Koh Phangan Food Guide - Where To Eat And Drink On The Island?
Koh Phangan has something for everyone no matter what your stomach is craving. From traditional Thai street food, spicy curries and roti, through to Western brunches, burgers and coffee, there are great restaurants and stalls for everyone. Check out our guide to getting the best food and drink on Koh Phangan.
Whatever your cravings are, you can always find somewhere on Koh Phangan to cater for them. The island is massive and is stuffed full of some delicious spots to munch at whatever you fancy eating! From Thai street food to Western brunches, there’s something on the island for everyone.
During our time on Koh Phangan, we explored the length and breadth of the island and passed by a street food stall or restaurant selling something from almost every cuisine in the world. Whether you are after pizza, sushi, a pad thai or even a falafel salad, we bet that you could find someone on the island who would be able to cook up your desired dish.
We did our very best to eat at as many places as we could during our stay, but even with our greedy stomachs, there was no way we could try everywhere we wanted.
Here’s our guide to some of our favourite food spots on Koh Phangan. This list is only a small slither of what is on offer on the island, so if you have any other recommendations to add, please share them in the comments below!
We also have to mention that we were staying in the north of the island, close to the Chaloklum Beach area, so a lot of our recommendations will focus on the north of the island, especially dinner options.
Anyway, that’s enough of an introduction, get ready to read about some of Jellie’s favourite eats on Koh Phangan!
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Before we delve into our favourite eats on Koh Phangan, make sure you’ve read our bumper guide to the island where we cover everything there is to see and do! Check out our full Koh Phangan travel guide here.
Our Favourite Thai Food Spots - Where To Dine With The Locals
We discovered that, like many of the islands in Thailand, if you are after ‘proper’ Thai food (the type of food cooked over a spitting wok on the side of the street), then you’re going to have to leave the comfort of the beach and head inland.
On Koh Phangan, we found that the best Thai food we ate was located in the main town, close to the pier you will have arrived at. Feeling a little like the beating heart of the island, the main town sprawls out away from the pier and is full of local eateries, street food stalls and markets. Here are some of our top spots to eat like a local on the island.
Southern Thai Food Restaurant
If we had to describe this restaurant in a few words, it would be: underwhelming in name, but overwhelming in flavour!
The Southern Thai Food Restaurant on Koh Phangnan served up some truly fantastic Thai food. Over our travels, we’ve eaten at a lot of rice and curry buffets and we can firmly say that this restaurant was a banger! In fact we loved it so much that this small, but very popular (with locals) establishment became our go-to breakfast joint most days we were on the island.
You’ll know you’ve arrived at the right location when you see the massive cauldrons of curries lined up at the front of the restaurant. Inside, there’s another counter which contains a pandora’s box of silver trays displaying spicy soups, stir fried vegetables, deep fried treats and piles of sweet Chinese sausage.
To order, just go up to the counter and ask for whatever you fancy. Our favourite curry we ate here was their spicy aubergine and fishball curry. Fishballs are always a hard sell to anyone who hasn’t travelled Thailand extensively, but we absolutely adore these small, slightly soft, salty balls of pure fish flavour. These sweet balls worked exceptionally well next to the sliced aubergines in the super fiery, super zingy and super rich curry! Definitely splash out and get some extra fried Chinese sausage to go on top, trust us you won’t be disappointed!
The prices are a little higher than on the mainland but that is to be expected. Also the size of the portions and taste more than made up for the 10-15 baht extra cost. We have to say at this point that if you’ve been eating in your hostels or hotels, you’ll be shocked at just how good the value is at these local eateries.
The restaurant also serves one of our favourite Thai breakfast treats, Khanom Jeen (fermented rice noodles and curry).
If you fancy eating here, make sure you get up early as the restaurant closes by mid afternoon and the buffet is at its best early in the morning!
We have to give a shout out and our thanks to Paddy Doyle for finding this place! This was definitely our favourite food spot on the whole island.
Chicken Rice Shop
Located just up the road from the Southern Thai Food Restaurant, this Chicken Rice Shop was fantastic!
