Cheap Eats in Phuket

O Tao Bang Niao ★ 4.6

TipIt opens at 16:00; order the charcoal-fried o tao and add the crispy seafood omelette, the other dish the Michelin inspectors recommend.

Hock Hoe Lee ★ 4.5

Hock Hoe Lee has been Phuket's own coffee roaster since 1958, now run by a third generation from a Rawai cafe serving espresso, filter and all-day breakfast.

O Tao Bang Niao ★ 4.5

O Tao Bang Niao has charcoal-fried O Tao, a taro and seafood dish unique to Phuket, on Phuket Road since 1982, its smoky batter crisp and gooey.

OrderO tao (taro and seafood fritter)

TipIt opens at 16:00; order the charcoal-fried o tao and add the crispy seafood omelette, the other dish the Michelin inspectors recommend.

Meesapam Khun Yai Chian ★ 4.5

TipOrder the stir-fried oysters with crispy egg roll alongside the signature mee sapam noodles.

A Pong Mae Sunee ★ 4.4

A Pong Mae Sunee fries charcoal coconut crepes down Soi Soon Uthit off Yaowarat Road in Phuket, a Bib Gourmand stall famous for its khanom a pong.

OrderKhanom a pong (coconut rice crepes)

TipArrive early, as the Michelin inspectors advise: the crepes are cooked in mini woks over charcoal, crisp outside and soft in the centre.

Meesapam Khun Yai Chian ★ 4.4

Meesapam Khun Yai Chian, opened by Grandma Chian in 1952, stir-fries mee sapam Hokkien noodles with seafood to her recipes on Thep Krasattri Road.

OrderMee sapam (Hokkien-style stir-fried noodles with seafood)

TipOrder the stir-fried oysters with crispy egg roll alongside the signature mee sapam noodles.

Go Benz ★ 4.4

Go Benz on Krabi Road in Phuket serves dry rice porridge with crispy pork until 1.30am, and has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since 2019.

OrderKhao tom haeng, dry boiled rice with crispy pork and pork offal

TipIt opens at 17:00 and runs to 01:30, closed Mondays; the short menu is cash only and dishes can sell out early.

Krua Baan Platong ★ 4.4

TipBook and order ahead; the alley location and small dining room mean tables go quickly.

Drop Espresso ★ 4.3

Drop Espresso brews local and imported specialty beans as espresso or V60 on Phra Baramee Road, a laptop-friendly Kathu cafe with a green veranda, Phuket.

Roti Chaofa ★ 4.3

Roti Chaofa fries crisp Thai-Muslim roti on Chaofa Road in Phuket, a long-running Bib Gourmand breakfast stop known for its beef massaman curry.

OrderRoti and Thai-style chicken biryani

TipClosed Mondays; order the beef massaman curry with a crisp roti for the classic combination.

Krua Baan Platong ★ 4.3

Krua Baan Platong cooks intensely flavoured Southern Thai dishes down a small Thalang alley in Phuket, its budu-dipped steamed pork belly a highlight.

OrderSteamed pork belly with budu dipping sauce

TipBook and order ahead; the alley location and small dining room mean tables go quickly.

The Neighbours Cafe ★ 4.3

The Neighbours Cafe plates Mushroom Eggs Benedict inside a hostel cafe on Phangnga Road, a small-table brunch stop in Phuket Old Town, Phuket.

OrderMushroom Eggs Benedict with king oyster mushrooms and hollandaise, ฿250.

O Cha Rot ★ 4.2

O Cha Rot is a Michelin Selected noodle shop on Yaowarat Road in Phuket Old Town, ladling beef ball noodle soup in fragrant bone broth; come early for lunch.

OrderOrder the beef ball noodle soup, with tender beef slices in a fragrant bone broth.

TipGo before 11:00, this 07:00 to 15:00 shop often sells out of noodles by early afternoon.

Kopitiam by Wilai ★ 4.1

Kopitiam by Wilai plates Hokkien noodles and Thai milk coffee in a heritage Thalang Road shophouse full of old photographs, in Phuket Old Town, Phuket.

Neko Cat Cafe ★ 4.1

Neko Cat Cafe pairs espresso and cake with nine resident cat breeds on Soi Saiyuan, a Rawai cat cafe in Phuket that gives cat lovers a reason to linger.

Ska Bar ★ 4.1

Ska Bar sits under a huge old tree where Kata Beach meets the rocks, a small reggae bar with tables on the sand and a fire show on some evenings.

Pathongko Mae Pranee ★ 4.1

Pathongko Mae Pranee deep-fries dough sticks and salapao from 6am on Wirat Hong Yok 3 Road in Phuket, a Bib Gourmand queue for early risers.

