Phuket may be a popular beach destination, but it isn’t necessarily the first place travellers think of for good food. But the resort island that used to be beach shacks and nondescript all-day dining has definitely changed in recent years. 

Since 2019, the Michelin Guide has included Phuket in its listing, granting one restaurant, Pru, a coveted Michelin star. And while that recognition guarantees the restaurant exposure, there are definitely other eateries worthy of attention, too. Here are just a few suggestions. 

1. Jampa

Jampa is a farm-to-fork concept featuring a menu that changes daily.

Montara Hospitality’s Michelin-starred Pru, located in the group’s Trisara resort, may get the lion’s share of the foodie limelight, but recent arrival of sister restaurant Jampa has proven that it is ready to take centre stage as well. The sustainable restaurant anchors the group’s new residential and resort wellness centre Tri Vananda, that will fully open next year. Look for creative use of the grill from Chef Rick Dingen and ingredients harvested just outside their front door. On Saturdays, lunch moves into the property’s own farm under the label Hideaway by Jampa, as much table-to-farm as farm-to-table. 

2. Acqua

Acqua's Chef Alessandro obtains ingredients from far-reaching parts of the world depending on specialties and seasons.

If you’re craving Italian food in Phuket, look no further than Chef Alessandro Frau’s carefully sourced ingredients. The menu features bottarga that he cures in-house, but also seasonal produce like wild asparagus and morel mushroom. And the wine cellar is none too shabby either. Diners who aren’t in the mood for a multi-course dining experience can also order a gourmet pizza from the restaurant’s wood-fired oven. Visitors to Bangkok will soon be able to enjoy Chef Alessandro’s food without getting on a plane, when Acqua Bangkok opens its doors in June. 

3. L’Arôme by the Sea

A combination of tradition and innovation is reflected throughout L’Arôme by the Sea’s menu

Fine dining is as much about the food on the plate as it is about technical precision in the kitchen, knowledgeable service, a well-crafted wine list and a hundred other tangible and intangible details. At L’arôme by the Sea, Swiss Chef Yannick Hollenstein and his team deliver all that and more. He embraces local produce like Phuket lobster with butternut squash and a hint of passionfruit. And he makes a nod to his homeland with a smoked cheese fondue, that includes a hint of truffle and a barely set onsen egg.

4. Day & Night of Phuket

This two-storey restaurant is located right in the heart of Phuket Town on Dibuk Road.

The renewed interest in Old Phuket Town is due as much to the photogenic setting as it is to history and culture. Street art and painted shop houses vie for the attention of the cameras. The town is not short on cafés offering selfie ops and Day & Night of Phuket with its bustling brasserie decor definitely falls into that category. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a menu of tasty Thai, Western and fusion dishes, from spicy spaghetti, a local favourite, to carrot cake, not to mention coffees, sodas, mocktails and cocktails. 

5. Mrs B Table and Bar

Mrs B Table and Bar serves up western craft, local produce and dishes cooked over a raw wood grill.

Mrs B Bar and Table is the place to be in Laguna, home to several large hotels and a sizable expat community on the island. And why wouldn’t it be, with a both comfort food and atmosphere on the menu? Regulars and visitors alike come for the duck ragoût on ribbons of papardelle and the whole grilled sea bass. Other attractions include the DJ nights on Fridays and a very popular happy hour. 

6. Peang Prai

Surrounded by lush greenery, only 200 metres from the Bang Pae Waterfall is the family-run Peang Prai Restaurant.

The Michelin Guide isn’t all about white table cloths and fine dining. The red guide inspectors have taken a look at regional food too and come up with some gems. Behold Peang Prai, al fresco dining nestled in the jungle just steps from the Bang Pae Waterfall. This is the stop for textbook perfect renditions of hard-to find Southern Thai dishes: sea grapes with chili dip, torch ginger salad or spicy sea snail curry. 

7. Samut

Samut is Chef Ton's first restaurant in Phuket, located at the entrance of Nai Harn Beach.

Celebrity ThiTid Tassanakajohn, better known as Chef Ton, is one of the best-known faces in Thailand's F&B scene. He recently opened Samut, his first restaurant in Phuket. The daily operations at the cosy 11-seater restaurant are in the competent hands of Chef Chatchawan Varahajeerakul, who turns out a dazzling tasting menu inspired by all of Thailand’s coastal regions, not just Phuket. Look for modern takes on dishes like pla muek nam dum, squid cooked in its own ink.