14 Spots for The Best Thai Food in Patong Beach (2024)

In 2022, I spent two months living in Phuket trying the best Thai food Patong Beach has to offer. Whether you’re looking for the best local spots for pad Thai, mind-blowing panang curry, or the top street food markets in the area – you’ll find it all in this guide to the best restaurants in Patong Beach!

Like every destination in Southeast Asia and around the world, Patong Beach Phuket is full of some seriously delicious food….and some seriously awful food. The key is to do your research, talk to the locals and start your hunt for the best Thai food that Patong has to offer!

After arriving in Phuket three weeks ago and setting up shop in a cozy apartment in the heart of Pa Tong, I’ve made it my mission to find and try the best Thai food in Patong Beach. So if you’re wondering where to eat in Patong, sit back, relax, and queue up the closest Thai delivery on speed dial…because you’re about to get really hungry.

The Best Thai Food in Patong Beach

What are you hungry for? Tom yum soup? Spicy papaya salad? Shrimp pad Thai?

If you answered YES to one of the above (or all three), you’re not going to want to miss hitting the local Thai restaurants below during your visit to Patong Beach. Since Phuket is very touristy, it can be difficult to hunt down authentic spots for Thai food. Stick to my guide to feast on traditional and authentic Thai dishes during your trip!

Kaab Gluay

Kaab Gluay is well-known among Phuket’s expat community for having some of the best Thai food in Patong. Although it was a bit of a hike outside Patong from our apartment next to Bangla walking street, the excellent Thai food and the exceptionally low prices made the trek very worth it.

I ordered grilled squid in lemon and chili sauce that was served boiling over an open flame. Additionally, at only 50 Baht each (about $1.50), I couldn’t resist the urge to order a few fresh oysters. My friends decided on spicy green curry and, complemented with a couple of Changs and a mango margarita, the meal was a delicious success!

Location: 58/3 Phrabaramee Rd, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Daily from 11:00AM to 10:30PM
Contact: +66 76 346 832

No. 6 Restaurant

A modest Thai restaurant around the corner from our apartment, No. 6 Restaurant is the perfect Patong Thai restaurant for a casual lunch and some people watching. We arrived ready 👏🏼 to 👏🏼 eat and each ordered an appetizer and an entree. I decided on the spicy seafood salad and roasted duck in red curry paste while my friend ordered traditional Thai soup and sweet & sour chicken.

We chatted with a nearby tourist and learned that we were not the only travelers that felt No. 6 Restaurant earned a place on the list of best Thai restaurants in Patong Beach. Two appetizers, two entrees and two non-alcoholic drinks only set us back around $15 in the heart of Patong.

Location: 186 Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open daily from 8:30AM to 12:00AM

Savoey Restaurant

Savoey Seafood Restaurant was recommended to me multiple times during my search for the best restaurants in Patong and it did not disappoint! I expected a high price point due to its location on the beach (and around the corner from Bangla Road), but the menu was very reasonable. Especially for fresh seafood!

I ordered fresh shrimp in panang curry (my favorite) and my friend decided on the green curry with beef. My meal was delicious – but let me offer you a tip when eating Thai curry: don’t eat it after a freshly done manicure…you’re almost guaranteed to stain your nails.

Location: 136 Thawewong Rd, Pa Tong, PATONG Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open daily from 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Contact: +66 76 341 171

Pum Thai Restaurant & Cooking School

Of all the Patong Beach restaurants on this list, Pum Thai Restaurant was definitely one of the cutest! The restaurant doubles as a cooking school and there was a group of tourists enjoying a cooking lesson while I dined.

Judging by the interior and the price of the lessons, I was shocked when I received my bill for two entrees and two beers for less than $12! Talk about cheap food Patong. We fully plan on returning for a lesson on making Thai cuisine.

You can browse their cooking class options here.

Location: 66 Nanai Rd, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open 9:00AM to 9:00PM Monday – Saturday, closed on Sundays
Contact: +66 81 240 8924

No. 9 Restaurant

Unrelated to No. 6 Restaurant (we think?), No. 9 Restaurant was one of the first Thai restaurants we tried after arriving in Phuket and is one I highly recommend trying during your time in Patong. This unassuming restaurant serving excellent Thai cuisine should definitely be on your list of the best Thai food Patong Beach! 

Although I usually like to be adventurous when ordering food in Thailand, at No. 9 Restaurant I couldn’t resist an order of chicken satay. The peanut sauce was insanely delicious and the perfect compliment for the sweet basil stir-fried seafood that followed.

