Phuket, the Pearl of the Andaman Sea, is a destination well known for the sun, sand and sea. As Thailand’s largest island, it has breathtaking winding coastal roads and beautiful stretches of sandy beaches. Apart from basking in the sun and the sea during the day, the island is also popular for its bustling - sometimes raucous - nightlife.
There is a famous, seedier side of Phuket, but there is still so much to do if you’re not into dodgy bars and ping-pong balls. Here’s a Late Night Guide to some of the essentials, when you’re in Phuket after dark!
Eat
Piset Restaurant
231/3 Yaowaraj Road, North Market, 83000 Amphoe Muang Phuket, Phuket
Monday to Sunday
Piset has is popular on social media for its delicious and Instagram-worthy food and drinks, perfect for dinner with a group of friends or family. Piset means “special” in Thai and the restaurant definitely lives up to its name with twists to some of its signature dishes.
The Mama Seafood Tom Yum Noodle with Cheese is amazing! The broth is spicy and sour, and then you have that ooey, gooey, creamy cheese. It’s the perfect combination.
Other signature dishes include Korean Bingsu in flavours like Milo or Watermelon, as well as the Super Giant Thai Iced Milk Tea. And as the Governor of Phuket and his wife have tried the Giant Thai Iced Milk Tea, we definitely got to say it’s legit!
Go Benz
At the intersection of Phatiphat Road and Ranong Road, opposite Jo Ong Shrine
Monday to Sunday|
Considered one of the best-known eateries by Phuket locals, Go Benz has been serving for close to 20 years. The restaurant opens at 7pm and there’s already a long queue of hungry customers. With a menu of only 6 - 7 dishes, Go Benz is a specialty store known for pork.
Popular dishes include Kao Lao Lued Moo (Pig’s Blood and Intestines Soup), and Khao Tom Haeng (Dry Rice Porridge) in an incredibly flavourful pork broth. With a variety of Thai condiments like chili vinegar, sugar and dry roasted chili on the table, you’ll be able to mix and match to create your little bowl of heavenly goodness. The texture is really satisfying and the flavour is intense.
Pa Mai Kanom Jeen Restaurant
Satun road in Phuket Town
Monday to Sunday
After all that partying, a perfect Thai breakfast in Phuket to indulge in will be Kanom Jeen, cold rice noodles with a sauce of your choice. Typically, the sauce is curry based. Many locals drop by a Kanom Jeen restaurant before work to have a quick breakfast. At Pa Mai, a 55-year-old family business, it’s pretty much self-serve, you pick up a plate of noodles at the counter and help yourself to the extensive selection of curries (Beef Curry, Fish Curry, Chicken Curry, Crab Curry, Prawn Curry, Green Curry, Fish Entrails Curry, etc). You can either choose one or mix a few together, it’s all about satisfying your taste buds! You can also grab a couple of the side dishes on display, such as fishcakes, fried fish and chicken. Enjoy your dish with a platter of local greens and herbs, pickles, eggs and condiments served on your table. It’s the ultimate curry breakfast.
Shop
Phuket Weekend Night Market
Located along Chao Fa West Road just outside Phuket Town, close to Central Festival Shopping Mall
Saturday and Sunday
The largest market in Phuket is only open during the weekends. The market is divided into 2 sections, the first section is hundreds of stalls selling various wares, ranging from clothing to shoes to handcrafted souvenirs and the other section is a food market.
The food is mostly Thai street food; corn on the cob, spicy sausages, grilled chicken, deep-fried fishcakes, tropical fruits and even Thailand’s obligatory deep-fried scorpions! It’s hard to tell whether Thais actually eat these crunchy gimmicks or whether they are just selling them to tourists for a laugh.
Stay cool with an ice-cold beer or a fresh coconut, easily found in the market. Expect good vibes with live music and a good mix of locals and tourists. Bargaining and haggling with vendors are perfectly acceptable and it can be an entertaining way to save yourself some cash.
Activity
Bangla Game Space
29/1 Bangla, Patong, 83150 Kathu, Phuket
Monday to Sunday
The biggest entertainment zone in Patong, Game Space has an extensive range of activities from arcade machines to sports games to laser tag and virtual reality games! This place is the perfect entertainment spot for family and friends since the activities cater to all ages.
Bangla’s laser tag arena is the biggest in Thailand. With over 100 battlesuits, every match, in battlefield of dim, neon-lit passageways, is intense and challenging.
