23 Best Restaurants in Phuket and the Andaman Coast, Thailand

Looking for delicious local food at a low price: This strip of street-side food stalls serves everything from simple fried rice and papaya salad to more sophisticated southern delicacies such as kanom jeen (rice noodles topped with whatever sauces and vegetables you want). Open from nightfall until midnight, the stalls provide an excellent opportunity to discover some exotic and enjoyable Thai foods. Walk along the street and enjoy the carnival atmosphere—the local stall holders are more than happy to let you try the assorted delicacies before deciding what to buy. This is one of the highlights of Krabi Town, and the street enjoys a nationwide reputation.

From the outside, this restaurant looks like a standard, wooden Thai beach restaurant, but the creative cooking elevates it from the ordinary. Sizzling "hot pan" dishes of seafood in coconut cream, stir-fried morning glory, and sweet-and-sour shrimp are delicious. Specials, such as duck curry served in a hollowed-out pineapple, change daily and augment the already extensive menu.

The walls of this unique restaurant--café in the heart of the architecturally quaint Sino-Colonial Old Town are lined with vintage black-and-white images of Phuket, which pretty much reflect the kind of food served here—old-school Thai-Chinese fare. Signature dishes are inspired by family recipes, and include bak kut teh (a pungent shiitake-mushroom-and-pork soup), mee sua pad (noodles with seafood and spices), and the crispy noodle and egg salad. Ice teas like Butterfly Pea Flower and lime are especially good for cooling your insides on a hot day, while a variety of smoothies and good coffee strained in a cloth bag are also worth a try.

For a delicious snack, buy some of the creamy homemade pepper cookies or crunchy caramel peanuts to take with you.

In the heart of Phuket Old Town, this beloved restaurant is in a historical Sino-Thai mansion, built in the early 20th century by a rich tin-mining family. Authentic Phuket dishes are the specialty here; try the yellow crab curry with rice noodles or the whole red snapper with roasted garlic. The charming decor is traditional Thai, with a nod to colonial influences, and the atmosphere is as much part of the experience as the outstanding food. 

Time for Lime is a large, open-air restaurant right off the beach. Each night there is a different three-course set menu, and reclining chairs are placed on the recessed sandbar while music plays and wonderful cocktails (try the chili margarita) are served. They also have cooking classes. Time For Lime also offers basic yet comfortable bungalows.

All proceeds from Time For Lime go to the owner Junie's extremely worthy cause: the Lanta Animal Welfare, which has already offered much-needed help to the many strays on the island.

The chicken satay, an otherwise ordinary dish of chicken skewers served with a side of spicy peanut sauce, is especially skillfully prepared at this traditional restaurant. More elaborate Thai dishes are available as well.

Just about 2 km north of Patong and perched over the water, the magnificent Baan Rim Pa Thai restaurant is laid out over several levels to showcase the stunning panoramic views of the Andaman Sea. Elegant teak and silk decor, a piano and cocktail bar, and excellent Thai food make this one of Phuket’s premier dining establishments. The wine cellar is impressive, too.

This bohemian-chic café in Phuket's Old Town is part of a new wave of trendy global enterprises that focuses on excellent coffee and baked goods. It's also home to a design bookshop, as well as an exhibition arts space, and there's an upstairs film room, where indie flicks are played from time to time. Creativity seeps through the walls at this venue, but it's the scent of their homemade brownies and freshly ground coffee beans that will keep you here, wiling away the day in the company of Phuket's artsy set, a relaxed bunch of Thais who mostly absconded from Bangkok in search of exactly this type of vibe.

Right on the beach, this open-air café is popular for its boho chic vibe, unique decor, and excellent food. The menu features freshly brewed Italian coffee, classic Thai dishes such as green curry with jumbo prawns, international fare such as pasta and pizza, and a wide range of imported and local beers, as well as tropical cocktails.

This lovely restaurant is situated at the end of a small dirt road in a wooden, traditional house with high ceilings from which colorful Chinese lanterns hang, swaying in the sea breeze. The Thai chef has a culinary vision and style that differs from the standard southern fare, so expect food a bit more sophisticated than elsewhere. The  menu reflects what was in the market that day so don't expect a menu. You can sit inside or choose to relax on the scenic wraparound terrace at the water's edge, taking in beautiful views of the horizon. 

