Luxury Restaurants in Phuket

Luxury  Restaurants in Phuket

Since I stay in Phuket I recommend you the best restaurant where I use to try before. The longest and most expensive page we ever wrote is now ready, we give you the '10 Great Romantic Restaurants in Phuket.' We tried them all, paid our bill like you would, never informed in advance, and never got any special treatment. The ten restaurants listed were among the best dining experiences we had in Phuket. To get ten, we had to try a lot more than ten. Some renown ones were a disappointment (we won't mention their names), some others almost made, it but a little something was just missing.

Other disclaimer: this is our selection, we know have more amazing restaurants to try and worry not, we will try them and add as we discover more gems. You need to understand too that two experiences my differ, you might not enjoy a place as much as we did if your choice of food is different or if something in the air isn't quite right :). However, we are pretty confident that these ten restaurants are great places for a teeth  Enjoy!

1. Paresa Resort - Diavolo Restaurant

Ranking high on our 'Top 10 Most luxury Restaurants in Phuket', Paresa Resort 'Diavolo' was one of the nicest experiences we had lately. Location and setting help a lot in the ranking, but if you happen to also have great food and excellent service, it is so perfect, you won't forget this night for long time. On a friend's recommendation, we actually had our wedding party at Paresa not so long ago, and we even were the first couple to have such party. It was just perfect and unforgettable.

Paresa Resort is luxury Restaurant in Phuket

This time again we arrived early as we knew the sunset over the ocean was fantastic from this high point. The terrace over the restaurant where we had out wedding cocktail party is a great place to walk and take stunning photos before dinner. No two sunsets are the same.

Once the sun had gone, you can move to the restaurant on the lower floor and continue sipping your drinks in one of these nice sofas and giant bean bags, or you can sit at your table to appreciate the many colors of dawn. Light is changing over the sea by the minute and a nice breeze is keeping the balcony cool.

Luxury Restaurant in Phuket

Three menus were brought to us: Italian, Thai and Chef specialties. We had several dinners at Paresa, and all were excellent, so we picked all from the Chef's specialty. And it was as perfect as we expected. Foie Gras with a well balanced papaya sauce, and raw tuna salad as appetizers, followed by a delicious snow fish in risotto and Australian steak with porcini...

We ended with a local fruit salad served with vanilla ice cream. A bit of white wine to go with all this was just right and a lemoncello was offered to us at the end of the meal. Until the last minute, the service was friendly, attentive and never intrusive.

Despite being out of the way, I definitely recommend Diavolo at Paresa Resort for a special dinner with your loved one. Sure, the price tag might appear a bit high. It was 5,000 baht for two and we didn't order a full bottle of wine, but I don't feel it was expensive for the experience and memory we brought back that night.

2. The Boathouse Kata Beach

The boathouse in Kata Beach has been a culinary landmark in Phuket for more than two decades. The location is fantastic, the food and wine exceptional, but the time had come to bring this restaurant to new fresh trendy life.

The Boathouse hotel was acquired by the well known luxury resort Trisara and the restaurant was entirely redone in a white bright design.  Serving French and Thai Cuisine, the place feels trendy with a sober elegance and does retain a bit of the 'sailing' mood.

The beach front dining hasn't change that much... you are still siting just by the powdery white sand of Kata Beach. What makes a romantic diner perfect is in the quality, originality and creativity of food, accompanied by a sunset view on the Kata bay and a smooth and discreet service. The excellent wines just add the final touch... I'm not a connoisseur, but the Boathouse has a well established reputation.

So they certainly got all the elements right. Our dinner was perfect! The table right above the beach and the view just as you see it on the top photo!

I went for the boathouse special degustation menu which comes with the right glass of wine with each course. Not cheap, but a chance to try wines you might never have a chance to drink. Luckily Faa doesn't drink so the ride back home was safe. She ordered a la carte.

Here I will list the courses as thy came, so if you know about wines, you will get a better picture. 'Pan seared duck foie gras poele with chanterelle mushrooms' accompanied by a sweet 'Jurançon Famille Castel 2009' French wine, followed by a 'Open raviole with rock lobster, shellfish and morel sauce' served with a 'Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, Domaine Droin' also French. Then a "Lamb loin with Cepes mushroons" with a red 'Château Ferrande, Graves 2007' and to wrap the experience, a  "Crispy almond Napoleon cake  with green apple sherbet" with a sweet 'Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Domaine des Bernardins, 2005' (I took notes! No way I would remember all this). You also can try their Thai menu.

