The easiest mistake to make in Phuket isn't failing to find a sea view—it's assuming "facing the ocean" automatically means "good food." With so many beach restaurants around, kitchen quality can vary drastically. If you're planning to camp out on a lounge chair all day, picking the wrong spot means wasting an entire afternoon. This time, Koktail Kuisine has selected nine restaurants across the island that share one thing in common: a relaxed exterior paired with a serious kitchen—no dress code required to taste real craftsmanship.
One Address, Three Different Personalities
At 333/3 Kamala Beach, InterContinental Phuket Resort houses three restaurants with distinctly different characters under one address. By day, it's 333 At The Beach, where Chef Thatsanawit "Air" Sohin puts out a menu built for lingering: freshly shucked oysters, Alaskan king crab with caviar and quinoa, plus heartier options like charcoal-grilled meats, wood-fired pizzas, daily Andaman Sea catch, and Phuket lobster served with house-made fettuccine. A Nicolas Feuillatte champagne bar rounds things out—finish that lobster on your plate before you turn lobster-red yourself.
By night, the action shifts to Pine Beach Bar, where bartenders pour the "Hippity Hoppity"—a mix of Grey Goose vodka, lime, cucumber, honey, carrot, and guava juice, layered with Yellow Chartreuse for extra depth. Chef Narawich "Tar" Kaewthong's menu runs from oysters and quinoa salad all the way to truffle pizza, Mediterranean sea bass, wagyu ribeye, and half a Phuket lobster with fettuccine. Same beach, same group, but a completely different dining rhythm.
The third venue, Pinto, takes the kitchen on a world tour. French-Canadian chef Alexandre Fréchette packs Thai, Indian, Arabic, and Italian cuisines into one menu: hand-carved platters, wood-fired truffle pizza, scallop tiradito, and roasted lamb rack sit alongside biryani, tandoori butter chicken, pad Thai, tom yum kung, and pad krapao. Three restaurants share one address, yet each carves out its own distinct worldview.
The Remaining Six: Each Charting Its Own Course
Akoya Star Lounge at V Villas Phuket MGallery bets everything on altitude—one of the island's highest rooftop bars, facing an uninterrupted night sky over Ao Yon Bay. A DJ spins nearby while the signature cocktail "Solar Eclipse," made with Tanqueray No. 10 gin, Campari, yuzu, and Sauvignon Blanc foam, pairs with Peruvian grouper tiraditos and crispy Baja-style blackened salmon tacos.
Big Fish Restaurant & Bar, inside Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, is just fifteen minutes from Phuket International Airport—land, then dine barefoot in the sand. The signature is a three-flavor Mekhong Phuket Spritz, with mains like garlic butter lobster pasta and seared T-bone steak, and desserts covering pavlova, banana spring rolls, and mango tart.
Canopy Tree Bar at Novotel Phuket Kata Avista Resort & Spa flips the bar concept on its head, using lush greenery and wooden furnishings to conjure a beach club feel, while Tiki Time serves up classics like Mai Tai, Saturn, and Jungle Bird. Chef Naveen Bhardwaj blends Indian, Continental, and Mediterranean flavors: truffle cheese fries, salmon poke bowl, chipotle wagyu burger, sausage with mashed potatoes, and a signature Australian ribeye all make the cut.
Casa Boho at Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort has been helmed by general manager Ali Nisham since late 2015, split into a rooftop cigar-and-cocktail zone, a pool deck, and a games room with foosball and ping pong. The menu leans Latin: Argentine beef empanadas with chimichurri, 72-hour braised beef birria tacos, Australian steak, and Cajun blackened salmon with papaya salsa and avocado sauce.
Tucked behind a turquoise door on a Cherngtalay street, La Marée is run by Chef Andrey Chetvertnov, a Le Cordon Bleu Paris graduate whose cooking keeps things clean without unnecessary flourish: sliced salmon, beef, and tuna crudo, raw shrimp platters, Gillardeau oysters, all accented with black caviar, salmon roe, French mussels, grilled scallops, and classic pastas or risottos.
Rava Beach Club at Banyan Tree Phuket stretches 150 meters along the coastline. Its Young & Fun zone features three infinity pools and a DJ booth surrounding the open-air dining area, while the kitchen fires up open-flame Mediterranean fare: citrus scallop crudo, beef tartare with crispy chips, crab croquettes, and for vegetarians, grilled winter melon with lime and kaffir lime pepper.
The nine restaurants are scattered across Kamala, Kata, Nai Yang, Cherngtalay, and Ao Yon bays, each with its own operating hours—it's best to call ahead to confirm before heading out.
