The best local Thai restaurants in Bophut Beach offer the finest flavours and truest taste of genuine local food. Best of all, such places are usually significantly cheaper than classy restaurants by the beach, making them ideal for those travelling on a tight budget.

Many of the local dining options – particularly those along Koh Samui’s main ring road – are very simple in appearance, but more than make up for it with quality Thai dishes. Check out our guide to the best Thai restaurants in Bophut. 

  • 1

    Happy Elephant

    A classy and longstanding local diner

    Happy Elephant
    • Food

    Happy Elephant is a local restaurant that’s been at the heart of the Fisherman’s Village in Bophut since 1995. The main part of the restaurant is housed in a charming, rustic wooden building, with tables laid out on the sand behind it most evenings. The prices are a little high, as it's right in the middle of a popular tourist destination. 

    Happy Elephant uses first-class ingredients, so it's a popular choice for tourists and locals looking for something a bit special. Alongside an impressive choice of high-quality international dishes are Thai classics like tom yam, pad Thai, and panang curry.

    Location: 79/9 Moo 1, Fisherman's Village, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand

    Open: Daily from 11 am to 10 pm

    Phone: +66 (0)77 427 222

    Map
  • 2

    Krua Bophut Thai Restaurant

    Choose indoors or out on the beach

    Krua Bophut Thai Restaurant
    • Food

    Krua Bophut offers a choice of dining areas, including a traditionally-styled indoor room and tables down on the beach – it’s not difficult to guess which is the most popular. The menu is a little on the pricey side, but features a good range of traditional Thai dishes that are tasty and well-prepared.

    Notable dishes include stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts and duck with 3 spices. Krua Bophut is a pleasantly romantic setting for a lovely meal in Fisherman’s Village.

    Read more

    Location: 16/16 Moo 1, Bophut Beach Road, Fisherman’s Village, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand

    Open: Daily from 1 pm to midnight

    Phone: +66 (0)77 430 030

    Map
  • 3

    Welcome Wathinee

    Enjoy affordable seafood barbecues

    Welcome Wathinee
    • Food

    Welcome Wathinee is a little restaurant in Fisherman's Village. It's a bit rough-and-ready in appearance, with a mix of garishly coloured tables set alongside weathered metal ones. However, it's a great place to enjoy cheap local dishes. Standouts include barbecued mixed seafood and Thai green curry.

    Location: Haad Bophut Road, Bophut, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand

    Open: Daily from noon to 10 pm

    Map
  • 4

    The Friendly Frog

    For traditional and spicy Issan dishes

    The Friendly Frog
    • Food

    The Friendly Frog specialises in traditional Thai cuisine, including spicy Issan dishes that are popular throughout Thailand. Notable dishes include som tam, fried crab curry, and massaman curry.

    The restaurant's simple setup consists of plastic garden chairs under a corrugated metal roof. Even though it's located in the largely tourist-oriented Fisherman’s Village area (though not on Bophut Beach Road), prices are impressively low. 

    Location: Fisherman's Village, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand

    Map
  • 5

    Noodle Soup

    For delicious noodles in Bophut

    Noodle Soup
    • Food

    Noodle Soup is a restaurant in Bophut with a name that says it all. This, although not as much as the tagline on their sign by the side of Route 4169, which boasts that they serve “The Best Noodle Soup in Town”. It must be good, though, because the place is popular with the local Thais. You can find several trophies on display in the simple little restaurant.

    The menu at Noodle Soup is written on chalkboards, entirely in Thai because this is really a “local” sort of place. Even so, the few scraps of English text may reveal among the favourite ingredients: pork and beef.

    Location: Route 4169, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand

    Map
  • 6

    My Friend Restaurant

    A local Thai favourite in Bophut

    My Friend Restaurant
    • Food

    My Friend is a restaurant in Bophut that's particularly popular with locals. You can find it on the road leading towards Bangrak and Big Buddha Beach, a lengthy walk (or a short songthaew ride) away from town.

    The food at My Friend has great flavours and fresh ingredients, as well as low prices. Their tom yam soup is a must-try. The setting is quite simple – just a corrugated metal roof supported by steel joists – but it is set right by a quiet stretch of coast. The service is friendly and efficient.

    Location: 147/5-8 Moo 5, Route 4171, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand

    Phone: +66 (0)7 742 5187

    Map
  • 7

    Thai Food

    Simple Thai dining

    Thai Food
    • Food

    Thai Food is a very small and simple eatery down one of the small and unremarkable sideroads off Bophut Beach Road, in the heart of Fisherman’s Village. This restaurant has just a handful of tables with simple plastic seats. 

    However, its affordability (particularly compared to the high-end restaurants on the main street) makes it attractive for locals and those travelling on a shoestring. The menu at Thai Food consists of simple Thai favourites, such as som tam, noodle soup, and fried rice. 

    Location: Fisherman’s Village, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand

    Map
Ben Reeves | Compulsive Traveller