Restaurants in Phuket: Bib Gourmand Old Town to Rawai seafood
Phuket eats in two registers: the Peranakan kitchens of the Old Town, where the Michelin Bib Gourmand density is the real story, and the beachfront seafood of Rawai and Chalong, where the day's catch lands metres from your table. Learn four words before you go — moo hong (braised pork belly), mee hoon and Hokkien mee (the noodle twins), o-aew (shaved-ice dessert) — and you will order like a local. Nineteen verified picks below (2026-10-01).
Old Town: the Bib Gourmand belt
The Sino-Portuguese streets — Thep Krasattri, Dibuk, Phang Nga, Montri — hold one of Thailand's densest clusters of Bib Gourmand listings. No invented ratings here: these are the rooms the inspectors actually cited.
One Chun
Best-known Bib Gourmand; moo hong, gaeng poo crab curry; no reservations; 10am-10pm
Chuan Chim
Bib Gourmand 70+ years; dishes from ~100 THB; 12pm-8:30pm
Raya Restaurant
100+ year building; 30+ years; creamy crab curry + moo hong; fed Thai royalty
Tu Kab Khao
Bib Gourmand; yellow crab curry with vermicelli; giant lobster facade; 11am-9pm
The Charm Dining Gallery
Bib Gourmand; Phuketian family recipes in heritage setting; 11am-9pm
Kopitiam by Wilai
Retro kopitiam; Hokkien mee, kaya toast; 80-150 THB; closed Sundays
Lock Tien Local Food
Mee Hokkien spot (thick yellow noodles)
Mee Ton Poe
Famous Hokkien noodles (heritage)
Toh Daeng
Bib Gourmand; 'Red Table'; fried prawns in tamarind; 11am-9pm, closed Thu
Torry's Ice Cream
O-aew (shaved ice over local-fruit jelly); Peranakan dessert
Kannya Phuket
Southern Thai next to One Chun; 10am-10pm
Boonrat Dim Sum
Dim sum breakfast institution since 1917; 6-10am
China Inn Cafe & Garden
Restored shophouse, feng-shui backyard
Blue Elephant Phuket
Royal Thai cuisine in ancient governor's mansion
One Chun on Thep Krasattri is the best-known name: moo hong and gaeng poo crab curry, no reservations, open 10 am to 10 pm — go early or queue on weekends. Raya, in a 100-year building on Dibuk, has been feeding people (including Thai royalty) for 30-plus years on creamy crab curry and moo hong. Tu Kab Khao's yellow crab curry with vermicelli sits behind the famous giant-lobster facade on Phang Nga Road. For the morning shift: Boonrat has served dim sum breakfast since 1917, 6 to 10 am, and Torry's Ice Cream on Soi Romanee does the definitive o-aew — shaved ice over local-fruit jelly, the Peranakan dessert you will dream about.
Seafood on the water
The move for seafood is the south and east coast: Rawai and Chalong, beachfront, sunset-facing, cook-to-order.
Kan Eang @ Pier
50-year seafood institution; Chalong Bay; daily 10am-11pm; hor mok talay; Thai Select 2019; book for sunset
Kan Eang 2 Seafood
36+ years; 300-seat beachfront Ao Chalong; daily 10am-10pm
Salaloy Seafood
Rawai seafood (top-rated online listing, 4.3)
Nikita's Beach Restaurant
Rawai beachfront (4.3, 2.8k reviews)
Three Monkeys Restaurant
Family-friendly, jungle setting, 105 Moo 4 Chaofa Rd
Kan Eang @ Pier is the institution — 50 years on Chalong Bay, daily 10 am to 11 pm, Thai Select 2019 — and the sunset tables are worth booking ahead for. Kan Eang 2 runs the 300-seat beachfront room at Ao Chalong. In Rawai, Salaloy and Nikita's Beach Restaurant are the top-rated beachfront picks. Three Monkeys on Chaofa Road is the family-friendly jungle-setting outlier.
Common questions
Do I need reservations in Phuket Old Town?
At One Chun, you cannot make one — it is walk-in only, 10 am to 10 pm, and weekends queue. Everywhere else in the Old Town, walking in is the norm.
What is moo hong?
Phuket's signature Peranakan dish: pork belly slow-braised in soy, sugar and spices until it surrenders. Order it at One Chun or Raya and thank us later.
Where is the best sunset seafood dinner?
Chalong Bay (Kan Eang @ Pier) or Rawai Beach (Nikita's). Book the sunset tables; the light does half the work.
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