Open: 8am-8pm
Address: Rawai beachfront, southernmost end.
Style: Thai picnic
Price range: About 80 baht per dish
Specialty: Seafood
What Phuketwan says: When the local authorities announced a couple of years ago that they planned to replace some beachfront restaurants with a carpark, there was uproar. The restaurant proprietors, some of whom had been in the same spot for many years, were suitably outraged. At the conclusion of a long debate, the willing among the restaurant proprietors were relocated at a row of 12 purpose-built salas at the southern end of the beach. Today, the wisdom of the move is obvious. While the beach road restaurants still have appeal and a picnic at low tide on the beach at Rawai is one of the great pleasures of eating on Phuket, the row of salas offers something special. Here, under the rough awnings that line the seashore, locals and visitors alike can picnic at low tables, whether the tide is in or out. The outlook, over bobbing longtails and catamarans, across the bay to Koh Lon, is glorious. Along the beach, an abandoned trawler is steadily sinking into the sand. Fishermen repair their boats. What else is there? Oh yes, the food. The food is good. It's cooked at the salas across the track then carried across, usually by the chef's children. Normally we would be leery of places where the prices are not on the menu but here, it's acceptable because the cost of the fish and seafood vary, depending on supply. The menus are in Enlgish and Thai. The only difficulty is deciding on which low picnic table offers the best view.
How to find it: Southern end of Rawai beach. Take the turn off the main road, down the soi.
Parking: The new carpark that triggered the movement of the restaurants is, naturally enough, still being built.
Phuketwan restaurant reviewers pay for their meals. If someone else does, we tell you so
Address: Rawai beachfront, southernmost end.
Style: Thai picnic
Price range: About 80 baht per dish
Specialty: Seafood
What Phuketwan says: When the local authorities announced a couple of years ago that they planned to replace some beachfront restaurants with a carpark, there was uproar. The restaurant proprietors, some of whom had been in the same spot for many years, were suitably outraged. At the conclusion of a long debate, the willing among the restaurant proprietors were relocated at a row of 12 purpose-built salas at the southern end of the beach. Today, the wisdom of the move is obvious. While the beach road restaurants still have appeal and a picnic at low tide on the beach at Rawai is one of the great pleasures of eating on Phuket, the row of salas offers something special. Here, under the rough awnings that line the seashore, locals and visitors alike can picnic at low tables, whether the tide is in or out. The outlook, over bobbing longtails and catamarans, across the bay to Koh Lon, is glorious. Along the beach, an abandoned trawler is steadily sinking into the sand. Fishermen repair their boats. What else is there? Oh yes, the food. The food is good. It's cooked at the salas across the track then carried across, usually by the chef's children. Normally we would be leery of places where the prices are not on the menu but here, it's acceptable because the cost of the fish and seafood vary, depending on supply. The menus are in Enlgish and Thai. The only difficulty is deciding on which low picnic table offers the best view.
How to find it: Southern end of Rawai beach. Take the turn off the main road, down the soi.
Parking: The new carpark that triggered the movement of the restaurants is, naturally enough, still being built.
Phuketwan restaurant reviewers pay for their meals. If someone else does, we tell you so
