Phang Nga’s food is a meeting of the Andaman Sea, the southern Thai kitchen and the Hokkien Chinese who came to work the tin mines of Takua Pa more than a century ago. Expect fiery fermented-fish curries and smoked-shrimp chilli dips alongside braised pork belly, dim sum and flaky mung-bean pastries — and plenty of fresh seafood on the coast and around the bay. In recent years the MICHELIN Guide has recognised a growing number of humble local kitchens here, making the province a quiet favourite with food lovers.
Dishes and local products to try
Kaeng tai pla
The south’s most pungent curry, made with fermented fish innards, turmeric, chilli, lemongrass and vegetables such as pumpkin and bamboo shoots. It is intensely spicy and savoury and best eaten with rice or fresh rice noodles and a plate of raw vegetables.
Kaeng kati with crab
A rich southern coconut curry, often cooked with blue crab or soft-shell crab along the coast. Restaurants near Thai Mueang beach are known for crab curries made with local catch.
Nam phrik kung siap
A smoky, salty chilli dip made with kung siap — prawns skewered and smoked until dry, a speciality of the Andaman coast — served with fresh vegetables. Packs of kung siap also make a good souvenir.
Mu hong
Pork belly slowly braised with soy sauce, garlic and black pepper until meltingly soft, a Hokkien dish shared across the old tin-mining towns of the Andaman coast.
Hokkien noodles and dim sum
Takua Pa’s breakfast tables carry the town’s Chinese heritage: stir-fried yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, steamed buns and dim sum, eaten with strong local coffee in old shophouse cafés.
Khanom tao so
Flaky round pastries filled with sweet mung-bean paste, a Takua Pa favourite sold in bakeries in the old town and a popular gift to take home.
Khanom krok Takua Pa
Unlike the sweet versions elsewhere in Thailand, these little coconut-rice pancakes are made without sugar, crisp outside and soft inside, often eaten at breakfast.
Sarai phrik thai
A crunchy local seaweed that grows on the coast around Thai Mueang, eaten fresh in spicy salads, with chilli dips or in som tam.
Andaman seafood
Whole fish, squid, prawns, crab and, in Khao Lak, rock lobster are grilled, steamed or stir-fried with southern curry paste at beach restaurants, while bay tours stop for seafood lunches at the stilt village of Ko Panyi.
Markets and food streets
- Takua Pa Old Town walking street: Food stalls and local snacks fill the old shophouse street in the evening, usually once a week. Map
- Bang Niang Market, Khao Lak: Khao Lak’s main market, open several afternoons a week, with street food, fruit, clothes and souvenirs. Map
- Phang Nga town morning market: The place for local breakfasts, southern curries to take away, fruit and kung siap. Map
- Ko Panyi: Seafood restaurants on stilts around the village serve lunch to bay visitors every day in the dry season. Map
Well-known places to eat
Phang Nga had nine Bib Gourmand restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide list announced in November 2026, three of them new. Shops change hours and days off often, so check Google Maps before you go.
- Krua Khon Khon – new to the Bib Gourmand list in November 2026; cooked-to-order dishes from Nakhon Si Thammarat such as sour fish curry, snail and betel-leaf curry and crispy fish-sauce pork belly. Map
- Krua Ko Yot – another 2026 newcomer, serving home-style southern food including lemongrass-scented salted shrimp paste and sea bass and ginger soup. Map
- Kap Khao Mae – a 2026 newcomer built around homegrown vegetables and herbs, such as pork stir-fried with shrimp paste and young coconut shoots. Map
- Krua Luang Then – a long-established southern Thai kitchen on the road to Khao Lak, a Bib Gourmand pick in earlier editions. Map
- Khrua Nong (Takua Pa) – local southern dishes, with soft-shell crab in spicy sauce a long-time favourite; recognised as a Bib Gourmand in earlier editions. Map
- Hok Kee Lao (Takua Pa) – a legendary old-town spot for dim sum, steamed buns and noodles, listed in the MICHELIN Guide. Map
Festival food and seasonal treats
During the Vegetarian Festival in the ninth lunar month (usually October), Chinese shrines in Takua Pa and Phang Nga town serve jay food — plant-based noodles, curries and sweets — and yellow-flagged stalls appear across town. At Songkran (13–15 April), families gather for merit-making and big shared meals; if you are celebrating nearby in Phuket, our Songkran in Phuket guide has tips. The dry season from November to April is also the best time for seafood, when boats can fish every day.
Tips for eating in Phang Nga
- Southern curries are hot. Order a mild dish alongside, such as mu hong, and eat plenty of the raw vegetables provided.
- Local restaurants away from the resort strip in Khao Lak are much cheaper and often better.
- Takua Pa’s breakfast shops open early and many close by midday.
- Seafood is priced by weight; agree on the price before cooking.
Frequently asked questions
What food is Phang Nga known for?
Kaeng tai pla, crab curries, smoked-shrimp chilli dip, Hokkien dishes like mu hong and dim sum in Takua Pa, khanom tao so pastries and fresh Andaman seafood.
Are there MICHELIN restaurants in Phang Nga?
Yes. Phang Nga had nine Bib Gourmand restaurants in the list announced in November 2026, mostly local southern Thai kitchens.
Where should I eat in Khao Lak?
Try Bang Niang Market for street food and look for local southern restaurants slightly inland from the beach road.
Is Takua Pa worth visiting for food?
Very much so. Its breakfast shops, bakeries and old-town restaurants are some of the most characterful places to eat on the Andaman coast.
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Cover photo: Kaeng tai pla.JPG · Takeaway · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
