Koh Lanta Restaurants
Koh Lanta Restaurants
Koh Lanta Restaurants. Now that we have considered the philosophy of Thai food, it’s time to get down to the real work…eating!
It will likely not be long into your time in Koh Lanta before you are invited to a party, but until then you can acquaint yourself with the basics by visiting some of the hundreds of makeshift noodle and BBQ stands, frequenting the strolling vendors, and treating yourself to some of the islands fine dining establishments.
Koh Lanta Restaurants
Generally the best, cheapest and most authentic Thai food in Lanta is found at roadside eateries. It’s where the locals eat, and Thai food is made by Thai people. These cafes may have just a few plastic stools and if you are lucky a restroom, but if it is a true Koh Lanta dining experience you seek, start there.
Help with the menu?
Here is a small glossary to help you navigate menus —when there is one.
- Khao – rice
- Nua – beef
- Mu / Moo – pork
- Kai – chicken
- Khai / Gai – egg
- Pet – duck
- Pla – fish
- Kung / Gung – shrimp
- Pu / Bu – crab meat
- Phak / Pak – vegetables
Kaeng – curry
- Kaeng kai – chicken curry
- Kaeng nua – beef curry
- Kaeng pla duk – catfish curry
- Kaeng som – fish and vegetable curry
- Kaeng penang – spicy dry curry
- Kaeng kio waan – green curry
Noodles
- Nam – literally meaning water, is used to indicate a soup dish
- Haeng – literally just meaning dry, is used to indicate that a dish is without broth
- Kuai tiao – rice noodles
- Ba mi – wheat and egg noodles
Fresh Seafood
In Baan Saladan don’t miss the experience of dining on fresh fish in a restaurant on stilts overlooking the sea (Lanta Seafood is a good choice), but for cheap, authentic food the place to go is a strip of stalls located on the main road by 7/11.
There you will find the basics, Pad Thai (peanut noodles), Som Tam (papaya salad), curries and noodles made by locals for locals for just a few Baht. The service is rudimentary, but fast.
Issarn Food
A secret favorite of the tuk-tuk drivers is a strip of eateries on Khlong Dao road. The choices include selections of Isaan cuisine (from the north eastern region of Thailand): Som Tam (papaya salad), Larb (minced meat salad), and Nam Tok (Steak Salad), BBQ chicken & pork and cheap beer. It’s a great place to eat late, and soak up some local flavor.
On Phra Ae Road is the Lanta local favorite – Mr. Greens; a family owned and operated joint. Short on décor and English, long on tasty, authentic food and economy! In the same area, you will find a rustic but superlative (no name) Isaan food stand – look for the yellow sign close to Patty’s Garden.
Koh Lanta Restaurants
true local’s haunt
At Lay Sod, on Khlong Khong (almost opposite the Lanta Riviera entrance) is a true locals haunt with great, made to order Thai food at very reasonable prices . You can sip a Leo or Singha beer with your BBQ and curries and even keep abreast of the European football action. Chef Charoit’s English is minimal but he’s done guests the service of printing the menu in both Thai and English, and you can enjoy watching him prepare your meal.
If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, remember – where there are workers, there will be food. If you see a work site, look along the road for the ramshackle restaurants set up to feed them. They will not have menus, you may have to look in the pots to choose your curry, yellow is generally less spicy, though still likely to pack a whollop!
Khlong Nin and Further South
If you’re in the Klong Nin beach area and looking for a feast for an excursion or day on the beach, check out a tiny restaurant at Klong Nin junction across from the 7-11. They sell bags of sticky rice, fried chicken, Kaow maan gai (the Thai’s grand deconstruction of chicken rice soup), and much more. Come early: they open at 6:30am, and usually sell out by noon.
A little farther south on the Baan Kantiang Road are a couple of favored stands that sell a variety of local foods-fried chicken and sticky rice are favorites. Pick up your picnic and head to the bay to enjoy a day at a beach often voted the best in all of Asia.
Yes, there are many exquisite dining experiences on Koh Lanta: 4-star, on the beach, you could even get a schnitzel if you were so inclined. There’s plenty of information out there to direct you to those wonderful, not so off the beaten track places. We recommend you try the Irish Embassy for great traditional food and the atmosphere, and Red Snapper for fine cuisine at affordable prices.
But if you want get to know Lanta, eat where its people eat, slurp noodles, suck BBQ sauce off your fingertips, and let pineapple juice run down your chin, while intoxicated by the beauty of sunset on the beach.
