Joe Kools’ is a Karon restaurant that takes the unusual route of marketing itself as the “world’s worst restaurant” with “lousy food and overpriced drinks”. There are a few Phuket restaurants about which you might say this, but thankfully Joe Kool’s is not one of them.
Open from 7:30 am until 1 am, Joe Kool’s in Karon serves large portions of American food, such as ribs, burger, sausages, steaks and various other greasy dishes.
For the size of the portions at this Karon restaurant, the food is well priced. The ambience is fun and laid back and Joe Kool’s comes recommended. Being open so late for a restaurant, the place can become fairly busy on weekends.
Joe Kool’s is also a fun nighttime hangout, with a range of cocktails and beers and other standard bar drinks. Most nights of the week there is live music to entertain the masses.
Ad: 26 Hongyok Uthit Road, Phuket Town. Tel: 076-236124. V
Maeporn Seafood restaurant in Phuket Town is a little gem, hidden away near Lullaby restaurant off Yaowarat Road. The main focus of this seafood restaurant is on lunchtime and dinnertime meals. Maeporn isn’t open late, but if you want to grab a bite to eat during the day, this is a fine place to do it.
If you visit the restaurant during lunch, you’ll notice the large number of local workers dining out there. This is a surefire sign that Maeporn offers great food. The food is Thai through and through, with lots of seafood dishes and regular dishes, too. Maeporn is a great place to sample Thai food in Phuket.
As far as restaurants in Phuket Town go, Maeporn is cheap, extremely cheerful and easygoing. The best time to visit is after the lunch-hour rush, as you will often not be able to find a seat. This is definitely one Phuket Town restaurant worth checking out.
Another India restaurant in Patong. Phuket’s large Indian population means that there are lots of great places for Indian food on the island. Patong is no exception.
Being in Patong, this Indian restaurant isn’t exactly the cheapest place, but the food is decent and worth a look if you’re into your spices. They serve North and South Indian dishes here.
The buffet is a popular choice with visitors to Phuket. Otherwise, expect a standard range of Indian dishes for you to sample. We’re big fans of Indian food and so when we stumble upon a place that knows how to make the food, we usually make the effort to visit it every one in a while. This is one such place.
Harry’s is one of many Scandinavian pub and restaurants in Karon. Harry’s serves a variety of Western and Thai dishes. The specialties are, of course, Swedish. If you are Swede or you’re into Swedish food, this is as good a place to sample it in Phuket as any.
One of the plus points of Harry’s is that while you’re eating and drinking your Swedish food, you might get to catch a glimpse of local musician Colin Hill, an Aussie who has chosen to make Phuket his home. Colin is also one of the stars down at Karma lounge, so you know that wherever he chooses to play is somewhere worth visiting.
This restaurant in Karon is only open until about 10 pm, so use it as a place to start your night rather than end it. The Swedes are always a friendly bunch so this place is worth a shot.
Ah, Keith Floyd. The only celebrity chef with the balls to seemingly tell it how it is. Floyd’s at Burasari opened to much fanfare in Phuket in 2007 and the restaurant has quickly established itself as one of the best places to eat on the island.
If you’re lucky enough, you might actually catch Floyd himself bumbling about the place interacting with guests or making sure the food is being prepared to his high standards. He recently made the decision to settle in Phuket, so he’s usually around.
Floyd’s is a good restaurant in Phuket that features some fantastic dishes, such as crispy duck leg, foie gras and lobster.
This restaurant in Patong is most well know for the Sunday brunch, which boasts everything from world cuisine to local oysters. Being a restaurant of a renowned wine lover, there is, understandably, a decent wine list. Dress up for the occasion if you’re heading out to Floyd’s. A recommended Phuket restaurant.
Ad: Bang Tao Beach, past Amora Hotel and turn left. Tel: 081-9705302. Web: www.babylonbeachclub.com VV
Few restaurants in Phuket can beat Babylon Beach Club in terms of ambience. Located right next to the sea at Bang Tao Beach, Babylon Beach Club offers great food in a real beach setting.
This Bang Tao restaurant has a kind of rustic feel to it, looking more like a beach hut than a restaurant. The menu contains a good variety of Western and Thai food. The Babylon Platter features shrimp cakes, spring rolls and satay — recommended.
