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Touring Phuket, we can think of no better guide to the sweet, sour, spicy, salty and bitter delights than Merica Charungvat. Born in Bangkok and finishing high school in Phuket, Charungvat now splits her time between Thailand‘s southern tropics and Melbourne, where she owns Thai Tide restaurant. This is Charungvat’s ultimate Phuket food guide, including the best restaurants in Phuket, where you can find top-tier coffee and her recommended food experiences.
“Phuket keeps drawing me back,” says Charungvat. “As well as being a destination for tourists all over the world, it’s long been a trade port, closer to Penang than Bangkok, and deeply connected to Hokkien foodways and traditions.” Charungvat’s favourite food experiences include old town street snacks, spicy noodles and thoughtful fine dining that celebrates the island’s culinary heritage.
Best restaurants in Phuket and what to eat
Saturday lunch at Jampa
Awarded a Michelin Green Star for reducing waste and food miles, Jampa Restaurant is in Thalang district in Phuket’s north. And it rates highly on Charungvat’s hit list. On Saturdays, the restaurant’s Dutch-born chef Rick Dingen moves the team to the restaurant’s Hideaway, an open-air farm shack with peaceful lake views. Lunch begins with a tour of the orchards, vegetable plots and chicken coops, before settling in for a superb fire-cooked tasting menu that melds European and Thai flavours.
Sour fish soup at the Charm Dining Gallery
When travellers visit Merica and her family in Phuket, she usually brings them to this history-rich two-storey restaurant in an old Phuket home. The focus is Perenakan family recipes gathered and honoured by chef Bhuritphat Phucharoen. The sour fish soup with pineapple and tamarind is unmissable, as is the pork and crab sausage with five spice.
Egg roti at Aroon Po Chana
You hear this old town favourite before you see it: the sound of roti being thwacked on a benchtop to stretch it thinner and thinner is steady percussion. You may also hear the “oohs” of customers as milk tea is poured from jug to jug to “stretch” it into a towering and foamy teh tarik.
Noodles at Somjit
In Chalong, this daytime-only restaurant is run by the third generation of family members. Hokkien-style noodles are served in a broth of shrimp and pork with dumplings and vegetables. Choose your noodle type and thickness and garnish as you prefer with the crackling that awaits on every table.
Crabs at Rongna Café on Koh Yao Noi
An hour-long speedboat ride from Phuket’s Chalong Bay, Koh Yao Noi is a slower-paced rural island. Set among farm fields in the island’s south-west, Rongna Café is an open-air restaurant with villa accommodation. The menu is based around local seafood, including gloriously meaty mud crabs.
Must-try food experiences in Phuket
Harvesting pineapple at Bang Rong Village
Near the north-eastern tip of Phuket, Bang Rong Village is an agricultural community working to preserve farming and food traditions by showcasing them to tourists. Visitors can harvest the uniquely tiny – and phenomenally sweet – Phuket pineapple, and learn how to dislodge a coconut from a tall palm then open it to collect its water and meat. You can even tap a tree for the sticky sap that becomes rubber.
A-Pong in Old Phuket
Originally from Penang, a-pong is also a classic sweet street snack in Phuket. Made with a yeasted coconut cream batter, these scrolled pancakes are available at numerous stalls in the old town. You can walk around tearing and nibbling, or sit down to eat them with a cup of tea.
Coffee at Shelter
Thailand is obsessed with coffee: even the simplest coffee stand will offer bespoke beans, roasts and a range of brewing techniques. Next door to Charm, Shelter Coffee sources Arabica coffee from Thailand’s north as well as other premium beans from around the world. There’s a particular focus on pour-over coffee: it’s a pleasure to watch dedicated baristas swirl hot water over meticulously ground beans to craft drinks they serve with evident – and well-placed – pride.
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