Faa had a delicious 'Gaspacho' as entree, then a tender 'Rack of lamb' cooked to perfection. Looks like I had all the food and she had nothing, but we usually share everything ;)

If you feel like a drink before or after your meal, you can also sit down at the beautiful bar or enjoy a sunset from the second floor terrace.

Price wise, the four course menu with selected wines was 3,400 Baht and Faa's selection 3,000 baht. Lady and gentlemen, it was definitely worth it, but we are now officially broke! :D Therefore I hope you enjoy the next story: '10 Great Romantic Restaurants in Phuket'!

3. Da Maurizio Italian Restaurant                       

Da Maurizio and its well known 'Italian dinner over the beach with a sunset' is not your everyday Italian restaurant, far from that. It is rather expensive, so keep it for a special occasion, but if like us you enjoy quality food in a great atmosphere, you should dine there at least once.

The setting is right on a small beach between Patong and Kalim and if you make it on time you should get an amazing sunset. As the light slowly declines on the sea, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy some cocktail while ordering from the many appetizing dishes on the menu. Wine list is impressive, but I just ordered Sauvignon Blanc wine by the glass and it was more than perfect.

Cozy with soft lights, lively without being noisy, it is a great place for a tete a tete. But you should really call early to book a beach front table. The restaurant can also accommodate small groups. The background music is just right, they thankfully avoided the latest 'smooth female' remakes of all the old 80's rock songs you can now hear from trendy restaurants... to supermarkets. Service is fast, efficient and friendly.

We ordered beef Carpaccio with Truffle, Caprese 'Revisited' as it was called, Lamb and Fusili Bolognese... All this sounds pretty simple, but it is often in simple dishes you can recognize great ingredients. And a chocolate mousse for dessert. Each portion was quite well served, but we had no problem eating it all.

This long awaited dinner was as great as we expected it, and despite the bill being a bit tough, we were very satisfied and there is no doubt we will go again, and list 'Da Maurizio' on our '10 Most Romantic Restaurants in Phuket'.

Address: 223/2 Prabaramee Road Patong (Just next to Novotel Patong)

4. La Gritta at Amari Coral Beach Resort Phuket

Who said there were no romantic good restaurants in Patong Beach? With a unique view on the entire Patong Bay, La Gritta, the Italian restaurant of Amari Coral Beach Resort, is one of our 10 Most Romantic Restaurants in Phuket. There should be no need to write about La Gritta, photos say it all.

Food is good (without being really exceptional) service is smooth and efficient, but it is all about the atmosphere... As soon as you set foot in the restaurant, you will get into a sweet mood. A gentle breeze flows freely across the wooden terraces on the edge of the sea, and swaying tall coconut trees add an irresistible tropical touch.

We strongly recommend you to book in advance if you really want to sit by the edge of the balcony, everyone is obviously running for these few privileged tables overlooking the sea. However, the terraces being built on multiple levels everyone can enjoy stunning views from any table.

As we are small eaters, we just had a beef carpaccio, clam chowder soup, black ravioli lobster (made with squid ink) and a risotto with mushrooms. Everything was lovely, but the apple tart for dessert was not as good as we anticipated, more apples and less tart would have been welcome.

Overall it was a lovely dinner in a beautiful location and setting. Make sure you arrive  around 6pm or earlier to enjoy the last minutes of light with the colors of the sunset fading away in the bay.

How to get to La Gritta:

If you come from Kata or Karon beach, drive to the beach when reaching Patong, then turn left toward south, cross the unmistakable large bridge at the end of the road and Amari Coral Beach is right there. Usually there is no parking problem, right next to the lobby. If you come from Kamala or Phuket Town you'll have to cross the whole of Patong through the middle street  (Rat U Thit Road)  to catch that same way to the beach. Most of Patong beach road in one way.

5. 360 Restaurant at Phuket Pavilions

With so many restaurants in Phuket, picking a new romantic dining venue we haven't yet tried was going to be challenging. But once again, Phuket hides little gems you need to take the time to discover, and Phuket Pavilions is one of them. Of course we heard of it before... but it is so 'out of the way', you almost have to deserve it.