As it is off the beaten track and less busy in the evenings, the restaurant only stays open if it receives reservations.

The chefs at this bamboo-patio restaurant specialize in seafood and fish dishes made according to traditional recipes from the northern hill tribes, like tempura of banana flowers, a sizzling seafood hot plate, or the prawns fried with herbs in a red-whisky sauce. The dessert of sticky rice with coconut cream and ripe mango is just wonderful.

The decor is simple but locals love this spot for the radna—a noodle dish served with pork or chicken and a thick gravy—as well as the grilled pork or chicken satay, radish cakes, and varieties of fried rice. It's so popular that there's often a line for a table. 

There's not much to this casual restaurant, but their renditions of Thai dishes are very tasty and come at great prices. Seafood options are recommend, including the signature Pineapple Fried Rice with Shrimp or any of the spicy curries. 

This extremely casual, roadside street-food restaurant serves delicious, basic, and inexpensive food that everyone loves. Try the Isaan (northeastern) catfish larb, the zingy som tam (spicy papaya salad), or the fat noodles cooked in a thick pork broth, and sticky barbecue chicken.

It's all in the name at this tiny roadside eatery presided over by the talented musician-owner who also plays local gigs. There are several varieties of delicious pad Thai.

Ask the owner when his next gig is. His band, Why Not, attracts huge crowds of locals, expats, and tourists alike and guarantees a rocking night out.

Although it doesn't look like much from the Promthep Cape parking lot, views from the tables out back are hard to beat. The restaurant serves Thai food, specializing in fresh seafood, and some Western fare. 

The menu at this simple Thai restaurant is encyclopedic, but the speciality is Tom Yam Pla, a spicy fish soup. The open-air setting is pleasant and the charming owner is happy to chat—he speaks a variety of languages. 

There are plenty of delicious Thai curries to choose from, as well as some French-influenced salads and stir-fries at this casual restaurant. An added bonus are the vegetarian and vegan options, as well as options for diners with other food sensitivities.

A few minutes' tuk-tuk ride north from the busy part of town, Smoh Ruer prepares top-notch food in the local Khao Lak style. Dishes include a spicy wild-boar red curry, perfectly cooked prawns fried in sesame oil on a bed of rice noodles and celery, and the mellow egg-fried morning glory in oyster sauce.

Serving Thai and European fusion food in an atmospheric garden setting, with a compact menu that creative chef Ed Qarré renews every six weeks, Red Snapper, unsurprisingly, has become one of the island's most happening restaurants. If you're hungry order one of their large platters, or opt for a wonderful selection of tapas dishes if your palate is yearning for adventure; the eponymous red snapper is always succulent and fresh. Cocktails, too, are innovative; try the Thaipiroska for a locally inspired alcoholic kick.

On a romantic seafront terrace of the Layana Resort, this restaurant is a romantic spot for sophisticated dinner. Look for daily specials like grilled giant prawns, as well as more traditional Thai dishes like green curry and a selection of international classics. The sommelier has extensive knowledge of the restaurant's wine list and will take time to find the perfect combination for your meal. Start out your night at sunset, by sinking into one of the resort's giant beanbags set on the beach right in front of the restaurant, and order a Coco Loco cocktail and Kaffir-lime toasted peanuts, before moving to the dining area for an elegant meal.

Located in one of the Old Town's most impressive mansions, this stylish eatery pays homage to classic home-cooked Phuket dishes—hence the name, which translates as "food cupboard." Pay attention to your dining neighbors, as the local cusine draws Thai celebrities from as far away as Bangkok.

Nestled in a jungle setting atop the biggest hill in Phuket Town, Tunk Ka serves Thai food made from fresh local ingredients and the views are marvelous, especially at sunset, which more than justify the tuk-tuk drive up. The Ruby Red dessert (red water chestnut in coconut cream with lashes of young coconut and jackfruit) will satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth.