I will be visiting Pattaya in early September 2007. Would like some recommendations on some restaurants or eateries that we should not miss. I am not so interested in the Western food though I knew that its plentiful there. Would like to try the authentic Thai food, seafood and Indian food there. Please recommend.
As both of us travelling are gals, I would like to know whether it is safe for us to visit their A-go-go bars? We really want to experience the infamous nightlife culture there without compromising on our safety.
Hope someone can help!
Must-Go Eating Places!
Kiss on 2nd road near Mikes is good, open 24/7. also fatties up at the Naklua end of 2nd road near Big C..
the Pink lady on Beach road is ok too.
Must-Go Eating Places!
On Walking Street there are loads of places to eat and visit. I love the Seafood restaurant there which I think is called Kings? It has all the seafood fresh towards the front so you can see it and half of the restaurant is outside above the sea (which is actually quite nice but cover up from the mosquitos)!
Also when you go to the beach during the day (head up Jomtien beach on the frequent %26#39;taxi%26#39; buses) you can order fantastic fresh seafood to be cooked for you. I%26#39;d recommend grilled thai prawns %26amp; steamed mussels (with chili dipping sauce of course), freshly grilled fish and chargrilled chicken and sticky rice. Also Som Tum (Papaya salad) but warn them if you dont want it too hot!!!
Enjoy.
My suggestion is the Kiss Restaurant also. There are two of them, one is across from the Mike Mall. The second Kiss Restaurant is near the Dolphin where Pattaya 2nd Road meets North Pattaya Road.
Tops Supermarkets, Foodland Supermarkets and malls also service Asian foods in their restaurants. Food courts are a cheap way to sample lots of stuff!
Women are free to enter any bar, beer bar or go-go bar without any problems. The bar owners like your money just as much as money from men!
One go-go bar you might want to check out is the TIM BAR on Pattaya 2nd Road. This bar is located after the Kiss Restaurant (the one across from Mike Mall) walk south for a few minutes. Clean toilet inside.
I know you mentioned that you are not interested in Western food, however you might want to check out a couple ';all you can eat'; buffets anyway. Two I use pretty often in Pattaya are the APEX Hotel and the LEK Hotel. Breakfast Buffet for 110 baht includes Western foods and Asian foods plus all the water, coffee, tea, cold drinks you can consume! Menu varies from day to day but you are free to look and judge for yourself! Morning menu includes dinner/lunch type choices not just typical breakfast stuff!
The Lek and Apex are on Pattaya 2nd Road. The Apex is not far from the Kiss Restaurant and Diana Hotel. The Lek is on the other side of Pattaya 2nd Road, probably a little across from Tim Bar.
Good luck.
Generally you have no problem going into any bar of any sort as they want your money pure and simple - you might also try a gay gogo bar as the chaps in there often swing both ways so to speak and these bars are sometimes frequented by women on the search for ehm some company - I think it is the pharoah nar on soi chaiyapoon that is particularly noted in this respect
Foodwise;
the foodcourt in tops supermarket on second road is surprisingly good
the streetside restauranton second road just about 50 yards south of pttayalnd soi 2 is on the ball as too is the pink lady on beach road
Indin wise Ahaar on the corner of second road and i think it is soi post office, upstairs is good with the food prepared in a perspex booth so you can watch, and other good indians ( and in a sense more ethnic) are to be found if you go south on second road where the traffic turns into second road from beach road - walk along past the school on your right and the waiting baht buses and maybe 100 yard along on the right is a collection on indian and middle eastern restaurants easily seen by the hookah pipe smokers on the pavement
umarket Casa Pascal in the little soi off second road the other side of the road to soi post office is the place
and finally my own favourites include the paradise grill on second road opposite the Marriot - classy central european food and nice service, Gullivers on beach rod near the Amari I think does great pub food both european and thai and tropical berts on second road near the start of soi yodsak(soi6) does a tremendous sunday lunch
For more advice call into Cheers Bar on pattayaland soi2, which is anon girlie bar and the owners now the best places for food drink and whatever in funtown. I%26#39;m not one of the owners by the way and have no proprietray interest!
