Restaurants, bars and nightlife on Koh Lanta
There are hundreds of restaurants on Koh Lanta, catering for every palate with a wide range of dishes. Most serve a mixture of Thai and western food. Typically, prices range from 30 to 150 baht per dish for Thai food and a little more for Western fare. Although almost all eateries are confined to resorts, you’re quite welcome to stroll along the beach and pick and choose.
The Thai food is almost always excellent but like the rest of Thailand, western food cooked by Thai chefs can be hit or miss. However, it is possible to find the taste of home at any of the many British, Scandinavian, French, German, Irish and Australian run restaurants. The food often depends on the quality of your resort, with standards on the island high.
As you would expect, the five-star resorts have the best food found on Koh Lanta. Their chefs are internationally trained and offer up imaginative and delicious cuisine from all over the world, often with a Thai twist. The food at these resorts is relatively expensive and the wine even more so, but the price tag is well worth it for a special occasion.
Koh Lanta is also internationally renowned for its seafood and whether you’re dining at a beachside hut or a five-star resort, you can be sure that the fish or prawns you are enjoying were freshly caught that morning. Some of the seafood may also have been moving just 5 minutes before it landed on your plate!
Here is a collection of places we suggest, but there are many more if you wander around.
Budget rating
approximately
$ dishes b30 - b70; quart of beer b70; whiskey shot 80 baht; cocktails b100
$$ dishes b70 - b120; quart of beer b100; whiskey shot 100 baht; cocktails b120
$$$ dishes b100 - 250; quart of beer b120; whiskey shot 130 baht; cocktails b150
Recommended Koh Lanta restaurants
Sunset Restaurant: is a very small, quaint restaurant on Klong Dao Beach, close to DR Lanta Resort and next to Mooks Bar. The Thai food is the best in the area and inexpensive. Offering real Thai cuisine which can be enjoyed at tables directly on the sand, this no-frills restaurant has spectacular views and cool sea breezes; $.
Abdul's Pancakes: is a crêpe stall run from a motorcycle sidecar. You can most often find the stall in Moo 1, Saladan, opposite Lanta Diver, when the boats come back at around 15:00. The chocolate and banana crêpes as well as the chicken crêpes are out of this world! $.
Cook Kai: is just across the street from Klong Nin Beach. Entirely built of wood and lovingly decorated, it offers a spacious, open dining area and bar. Run by the cook and his family, their Thai food, which is unique to Coo Kai, is some of the best you can get in the area. The daily specials, announced on the board at the entrance, are worth a try; $.
River Restaurant: is a friendly family place located on the beach just south of Narima Resort. They have an extensive and delicious menu with lots of Thai dishes and a few western ones. The pad Thai is excellent and the restaurant is very popular with families; $$.
Thai Cuisine: is a long-established Koh Lanta favourite. It is located in Phra Ae, just south of the Opium nightclub. The menu features a wide selection of wonderful Chinese and Thai dishes. The special spring roll is a must and there is bar service and a small artisan boutique (09 2884492); $$.
Lanta Seafood: is the island’s best seafood restaurant and can be found in Ban Saladan on the road that runs parallel to the sea. The dishes are fantastic and are produced straight from the sea (075 684106); $$.
Watermark Restaurant: is housed in the Rawi Warin Resort and Spa on Kong Nin Beach. This exclusive restaurant offers the best in Thai and Mediterranean cuisine. Mind you, the prices are also exclusive; $$$.
Bars and nightlife on Koh Lanta
The nightlife on Koh Lanta is pretty much non-existent however that is the main appeal to most visitors who come here. Most bars can be found in hotels, restaurants and bungalow establishments on the beach. Some beach bars will put on fire shows at dusk, but this is about as lively as it gets.
Koh Lanta is a place to chill out and relax, enjoy a drink on the beach and watch beautiful sun sets. If it’s discos, girly bars and a strip full of watering holes you are after, then head to Krabi’s Ao Nang or Phuket.
As most of the beach bars don’t even have a name on Koh Lanta, the best thing to do is walk around until you see one that takes your fancy. Head to any of the major beaches and you will be sure to find a place to enjoy a drink of an evening. Here are a few places that are worth a try.
Chalee Barley's: has a friendly bar on Klong Nin Beach. This is a great place to meet fellow like-minded travellers, and the establishment also has a restaurant and guesthouse.
Mooks Bar: on Klong Dao Beach between DR Lanta Bay Resort and Sun, Fun and Sea Bungalows is good spot to relax with a drink on the beach, listen to some reggae and catch up on sporting events on the box.
Oscar's Bar: has a beautiful driftwood terrace on Long Beach which makes for a romantic setting.
Where Else/Feeling Bar: serves Indian and Thai food in a clean, friendly, quiet and relaxed atmosphere.
- Koh Lanta attractions and activities
- Koh Lanta hotel and lodging guide
- Transportation and ferries Koh Lanta
