Where to eat on Koh Samet — a local guide to the island’s restaurants and food stalls

My wife May has lived on Koh Samet for over twelve years. Between her knowledge of where locals actually eat and my habit of working through a menu methodically, we’ve covered most of what the island has to offer. This guide is what we tell guests when they ask where to go for dinner.

Every restaurant in this guide has a Google Maps link – use the finder tool above to filter by cuisine, price, and area and find it quickly.

How food works on Koh Samet

There’s no single eating area on the island – options are spread across it. The beach strip running from Hat Sai Kaew south past Ao Hin Khok, Ao Phai, and down to Ao Tub Tim has the highest concentration of restaurants, most with beach access or sea views. The village, inland from the pier, is where locals eat and where prices drop noticeably for the same quality of food. Wong Deun, Ao Phrao, and the southern beaches all have their own options worth knowing about if you’re staying that side of the island.

Most restaurants run a Thai menu and a Western menu side by side. Quality varies by dish rather than by category – a place that does excellent pad thai may serve an average burger, and vice versa. We’ll flag what to order where throughout this guide.

Seafood is worth seeking out properly. Some resorts do beachside BBQ setups, and several of the island’s best options are sit-down restaurants rather than grills. More on that in the seafood section below.

If you want a different kind of evening, two Thai formats are worth knowing about – Moo Kratha, a tabletop grill, and Jim Jum, a Thai hotpot. Both have dedicated spots on the island and we cover them in more detail later in this guide.

Low season runs roughly June to September. Most places stay open but some reduce their menus slightly. Worth checking ahead if you’re making a specific trip.

Thai restaurants

The best Thai food on Koh Samet is in the village, and most of it is cheap. A few spots on the beach strip are worth knowing about too.

Tip Samet $

A proper sit-down aharn tham sang restaurant – food made to order, good range of Thai classics, and one of the better options on the island if you’re vegetarian. In the village.

Ple restaurant $

This is where I go for lunch. Aharn tham sang, fast, cheap, and reliable. The grapow and yen ta fo are both good. No frills, exactly what it is.

The food court $

An open-air cluster of stalls near the main road at the beach end of the village. Multiple options under one roof, good for groups where people want different things. Worth knowing about.

Food stalls by the temple $

Popular with locals and priced accordingly. Rotating selection of Thai dishes, cheap even by village standards. No English menu but pointing works fine.

The Isaan place $

On the road through the village. Larp moo and tap wan are both worth ordering. Isaan food done simply and well.

Sea Queen $ / $$

A resort restaurant but priced like a village spot. Strong Thai menu, and they run their own boat so it’s worth asking what the seafood catch of the day is when you sit down. Simple Thai dishes at $ prices, fresh seafood nudges into $$.

Uncle Kob’s Papaya Salad $

On the road past PS Bottle Bar and The Lost Resort. Thai classics and som tam. Good value, slightly out of the main flow but easy enough to find.

Banana Bar $

Despite the name, this is an old-style Thai restaurant in the village. The curries are the reason to come – consistently good, and you can order with your choice of meat, shrimp, or vegetarian. Gets busy, and seating is limited, so go early or be prepared to wait.

Apache Loongdum $

Mainly a Thai restaurant with some Western dishes on the menu. The fried rice with pineapple is good. Casual, cheap, and easy.

Ploy Talay $

On the beach strip, close to Hey Haa Bar. The pad thai is reliable and it’s one of the better spots for a proper sit-down meal on this stretch. If you’re heading to Hey Haa after dinner, you can order food from Ploy Talay and take it across – and if the timing is right, you can watch the fire show from your table. See our bars guide for more on Hey Haa.

For a fuller breakdown of the village’s budget eating options, see our budget eats guide.

Seafood

Koh Samet is an island and the seafood is genuinely good if you know where to go. The best of it comes from sit-down restaurants rather than beach grills.

Kitt & Food $$

On Hat Sai Kaew with proper beach seating. Big menu, good range of seafood dishes. The crab curry, scallops, and tom yum talay are all worth ordering.

Feel Good at Sang Thian Resort $$

At Ao Thian on the southern end of the island. The atmosphere here is a step up from most – music, a fire show in the evenings, and beachside dining. They run their own fishing boat, which shows in the quality. The sashimi is good, and the Thai fish on a hot plate with your choice of sauce is worth ordering. If you’re not in the mood for seafood, the beef soup house special is excellent.

This is where I take visiting friends and family. It’s not as polished as somewhere like Winkks, but the combination of good food, good atmosphere, and reasonable prices is hard to beat on the island. Compared to the resort restaurants further north, it’s genuinely good value for what you get.

Super Seafood ส้มตำ $

Past the pier heading toward Ao Noi Na – slightly out of the way but good value and worth finding. Good honest seafood without the beach premium.

Sea Queen $/$$

Covered in the Thai restaurants section above. The seafood angle is worth flagging separately – they run their own boat, so ask about the catch of the day when you sit down. Simple Thai dishes at $ prices, fresh seafood nudges into $$.

Seafood BBQ

Several resorts along the beach strip run seafood BBQ setups – Winkks, Samet Villa, Tub Tim Resort, and either Jepps or Tok’s Little Hut on the Ao Phai stretch. We haven’t eaten at any of them ourselves so can’t give a personal verdict, but they’re there if the format appeals.

