Ao Nang Restaurants & Dining

Where and What to Eat in Ao Nang

One of the best things about dining out in Ao Nang is the fact that everything is just a short stroll away. The main esplanade is no more than 450 metres long so if you fancy having a look around for a restaurant that suits your style/wallet there’s absolutely no need for a taxi unless it’s raining.

To be frank, the area is not a fine-dining destination but there is a good, healthy range of hearty holiday fare to choose from, including Thai, Indian, Italian, British, American and Mexican food. As, at the last count, there weren’t many bone fide Mexicans living in Ao Nang expect ‘interpretations’ of dishes yet this doesn’t necessarily mean nasty nachos and bad burritos. This is also true of Italian restaurants – many of which are run by Indians. However there’s good pub food to be had, scintillating seafood and genuine Thai fare.

Lae Lay Grill

If you’re a seafood aficionado and find yourself in Ao Nang you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Almost every restaurant in the area sells spanking fresh shrimp, crab, squid, sea bass, red snapper and much, much more but perhaps the Big Daddy of all Ao Nang seafood restaurants is Lae Lay Grill just to the north of Ao Nang. Read Lae Lay Grill review...
Style: Thai/Seafood
Address: 89, Moo 3 Ao Nang.
Open: 11:00 – 22:00 daily
Tel: 075 661 588

Thai Food Stalls

Outside Krabi Resort on the street you will see several mobile and semi-permanent food stalls selling Thai dishes at a fraction of what they cost inside the surrounding resorts. If you don’t mind getting a takeaway or sitting on gaily coloured plastic chairs at rickety tables you can enjoy such delights as som tam (green papaya salad), Thai pancakes, rotis, sticky rice, phad thai, grilled fish, pork and chicken, exotic-looking desserts and chilled coffee. Nip over the road and grab a beer from one of the minimarts if you feel like it; there’s no rule to prevent you. Relax… this is Thailand.

Seafood Street

Let’s face it; Ao Nang’s a seafood lover’s heaven – a veritable smorgasbord of all things marine and tasty. The heart of all this white-flesh trading is on the aptly-named Seafood Street. Overlooking the north part of Ao Nang Beach, adjacent to the Krabi Resort, Seafood Street comprises five large open-air and covered eateries and it is the ideal place to chill out, enjoy some crisp white wine and dig into baked lobster, steamed fish, mussels, crab curry – all the while watching the golden globe sink into the Andaman in a crazy splash of red, scarlet, orange and yellow. The best-run of these restaurants seems to be the Italian-run Sala Bua which boasts two separate Thai and Italian open kitchens and an accomplished wine list of over 40 labels. As this is a popular sunset-viewing spot it’s best to try to get there early. Sunset is at 18:30 in high season so plan accordingly.

Blue Mango

This snazzy looking 100-cover restaurant flanks the road heading out to Nopparat Thara Beach and serves Swedish, Italian and Thai fare. There is a decent-looking wine list here with labels at reasonable rates (for Thailand) and a fully stocked bar. Swedish owned, the restaurant aims at families and has set up a children’s menu, a play area (unique to Ao Nang) for bored junior diners, with DVD’s and a comfy sofa.
Style: Swedish, Thai and International
Location: Beach Road opposite Krabi Resort’s main gates
Open: 08:00 – 23:00
Tel: +66 (0) 75 637 689

La Luna

One of Ao Nang’s ‘genuine’ Italian restaurants, La Luna is a popular spot for diners and has worked its way into the upper echelons of Ao Nang dining circles. The restaurant has two floors, which makes it a good people-watching spot and is run by an Italian and Thai husband-and-wife team. Generous helpings and reasonably priced house wine keeps it buzzing with repeat customers plus La Luna offers regular promotions. 
Style: Italian & Thai
Location: Beach Road near Blue Mango
Open: 10:30 – 23:30
Tel: +66 (0) 75 695 308

Wanna’s Place

Swiss-run, Wanna does good breakfasts (great muesli) and is quite busy in the mornings with people fleeing the plastic sausages, over-sugared ‘fruit juices’ and cold eggs of surrounding resorts’ breakfasts. Open sided onto the Beach Road, the restaurant is a good traffic-watching place and overhead fans keep things cool inside. Good hearty Swiss fare.
Style: Swiss, International
Location: Beach Road
Open: 07:00 – 22:45

Burger King

Its central location and 24-hour service make Burger King a must for junk food aficionados.
Style: Fast Food
Location: Central Beach Road
Open: 24/24

Jeanette’s Restaurant

Good Thai dishes, sure it’s a little touristy but most are along this drag. Fairly reasonable prices and ice cool beer add up to a place that is equally good for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Style: Thai, International
Location: Central Beach Road
Open: 08:00 – 22:30
Tel: +66 (0) 89 464 7178

Eden

As far as out-and-out tourist oriented restaurants go Eden does a good job. With a fairly extensive Thai menu, sufficient space and staff members, good ventilation and views, Eden delivers the goods at prices slightly higher than its competitors.
Style: Thai, International
Location: Central Beach Road
Open: 11:00 – 23:00
Tel: +66 (0) 75 638 074-5

