Patong Beach
Being the main centre of tourist activity in Phuket,
it's no surprise that Patong has the highest concentration
of restaurants to be found on the island. Patong is
a cosmopolitan place, attracting visitors from all
over the world and the cuisine on offer here reflects
this in its diversity.
If you're feeling adventurous there's bound to be
something you've never heard of and if you're missing
the pleasures of home you're sure to discover a restaurant
with some down-home comfort food.
Patong dining establishments run the gamut from hand-wheeled
carts selling kebabs and sticky rice all the way to
world-class fine dining, with celebrity chefs and
award-winning wine lists. There are Thai food courts,
where you can join the locals for a delicious and
incredibly inexpensive meal, mid-range restaurants
with solid and budget-friendly European food and trendy
places with nouvelle cuisine and arty décor
where the Beautiful People come to see and be seen.
Beach Road
Back on the Beach Road, head south of Bangla and
you will reach the main concentration of restaurants
in Patong. Of note is the classy Flavors
nestled right next to Banthai
Beach Resort. Along the Beach Road, look for
longtime favourites such as Molly Malone's,
another good pub grub place. There are several side
streets which lead off of the main road, containing
souvenir shops, tailors, low-cost guest houses and
lots and lots of mid-range restaurants. Almost all
of them offer international and Thai cuisine at a
fairly good value. In the plaza in front of the Patong
Tower you'll find several popular places, including
the venerable Harry's Steakhouse, a long-running
Phuket institution.
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Soi Post Office seems to have a higher concentration
of Italian restaurants than just about any other street
in Patong. Marco Polo and Roma both
have a varied menu of Italian favourites, and Napoli
features an Italian Chef. Also on this soi are Sabai
Sabai and opposite it, S
& G restaurant, as well as Lair
Lay Tong three very popular places for locals
to enjoy casual and inexpensive holiday fare in a
family atmosphere.
The next soi down is easily spotted by the presence
of Zen, a sushi chain with another location
at Central Festival in Phuket City. Zen offers first
rate sashimi, nigiri and special sushis. Beyond Zen
you'll find a veritable buffet of international cuisines.
Grottino serves authentic Italian cuisine,
including pizza from a wood-fired oven. Orchid
and Lair Lay Tong has a varied menu of
Thai and European staples, while Sea
Hag, despite its grim-sounding name, does
fine seafood in a decidedly gay atmosphere. Café
Spatz is there if you're in the mood for German
and Viva Mexico provides a little bit of Latin
flavour.
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Once you pass these sois there are still a few more
options awaiting you. Sakura serves Japanese
and Korean cuisine and is often busy. Terrazzo
is an open-air bistro and steakhouse in the grounds
of the Holiday
Inn, perfect for enjoying a balmy al fresco
meal. Also inside the Holiday Inn is Sam's
Steak & Grill where you can attack a huge
steak with relish in opulent surroundings.
Opposite the Holiday Inn on Soi Ruamjai there is
Floyd's
– yes that Floyd – the celebrity chef flies
over several times a year to oversee the only restaurant
in the world that bears his name. At the south end
of the beach you'll find a pair of very worthwhile
stops; Baluchi, in Horizon
Beach Hotel on Soi Kepsup is one of the better-known
Indian restaurants in Phuket, with two chefs, each
with his own specialty. Borsalino, also in
Horizon, has very good Italian food and excellent
desserts. Finally, to the south of Patong up the overlooking
hill are La Gritta, a good Italian fine dining
restaurant in Amari
Coral Pearl Resort, and Baan
Yin Dee, a fine dining location with a great
view, located further up the hill.
Patong Main
The main part of Patong is chock full of dining choices,
so many that to name them all would require an entire
guide unto itself. Additionally, places appear and
disappear like David Copperfield's car keys so keeping
an accurate, up-to-date record is nearly impossible.
We've done our best to provide you with a good idea
of what to expect and what to look for.
Along the Beach Road from Sawatdirak Road to Bangla
there are dozens of eateries to choose from. The Andaman
Bazaar features a selection of different places to
nourish yourself, while Rock City has a selection
of hearty, American-style dishes like burritos, burgers
and ribs.
On the beach side of the road there is a large,
airy food court with almost two dozen different small
stands. The food here tends to be more westernized
than other food courts and there is also a stand-alone
Russian restaurant in this area. For more upscale
dining choices, check out the open-sided 3 Spices
restaurant – a good people-watching spot.
In the Phuket
Cabana Resort, 3 Spices' sister restaurant
Sala
Bua is an award-winning restaurant with an
extremely innovative chef. Here, you will also find
La Salsa, an elegant cantina and cigar bar.