Location: 209 Phrabarami Rd, Patong, Kathu, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open daily 12:30PM to 10:00PM
Contact: +66 76 341 575

Dang Restaurant

Right next door to No. 6 Restaurant, Dang Restaurant is another great spot for some quick and casual Patong food. I stopped by for a fresh mango shake, a Thai milk tea, stir fried seafood with basil and a spicy papaya salad. Everything was healthy and delicious and my bill cost a whopping $12!

Location: 188 Rat Uthit Song Roi Pi Rd, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open 10:00AM to 11:30PM daily
Contact: +66 89 010 4554

Pan Yaah Seafood Cafe Restaurant & Bar

Pan Yaah Seaview Restaurant is the perfect place for a date night or celebratory dinner! …not so much for budget travelers. I had been stuck in my apartment for the last two weeks with an infected wound, so I decided to treat myself to a bougie dinner with a view of Kalim Beach.

Pan Yaah is known for serving delicious fish baked in a clay pot, so I naturally had to try it out. This gigantic plate of fish and veggies and two drinks cost me a total of $35…without tip. The food was delicious, but Pan Yaah isn’t somewhere I would frequent just considering the cost.

Location: 249 Prabaramee Road, Patong, Kathu, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open daily from 9:00AM to 11:00PM
Contact: +66 80 282 2895

International Food to Try in Patong Beach

Patong Beach is one of the most touristy areas of Phuket. To satisfy any and all food cravings, it also tends to be a hotspot for international cuisine! You can find tons of Italian food, Indian restaurants, Kebab stands and even a couple Irish Pubs in our neighborhood. Below I’ve listed a couple of the best places to eat in Patong Beach for international food.

Delhi Darbar 2

There’s a chance there might be more Indian food in Patong Beach than Thai food. Every block is home to at least two Indian restaurants. After doing some research on the best ones, we settled on Delhi Darbar 2 (which had slightly better reviews than Delhi Darbar 1).

Thankfully, my current travel buddy’s entire family is from New Delhi – so she’s well versed in ordering Indian food. We started the meal with paneer pakoda – basically an Indian cheese curd made with paneer. We then feasted on butter chicken, chicken madras, mix raita (yogurt with spices) and garlic naan.

Location: 9 Phang Muang Sai Kor Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open daily from 11:00AM to 10:30PM
Contact: +66 87 627 5958

Terrazzo Ristorante & Bar

No matter where I am in the world, a part of me will always crave Italian food. Since Terrazzo is ranked as one of the best Italian restaurants in the area, and one of the best Patong restaurants with a view, naturally we had to try it out. 

Terrazzo is a combination of beach views and fine Italian dining. Although our meal was much pricier than most places in Patong and I doubt the chef was actually Italian, everything was delicious and we left full and happy. If you do get the chance to dine at Terrazzo, make sure to end the meal with an espresso martini!

Terrazzo is located towards the southern end of Patong’s main stretch, closer to Tri Trang Beach. 

Location: 52 Thawewong Rd, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open daily 1:00PM to 11:00PM
Contact: +66 76 370 200

Sandwich Shoppe Cafe & Bar

If you’re in the mood for some freshly baked focaccia and real, Italian mozzarella then look no further than Sandwich Shoppe Cafe & Bar! The little (air conditioned) cafe specializes in freshly baked bagels, baguettes and focaccia as well as hearty breakfast platters and a wide variety of coffee. It’s a great place to hunker down with your laptop or a good book for a few hours to escape the Thailand heat.

Location: 5/26, 5/27 Aroonsom plaza, Patong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open daily from 8:00AM to 8:00PM
Contact: +66 76 604 172

Georgia Restaurant

One of the reasons Georgia is high on my bucket list is because I’ve been wanting to try khachapuri for years. Gooey cheese, melted butter and a perfect egg yolk served in a piping hot homemade bread loaf…what’s not to love? When I passed Georgia Restaurant in Patong, I knew I had finally found my chance.

In addition to the delicious khachapuri, I ordered some yummy vegetables grilled on charcoal (red pepper, eggplant and tomato) as well as some tasty pork sausages. I ended up loving my meal so much, I decided to order potato pierogis and chanakhi (lamb, eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes and onion stew) to-go for lunch and dinner the next day!