Azzurra

Azzurra bills itself as a, ‘authentic Italian restaurant’ for good reason; the owner is Italian and makes sure the fare is genuine and not just tomato sauce thrown on overcooked pasta. Here, you’ll find a wide assortment of pastas, pizzas, breads, focaccia, soups (try the creamy carrot soup), cheeses, yoghurts and more. It may be justifiable to charge above-normal rates for imported Italian food articles but unfortunately Azzura’s Thai food is also fearsomely priced. The wine, however, is not and the quality of food (nothing is prepared in advance) makes Azzurra probably the best Italian in Ao Nang.
Style: Italian, Thai
Location: Central Beach Road
Open: 11:00 – 22:00
Tel: +66 (0) 75 637 848

Blue Orchid

Blue Orchid aims to please, and perhaps it tries a little too hard as it serves Thai food, seafood, Mexican and international dishes all under one roof – it must get confusing in the kitchen... Still, it’s an attractive looking establishment with a light-blue-and-white colour theme running throughout and an airy, clean feel to it. Plus, it’s located on a walking street away from Ao Nang’s persistent traffic.
Style: Thai, Mexican, Seafood, International
Location: On Walking Street, southern Beach Road
Open: 10:00 – 22:00
Tel: +66 (0) 75 637 953

Tanta

Situated where the road turns away from the beach, Tanta is a raised wooden themed open-sided eatery with plenty of fans, a picture menu, uniformed staff and a constant busy buzz to it. It’s also a breakfast location and majors in Thai food and, like almost everywhere else in Ao Nang, with Italian on the side. Tanta’s popular with visitors because it’s busy. The service is definitely friendly but you’ll have to make heavy use of the picture menu to make sure you get the right order…
Style: Thai, International
Location: Beginning of ‘Airport Road’
Open: 08:00 – 23:00
Tel: +66 (0) 75 695 606

"Little America"

Up the ‘Airport Road’ (the road leading out from Ao Nang towards Krabi Town) there is a cluster of new buildings housing fast food companies such as McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Company, Swenson’s and Starbucks. These are all located directly underneath Ao Nang Cliff Beach Resort. Starbucks actually has an outside sitting area but it is too hot to use under the morning sun.

Bamboo & Thatch Dining

Further up the airport road on the right stand eight bamboo and thatch bars/restaurants serving typical Thai dishes such as chicken fried rice, phad thai, and tom yam goong with ice-cold beers at very affordable prices. Things can get a bit noisy later on in the evening but in a happy-go-lucky sort of way and the good thing about this environment is that it’s a shared experience. Even though prices are geared to Ao Nang standards, this is nevertheless a real Thai experience and a lot more genuine than the tourist-orientated beachfront venues.

The Last Café

If you carry on walking down the beach towards Railay you’ll come to several open-sided beach huts containing many massage mattresses and you’ll be asked several hundred times if you’d like as massage. Assuming that you make it through you’ll come to a place called The Last Café where you can get a good barbecued meal with rice and a cold one to watch the sun go down. It’s a friendly location and those in the know end up repeat customers. Run by dreadlocked Rastafarians, the music is chill out, the stars are your ceiling and the sea breezes the only ventilation.
Style: Barbecues, Thai
Location: Southern end of Ao Nang Beach
Open: 11:00 – late

Thailandia

Ubiquitous to Southeast Asia but a novelty in Ao Nang, a food court is a real experience. Thailandia Food Court features 11 food stands selling boiled chicken and rice, barbecued meats, sweet Thai desserts, pre-prepared curries and a host of culinary delights. The court has wall-mounted TVs showing Thai soaps and sports and has seating for over 100 people. To purchase food, buy a computerized card from the kiosk for over the value of your meal(s) and redeem the change when the food stall owners have ‘swiped’ your card. It’s a bit of a noisy affair but the food is tasty, cheap and hygienically prepared and displayed.
Style: Thai fast food
Location: ‘Airport Road’ leading out of Ao Nang towards Krabi Town
Open: 09:00 – 22:00

More Dining in Asia:

Hotel Quick Finder

Location : Loading... All Destinations
Hotel : 2-3 Star 3-4 Star 4-5 Star All Hotels
Check In : 0102 0304 0506 0708 0910 1112 1314 1516 1718 1920 2122 2324 2526 2728 2930 31 JanuaryFebruary MarchApril MayJune JulyAugust SeptemberOctober NovemberDecember 2009 2010 for 0102 0304 0506 0708 0910 1112 1314 1516 1718 1920 2122 2324 2526 2728 2930 31 night(s)
Check Out : 0102 0304 0506 0708 0910 1112 1314 1516 1718 1920 2122 2324 2526 2728 2930 31 JanuaryFebruary MarchApril MayJune JulyAugust SeptemberOctober NovemberDecember 2008 2009
Rooms : 1 2 3 4 5 Adults : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Children : 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9