Moo Kratha and Jim Jum

Two Thai formats worth knowing about if you want a different kind of evening to the standard restaurant sit-down.

Met Sai Moo Kratha Restaurant $ / $$

Right on Hat Sai Kaew beach. Moo Kratha is a Thai tabletop grill – you cook pork over a charcoal burner at your table, with broth around the edges of the grill for vegetables and extras. Met Sai runs it as an all-you-can-eat buffet at 300 baht per person. Good value, good fun, and the beach setting makes it a decent evening out.

The Lost Restaurant – Jim Jum $

On the road past Ao Phai near PS Bottle Bar. Jim Jum is a Thai hotpot – you order a set of thinly sliced raw pork or beef, dip the meat into a boiling pot of seasoned broth to cook it, then dip it into a flavourful sauce before eating. Simple format, cheap, and popular with locals. Order a set, take your time, and don’t rush it.

Mixed Thai and Western restaurants

Several of the island’s best-known restaurants run a full Thai menu and a full Western menu side by side. Useful if you’re eating with someone who wants different things, or if you want options.

Winkks $$$

The most polished dining experience on the island. Beach club setup on Hat Sai Kaew, fire show, music, big menu covering Thai and Western. Personally I think the food doesn’t quite justify the prices, but the atmosphere and entertainment make it worth experiencing. Go for a special occasion or an evening cocktail rather than an everyday dinner.

Reef Bar and Restaurant $$$

On the beach at Ao Tub Tim. The best steak I’ve had on the island, and a wood-fired pizza oven that produces good results. May and I spent Christmas Eve here last year – it’s that kind of place. If you want a proper occasion dinner without going to Winkks, this is the alternative.

Tub Tim Resort $$

Where May and I got married, and where I take guests for lunch after the nature trail. I’ve never actually ordered Western food here – the green curry and roti are what I come back for, and the massaman they made for our wedding was excellent. Western menu exists if you need it.

Buddies Bar $$

On the beach. Good for lunch and the kind of place that comes into its own in the evening when they set up chairs on the sand. Steaks, burgers, grills, and a Thai menu. Relaxed, no fuss.

Ocean Pizza $$

Good pizzas – solid base, good cheese. The spaghetti is decent and the burgers are probably the best on the island – brioche bun, properly done. May isn’t a fan of their Thai menu so stick to the Western side.

Rasta Bar $$

At Ao Cho. The English comfort food menu is what makes it worth knowing about – cottage pie, pies, curry. I’ve eaten everything on it and it’s all good. There’s a Thai menu too but I’ve never eaten it so can’t speak to it. See our bars guide for more on Rasta as a drinking spot.

Flower Power $$

Next door to Rasta at Ao Cho. Italian food and a Thai menu. The lasagna is the best on the island – possibly the only one on the island, but good regardless.

Minnie Resort $$

On the road past the pier, beyond Sunrise Villa. I come here regularly for the tacos – they’re the only place on the island that does them, which tells you something about the gaps in Koh Samet’s food scene. They also do beef sandwiches and other Western dishes that are hard to find elsewhere. Worth knowing about if you’re craving something that isn’t Thai or pizza.

Pizza Hippy $ / $$

In the village. Thin crust, good quality toppings, well priced. If you want pizza without the beach markup, this is where to go.

A note on Ao Phrao: the resort restaurants there, including Kerala, are fine if you’re staying in the area. For everyone else, the prices don’t match what’s on the plate and they’re not worth a special trip across the island.

Budget eating on Koh Samet

If you’re watching what you spend, the village is where to base yourself. We’ve put together a full guide to eating well on Koh Samet without breaking the budget – covering the cheapest Thai spots, market stalls, and where locals actually eat. Budget eats guide

Vegetarian and vegan food on Koh Samet

Finding vegetarian food on Koh Samet is easier than you might expect, though it pays to know where to look and what to watch for – fish sauce and oyster sauce turn up in a lot of dishes that appear vegetarian on the menu. We cover it properly in our dedicated guide. Vegetarian guide

Coffee and cafés on Koh Samet

The café scene is small but there are decent options if you need a proper coffee or somewhere to sit with your laptop. Our café guide covers what’s open, where, and which ones are worth the detour. Café guide

Quick comparison

FAQ

Our honest take

Koh Samet’s food scene is better than its reputation suggests. The mistake most visitors make is eating every meal on the beach strip and concluding that Thai island food is expensive and average. Walk into the village and that changes quickly.

If we’re sending guests somewhere for their first dinner, it’s usually Kitt & Food for something simple on the beach, or straight to the village for Banana Bar or Ple depending on what they’re after. For a proper evening out, Feel Good at Sang Thian is the one we come back to – good food, good atmosphere, and it won’t flatten your budget the way a resort restaurant will.

A few things the island doesn’t do well yet. Indian food is hard to find and what exists isn’t worth seeking out. Mexican or Japanese is almost nonexistent – Minnie Resort’s tacos are the closest you’ll get. If you’re after a proper sandwich, options are thin. Koh Samet is a Thai island and the food scene reflects that – lean into it and you’ll eat well. Come expecting global variety and you’ll be disappointed.

We’ll keep updating this guide as places open, close, and change. If you’re staying at The Cocoon, May and I are always happy to point you in the right direction based on what you’re in the mood for.

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