10 Best Restaurants
Koh Samui mixes coconut-covered hills, beach villages and resorts tucked into rocky coves. Bophut’s Fisherman’s Village has shophouses and evening dining, Choeng Mon offers a smaller beach setting, and the southwest feels more secluded. Inland, the Secret Buddha Garden contrasts with the coastal temples of Wat Plai Laem and the Big Buddha. Pick your coast before booking accommodation: restaurants and sights are spread around the island, and journeys across it need time.
Long Dtai
Koh Fahn, off Choeng Mon, Thailand
Long Dtai makes the short crossing to Cape Fahn worthwhile for dinner alone. The menu draws on Southern Thai traditions, with seafood and a stated concern for marine sustainability at its centre. David Thompson’s involvement is reflected in cooking that rewards attention to herbs, spice and the quality of the catch. The terrace setting adds a sense of occasion without competing with the food. It is a compelling choice for a carefully planned evening.
Southern Thai cooking on a small island
Baan Suan Lung Khai
Taling Ngam, Thailand
Baan Suan Lung Khai offers a more personal introduction to island cooking, welcoming diners into a garden house on a coconut plantation. Set menus follow seasonal ingredients and local seafood, with dishes arriving from an open kitchen onto a wooden veranda. The emphasis is on flavour and the day’s produce rather than elaborate presentation. For travellers staying in a polished resort, this is a rewarding change of pace and a strong reason to explore the southwest.
A seasonal seafood meal in a garden house
Saffron
Maret, Lamai Bay, Thailand
Saffron brings a measured sense of occasion to Thai cooking within Banyan Tree Samui. The hillside dining room looks towards the coast, with an outdoor option for guests who prefer the evening air. Traditional flavours are given a contemporary presentation, and diners can choose between individual dishes and tasting menus. Its combination of carefully balanced cooking and a settled resort setting makes it particularly useful for a celebration or an unhurried dinner after a beach day.
A composed Thai dinner with sea views
Koh Thai Kitchen
Ang Thong, Thailand
Koh Thai Kitchen places Southern and central Thai cooking in an open-air hilltop setting at Four Seasons. Local seafood sits alongside premium meat dishes, giving a group room to explore different parts of the menu. The view across the hillside towards the sea is a substantial part of the experience, but the food has an independently assessed identity of its own. It is a strong choice for a relaxed special dinner with a generous sense of place.
Thai flavours above the northwestern coast
Phensiri
Chaweng, Bo Phut, Thailand
Phensiri gives chef Santi Wongsawat’s island roots a clear place at the table. The kitchen focuses on Thai-grown ingredients and Southern recipes, allowing seasonal variations to shape the meal rather than forcing an identical menu every day. Indoor and alfresco spaces keep the atmosphere relaxed, and the staff can help visitors navigate unfamiliar flavours. It is an appealing choice for travellers who want a confident introduction to regional cooking without the ceremony of a tasting-menu restaurant.
Seasonal Southern Thai cooking
FishHouse Restaurant & Bar
Choeng Mon, Thailand
FishHouse balances a beach-house atmosphere with an ambitious seafood menu at Kimpton Kitalay. Grilled catches, cold seafood presentations and European-influenced dishes provide several ways to build a meal, while imported meats give mixed groups further choice. The open setting and deck encourage a sociable evening rather than a hushed formal dinner. Come for a shared spread and the proximity to the water, with enough variety to suit guests who want a break from Thai curries.
A convivial seafood dinner by the beach
Jun Hom
Mae Nam, Thailand
Jun Hom’s appeal begins with a straightforward combination: freshly prepared Southern Thai food and a beachside setting. The open-air restaurant keeps the focus on local flavours, with crab and coconut curry a particularly well-regarded expression of the kitchen’s style. Meals are cooked to order, so this is somewhere to settle in rather than rush through. It belongs in an itinerary for the quality of its cooking and its easy relationship with the coast.
A leisurely Southern Thai beach lunch
Kapi Sator (Soi Had Chaweng 5)
Bo Phut, Thailand
Kapi Sator builds its menu around the family’s Southern Thai food traditions and ingredients sourced from local markets. Squid, curries and shrimp with sator beans provide an accessible route into the region’s distinctive combinations of sweetness, heat and fermented depth. Both indoor and outdoor seating are available at the original branch. It suits a shared meal where diners can compare several dishes, with a practical, welcoming format that keeps attention on the cooking.
An approachable introduction to Southern flavours
Bang Por Seafood Takho
Bang Por, Mae Nam, Thailand
Bang Por Seafood Takho keeps the pleasure of a coastal meal refreshingly direct. Experienced local cooks prepare Southern Thai seafood in a simple beachfront setting, using herbs, curry pastes and the house’s aromatic shrimp paste to give familiar ingredients a distinct island character. Grilled fish and squid make natural foundations for a shared order. Choose it for a relaxed meal on the northern coast, where the cooking carries more weight than decorative formality.
Traditional seafood beside the sand
Khao Horm
Bo Phut, Thailand
Khao Horm offers an introduction to Southern Thai family cooking in a practical Bo Phut location. The kitchen’s recipes have a long local lineage, with aromatic curry pastes and stir-fried dishes providing a flavourful alternative to resort dining. Guests can choose an open-air pavilion or an air-conditioned room, making it adaptable to the weather and the group. It is especially useful as part of an arrival or departure day, provided the meal is given proper time.
Family recipes near the airport