John ordered the chicken rice (Khao Man Gai ข้าวมันไก่) which came served with the zingy, vinegary, ginger dipping sauce. Ellie chose the red pork on rice (Khao Moo Daeng ข้าวหมูแดง) which came served with 3 different types of pork (roast, red and Chinese sausage), half an egg and was covered in the sweet-rich, red gravy.
It was a delicious feast and perfect for filling us up for a day exploring the island. Both plates were served with a delicate, light, spring onion and pork broth.
(Ya )ญาอาหารตามสั่ง - Stir Fried Restaurant
Ya was a super popular stir-fry joint cooking up a never ending conveyor belt of fried something over rice. Every time we visited the ladies cooking on the wok stations just didn’t stop! It’s always a good sign when you see a local restaurant super busy.
We ordered two plates of roast pork and kale topped with a perfectly cooked runny fried egg. Delicious and full of flavour, the kale was cooked to perfection. Ya served up big portions that kept us full all day and the restaurant had a cruet on the table full of chopped chillies, chilli vinegar and sugar - always a win for us and a sign that you’re not in a purely tourist-centered restaurant!
J Sai Padthai
This small restaurant on the side of the road in Chaloklum was always popular with locals and backpackers. We visited a couple of times and always had a fantastic meal. We can vouch for both their signature pink pad thai which was super peanutty, hearty, filling and stuffed full of small slithers of egg. As well as their mince pork pad kra pao which was studded throughout with holy basil. Make sure you order it with a kai dao (crispy fried egg) to go on top of the nearly caramelised pork! The pad kra pao was served with a fragrant pork stock and garlic soup that was a perfect palate cleanser.
Again J Sai Padthai had good sized portions with most plates costing around 80 baht per plate.
ChaiXi Chaloklum
If you’re ever unsure about where to eat, or a little scared about throwing yourself into the Thai street food scene, we can always recommend seeking out the yellow and red signs of the Chaixi street carts. Serving up Chinese style, pork and wonton noodle soups, you very rarely get a bad dish!
Chaloklum’s offering of wonton noodle soups were delicious. A lighter broth than others we had, the bowls were stuffed full of juicy, pork wontons, egg noodles, slices of red pork and our favourite, bitter melon.
We ended up eating here multiple times during our stay and can highly recommend it if you’re staying in the Chaloklum Beach area.
Fried Chicken Street Food Stall
You really can’t go wrong with fried chicken, and Thailand’s Hat Yai Fried Chicken is especially delicious! This small stall parked outside Chaloklum’s Lotus supermarket was a very dangerous find for our waistlines! Super juicy chicken, wrapped in crunchy, deep fried chicken skin - it was fantastic! Our pro tip is make sure you get some sticky rice to soak up all the delicious chicken-y-ness!
Whatever you do, if you see Thai Fried Chicken on your travels make sure you try it! Don’t head to KFC, Thai style is so much better!
To find out all about the home of Hat Yai Fried Chicken, make sure you give our Hat Yai guide a read.
Chaloklum Sunday Night Market
Every Sunday afternoon from 4pm, Chaloklum’s Sunday Night Market opens up. Stretching all along Chaloklum’s main road and spilling out onto the pier, the Sunday Night Market is a great way to spend an evening munching down on some delicious Thai street food.
There’s plenty of food stalls to pick from, with vendors selling full meals, small snacks, popular Thai desserts and drinks. We devoured moo ping (BBQ pork) sticks, some sushi and some very tasty vegetarian potato and pea curry samosas. Alongside the starters above, we can highly recommend seeking out the lady selling yam naem khao tod, a smashed rice ball salad that was sharp, zingy and very yummy. We paired this with some fried chicken that was the perfect accompaniment. On our second visit to the market, we had to try some of Lea’s legendary Indian food. Whenever we see roti on the menu we can never say no, so as soon as we saw her setting up shop we knew we had to try it. We both opted for the butter chicken with roti and boy, we were not disappointed! The butter chicken was delicious and tasted just like the curries we devoured in India (check out our India guides here). The star of the show was definitely the roti. Crispy, flaky and the perfect vessel to soak up the curry. It was a delicious feast. If you can’t make the Sunday Market, Lea has a restaurant in Chaloklum. We wanted to visit, but the restaurant was closed during our stay.