The Thai food is delicious and there is also a tasty selection of desserts for afters. Babylon Beach Club is all about the location and is worth making the journey for. A lot of beachside restaurants in Phuket fall short because they’re too popular for their own good, generally marketed towards tourists. Babylon Beach Club is more popular with Phuket’s expat and local communities.
Ad: 48/5 Saiyuan Road, Village 7, Rawai. Tel: 076-289314. VV
There have been mixed reviews of Don’s Café over the years, but one thing is for certain: the guy makes a killer steak sauce. Don has built up a solid reputation for his Rawai restaurant, making it one of the more popular restaurants in Phuket among expats.
Most expats, after moving to Phuket, end up at Don’s Café within a few days to sample his spare ribs and famous barbecue. Don, a former NASA engineer, is usually milling about taking care of guests at his restaurant.
Don’s is perhaps one of the most famous expat restaurant in Phuket, certainly in Rawai. Don’s features a good range of Western dishes, Mexican food, pizzas, steaks and Swedish food.
It’s all about the smoked barbecue ribs, however, marinated in Don’s famous sauce, the recipe of which is a well-kept secret that very few people know.
On Sunday Don serves up a traditional English roast dinner.
Ad: Ground Floor, Index Living Mall, the bypass road, Phuket City. Tel: 076-249515. VV
There are surprisingly few sushi restaurants in Phuket, but if you’re looking for somewhere to eat Japanese food in Phuket, you can’t go wrong with the Oishi buffet. You pay for it, but what you get is free reign on pretty much every type of Japanese food you can imagine.
There is a fine range of sushi, sashimi, ramen and just about every form of Japanese food in between. Eat as much as you like and drink as much green tea as you can stomach.
A meal out at Oishi is a gluttonous affair, but it’s worth it if you’re a fan of sushi. Be wary that Oishi has been known to overcharge foreigners, so if you end up paying much more than 400 baht for your buffet, you could be paying over the odds.
Osihi is incredibly popular with everyone from locals to Korean tour groups, who seem to be herded in like cattle. The lunch-hour rush has to be seen to be believed.
Ad: Off Chaloem Kiat Rd, next to Index, Phuket City. Tel: 086-9463142. Ad: 120/6 Cherngtalay, Thalang. Tel: 081-6207429. VV
There are two Farang Restaurants in Phuket: one in Phuket City, next to the bypass road, and one in Cherng Talay. The food at both is almost identical, but the experience at the Cherng Talay restaurant is slightly superior.
Farang Restaurant is a long-time establishment founded by the former head chef of a five-star hotel. The menu features pasta dishes, pizza and some great meat dishes. The food is exceptional and, for the price, it’s a real shining light among places to eat in Phuket.
The pasta dishes are especially good, as is the beef sirloin. The presentation is really out of this world for such a small restaurant. Most of the dishes are fusion meals, with a few Thai offerings thrown in for a local touch. A rarity among Phuket eateries, the house wine is palatable, too.
Farang Restaurant can also lay claim to serving up the best brownies in Phuket, as well as a fantastic apple tart.
Ad: Yaowarat Rd, next to Samkong Shrine, Phuket City. V
If you spend any amount of time in Phuket City, you’ll know that when it comes to pizza, most restaurants are happy to bake some dough and throw ketchup and mayonnaise on it. P Pizza is rare in that it’s run by Thais who have a decent pizza oven and actually know how to use it.
While not being the best pizzas in Phuket, P Pizza comes close, especially when you factor in the price. For about 100 baht, you can have a good-sized pizza with your own choice of toppings.
The place is open-air and next to a main road, so it’s best used if you fancy grabbing a quick bite to eat and drinking a few beers. Most expats in the area make at least one weekly visit to P Pizza. Check it out if you’re in Phuket City and get the munchies. The chicken wings are good, too.
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Phuket Vogue is a resource dedicated to bringing you up-to-date information about restaurants and nightlife in Phuket. This website is constantly expanding to bring you the most vogue clubs and eateries on the island. Whether you want to party in Patong or dine out in Phuket City, we have the info for you. We love Phuket. Privacy policy
