9 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.

This long-standing restaurant (it opened in 2011) is in a picturesque marina on the banks of Krabi River and specializes in thoughtfully presented Thai seafood dishes. The space itself is modern and dimly lighted with blues and greens, but weather permitting, tables by the river are the way to go. Signature dishes include the spicy green curry with crab, grilled white snapper stuffed with lemongrass and pandan leaves, and the large, juicy mussels with garlic and chili. It's a favorite for well-to-do Krabi locals. 

Built on a rock overlooking Karon Beach, this restaurant has great views of the water. Seafood is the specialty, but well-made Italian and traditional Thai dishes are also on the menu. Book in advance to ensure you get a beachside table.

This is one of the most popular beach bar/restaurants in Koh Lanta, mostly owing to its vibrant owner, Otto, a been-there, done-that, rocker-hippie-type with an infectious joie de vivre. It's open all day, serving delicious, fruity cocktails and a variety of barbecued meats (burgers have a following) and salads. Otto also has few basic bungalows backed away from the beach.

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. 

At the top of the cape, overlooking the isolated bay, Taste is one of Phuket’s finest restaurants, with a romantic al fresco setting. Chef Martin and his team pride themselves on preparing classic international dishes with a local twist, like the soft-shell crab burger, lamb tenderloin, and Thai twice-cooked pork cheek.

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.