you may be seated upstairs. Raya is also a favourite for Bangkok celebrities on weekend trips. You might not recognise any of them, but you will know one has arrived: the room goes quiet, then there is whispering, then the phones come out. Most of them are happy to pose for a photo, so if you ever want a good story to bring home, ask.

What to Eat at Raya Restaurant

The menu at Raya is long and well illustrated, which makes ordering easy even without Thai. It covers the full range of traditional Phuket and Southern Thai cooking, with some dishes you will not find anywhere else on the island done as well. These are the ones worth ordering.

Mee Hoon Gaeng Poo (Crab Yellow Curry with Rice Noodles)

This is the signature dish at Raya, and the one that made the restaurant famous. A creamy yellow curry made with fresh crab meat, coconut milk, turmeric, and Southern Thai herbs, served with mee hoon (thin rice noodles). The curry is rich without being heavy, and the crab is generous. People used to order it from Bangkok and have it flown up. If you only order one thing at Raya, make it this.

Moo Hong (Slow-Braised Phuket Pork)

Moo Hong is a Phuket speciality that you rarely find done well. Pork belly slow-braised for hours with garlic, palm sugar, dark and light soy sauce, and plenty of black pepper. The meat comes out tender enough to cut with a spoon, with a deep salty-sweet flavour that sets it apart from the rest of the menu. On the menu it is sometimes listed as “Steamed pork with pepper and garlic (Phuket style)”, but it is actually braised.

Pak Miang (Stir-Fried Local Leaves)

Pak Miang is a local leaf used across Southern Thailand, slightly similar to baby spinach but with more bite. At Raya it is stir-fried with dried shrimp, egg, or glass noodles depending on what you order. It is a simple, green, and very Phuket dish that balances the richness of the curries well.

Gaeng Som Fak Thong (Sour Pumpkin Curry)

A Southern Thai sour curry made with pumpkin, turmeric, tamarind, and chilli paste. Bright orange, sour, spicy, and bold. Gaeng Som is one of the most characteristic Southern dishes and Raya does a clean, well-balanced version. Order it to share with rice and one of the milder dishes for contrast.

Pla Tod Kratiem (Fried Fish with Garlic)

Whole fish fried until the skin is crispy, then topped with a generous layer of fried garlic. Simple, well executed, and the kind of dish that shows how good the kitchen is on the basics. Order it with steamed rice and a squeeze of lime.

Tom Yum Pla Muk (Spicy Squid Soup)

A version of classic Tom Yum with squid, mushrooms, and fresh herbs like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal. The broth is spicy, sour, and aromatic, lifted with lime juice and fresh chillies. Good for sharing and a useful counterpoint to the richer curries on the table.

Goong Pad Sataw (Shrimp with Stink Beans)

Not always on the menu photos but worth asking about if you see it. Sataw are the big green “stink beans” of Southern Thailand, stir-fried with prawns and shrimp paste. The flavour is strong and very local. If you have never tried stink beans before, this is a good place to start because Raya cooks them well and the portion is a good size for tasting.

Nam Prik Goong Siab (Smoked Shrimp Chilli Dip)

A southern-style chilli dip made with smoked dried shrimps, chillies, and lime, served with a plate of raw vegetables and steamed rice. Another one of Pa Kularb’s signature recipes. Spicy, salty, smoky, and very traditional. Ask for it if you want to eat the way local Phuket families actually eat at home.

360 Panorama

Photos of Raya Restaurant

How to Get to Raya Restaurant

Raya is on Dibuk Road in the heart of Phuket Old Town, right next to the small bridge over the canal. The restaurant is slightly hidden behind a newer building on the street, so it is easy to walk past. Look for the old Sino-Portuguese house with the green wooden windows set back from the pavement. There is a small dedicated car park at the back of the restaurant, accessed from the side lane.

If you are staying anywhere in central Phuket Old Town, Raya is an easy walk. From Thalang Road or Soi Romanee, it is about 5 to 10 minutes on foot. From Chinpracha House or the Sino-Portuguese mansions along Krabi Road, the walk is 10 to 15 minutes. For anyone driving in from the beaches, the restaurant is a good lunch stop on a day trip to Old Phuket Town.

Insider Tips

There is no air conditioning in the main dining rooms, which is part of the heritage feel but also means it can get warm on a still afternoon. The upstairs catches more breeze through the large windows. If it is a hot day, ask to sit upstairs or near the courtyard.

Order the crab curry with rice noodles (Mee Hoon Gaeng Poo) and the Moo Hong. These are the two dishes Raya is known for nationally, and both are served at a level you will rarely find elsewhere. Everything else on the menu is good, but these are the ones that justify the trip.

Go with a group of 3 to 5 people. The dishes are designed for sharing, and the portions are modest. A table of four can cover 5 or 6 dishes comfortably and try most of the signatures.

Prices are higher than at a neighbourhood Thai restaurant, around 300 to 600 baht per person once you factor in a couple of dishes and a drink. For the quality of the cooking and the reputation Raya has built over 30 years, the value is still very fair.

Combine lunch at Raya with a walk through Old Phuket Town. Soi Romanee, Thalang Road, and the Shrine of Serene Light are all within 10 minutes on foot. Sunday evenings are best if you also want to catch the Sunday Walking Street market on Thalang Road after dinner.

Raya Restaurant Through the Years

Raya opened in 1994 when Kularb Jesadawal, who had been working at a bank, decided to turn her home kitchen into a restaurant. Her friends had been telling her for years to open a place of her own. The crab yellow curry recipe she had been cooking for her family became the signature dish, and the old Sino-Portuguese house on Dibuk Road became the setting. She ran the restaurant herself for nearly three decades.

For the first 10 or 15 years, Raya was mostly a local secret. The Sino-Portuguese houses of Phuket Town were run-down and undervalued, the tourist focus was firmly on the beaches, and Phuket Old Town itself was quiet. That started to change in the 2010s, when the heritage of Phuket Town was properly recognised, and the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designation brought international attention to local food. When the Michelin Guide Thailand expanded to cover Phuket in 2019, Raya was on the first list with a Bib Gourmand and held it for five consecutive years.

In 2025, Raya dropped from Bib Gourmand to the Selected list, and in the 2026 edition, it was removed from the guide entirely. The decision came after years of mixed reviews that pointed to inconsistency during busy service and a dining room that had become busier and less attentive as the tourist crowds grew. That is how the Michelin process works: inspectors revisit, the bar moves, and the guide is a snapshot of a moment rather than a permanent title. Many of the best-known old restaurants in Phuket Town have moved in and out of the guide this way, including Mee Ton Poe and Tu Kab Khao.

Almost every travel blog and aggregator still calls Raya “Michelin-starred”. It never was. Raya had a Bib Gourmand from 2019 to 2024, which is a different award for good food at a modest price.

What has not changed is the food. The crab curry is still made the same way. Moo Hong is still braised for hours. The house is still the same house, with the same mosaic tiles and green windows. Pa Kularb passed the restaurant on to family, and they are still running it with her recipes. In a Phuket Town that has transformed significantly over the past 15 years, Raya is one of the few places that has stayed exactly itself. The Michelin listing comes and goes. The family recipes do not.

FAQs About Raya Restaurant

More Restaurants in Phuket Town