Yam naem khao tod is the salad you didn’t know you need in your life!
Chaloklum’s Sunday Market is definitely one of our favourite markets we’ve ever been to. We’d recommend picking up a feast, finding a spot on the pier and soaking up the chilled out vibes. There’s usually live music playing and a bar to buy beer from. The market is a really laidback affair with both locals and travellers sitting down to a street food feast!
Beach Bar (no name - opposite Rose Villa Resort)
This is slightly cheating as this small bar didn’t offer food, but if you’re after a good spot for an ice cold Thai beer and front row seats to watch the sunset from, then this is the place to head to.
Set up along the sandy shoreline of Chaloklum, this small beach bar had a phenomenal view, comfy bean bags and reasonably priced beer. We headed here almost every evening to watch the sun set down over the Gulf of Thailand. The ice-cold beer offerings and the beautiful seaside view made this a perfect island sunset spot.
The only negative thing we can say about this bar was that when we were there, they had some truly terrible AI generated reggae music - every song they played had a chorus which mentioned “reggae vibes”, “island life” or a combination of all four words and all sung by a computer-generated Ed Sheeran wannabe!
We’re being a bit harsh here as the bar was super comfy and the staff extremely friendly, plus we managed to get front row seats for sunset every evening!
If you’re after a cold drink at sunset, then head here early in the evening, get comfy and watch as the sun performs its fiery display. The bar is also a great spot for some beach-based people (and puppy) watching as each evening Chaloklum Beach is full of locals and expats swimming and walking their four-legged companions!
Our Top Coffee Shops And Brunch Spots
Coffee and a good bruch spot are essentials on a Thai island. Here’s just some of our favourite places we found!
What’s Cup!
This cliffside coffee and brunch spot has arguably one of the best views for your breakfast! Sitting high on the cliff above Haad Yao Beach, What’s Cup is more than just a good view however.
We were here just for coffee, but their brunch menu and everything they brought out from their kitchen looked amazing! We ordered two iced lattes that were perfectly balanced and super refreshing.
We were worried that What’s Cup (John has an irrational hatred for the name) would be extremely pricey, but they were very reasonably priced for Koh Phangan. Given the incredible view, we expected the prices to be a little higher!
The cafe is super popular so there may be a wait at peak times!
The view from What’s Cup is worth the trip alone!
The World’s End
A very popular brunch spot located in the heart of Chaloklum directly opposite the fishing pier. This small cafe serves all things brunch; from a proper Full English breakfast through to bagels and cream cheese. We ordered two slices of sourdough toast topped with smashed avocado, feta cheese and a poached egg and it was great - even we need a bit of Western comfort occasionally!
The toast was toasted to perfection, the smashed avo was full of flavour and they had somehow managed to poach the egg without getting it too watery.
The World’s End is quite pricey for Thailand, but for the quality of ingredients and the excellent cooking, it’s well worth splashing the cash!
The owner is super friendly and welcoming and there is plenty of parking in the pier’s car park opposite.
Common Grounds Coffee
Common Grounds Coffee is a super pretty coffee and brunch spot centered around a small outdoor swimming pool and colourful garden. The cafe serves up delicious coffee and an amazing array of cakes, cookies and sweet treats. We didn’t eat a full meal here but treated ourselves to 2 iced americanos which were super strong and super delicious alongside the biggest chocolate and peanut butter cookie we’ve ever eaten. We shared it and were super full after, but can definitely say it was well worth it! Super tasty and not too sweet, layered with nutty peanut butter. It was amazing!
We also have to give a special shoutout to their jugs of water full of apple, orange and mint slices - perfect refresher in the hot Thai sun!
