Where to Eat in Phuket Thailand

When I say I was excited about visiting Thailand, it was mostly because I absolutely love Thai food. On that front, Thailand did not disappoint. We had so many classic dishes at Phuket restaurants such as Pad Thai and Pad See Ew (David’s favorite and mine, respectively). Of course, we also got to explore more unique Thai dishes that we fell in love with, and I have to wonder; are these dishes available back home and I just never knew enough to order them?

Dining at Phuket restaurants is shockingly cheap. Meals were around $10 USD each; less if it’s side-of-the-road casual, and more if it’s a Western menu.

Worth the Drive

Piang Prai

Our friend Michelle introduced us to this restaurant, which is out of town near the Elephant Sanctuary. She had invited us to join her and three of her lady friends – one of whom has lived in Thailand for over 20 years – out to dinner. We trusted in our locals, who ordered a variety of dishes for us all to share. This is where I tried my new favorite Thai dish – lemongrass salad.

We ended up eating there again with Julie and loved it; it’s well worth the drive. I suggest coming for lunch, as the restaurant is set in the jungle and overlooks a pond and the surrounding nature. We even had a visitor during one of our meals!

The view from Piang Prai.

A hornbill bird looking for some dinner.

Pad See Ew.

Penang Pork curry.

My new favorite Thai dish – lemongrass salad (ยำตะไคร้)

Ngob poo, a fish curry & egg dish steamed in banana leaves.

Complimentary desserts – I don’t know what it was but it was delicious!

Bang Pae Seafood

Very close to Piang Prai is Bang Pae Seafood. We didn’t go, but we hear it’s amazing and the view over the water is wonderful.

Nai Harn

Phuket Italian Restaurant | Trattoria del Buongustaio

Located in Nai Harn, this is a fairly upscale restaurant with stunning sunset views and pizza that is to die for. We ate there a lot, tasting all of the pizzas. Yeah, the handmade pasta on the menu was tempting too, but the pizzas were really, really good. SO good, they were gone before I could get a photo!

Sunset from La Terrazza Restaurant in Nai Harn.

La Terrazza Phuket Sunset Lounge Bar

Next door to the Italian Restuarant is this Thai restaurant. The staff all wear shirts that say Nai Harn on the Rock, the nearby hotel, so I assume they are connected. Again, we ate here several times, and the classic Thai dishes are really good and cheap.

Pad Thai

Pad See Ew

Old Phuket Town

The Moon Thai Food

We were at this eatery in Old Phuket Town with Thomas when we first tried a true Pineapple Fried Rice. It ended up being a winning order in many places.

Pineapple fried rice.

Massaman curry and tom yum.

Raya Restaurant

Located in an old Sino-Portuguese mansion, Raya is famous for it’s setting and serving authentic food from Phuket. The most popular dish is the crab curry, which I can confirm is delicious with big chunks of fresh crab. It’s definitely worth a stop as it’s one of the best Phuket restaurants.

Raya in Phuket

Crab Curry.

Creamy chicken curry

Mango sticky rice

Lemon Grass Restaurant

Located in the Limelight mall in Old Phuket Town, we had a good Thai meal here with Julie.

Pineapple fried rice

lemongrass salad

massaman curry

Breakfast Options in Old Phuket Town

We found there to be few tourist-aimed breakfast options for Phuket restaurants. Even a restaurant like Pancake Corner, dedicated to breakfast food, doesn’t open until 9 am. We ate three breakfasts in Old Phuket Town: our hotel, Mei Zhou Phuket Hotel, which serves both a western breakfast option and a Thai option; Glass House, the restaurant at Sino House Phuket Hotel, which has a buffet with both Asian and Western choices; and Tom N Toms Coffee, a Starbucks-equivalent based in South Korea.

Ao Po

Port of Call

For yachties in the area – either G&T or Ao Po Marina – Port of Call is an excellent meal out. It’s not a cheap eat, but not fine dining either, and the menu has a combination of both Thai and Western.

Lasagna

Unfortunately, I did not write the name of this Thai dish down, but it was a really good crab and noodle curry (and completely different from the Raya dish).

Boat Lagoon

Speakeasy

Royal Phuket Marina may be light on some amenities, but the Speakeasy Restaurant serves good Thai food. If you are passing through it’s a nice place to sit and relax overlooking the marina.

Overlooking the marina.

Roaring 20s vibe.

Young green coconut. I was a Starry Horizons brand for my coconuts!!

Pad See Ew

A Sweet Treat

Keep an eye out for Pineapple Cookies, a small, oblong-shaped cookie with a sticky pineapple filling. So good! You can find them in the Phuket Airport.