On Sawatdirak Road, which runs perpendicular to the
beach, there are several small and friendly places,
notably Sala Thai, which serves excellent fresh
seafood. Finally, just before Bangla Road there is
La
Casa a large, family style Trattoria.
Around Bangla
Bangla Road itself has a few options for mid-party
snacking. La Cantina is located at the back
of Soi Eric and you can order a tasty Italian meal
from any bar on the soi and the girls will deliver
it right to your table. Halfway up the road is Scruffy
Murphy's – just the place if you're after
pub grub.
There are a number of international restaurants on
Soi Bangla Square, including Rico's Pizzeria and
Steakhouse and The Islander. Las Margaritas
at the end of Bangla (farthest from the beach) serves
a decent variety of dishes and there is an outlet
of The Pizza Company if you've got the urge
for a late night pizza. Diagonally opposite, over
the road in Soi Sansabai the Yorkshire Inn
serves up robust food at reasonable prices.
Patong North
Coming down Patong Hill from Phuket City you will
arrive at the north-eastern corner of Patong. From
the first intersection at the bottom of the hill you
can take a left and travel down Sai Nam Yen Road,
where most of Patong's Thai population lives.
Tucked along this quiet street are the inexpensive
but wonderful little shacks and stalls where the hotel
and restaurant staff members go to eat. When it comes
to food you can always trust the Thais to know the
best places for cheap eats so cruise this road and
look for the places that are packed with locals.
The rest of North Patong is quite similar, if not
quite as Thai. Many of the restaurants located here
are inexpensive places where locals go to eat. Kaab
Gluay is an excellent choice if you want a
set of extremely tasty Thai dishes with wine for the
same price as one plate of food in a five-star hotel.
Ghaddafi serves great Halal food and is located
just opposite the mosque as you head toward the beach.
On Rat-U-Thit Road you'll find a few smaller and inexpensive
choices for a post-beach lunch or a casual dinner.
Alf's Fish n' Chips is a good choice, as is
Nicky's Handlebar. Weissbier has some
very good imported brews and lots of hearty German
fare.
Rat-U-Thit is also the home of Sphinx Cabaret
and Restaurant, where you can go for dinner, a
show or both. Round the back of Sphinx in Aroonsom
Plaza there is Jean Pierre in the BYD Lofts
– a good bet for fine dining in this area. The
Sky Inn Condotel in this area is home to an
excellent fine dining establishment called The
9th Floor Restaurant and Bar which is located
on… you guessed it.
Further towards Bangla Road on Rat-U-Thit is the
K-Hotel where you can dine well on excellent
and hearty Austrian dishes. There are two popular
Thai food courts on Rat-U-Thit, both located between
the school and Bangla Road. These are inexpensive
places to chow down on local Thai food at local Thai
prices. Right next to the northern food court you'll
find 2 Black Sheep, well-known and well liked
by those in the know.
Jungceylon
Now you're really talking choices. At the last count,
Jungceylon shopping centre on Rat-U-Thit Road
just past Soi Bangla was home to fifteen trillion
restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs, ice cream
parlours and coffee shops. All the major players are
here, spread throughout its multilayered five shopping
zones and there's a fresh food market out back with
its own restaurants and food stalls.
Rat-U-Thit Road south
Keep heading down the road past Jungceylon to find
Simon's International Restaurant, serving a
variety of dishes from all over the world. For a selection
of cuisines you can't do much better than the International
Restaurant Street near the intersection of Rat-U-Thit
and Bangla Roads. As the name implies you'll find
a great selection of cuisines and dishes from all
over the globe.
Continuing along Rat-U-Thit will bring you across
numerous mid-range restaurants with mixed Thai/European
menus, such as Banana Leaf, Orchid Garden,
La Piccola and Martini Bar/Restaurant.
Near the south end of Rat-U-Thit look for Shaker's,
a casual place that's a great to enjoy a meal and
then a few drinks while watching some sports. BBQ
Hut is very popular with expats for its good value,
hearty Mexican food and barbeque dishes.
Kalim Beach
At the very northern end of Patong, on a stretch
of rocky shoreline known as Kalim, you'll find three
of the best fine dining experiences that Patong has
to offer. Baan Rim Pa specializes in superb
Royal Thai cuisine in a decidedly regal setting, offering
dishes created in the kitchens of the Royal Palace.
The views out over Patong Bay are every bit as impressive
as the food.
Next door lies the newly opened Joe's Downstairs,
with an eclectic menu and a relaxed atmosphere that
could make it one of the best restaurants on the island.
Rounding out this troika of delights is Da Maurizio,
which brings a touch of continental sophistication
with its first-class contemporary Italian cuisine.
All three of these restaurants are award winning and
have celebrated wine lists. Further up the coast is
the White Box – a trendy, younger-crowd
fine dining experience.
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