With its palm fringed beaches and aqua blue waters, Koh Samui is nothing short of stunning. Luckily, the island has also sprouted some amazing restaurants where the flavours and ambiance match the sublime scenery.
From authentic Thai dishes to fabulous French cuisine, we have hand-picked 10 unmissable restaurants from around the island. Plus, keep reading until the end to discover our insider trick for dining like an A-lister without breaking the bank.
1. Long Dtai – Koh Fan Yai
Simply making your way to Long Dtai is an experience. Located on Ko Fan Yai, a private island nestled just off Samui’s northeast corner, this exquisite restaurant is only accessible by a hybrid truck-to-boat vehicle. Long Dtai is headed by Chef David Thompson whose London restaurant Nahm was the first-ever Thai restaurant to earn a Michelin star. Now, his incredibly scenic Samui restaurant serves authentic southern Thai cuisine crafted from the freshest ingredients – truly a feast for the senses.
2. Kapi Sator – Chaweng
Kapi Sator is a mainstay on the Chaweng food scene, attracting hungry diners with its delicious take on southern Thai cooking. What started as a humble family-run restaurant has blossomed into a stylish modern venue. Kapi Sator has earned the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand badge two years running; a distinction awarded to venues offering high-quality meals at a terrific price point. Kapi Sator certainly lives up to those standards.
3. Chez Francois – Fisherman’s Village
Oh la la – this French restaurant is amazing! Chez Francois is centrally located in Bophut’s Fisherman’s Village, a chic district teeming with great restaurants. Chez Francois stands out from the rest thanks to its ambitious French menu – think homemade duck liver terrine, beef filet mignon, and foie gras. The food is exquisitely presented and consistently tastes divine.
4. The Island View Restaurant – Taling Ngam
Hidden on the island’s less trodden west coast, this beachfront restaurant is perfect for a romantic night out – it has even seen quite a few proposals. It’s set right on the beach in Taling Ngam (you can literally dine with your toes in the sand) and gets the most amazing sunset views. The menu is quite wide ranging, with the seafood and Thai dishes standing out as highlights.
5. Nanus – Lipa Noi
What do you get when you mix mouthwatering pizza and a paradise beach? One of the most popular restaurants in Lipa Noi of course! While the setting alone would make this venue a crowd pleaser (Lipa Noi is one of Samui’s best under-the-radar beaches), Nanus also happens to make some of the best pizza on the island… or maybe in all of Thailand? Seriously, try the quattro formaggi – it’s divine, and the beachfront views really take things to the next level.
6. Baobab Restaurant – Lamai
Baobab ticks all the boxes: it’s located right on the beach in laidback Lamai, serves great food made from fresh ingredients, and the service is disarmingly friendly. It’s one of those places where you can easily spend an entire day – you can park yourself on a sun lounger, eat your way through the menu (they do a mix of Western and Thai), and enjoy cold drinks when the tropical weather starts to get to you. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself returning the very next day.
7. Mordin Restaurant – Laem Sor
This little gem is the perfect place to sample some authentic Thai cuisine with a side of warm local hospitality. Hidden in a garden in low-key Laem Sor, Mordin is a family-run restaurant where you feel like a valued guest. The food is full of flavour, and everything is made from fresh ingredients; from fragrant herbs to catch-of-the-day seafood. The whole establishment feels like a labour of love, and you’re bound to leave with a smile on your face.
8. Pi Samui – Choeng Mon
Pi Samui is full of pizzazz. It’s a beach club, yes, but the menu is as ambitious as that of a high-end restaurant. With its sky-high ceiling and open-air layout, the venue is absolutely gorgeous, and the sea views are simply sublime. The food is on the pricier side, but the quality is top notch, too. The pizzas are of the gourmet variety, the pasta is cooked to perfection, and the stakes are nice and juicy. Pi also does entertainment in the evenings (think live bands and fire dancers), so it certainly makes for a fun night out.
9. Koh Thai Kitchen – Maenam
This gorgeous restaurant sits among the treetops at the Four Seasons resort – yes, the same resort that provided the backdrop for season three of The White Lotus. From its enviable vantage point, the dining area offers sublime views of the lush green island and out to the clear blue ocean. The menu offers an elevated gourmet take on central and southern Thai cuisine. Only the finest ingredients are used – think Wagyu beef, Australian lamb, and impossibly fresh Samui seafood.
10. Baan Suan Lung Khai – Taling Ngam
It takes some effort to make your way to Ban Suan Lung Khai. This one-of-a-kind restaurant is nestled inside the owner’s coconut plantation, away from the tourist trail. Needless to say, the scenery is irresistibly lush and green. The food lives up to that beautiful, at-one-with-nature setting – everything is prepared from fresh local ingredients, including fresh seafood sourced from the owner’s fishermen friends. The venue (which requires making a booking one day prior) has earner Michelin’s Bib Gourmand stamp of approval – and deservedly so.
Insider Tip – In-Villa Dining
Enjoying meals prepared by a private chef, surrounded by gorgeous views and your favourite people… Yep, this is how the A-list does it. While a private chef might sound like an extravagance, this little luxury can actually be remarkably affordable.
In many villas, you’ll only pay for the cost of the ingredients with a small surcharge added on top. A lot of the time, it works out cheaper than dining out at a restaurant. More importantly, it’s such a special experience to be able to feast on fabulous food in the privacy of your beautiful Samui villa. We enjoyed the most gorgeous meals at Villa Malouna and were blown away by the chef at Villa U.
And don’t just take it from us – here’s how a past guest described their dining experience at Koh Koon:
“The chef was excellent, we had two meals outside of the villa but quickly realised there was no better food on the island – so we tasted an incredible amount of Thai cuisine through his wonderful work. We were looked after so well and this allowed our family to have a super chilled, relaxing holiday – an amazing experience.”
If that sounds tempting, you can reach out to our villa specialists to book your perfect villa holiday in Koh Samui.
Now that we’ve covered the culinary scene, it’s time to broaden our horizons. Stay tuned as we share our favourite activities on the Thai islands and beyond…
