Patong has suffered badly from COVID 19, it is an area that relies primarily on tourism. However, there are still many restaurants and bars open for business. Here are some of our favourites from our time in July 2021.
Currently (4th August 2021) restaurants and hotels in Phuket can not sell alcohol in their restaurants and bars, only room service is allowed. It is due for a review on 16th August 2021. Supermarkets still sell alcohol and there are some places that will serve you quietly……
Click here to read our guide about the Patong area.
Restaurants and Bars
Romas Italian
This restaurant is upstairs on a balcony overlooking Patong beach, easy to spot with the big Roman statue outside. Having 2 pizza/pasta loving boys, a few Italian meals are a necessity during a month away! The restaurant is owned by an Italian Juventus fan and inside, the walls are covered with various Juventus players over the years. The crab pasta, steak, pizza and penne ragu were all very good – the only meal so far where Elis has cleared his plate! Also, being a wine lover and wine being fairly expensive and not much choice around in Phuket, I can vouch that the Italian house white here was decent.
Patong Seafood
This is down near the entrance to Bangla Road, which was one of the restaurants that opened up during our time there. Sitting down at the table I had a really strong sense of de-ja-vu and after looking back through pictures of that weekend in Patong back in 2010 I found pictures of myself, Phil and my parents sitting in the same restaurant which made me feel very happy – a connection to home whilst being on the other side of the world.
We ordered the 3 Spice Fish, a whole fish which was prepped very well making our lives easier – it was portioned into small pieces with no bones so we didn’t have to figure out tearing it all up and spitting out tiny bones. The prawn cashew nut was also delicious, the kids had chicken fried rice – one portion was enough for the 2 of them.
The Port (Double Tree Hilton Hotel)
We went here on our first night in Patong and were attracted by the guitarist playing so we wandered in. It ended up being one of the best meals we had whilst in the area. It was pretty quiet that night, only a handful of tables were occupied but as we passed by during the rest of our time there it always looked busy.
We ordered a pad thai and the seabass which was incredible – still talking about it over a week later! The kids enjoyed the pizza and the beer was cold. Definitely worth checking out.
Terrazzo (Holiday Inn Hotel)
The best happy hour on Patong beach road – 50% off drinks (beer, wine, cocktails and spirits) from 4-6pm which resulted in a bottle of Singha costing only 60baht. This also opened about half way through our time in Patong, we were again attracted by a guitarist and a great view of the sunset as well as the happy hour. Needless to say we ended up going here for a fair few drinks.
We also ate here one night, with the sign outside touting ‘The Best Burger in Phuket’ I had to try it – the caramalised onion was a hit with me! Thai Green Curry, spaghetti bolognaise and pizza all went down very well. This place was getting nicely busier as the time we spent there continued which was great to see.
Napoli
This little traditional looking Italian restaurant, spilling out onto an alleyway is tucked up a street off the main Patong beach road, down near the McDs sign. Again, with 2 Italian loving kids we promised the boys we would eat here before we left so we made it on the final night…and we were glad we did!
Phil ordered the seabass which was cooked beautifully in a lovely Mediterranean sauce, I had the salmon fettucini and the boys their usual pizza and spaghetti bolognaise – we all loved it and rolled out of there full to the brim. The house red was good and service was great, we felt like we had stepped into Italy for an hour!
Bubbles (Grand Mercure Hotel)
We were lucky enough to be invited to this ‘Jewels of Phuket’ set meal for 2 whilst staying at the Grand Mercure, but would definitely recommend it if you are in Patong – the restaurant is open to anyone. We had SO MUCH FOOD! Crab yellow curry, pork belly, salmon, morning glory, pad thai, rice and salads and it was all simply delicious, a set menu at 1400baht (140dhs or £30ish) for 2. The cocktails are also great and it is a quiet, peaceful restaurant set next to the pool. It is about a 5-10min walk away from the beach, or 100baht in a taxi – all the drivers know the hotel.
Thai BBQ
A very busy local place on the beach road so we decided to give it a go. We were given a Thai BBQ and ordered a pork and beef with seafood platter which we then cooked ourselves on the BBQ, with a broth and vegetables to cook a soup. The boys actually enjoyed some of the meat and steamed rice but it is a bit tricky to get right and can take a while to cook. I had been to a similar style restaurant before so with minimal help we were able to work out what to do. It would be a little tricky if you’ve not done anything like that before, but it is definitely an experience. Just don’t go in hungry as you have to cook and wait for your food!
Lai Mai (Moon Tree Hotel)
This is probably the most busy restaurant across the front. We went here for lunch – the steak and club sandwiches were good, we also stopped in here for the odd drink but didn’t eat in here in the evening. It was always busy and the time we did spend there we enjoyed.
Coco Copper
This place had opened the night we left, we didn’t eat here but popped in for a drink during happy hour. The Mai Thai was good, beer was cold and the views of the sunset were great with lively sunset music in the background.
Beach Huts
To the right of the ‘PHUKET’ sign along the beach you will find a cluster of beach shacks where you can prop up on a beach chair, get a cold beer, a spicy pad thai or tom yum, a beach massage and feel the sand between your toes. We whiled away many an afternoon here with the kids playing in the sea and us chilling in the shade.
One thing that is obvious to us since being here in Phuket is how happy the Thai locals are to have tourists once more in Phuket. Many of these businesses have closed leaving lots of people without work for 18 months, the Thai restrictions have been heavy and they haven’t had local people doing Staycations in the hotels or eating and drinking in their restaurants. Please try to tip what you can, write Trip Advisor reviews when you had a good experience and tell other people in your hotels about where you have been, everything helps.
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