The wooden gate opening on the property is rather massive and intimidating, like approaching some celebrity's private villa. The road then climbs under an beautiful double arch of bamboo trees leaning over the way. Once parked, a buggy will take you all the way up to the 360 bar... a lovely hill top terrace with striking views... it's not really a 360 view but it's such a lovely place to have a cocktail before dinner.

A nice breeze was sweeping through the terrace, clouds were gliding fast and low over our heads and sunset colors were basking the horizon... blah, blah, blah... I'm getting carried away. Back to the practical side: it was happy hour when we arrived... 50% on all drinks! This means same price as any bar, but in a luxurious and romantic setting? I am so going back just for the happy hour!

The light was fast declining so we moved to the restaurant itself, located lower in the resort but with an equally beautiful view on the far ocean.

The building lobby is beautifully decorated in a old Sino-Portuguese house style, while the restaurant itself is more 'Thai contemporary'. Large bays open on the sea and despite being a bit quiet at first, we felt very cozy. Food is essentially Thai with the some international dishes... and we really enjoyed each dish. I had pan-seared foie gras followed by a perfect sirloin, while she has a delicious tuna Carpaccio with a white snapper as main dish. It was very well presented and served, not too copious, just right! But we couldn't make it to the dessert... what a shame! Well, now we do have even more excuses to go back there, and so should you!

360 definitely comes high on our upcoming '10 Most Romantic Restaurants in Phuket'!

6.Mom Tri's Villa Royale in Phuket

Mom Tri's Villa Royale is not just your regular hotel, it was the private house of Mom Luang Tridhosyuth Devakul, a famous artist and architect better known in Thailand as 'Mom Tri', a descendant of a King Mongkut Rama IV. Almost two decade ago, Mom Tri converted his summer house into this surprising boutique hotel built on a rocky hillside overlooking the beautiful waters of Kata Noi Beach.

Mom Tri Villa Royale consists of two wings. In the original house, each room has a different design, shape, size and decoration and flower name such as 'Dao-A-Dung', 'Fueng Fa' and 'Toey Talay'. We stayed several times at Villa Royale and each time was a different room and a totally different experience. One of the suites even comes with its own en-suite wine cellar built inside the rocky cliff and was originally filled with a large selection of excellent crus. I guess it was a bit too complicated to keep track of what guests were drinking and only a small wine selection is now stored in the wine cellar. Each suite still has a homey decoration and it feels a bit like being a guest invited in the house distinguished host.

The new wing is more traditional in design but no less luxurious with 26 suites, all sea facing while the original wing not always offers sea views. The resort has also a very cosy spa with the usual large range of treatments so enjoyable while on holiday in Thailand. Three small pools are available, including a beautiful one with sea water, but these are just good for relaxing more than swimming. The gardens are superbly decorated and even has a real temple front gate making a perfect background for weddings and special events.

The hotel is very famous for having one of the best restaurants on the island 'Mom Tri's Kitchen', which has won several Wine Spectator Awards and is in our 10 Most Romantic Restaurants in Phuket. It is expensive but definitely great for a special occasion, and if you are a wine lover, you will be able to enjoy a great selection of 700 wines, and 15 wines served by the glass.

A small staircase leads to the beautiful Kata Noi beach where beach chairs are complimentary for the guests of the hotel and you are just a short drive from Kata Beach, another great beach with plenty of shopping and dining venues.

7.Tunk Ka Cafe - Phuket Restaurants

Tunk Ka Cafe (Tung Ka Cafe) is one of our favourite luxury restaurants in phuket, a long established venue beautifully built on top of Khao Rang Hill in Phuket Town. And as a photographer, it is hard to resist the urge of climbing every possible hill to get a nice panorama of the city lights.

Tunk Ka Cafe is certainly a romantic place, with three separate terraces framed with foliage and large trees, and a nice breeze running through always keeps the place cool. A shady wooden walkway leads from the top of the hill to the restaurant through bushes of bamboos. It was renovated and improved several times in the past years, and obviously they know how to make best use of the surrounding natural elements and lights.

Tunk Ka offers almost a 180 degrees view, so everyone can enjoy a good panorama all the way to Cape Panwa and Chalong over Phuket Town. You can even see the Big Buddha if you know where to look.

But the main reason to come is dining of course, or lunch if you prefer. Their Thai food is really nice, the menu extensive and original and all written in English. It's not really cheap but still affordable. Service is very good, fast and polite.

