I am traveling to Phuket, Thailand, this month and was wondering if you have any recommended restaurants/cafes. Thank you for your assistance, and happy eating! –Emma, Sydney
Emma, I admit it’s been a while since I’ve seen Phuket. I spent a month there while working on a Fodor’s update just before the tsunami hit in late 2004, then returned to cover the aftermath. Things have changed a lot since then. The answers to your question depend on where you plan to stay and how far you hope to venture in your island travels. Phuket is smothered in hotels and restaurants, spanning numerous beaches - your options run wide, and when you land, you are sure to read and hear about the most popular places (though not necessarily the best places). Here’s what I can tell you about some of the smaller, less publicized gems:
In Phuket town, Nai Yao is a great little on-the-sidewalk seafood restaurant that opens only at night on Phuket Road. Excellent crab and fish.
During the day, try Wilai at 14 Talang Road, in Phuket town. She offers fresh Thai “fast food” made each morning,and her place simply sparkles, it’s so clean. Wonderful cook, great conversationalist. Plus, the Old Phuket neighborhood boasts some of the island’s finest remaining architecture. Check out the China Inn & Restaurant, just a few doors away, for the ambience.
Kopi de Phuket on Phuket Road (again, in town) - best bet for kick-starting your day with sufficient caffeine.
RuamJai (on Ranong Road near the market in town) is a good spot to try classic Thai vegetarian dishes made to look like the real thing. Fried chicken, fish, curries, hotdogs - all purely veg.
On Nai Yang Beach, try the Bank Restaurant for good seafood and tables in the sand. Wife runs the restaurant, husband fishes for your dinner. It’s just south of Pearl Village, right on the water.
About five km from the Bang Thao Beach resorts, heading east, look for a a small sign on the left side of the road noting “Seafood.” If you pass the mosque, you’ve gone too far. It’s a little Muslim streetside shanty offering great local curries, noodles and (obviously) seafood dishes. Ask for anything you want, and the nice woman just might make it - along with an aromatic bowl of cardamom soup.
When you land in Phuket, pick up a dining guide for maps and up-to-date phone numbers. A few of the more famous restaurant names you are sure to encounter: Baan Rim Pa, Joe’s Downstairs and Da Maurizio, a trio of upscale cliffside/waterside restaurants on the north end of Patong; Mom Tri’s Boathouse (and cooking school) in Kata; Panwa House, an antique plantation house restaurant on a secluded beach - good ambience. In addition, Kan Eang is a longtime popular seafood restaurant with two branches in Cholong. Kan Eang I recently went through a complete overhaul; I’ve heard mediocre reviews of the food since (although it ranked highly years ago). Kan Eang II still gets high marks from Thais and foreigners.
Enjoy the trip! And let me know if you discover anything new worth noting.