Common Grounds Coffee is very popular with digital nomads and every meal we saw being served looked great. Next time we’re on the island we will definitely treat ourselves to a full brunch from here.
Just look at that cookie! 🍪
Phangan Coffee
Excellent coffee served in a cute coffee shop with seating both inside and out on a raised platform overlooking their small garden. We ordered two lattes that were great. At first glance we were worried that they would be a little watery, but after a good mix of the milk they were perfect. The cafe is a little pricey, but we enjoyed our lattes. They also serve food and sweet treats.
Phangan Coffee is a good place to visit if you’re planning a trip to Namtock Than Sadet National Park. Just be careful of the carpark if you’re on a bike. It’s a gravel driveway with some parts quite deep, John almost beached himself on it!
Malka - Café & Cultura
One of those hidden gems - the kind of cafe you can easily drive past without noticing it’s there. Sitting just outside of Chaloklum on the road leading back towards the main town, Malka has a simple menu serving coffee and burekas, small savoury pastries popular in Israeli cuisine. We ordered a couple of cheese and spinach burekas and weren’t disappointed! Looking like mini Cornish pasties on the outside, the burekas were crisp, flaky and scattered with sesame seeds. Inside, the filling exploded with flavour. Melted, salty cheese paired flawlessly with a delicately spiced spinach filling. They were divine and a perfect snack. Alongside our burekas we ordered some iced americanos which were some of the best we drank on the island. Not too in your face, but the right hit of caffeine and super refreshing.
Malka Cafe also is home to a very friendly bulldog type dog called Charlie who absolutely adored headstrokes. If you start stroking him, he’ll demand that you don’t stop until you leave!
Boulder Kafe
This coffee shop was another unexpected find. We were travelling towards the Haad Khom Viewpoint, when we stumbled upon this very pretty and modern coffee shop. Set in the jungle, sitting above the Chaloklum Bay, Boulder Kafe delivers up some fantastic coffee. There’s bar seating at the front, or a couple of tables and chairs dotted around their pretty garden.
Alongside their brilliant coffee offerings, the cafe serves fresh smoothies, tea and a selection of sandwiches.
Just be warned that if you’re travelling here by scooter, there is a very steep hill to climb up just before you approach the cafe!
Mountain Cafe
Set just off the main road on the road leading towards Thong Nai Pan Beach is this small, modern coffee shop.
The coffee is served from a white shed and the seating is dotted around a pretty palm-filled garden. The garden is super stylish with a modern aesthetic; dark gravel meets slick grey concrete with stepping stones and wooden furniture, white deck chairs and umbrellas. We ordered two iced americanos which were great and the perfect pick me up after a drive across the island.
The cafe also serves tea, smoothies and beer as well as a small food menu. The couple opposite us were enjoying two mango smoothies topped with fresh fruit that looked amazing.
Brew Co. Cafe
Set in the small town that spirals away from Thong Nai Pan Beach, Brew Co. Cafe was another great find. Another modern coffee shop set just 5 minutes away from the white sands and blue waters of the beach. We just ordered two flat whites which were fantastic. Creamy, yet nutty they were exactly what was needed before a day of relaxation on the beach. The cafe also offers a good brunch menu with all the favourites (eggs benedict, omelettes and avocado on toast) alongside a fridge full of some delicious looking cakes and pastries!
Hundred Islands Coffee Bar
Location
Another super popular coffee shop set just off the main road that links the main town with the southern beaches. We popped in and had two iced lattes that were fantastic and powered us up for a full morning of exploring. Hundred Islands Coffee Bar was completely full when we visited and whenever we passed by, there was always a queue of people waiting to get in.
The coffee shop has a great looking brunch menu and a fridge full of cakes. Ellie was very tempted by getting a slice of carrot cake, her favourite!
Dots Coffee
We popped in here whilst waiting to board our ferry to leave the island and immediately wished we had visited earlier! Dots Coffee is a super popular hangout for backpackers and travellers heading to the pier, in fact almost every table was full when we visited!