Now what did we have? That was not an easy decision since the menu is so tempting:

Tom Yam Goong Maphrao  (the well known spicy sour soup with prawns, but this version has coconut in it)

Kaeng Som (some very local smelly dish)

Pla Sumlee Tod (fried cotton Fish with Mango salad)

Pak Liang (fried leaves that look like the tree next our table, mixed with dried shrimps.)

How to get to Tunk Ka Cafe:

You might need the map below, but once you found 'Mae Luang street', the sign at the bottom of the hill is visible enough, drive all the way up from the traffic light. Parking up there is large and easy, and several new shops sell dry fruits and fruit shakes.

8.Catch Beach Club in Surin Beach

Catch Beach Club in Surin is one of the most trendy beach bars in Phuket, if not the only one on the island! We love to go there on weekend afternoons to unwind, or even get some work done in a relaxing tropical ambiance… Who wouldn’t? (Catch Beach Club also ranks high on our '10 Most luxury Restaurants in Phuket')

The mood is soft and cool with a stylish design blending harmoniously into the tropical background of palm tress and white sands. Furthermore, Surin has one of the nicest beach in Phuket. At night, the smart use of lights and colors on a sunset background creates a warm ambiance that makes your dinner even more special.

Catch is busy all day, open as a restaurant, a beach bar and now even as a boutique. It’s a great place to spend the day in the shade of trees. Guests from the Twinpalms Resort located nearby can use beach loungers during the day for free, but outside guests would have to pay a fee, higher than the usual beach chairs. Everything comes with a price.

You can choose to sit in one of the three areas. Two large restaurants open to the beachfront and a very large and very popular shaded wooden terrace stepping directly onto the sandy beach. If you plan to have dinner in this area, you should come early or book. The restaurant serves a nice Mediterranean selection, pizzas, great choice of salads and tapas, perfect for a lazy afternoon. On Tuesdays and Fridays, try their all inclusive beach barbecue. For 1,200 baht, oysters, salmon, lambs ribs and the evil chocolate fountain to dip your strawberries are all yours. Better skip lunch that day!

So depending on your mood, come for a romantic dinner in a place so far unmatched in Phuket, or spend the afternoon in one of these oversized sofas, sipping cocktails for hours, feeling the breeze while listening to a nice music selection. We do this once in a while, and still manage to have our work done… life is a beach.

9. Gaetana Italian Restaurant Phuket Town

One of the best and longest established Italian restaurants in Phuket, well known and recommended by all long time residents and Thais, Gaetana ranks very high in our Top 10 romantic restaurants.

It's not about the view, it is not about the location, but all about Gaetana's excellent cuisine and very cozy atmosphere. Gianni and his wife Ake came long ago and transformed an anonymous building in a beautiful restaurant with a warm atmosphere, and lots of personal attention to details. Designed with an artistic but simple hand made paintwork, it is not pretentious and yet, feels sophisticated.

And of course, at the end of the day, it is all about the food. Lamb, fish, Osso Buco are just delicious and even simple things such as pasta are just great. The menu is long enough to please everyone, but don't miss the specials of the day. Whatever you choose from the menu or from the blackboard on the wall, you are in for a treat and if you still can't decide, do as I do: ask Gianni to suggest something, he always get it right, and the same goes for the wine!

The restaurant is divided in two rooms, the main room with air con, and the second room without air con, usually kept for the ones who forgot to book, like me.

So space being limited and popularity rather high, it comes with a price... But if you save this for a special occasion, you certainly won't regret it.

A little advice about the parking: It is almost impossible to find a place near the restaurant as it is located on the very busy 'Phuket Road', but it is perfectly fine to park at the 'Bang Neow Chinese Shrine' across the street (number 23 blue on the map below).

Gaetana is closed on Wednesday,

Located on 352 Phuket Road, opposite Bang Neow Shrine, not far from Robinson Shopping Mall.

10. Blue Elephant Phuket Phuket Town

Blue Elephant is certainly not your usual casual Thai dining place, but contrary to what most people think, it is not outrageously expensive (I didn't say cheap though). Keep this for a one time special dinner and consider it as an entire experience. I wrote somewhere in this blog  about this amazing old mansion which was long time abandoned, and seen from the street, had the majesty and the grandeur of a house with a long and mysterious history.


