Michelin – known not only for its tires, but also for its luxury restaurants and top-class cuisine (incidentally, the two actually belong together; the similarity in names is no coincidence). Restaurants with one, two, or even three stars stand for world-class food and usually prices to match.
What is little known outside France, however, is the Michelin Restaurant Guide. In addition to Michelin-starred restaurants that are unaffordable for everyday dining, it also lists restaurant recommendations that anyone can afford. So I thought to myself—I'm always on the lookout for new restaurants and food spots, no matter where I am, so why not find some simple and inexpensive places in Phuket and try them out, one main course at a time!
This post will be updated whenever I try a new restaurant, so feel free to check back!
Michelin Guide restaurant recommendations in Phuket
Nyom Salt Grilled Duck
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on October 17th, 2025.
First things first: this restaurant is not for veggie lovers or vegetarians. They serve grilled duck, grilled chicken, grilled pork tongue and grilled fish, with sticky rice on the side, and that's it. The duck is what made this place famous, and that's why I came. It's simply rubbed with salt and grilled, and it's sensationally good and juicy. However, you shouldn't be squeamish about bones and gristle, because the duck is really halved, flattened, stretched on the grill and chopped up to serve. Boneless meat? No . So you have to earn your food while eating. Half a duck is a pretty good portion, and afterwards I was in a meat coma. I've had enough of duck for a while, but it was really, really good!
By the way, you sit in a very simple setting in a small banana plantation just behind the restaurant!
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
Peang Prai Restaurant
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on October 18th, 2025.
This restaurant is located right next to the Bang Pae Waterfall in Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, so it was a real stroke of luck for me, as it's not exactly around the corner. You sit on the first floor, so to speak, on a large covered platform with a great view of the small lake and the jungle, accompanied by gibbon songs from the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre.
I opted for a fresh fruit and vegetable juice, the Three Style Phuket Chili Paste and the Spicy Mangosteen Salad. The waitress warned me about the Three Style Phuket Chili Paste (‘very spicy!’), but I ordered it anyway. Unfortunately, the Mangosteen Salad was sold out, so I was recommended a Mangosteen Ice Cream Salad instead. It sounded strange, but who am I to ignore a recommendation from a local! I ordered rice on the side, just in case, because of the spiciness and all that!
Mega! Everything was really excellent. The Spicy Mangosteen Salad Ice Cream Salad actually came with a large scoop of ice cream in the middle, but also vegetables, chilli and a typical dressing. It was all mixed together and was really excellent! And the Three Style Phuket Chilli Paste consisted of three different small fish dishes, really spicy (!) with lots of vegetables, which you ate together with the fish. A few chilli tears were inevitable, but it was really delicious. Not exactly super cheap for Thailand, but totally worth the price!
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
Sanny Vietnamese Sandwich
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on October 24th, 2025.
This banh mi shop is completely inconspicuous, and you actually need Google Maps to find it. Once I was in the neighbourhood, I rushed straight over to check it out, because I always think a Vietnamese sandwich is a good idea!
The owner's family, who had made themselves comfortable at the two small tables inside, immediately left when I arrived – which made me feel a little guilty.
But anyway, let's get to the table and order a small banh mi with grilled pork and extra cheese.
The sandwich is wrapped in paper and served on a wooden board. The small sandwich is indeed small, and it didn't really fill me up. The meat was juicy and tender and tasted good, but it didn't blow me away. I've had better Vietnamese sandwiches (albeit not in Thailand). A solid sandwich, but nothing to write home about.
🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
Pathongko Mae Pranee
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on November 15th, 2025.
The word ‘restaurant’ is completely exaggerated here; Mae Pranee is just a street food stall in a small mini street food market that is only open in the morning. Praised by the Michelin Guide are the fried dough pieces, which, as I later found out, are called Pa Thong Ko. This dish originally comes from China, but has become a popular sweet breakfast street food in Thailand. The dough sticks that stick together represent a couple in love who always want to be together. How cute is that! ❤️
This Saturday, I went running with the Phuket Running Club at Bang Wad Dam, and although it's not exactly nearby, I was already so far up north for my morning exercise that I rewarded myself for the 6.3 km run with this less-than-healthy breakfast!
The small market is totally authentic. I was the only tourist there and searched my way to the stall I wanted. Luckily, there were photos of it on Google Maps! I ordered a medium-sized portion of Pa Thong Ko – completely over the top, I tell you, the small one is enough if you're eating alone! But greed... well. I also had a small bowl of condensed milk to dip it in, and you can also get pandan pudding if you like (it tastes similar to vanilla). Then I sat down on the kerb in front of a Seven Eleven with my purchases – and enjoyed them. OMG! Freshly fried dough sticks, crispy on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside. This is what street food heaven and a future heart attack taste like. 🤣
During a morning run a few days ago, I discovered that Pa Thong Ko is also sold just around the corner from my house in the mornings. Help. I had to try it (just to compare and report back to you, of course...). Conclusion: Mae Pranee had a better consistency, so the recommendation is justified!
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
Roti Chaofa Phuket
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on November 21st, 2025.
For a change, I had Indian food at another Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant. It's quite large. But there's a reason for that – I was there for lunch, and it was very busy.
Rotis are the delicate flatbreads that are familiar from India. Here in Thailand, they are also known from pancake street food stalls, which also call their pancakes roti.