We ordered two iced lattes and they were possibly the best we had drunk on the whole island. Smooth, rich and full of flavour they were exactly what we needed to set ourselves up for a long travel day.
The cafe also serves up a good brunch menu, with smoothie bowls, paninis and soups available as well as a fridge stuffed full of tasty goodies. We were very sad not to have room to try a slice of their passionfruit cheesecake! Inside there’s also a small shop selling ceramics, jewellery and local crafts.
Dots Coffee is ideal if you’re catching a ferry off the island as its entrance is directly opposite the pier!
There is also a co-working space upstairs for all those digital nomads out there!
Western Restaurants And Bars - Our Best Picks
Culture Club
The Culture Club is a fantastic, higher end, all in one, brunch, lunch, dinner and bar combo. We visited the Culture Club for lunch and had an excellent meal.
We ordered two wraps, one the breakfast burrito which was stuffed full with melted cheese, beans, avocado, egg and sausage and a second, the falafel wrap which was overspilling with perfectly crisp falafel, salad and a fresh lemon, garlic sauce. Alongside our delicious wraps, we ordered two iced americanos which were especially brilliant - in fact we’d go as far as saying it was worth a trip to Culture Club for the coffee alone!
We loved our lunch at the Culture Club. It was super chilled out, with good music and a laidback vibe. The portions were big and although it was a little more expensive than what we’re used to spending on the mainland, the quality of the food definitely justified the higher price tag.
The cafe is open from morning until late at night and is a very popular spot in Chaloklum.
Grandma’s Kitchen
Although serving Thai food, we are going to keep this in the ‘Western’ home comforts section of this guide, as the food from Grandma’s Kitchen was definitely adapted to the Western palate. That’s said, we thoroughly enjoyed our food from here!
Sitting in a row alongside several other ‘stir fry’ restaurants, we jumped into Grandma’s Kitchen and ordered 2 spicy, pork pad kra pao’s. Out came delicious plates, stuffed full of vegetables and even showing some evidence of spiciness in the form of sliced green chillies. Although not as spicy as we had hoped, the staff at Grandma’s Kitchen had managed to caramelise the meat to the point where it was sweet (but not too sweet) and the egg was cooked to perfection. Super crispy egg white, but with a perfectly runny, bright yellow egg yolk.
The restaurant serves up all the tourist favourites, including fried rice, a selection of curries, pad thai and fried pork and kale.
There’s only one thing we would remark on - we definitely knew we were dining in a tourist area as there was no cruet on the table - not a downer, but we do love to pimp our meals with dried chilli and vinegar!
My Thai Burgers
Proudly advertised as voted the “Best Burgers on Koh Phangan” we couldn’t resist putting this accolade to the test. We are happy to report that yes, My Thai Burgers serves up some incredible burgers! The best on the island? It’s hard to say as we only had burgers from here, but what we greedily devoured (we came twice), were brilliant!
My Thai Burgers has a great menu, offering loads of different toppings and options. We tried the “Texas” burger which came with slices of bacon, crisp onions rings, sweet BBQ sauce, cheese and a fat, super moist beef patty. We also had the “Cheeseburger” which came with slices of cheese, tomato and lettuce and topped with sweet onions, all sitting on a juicy burger! We also splashed out on some extra mozzarella sticks (John cannot resist them, if we see them they have to be bought!) and fries, and whilst it was a little pricey, it was worth every penny!
My Thai also offers excellent accommodation just above the restaurant in the Mythai guesthouse. We actually stayed here and can highly recommend the guesthouse. We had an enormous, super comfy, private room, with en-suite bathroom and seating outside. It was very clean and a perfect retreat to head back to after a day on the beach. To book a stay at Mythai guesthouse, click here and for all accommodation reccomendations make sure you check out our full guide here.
Final Thoughts
As we said at the start of this article, this food and drink guide is nowhere near complete and is just a list of our favourite spots we found whilst on the island. To try everything Koh Phangan has to offer we would need to stay for at least a year! Let us know in the comments if we have missed any of your favourite spots and happy dining in paradise!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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