Old Phuket Town Food and Cafés in Phuket and Phi Phi Islands
Part of the Phuket and Phi Phi Islands travel guide — see every topic in All Phuket and Phi Phi Islands Guides.
Old Phuket Town is the island's main town, on the east side, away from the beaches. Its centre is a few streets of old two-storey shophouses painted in bright colours. They were built during the tin-mining years, when Phuket was a busy trading port. Today the ground floors hold cafés, small restaurants, shops and guesthouses. It is the best place on the island to eat local food and walk in the evening. This is the one heritage guide for Phuket.
The shophouse streets
The old town is built in a style known as Sino-Portuguese. The shophouses are long and narrow, with arched windows, wooden shutters and a covered walkway in front called a five-foot way. The best streets to walk are Thalang Road, Dibuk Road, Krabi Road and Phang Nga Road. Soi Romanee is a short lane off Thalang Road with pastel houses and is the most photographed spot. Many families in the area share a mixed local culture called Baba or Peranakan, which you can see in the food, the clothes and the house details. Walk early in the morning for soft light.
Local food to try
Phuket has its own food style, different from Bangkok. A local breakfast is often a plate of small steamed dishes with tea, or a bowl of noodles. Try mee hoon, thin rice noodles fried or in soup. Moo hong is pork belly cooked slowly in a dark, sweet sauce. O-tao is a fried dish of small oysters, egg and taro. For dessert, look for sweet Phuket cakes in the morning markets. Most local restaurants open early and close by mid-afternoon. Ask your guesthouse for its favourite breakfast shop, and go before 9 am.
Cafés and new shops
In the last ten years many young owners have opened cafés inside the old shophouses. You find specialty coffee, cold-brew bars, bakeries and dessert shops with modern interiors behind the old fronts. There are also small design shops, art spaces and boutique hotels. Most cafés open from mid-morning to early evening, and some close one day a week. The streets get hot after 11 am, so a café stop is a good break. Street art and murals in the side lanes make a good walking route between coffee stops.
Evenings and the walking street
On Sunday evenings part of Thalang Road becomes a walking street, known locally as Lard Yai. Stalls sell snacks, drinks and small crafts, and there is often live music. It is busy but friendly, and good for trying many small dishes. On other nights the old town is quiet. Bars and restaurants open in the shophouses, and many buildings are lit up after dark. Hours and days can change, so check locally before you plan a trip around the market.
Getting there and around
Old Phuket Town is about 40 minutes by road from the airport. The government Phuket Airport Bus runs between the airport and the town. From Patong, Smart Bus Route 2 links the beach with the town bus terminal. In the town, the free electric Dragon Line shuttle circles the old streets, roughly every 15 minutes from late morning to evening. The old town is small, so walking is the best way to see it. From the west coast beaches, a Grab car takes about 30 to 45 minutes, longer at rush hour.
Old Phuket Town Food and Cafés at a glance
| Getting there | About 40 minutes from the airport; Airport Bus or Grab; Smart Bus Route 2 from Patong |
|---|---|
| Hours | Breakfast shops from early morning; cafés mid-morning to early evening; Sunday walking street in the evening |
| Cost | Streets are free; the Dragon Line shuttle is free |
| Best time | Early morning for food and photos; Sunday evening for the walking street |
| Bring | Comfortable shoes, cash for stalls and a hat |