You can now drive up the park alley, leave your car under the trees and proudly climb the stairs like a celebrity to enter the bar where most guests start with a cocktail. 

Dining in a hundred years old governor's house, now run by Blue Elephant, a long established cooking school from Bangkok, adds a brand new dimension to your experience. You didn't come to eat, you came to dine. It's a great place to invite your guests or even for a romantic occasion.

Take the time to walk around the park with your glass in hand to appreciate the majesty of the Sino Portuguese architecture, shaded by immense trees that have witnessed each and every moment of it... Somehow it becomes easy to imagine how many parties where held within these walls. Then climb the stairs to the second floor and walk through the several large rooms with their dark wooden floors and the many windows so typical of this era.

Then of course it's dinner time, you will be taken through the 'Blue Elephant Gallery' to the air conditioned indoor, or the outdoor dining area. Service is impeccable, a you would expect, and room and table setting are beautifully decorated.

I could give you the full menu, but what would be the point since the menu is large and original. To help your discovery,  the Blue Elephant favourites are indicated on the menu by.... Red Elephants. Anyway, I'm always tempted by the most unusual dishes: what you be the point to order a something you could have next door. And even though it certainly would be different, but name like 'Buffalo Satays' and 'Steamed fish in Bamboo' never fail to triggered my curiosity. The Lamb Curry Masaman and duck were also great. None of the dishes we tried on three occasions were spicy.

11. The White Box Restaurant Patong Beach

of Phuket, is the quintessentially elegant, white-washed beach restaurant in Phuket, attracting both tourists and locals alike. This Phuket restaurant offers an experience which blends the best of both worlds, introducing the concept of East meets West, through their stunning decor and exotic cuisine.

Once a famous Kalim beach-front house, this stunning venue was redesigned as an elegant Phuket restaurant, decorated in white and blue, boasting a mediterranean ambiance, while keeping a minimalist style. This Phuket restaurant boasts a location which is nothing short of breathtaking. With unobstructed views of Patong Bay, and waves almost crashing at your feet, this restaurant in Phuket is paradise.

Aside from the spectacular views, this Phuket restaurant holds the true key to success... delicious food. The gastronomic menu of this Phuket restaurant is a true culinary display of creativity and a detailed care for quality. The talented chef incorporates some of the most fresh and tasty ingredients of Phuket and from around the globe, creating succulent asian specialties and mediterranean delights.

The White Box restaurant in Phuket boasts an unbeatable combination of minimalist ambiance along with exquisite food to create a truly pleasant aesthetic experience.

12. Joe's Downstairs - Patong Beach Restaurants & Dining

It’s a humble-sounding name, for sure, but in point of fact Joe’s Downstairs is one of Phuket’s leading restaurants.

The ‘downstairs’ lead to an idyllically located all-white restaurant perched on granite boulders overlooking the Andaman Sea.

The ideal place for sunset cocktails, Joe’s is a regular watering hole for the young and affluent Phuket set. 

Where Is It?

Situated in Kalim, just north of Patong, Joe’s is just a few minute’s drive from the centre of town.Cresting the first hill coming out of town, you’ll find Joe’s Downstairs in the illustrious company of Da Maurizio and Baan Rim Pa opposite the entrance to Diamond Cliff Resort.

Décor

The first impression one gets of Joe’s is the way the all-white theme dovetails neatly with the immediate by-the-sea feel of the place; the sea is in fact a firm part of the décor here.

It all seems so spotless yet far from clinical and with the recent addition of a large deck terrace it’s never cramped. A tastefully lit bar lines the descent into the restaurant. Cool stuff.

Food

American-born Chef Aaron Hooper makes the art of good food seem effortless. Dishes are all pieces de resistance with the emphasis on great taste matchings along with top priority accorded to freshness.

Fois gras shu mei with toasted pistachios and tamarind/plum sauce is a worthy starter; the flavours complementing and blending in a master creation. Premium jumbo crab cake simply cannot be bettered – and this on an island world-famous as a seafood destination.

400-day aged Wagyu beef tenderloin with leek and potato hash is a filling and tasty main course. All in all, Joe’s is a class act and, given the setting and the talent involved it is seriously worth a visit – at sunset, of course.

Service

With food and setting this good it’d be a crime if the service didn’t match. But it does.

sorece: www.phuket.com