Location: Sawatdirak Rd, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Hours: Open daily from 1:00PM to 10:30PM
Contact: +66 76 390 595

The Best Street Food in Patong Beach

Now onto the real reason anyone travels to Phuket – street food Patong Beach! The street food and markets are among the best Thai food in Patong by a landslide. Fortunately for us, we are surrounded by day and night markets filled with vendors selling delicious and authentic Thai cuisine for a fraction of the restaurant costs.

Banzaan Fresh Market

Not only does the Banzaan Market have great street food options, but it’s also where I do a lot of my grocery shopping! Inside this two-story, open-air market are rows and rows of vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, spices and sauces and some of the freshest seafood I’ve ever tasted. We like to do our produce and protein shopping at Banzaan, then head down the street to the Big C for other grocery shopping essentials.

The street food lives on the second floor of the Banzaan Market. Unfortunately, we’ve noticed a lot more of these stands closed down in 2022 vs. the first time we visited Thailand in 2019. Hopefully they’ll be opening again soon!

Last but not least, the Banzaan Night Market! After sunset each day, street food vendors pop up outside in the parking lot of the Banzaan Market. There are tons of delicious options like homemade pad thai, sushi, meat skewers and mango sticky rice.

Location: V8R2+CPR, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand

Beyond Night Market

Although the market is technically open all day, it really blossoms when the sun sets. I love eating at the Beyond Night Market because they offer such a wide array of options! You can find noodles, rice, skewers, fresh seafood, desserts, fresh fruit smoothies and can even get your buzz on with the designated cocktail cart!

Location: 8 Sawatdirak Rd, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand

Ruamchai Road Street Market

I’m not sure if this market has an actual name, but we stumbled upon it outside the Holiday Inn hotel on Ruamchai Road. Although it’s on the smaller side, there are still a couple delicious vendors selling homemade noodle and rice dishes, BBQ chicken and pork and fresh fruit smoothies.

Location: Exact address unknown but across the street from the Holiday Inn Hotel.

The Chino Market

We stumbled upon this market after one slightly tipsy night leaving Bangla Road. It was a lucky accident – because we 👏🏼 were 👏🏼 HANGRY. The Chino Market has five rows of vendors all serving delicious Patong Beach food like Pad Thai noodles, meat skewers, fresh smoothies, rolled ice cream, BBQ, sushi, seafood, and more. There’s even a Chang beer cart!

Location: 64 Thawewong Rd, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand

Note: Avoid the Bangla Street Market

Bangla Road (the Kao San Road of Phuket) is not the place for street food. All street vendors and Thai locals in general have been incredibly kind and respectful…except for Bangla. There’s a seemingly adorable street market right at the entrance to Bangla on Thanon Ratuthit Songroipi Road and, if you stop there for a bite to eat, get ready to get harassed. Especially as a solo female traveler. Trust me – you’re much better off leaving Bangla and grabbing food on a side street.

Is it Safe to Eat Street Food in Phuket?

The short answer? YES! I’ve eaten a lot of Thailand street food in my day and it’s never made me ill. The one thing I would advise staying away from are street popsicles or any type of ice treat sold on the street. My friend got extremely ill after eating street popsicles in Bangkok…although we’re still unclear whether that was food poisoning or an excruciating hangover. 

Is Thai Food Spicy?

Eating in Patong often includes copious amounts of spice. If you looooove spicy food, you’re not going to have to look far for delicious spicy Patong Thai food. Regardless of your spice preferences, there are a few helpful phrases listed below that I recommend you memorize before your visit to Patong Beach (or your visit to Southeast Asia in general).

Food Tours in Patong Beach

If you’re looking to immerse yourself even deeper into the culinary scene in Phuket, consider booking a cooking class or street food tour. Although my Thailand cooking class was in Chiang Mai, it was one of my favorite activities we booked during our trip. Learning about and tasting the local cuisine allows you to connect more deeply with a new destination and bring a new skill home with you. Check out Phuket’s highest-rated food tours on Viator linked below.

Final Thoughts

The sad reality is that it can be tough to find authentic and delicious Thai food in Phuket. Hopefully, after reading this post, you won’t have as many issues as I did finding good food during my two months living in Patong Beach. If you find any great spots that I missed, drop them below in the comments!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post on the best Thai food in Patong Beach. If you enjoyed this blog post, you might also enjoy my related posts linked below. And don’t forget to follow along with the adventure on Instagram @madisonsfootsteps!

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