Koh Tao is an enchanting island paradise off the Eastern cost of Thailand. It’s the furthest from the mainland and smallest in the three island chain of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao. The majority of visitors come to Koh Tao to scuba dive or to take a scuba diving course (which is what brought me and my husband to the island!) Koh Tao gives out more open water diving certifications than anywhere else in the world! If you’re not interested in diving, Koh Tao is still worth a visit. The island has laid back beach vibes, boat tours, hiking, and beautiful beach sunsets. To read more about my time in Koh Tao, read my Year Long Honeymoon January 2023 Update Post: (link coming soon!)
However, we’re not here to discuss the activities Koh Tao has to offer, we’re here to discuss THE FOOD! I stayed on Koh Tao in Sairee Beach for a week so I had plenty of time to try out the food scene. The recommendations below are all on the low to mid budget side but that doesn’t make them any less delicious. If you’re looking for the fanciest restaurant spots on Koh Tao, this isn’t the post for you. If you just want some delicious meals after days of diving or laying on the beach, keep reading below for my favorite restaurants on Koh Tao!
The Best Thai Food Restaurants in Koh Tao
995 Roasted Duck
This is simply a can’t miss restaurant on Koh Tao. They obviously specialize in roasted duck, which you can get over rice, over noodles, or on noodle soup. All options are delicious, so just order what you’re in the mood for. Even if you don’t think you like duck, I recommend trying it out. If you really don’t like duck, the restaurant offers chicken, pork, and veggie options as well but I didn’t try any of them. 995 Roasted Duck is a popular restaurant so it might be better to come at lunch time or in the afternoon as dinner can get quite busy. Regular portions of the duck meals cost 70 baht and “extra” portions (pictured) cost 90 baht.
Chuchu Thai Food & Pizza
Chuchu is famous for it’s Thai curry pizzas! Stay with me here, it’s sounds weirder than it is! The most popular is the Penang curry chicken pizza, which is what we ordered. It’s just a thin crust pizza with a thick curry sauce, chicken and mozzarella cheese. I recommend giving it a try, I was surprised by how good the pizza was, including the yummy crispy crust. In addition to curry pizzas they have regular curry, rice, noodles, stir fries, and a full bar.
Bai Toey Chicken Rice
Bai Toey is a little off the main Sairee Beach area, but definitely worth a visit. We tried the chicken rice and the pork rice combo (roasted red pork, crispy pork belly, sweet sausage) both also come with chicken broth soup. We enjoyed our food and I fully recommend a visit here if you need a break from curry and pad thai but still want some local authentic Thai food. This is one of the few restaurants I visited during my week in Koh Tao that actually had some locals eating there.
Blue Chair
Blue Chair doesn’t have a big menu, but they have all the Thai classics; curries, tomyum soup, pad thai, fried rice, and some stir fry options. This restaurant has some of the cheapest prices we’ve seen on Koh Tao. It’s not the fanciest place as it’s located right off the main road but the food was good (we tried veggie fried rice and chicken tomyum) and the price is right! We paid 150 baht for our meal, definitely one of the cheapest during our week in Koh Tao.
Tik Restaurant
Tik is a casual Thai food restaurant right on the main walking street next to the beach. They offer your typical curries, pad thais, stir fries and some Western dishes as well. The prices are reasonable for being next to the beach and the portions are decent as well. We had a slight communication error with our waiter where we got two orders of spring rolls instead of one but I would still recommend a visit. One thing on the menu that I enjoyed was the “Tom Yum Noodle Soup.” It was an interesting fusion, almost like tom yum ramen!
Bella Thaifood
Bella Thaifood is at the bottom of my recommendation list. We did not have a bad experience here and we liked the food well enough, but the portions seemed a little small for the price. I think the restaurant gets away with charging a little more because it’s one of the only Thai restaurants on the walking street adjacent to the beach. There are also a lot of tables here so it can get kind of busy during peak dining hours. If you’re staying in Koh Tao for awhile it’s worth a visit, but if you’re visiting for a shorter time it can be skipped. We paid 300 baht for veggie pad thai, garlic pepper pork and rice and two cans of soda.
To learn more about Thailand, click one of the posts below!
3 Days in Chiang Mai – And Why You Should Stay Longer if You Can
Year Long Honeymoon – January 2023: 8 Months of Full Time Travel!
The Best Non Thai Food Restaurants in Koh Tao
New Heaven Cafe
New Heaven Cafe is located on the walking street next to the beach. It’s a big airy cafe with good coffee, desserts, breakfast, and sandwiches. Western food will always cost a bit more than Thai food, and I was a little reluctant to spend the money on coffee and breakfast here, but I really enjoyed it! My iced latte and bacon and egg croissant were both so good and exceeded my expectations! I paid 250 baht for my meal which is approximately $7.50. I also tried a smoothie here another time. At 90 baht, they cost more than the smoothies you can buy from the street carts, but I suppose you’re paying more for wifi and a place to sit.
Nui Bakery & Sandwiches
Nui Bakery is one of the only cafes on the island with it’s own bakery, meaning their bread is very tasty and fresh! They have pastries and an assortment of loaves of bread, or you can try their sandwiches. I had the honey mustard ham panini with apples and brie and my husband had the mushroom and spinach panini. Both sandwiches came on the multigrain sourdough which was so good! Expect to pay more for sandwiches here than you would for Thai food elsewhere, but if you want a taste of home these paninis are worth it! We paid 450 baht ($14) for two paninis and a Thai iced tea.
Juicy Burger
Juicy Burger has good ratings, but honestly I was not a huge fan of my burger. All the elements seemed to be in place for a tasty burger but the bun was extremely hot and had a weird texture almost like the whole burger had been put in the microwave or something. It’s hard to explain, but overall, it was a very underwhelming burger. I’d be willing to give it another chance because it is a popular place with good ratings. One thing that was actually very good was the chicken sampler platter that came with chicken tenders, popcorn chicken, chicken nuggets, and fries. I know it’s a little odd but all the chicken was so good and sometimes all you need to remind you of home is some good ole crunchy fried chicken!
Save this post for your next trip to Koh Tao!
2 Comments
Koh Tao is still on my bucket list to do some travel blogging in one of the cafés. 🙂
That sounds like a great idea! The wifi was surprisingly good for a small island!