OrderPa thong ko (fried dough sticks) and salapao

TipGet there by 07:00; the deep-fried dough sticks and salapao are gone within a few hours of opening.

Sang Ka Si ★ 4.1

TipExpect a short wait for a table; order the fresh squid with herbs and a shared plate to split.

Jadjan ★ 4.0

Jadjan is a Michelin Selected room on Sakdidet Road in Phuket, where a former hotel chef cooks southern Thai crab curry and sour fish curry with pineapple.

OrderCrab meat curry with betel leaves, Southern Thai sour curry with fish and pineapple

Khao Tom Dibuk ★ 4.0

Khao Tom Dibuk ladles aromatic khao tom congee and a secret-recipe Chinese brown soup on Phang Nga Road in Phuket, a family Bib Gourmand with kaya sandwiches.

OrderKhao tom (rice congee) with Chinese herbal brown soup

TipGo early; weekend specials add braised pork ribs and chicken with fermented soybeans to the congee menu.

Niyom Salt Grilled Duck ★ 4.0

Niyom Salt Grilled Duck charcoal-roasts 30 to 40 whole ducks a day off Chao Fah Tawan Tok Road in Phuket, a Bib Gourmand stall with sour or tamarind dips.

OrderSalt-grilled duck

TipCome from 14:30 when the stall opens; it roasts only 30 to 40 ducks a day, sold by the half or whole bird, and it closes on Tuesdays.

Go La ★ 4.0

TipGo for lunch and order the yellow Hokkien noodles with an extra egg for a creamier texture.

Sang Ka Si ★ 4.0

Sang Ka Si serves generous individual and sharing plates from a red zinc-roofed shop on Yaowarat Road in Phuket, its fresh squid with herbs drawing a wait.

OrderFresh squid with herbs and sharing plates

TipExpect a short wait for a table; order the fresh squid with herbs and a shared plate to split.

Jongjit Kitchen ★ 3.9

Jongjit Kitchen is a Michelin Selected family restaurant in Kathu, Phuket, cooking affordable southern Thai dishes including stir-fried pork rump with salt.

OrderOrder the stir-fried pork rump with salt, the kitchen's signature dish.

TipArrive by early evening, the kitchen closes around 19:00 and locals fill it fast at lunch.

Yes Coffee ★ 3.9

Yes Coffee roasts Chiang Mai Arabica on-site behind glass walls at its Rawai cafe, a Phuket coffee shop that funds a school for migrant children.

So What Bar Phuket Town ★ 3.9

So What Bar Phuket Town is a graffiti-walled courtyard off a small Old Town lane, a beer-garden dive where blues jam sessions turn strangers into friends.

Loba Bang Niao ★ 3.9

Loba Bang Niao fries Hokkien-style pork offal fritters on Mae Luan Road in Phuket, a Michelin Selected stall that also serves herbal pork rib soup.

OrderLoba (Hokkien-style pork offal fritters)

TipPair the loba with the herbal pork rib soup; the stall closes at 17:00.

Shrimp Noodles Ao Kae ★ 3.8

Shrimp Noodles Ao Kae on Phoonphol Road in Phuket serves shrimp broth over Hokkien or egg noodles, tom yum or original, wet or dry, with pork wontons.

OrderShrimp noodles in tom yum or original shrimp broth, wet or dry

TipOrder the dry tom yum noodles with pork wontons, the pick of the short menu.

Niyom Salt Grilled Duck ★ 3.8

TipCome from 14:30 when the stall opens; it roasts only 30 to 40 ducks a day, sold by the half or whole bird, and it closes on Tuesdays.

Ton Mayom ★ 3.8

Ton Mayom cooks Phuket town classics under an old mayom tree in Ratsada, its deep-fried local fish topped with fragrant curry paste a house favourite.

OrderDeep-fried local fish with curry paste

TipAsk for the deep-fried local fish with curry paste; the short menu suits small groups well.

Roti Taew Nam ★ 3.7

Roti Taew Nam griddles charcoal-pan roti on Thep Krasattri Road in Phuket, a long-running halal breakfast stall serving beef and chicken curry sides.

OrderRoti with beef or chicken curry

TipArrive well before noon, when the stall closes; try the sweet roti with banana and egg alongside the curry.

Bangla Night Market ★ 3.7

Bangla Night Market at the top of Bangla Road in Patong, Phuket, grills live-tank seafood and cooks street food until 2am, after the bars empty.

OrderLive-tank grilled seafood, pad thai, satay and grilled chicken

TipIt opens at 18:00 and runs until 02:00, so it works before the bars fill or after they empty; agree seafood prices before cooking.

Ton Mayom ★ 3.7

TipAsk for the deep-fried local fish with curry paste; the short menu suits small groups well.