7 Best Local Restaurants in Bophut Beach

The best local Thai restaurants in Bophut Beach offer the finest flavors 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 traveling on a tight budget.

Many of the local dining options – particularly those along Koh Samui’s main beltway – 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

Good for: 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

2. Krua Bophut Thai Restaurant

Choose indoors or out on the beach

Good for: Food

Krua Bophut offers a choice of dining neighborhoods, 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

3. Welcome Wathinee

Enjoy affordable seafood barbecues

Good for: 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 colored 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

4. The Friendly Frog

For traditional and spicy Issan dishes

Good for: Food

The Friendly Frog specializes 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

5. Noodle Soup

For delicious noodles in Bophut

Good for: 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 favorite ingredients: pork and beef.

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

6. My Friend Restaurant

A local Thai favorite in Bophut

Good for: Food

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

The food at My Friend has great flavors 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

7. Thai Food

Simple Thai dining

Good for: 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 traveling on a shoestring. The menu at Thai Food consists of simple Thai favorites, such as som tam, noodle soup, and fried rice.

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

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