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The Best Restaurants in Phuket
Written by Madeleine Keck
Thailand’s biggest island is also its most famous leisure playground – and quickly emerging as one of the country’s top culinary hotspots.
From extravagant dining experiences at Phuket’s only Michelin-starred restaurant to unassuming hidden gems with flavour-bomb family recipes, the Jewel of the Andaman Sea is a food lovers’ paradise. Read on to discover our pick of Phuket’s best restaurants.
The best restaurants in Phuket for global cuisine
Baba IKI
Located within the luxurious Sri Panwa Phuket Luxury Pool Villa Hotel estate, Baba IKI offers an authentic taste of Japan with a seasonally focused sushi and sashimi menu and robata-grilled skewers. Featuring a spectacular alfresco setting and a bustling open kitchen, the eatery frequently hosts high-profile sushi chefs from abroad for exclusive omakase dining experiences.
Tambu
Thailand’s Iron Chef 2019 winner Saurabh Sachdeva presents an a la carte and tasting menu featuring smoky, modern Indian cuisine in an unbeatable location – a Mughlai-inspired rooftop tented palace with sweeping views across the Andaman Sea. Highlights include smoked beetroot with figs, ghee-roasted mutton and minced lamb skewers served with saffron and crispy potato.
L’Arôme by the Sea
Fine French dining meets breathtaking ocean views at the glass-enclosed L’Arôme by the Sea. A seafood-focused menu makes for a perfect match for the setting, with Japanese sea urchins, French oysters (served with shallots and vinegar) and Norwegian black cod in a simple seaweed beurre blanc (butter sauce) all highlights.
Heh
Melbourne’s renowned food scene is brought to the Andaman at modern Australian restaurant Heh, where signature dishes include grilled lamb rack, charcoal-grilled teriyaki fish head (dry-aged and processed in-house) and charred broccoli drizzled with a rich anchovy-miso sauce.
Arva
Fresh pasta and risotto, Sardinian carasau flatbread and parmigiana with mozzarella: the flavours of Italy come alive at Arva. For a culinary adventure far beyond Phuket’s waters, discover the nuances of fine Italian dining with the restaurant’s pasta and risotto masterclass.
Chalong Bay Rum
The French art of distillation and Thailand’s rich sugarcane heritage unite at Chalong Bay Rum, an award-winning (and eco-conscious) rum, gin and vodka distillery. In between a tour of the facilities and cocktail-making classes, take the time to savour ‘farm-to-fork’ dining at the distillery’s casual bistro, where overflowing roti-bread tacos dripping in curry sauce pair perfectly with a Cane Crush cocktail (lemongrass, sweet basil, sugarcane juice, lime and honey).
Casa Boho
Immerse yourself in the lively ambience of this Latin American boho-inspired restaurant, located above stunning Kamala Bay in the five-star Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort. With a rooftop terrace and a poolside dining area, you can savour tapas, tacos and ceviche while enjoying an eclectic blend of Afro beats, disco hits and Latin house music.
The best restaurants in Phuket for traditional cuisine
Raya Restaurant
Raya’s crab meat curry with coconut milk and betel leaves has drawn royal family members and heads of state since the Old Phuket Town eatery opened three decades ago. Housed in a half-restaurant, half-residence century-old Sino-Portuguese building, Raya takes guests on a journey to the past with old-school Phuket fare: think moo hong (pork stew cooked in garlic and pepper) and a deliciously fiery house nam prik goong siap (a relish of pounded shrimp and hot chilli).
Mor Mu Dong Restaurant
Perched above the Mu Dong Canal, this local favourite offers diners a chance to savour traditional Southern Thai cuisine and local Phuket specialties in charming, elevated pavilions. An authentic menu features stuffed shorthead mackerel, squid with black ink sauce and banana blossom salad.
Ta Khai
At Rosewood Phuket’s Ta Khai, you can opt for a private open-air pavilion or join others at one of the outdoor and communal timber tables. The restaurant is styled to reflect a traditional Thai fishing village, complete with the sacred ficus and banyan trees that adorn its waterfront. Married chefs Uncle Num and Aunt Yai serve traditional family-style dishes of lemongrass pork belly and melingo leaves with dried shrimp.
The best restaurants in Phuket for fine dining
Hom
Each dish at Hom celebrates the power of fermentation, employing traditional methods to amplify and enrich the flavours in local ingredients like leeks and pandan. Hidden within the ethereal Sawaan Pavilion at the heart of InterContinental Phuket Resort, Hom presents eight- or 10-course tasting menus that push the boundaries of Thai cuisine.
PRU
The recently renovated open-plan kitchen at PRU, Phuket’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, is impressive to say the least. Built to offer an immersive and theatrical dining experience, guests can watch in real-time how each of the nine-plus-some courses is prepared while listening as Executive Chef Jimmy Ophorst shares the restaurant’s philosophy of showcasing Thailand’s forgotten native ingredients.
Laad Phuket
Laad Phuket redefines traditional Southern Thai cuisine in a myriad of unconventional ways: a splash of red wine in a beef brisket massaman curry, beef tongue served with Chinese black olives and scallops to be eaten alongside crispy, round coconut sheets all feature. A pared-back menu features just 16 savoury dishes, with a watermelon granita and black sticky rice cake rounding out the offerings.
The best restaurants in Phuket with views
Top of the Reef
Cape Panwa Hotel’s elegant grill room Top of the Reef restaurant serves mouth-watering steaks and jaw-dropping Andaman Sea views. Dress up for the occasion – Top of the Reef is one of the few restaurants in Phuket with an enforced dress code and one of the rare spots on the island where you can enjoy a classic beef Wellington.
Sizzle Rooftop
Sizzle Rooftop, perched atop Patong’s hillside at Avista Hideaway Phuket Patong – MGallery, is known for its live DJ sets and live seafood tanks. The raw bar offers delicacies like tuna tartare and wagyu beef carpaccio, while the signature Sizzle Seafood Tower allows guests to choose their preferred cooking style and features Norwegian trout, New Zealand mussels, freshwater prawns and Canadian lobster.
Su Va Na
Awarded the title of World’s Best Underwater Restaurant for 2024 by the World Culinary Awards, Su Va Na – situated in Aquaria Phuket’s state-of-the-art aquarium – provides an exceptional 13-course fine dining experience that fuses French and Thai cuisine, all while guests are immersed in mesmerising views of over 25,000 marine creatures.
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Featured image: PRU, Phuket’s only Michelin-starred restaurant.