The reviews on Google Maps were full of praise for the curries. So I wanted to order the beef curry, but accidentally chose something else, namely roti filled with beef and cheese. However, the friendly waitress pointed this out to me and asked if I was sure I didn't want the curry. Of course I meant the curry, but I stuck with my choice anyway. More out of surprise than conviction. 😅 And that was a good thing – because it was really delicious! Perfectly seasoned beef with lots of cheese that melted beautifully. It was served with a small bowl of cucumber salad. As a drink, I was given a pot of black tea and a glass of ice cubes, so unsweetened iced tea, free of charge and without asking.
Although my stuffed roti would have been enough, I was still curious, so I ordered a small portion of beef curry with plain roti on the side. The curry was very intensely spiced (lots of cinnamon and cardamom) and, above all, really hot! The roti was therefore not optional but absolutely essential – and simply delicious! Fluffy, tender and quite greasy. Not exactly diet food, but that's why it was so good!
The prices aren't high, the food comes quickly, and there are several other dishes to choose from. They also have sweet roti, but I held back because I was going to a dessert place afterwards – see the next post below! 🍨
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
Wanlamun Phuket
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on November 21st, 2025.
Attention all adventurous sweet lovers: this restaurant specialises in Thai desserts. When I went there, only the Thai menu was published on Google Maps (I have since uploaded the English version), so it was a bit of an adventure. However, I made it easy for myself and asked my colleague from the diving instructor team, who is half Thai and half English, for her recommendations. She circled everything she likes, so I at least had a starting point – although I ended up choosing something else. Oh well. 🤣
I had the Iced Milk Bread Mango & Banana. It looks great. Unfortunately, the ice cream itself was a bit tasteless. But it was very good together with the coconut milk it was served in. What I don't quite understand are the pieces of toast inside. But that's a thing here. All in all, it was good, but I wouldn't order it again.
As a thank you for the recommendations, I brought my colleague her favourite dessert, Plain Bua Boy, which is sticky rice flowers in coconut milk. I was allowed to taste it, and it was simple and very delicious. And since I'm greedy, I bought some Longan Sticky Rice with Coconut Milk for dinner. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I forgot it in the fridge and it went bad, so unfortunately I can't give you a review.
🥭🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
O Cha Rot Beef Ball Noodle
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on November 22nd, 2025.
A mini Thai restaurant, just the way I like it: inconspicuous (blink and you'll walk right past it), totally simple, just one type of dish (Thai noodle soups) in different variations. Where tourists unfamiliar with Thailand turn up their noses and don't go in, only to end up in a tourist trap.
I was there on a ‘foodie day’ with my young colleague Lulu, who is half Thai, half English. It's so handy when someone can order food fluently in Thai. Not absolutely necessary, though, as the menu works just fine. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of our soups because I was too busy chatting. But you can imagine what they looked like or check out the photos on Google Maps. They only serve delicious beef noodle soups, and you can choose the type of noodles and a few ingredients. Very low prices, great quality – the perfect light lunch (I could bathe in Thai beef noodle soups). Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
Jadjan by Ko Daeng
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on November 28th, 2025.
Jadjan is located in an area that visitors to Phuket definitely don't come across by chance. You really have to go there on purpose. As I did.
The owner previously worked in luxury hotel kitchens, so you can expect high quality. Conveniently, he speaks excellent English, so I simply asked him to recommend dishes instead of working my way through the menu. I had seafood fried rice and deep-fried seafood with garlic curry pepper. It was far too much for me on my own, so I left with the food for the next day as takeaway. Significantly more expensive than usual for local Thai restaurants, but also really good. If you're in the Phuket Town area, it's definitely worth a detour.
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
Krua Kao Kuk
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on December 4th, 2025.
Like Jadjan, Krua Kao Kuk is a restaurant that tourists definitely won't stumble upon by chance while strolling through the area. So you either drive from Chalong to Phuket Town and eat there on the way, or you're in Phuket Town anyway and don't have far to go.
The fact that I was there as a farang caused slight panic among the waitresses, and even though I could have simply shown them my order on the menu, they always fetched the manager when I wanted something (better safe than sorry 😅).
When choosing my meal, I went by the Google Maps reviews and accompanying photos from Thai visitors, so I already knew what I wanted in advance: fried streaky pork with fish sauce, crab omelette and fried morning glory (green stuff for a clear conscience). Both the pork belly and the omelette are on the special Guide Michelin menu.
Pork belly is a very secret guilty pleasure of mine. I struggled with myself a bit, but I just had to have it. The dish was okay, but neither the consistency nor the taste of the pork belly blew me away. The omelette was very good, but I didn't feel it was anything I would come here especially for. I really enjoyed the morning glory here, but again, I wouldn't travel a long way just for a vegetable side dish.
Conclusion: If you're in the area, you can enjoy good Thai food here. But in my opinion, it's not worth travelling a long way just to visit this restaurant.
🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
Roti Thaew Nam
Click here to find the restaurant on Google Maps..
I ate here on December 26th, 2025.
Und nochmal ein Roti Restaurant! Bei den leckeren Fladen gilt sowieo: Jederzeit gerne!
Roti Thaew Nam is significantly smaller than Roti Chaofa, which I introduced above. It has fewer seats and a much smaller kitchen. The menu is also very minimal. In addition to a range of roti variations, from plain to filled to sweet, there are only very simple curries to choose from.
I opted for a plain roti with beef curry, followed by a sweet egg roti with condensed milk. YES! The beef curry is spicy, but less intensely Indian-spiced than the one at Roti Chaofa. I liked it better. The roti is served torn into pieces and is delicious! Absolutely delicious, crispy and fluffy! I could have eaten five of them!
I also really enjoyed the sweet roti, which was a delicious (and calorie-rich) dessert.
I'll be back anytime – this place hasn't seen the last of me!
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭 out of 5 possible recommendation mangoes!
This article will be continued!