Indian: Ali babas, central beach road opposite Nova Lodge .
Thai: P.I.C. kitchen, soi 3/4.
Western (english): Gregs Kitchen, North Pattaya,2nd road.
Go-go bars are really pretty safe for voyeurs.
Most of the eateries recommended I would say are pretty poor or average.
Good Indian food - Singapore or UK style is difficult to find in Thailand.
Ailibaba%26#39;s is appalling.
Ahaar on Soi 13 is one of the better ones but getting dear.
Cliff Hotel has a swish expensive one with good food but a little bland.
there is a new one on 3rd road - opposite ';Exite'; night club - any motorbike taxi knows Exite....
Seafood,
About 10 km south is the village of Ban Amphoe for seafood but unfortunately, you will get plastic plates. However Preecha and Co have some of the best seafood around.
Sattahip has too.
Try Moom Aroi in Naklua? Beachfront and modern ';arty'; decor. They have one on 3rd road too and another in Sri Racha. There%26#39;s also ';Grand Seaview'; in Sri Racha....over the water with trad Thai decor.
For atmosphere, try Cabbages %26amp; Condoms or Sugar Hut. Sugar hut has a beautiful wooden restaurant and great gardens but the food is crap, bland and really expensive. C%26amp;C has better food lovely surroundings and some good reasonably priced wines. The walk from the car park to the restaurant is beautiful.
at the very end southern end of Jomtien beach is a Thai seafood restaurant - it%26#39;s the very last restaurant on the corner - cheap and very good seafood - try the steamed black crab...
Ruen Thai on 2nd road has Thai dancing etc......food%26#39;s OK too.
Street food,
No trip to Thailand is complete without sampling the street food. Unlike many other countries it really is quite safe….why this should be I can only hazard a guess, the food is prepared, cooked and then reheated on sale, a high turnover ensures there is little time for bacteria to culture.
Those of you who saw the comedy “The trouble with Mary” may recall a scene where the lead actors bemoan the fact that there is not enough “meat no a stick” …they should come to Thailand; everything is stuck on a stick…spicy Issan sausages, chicken livers, chicken satay, fish balls, and other dumpling-like savouries, eggs, squid, fish…the list is endless.
Whether sweet or savoury the food is delicious and cheap…usually about 20 baht a throw.
My favourite? “Pok-Pok - Som tam thai, a spicy papaya salad made with peanuts and dried shrimps., you will see someone bashing away with a pestle and mortar, then they are most likely making some form of Som Tam, or “pok-pok” as it is called referring to the sound made by the mortar and pestle. It comes in various forms and can be extremely spicy so beware. Another favourite of mine is chicken liver on a stick….my least favourite? - Malaeng or maeng - crispy fried insects…I still can’t bring myself to eat these, but with so many other choices, who needs to?
In Pattaya itself there are street stalls everywhere, near the bottom of Soi8 at the entrance to the old immigration office is a great stall for kebabs, he also sells BBQ’d sticky rice - mmmm!
On the lane that links Soi 7 and 8 there is a lady who has about 3 tables set Along the side of the road, she does fantastic Thai curries and salt egg salad…what’s on offer depends on what she’s got. I think it’s a family thing, they never seem to close I had a great meal there once at about 4 or 5 in the morning. They even have a small English Language menu on the wall now.
On Central road make sure you visit the sweet mango and sticky coconut rice stalls situated about half way between 2nd and 3rd roads. 50 baht will buy you a Styrofoam boxful of heaven.
If you venture to Soi BuaKhao market, be sure to visit the duck noodle stall by the Seven-Eleven on South Pattaya Rd…it attracts scores of people ho sit at tin tables eating the duck noodle soup sat on plastic chairs. The drinking water is free. Strangely enough, noodle soup is about the only thing Thais eat with chopsticks (and a spoon) I guess because of its Chinese origins. Any of the noodle stalls offer great value, with pork, chicken or Beef mixed into various kinds of noodles. You can have it as soup or “dry” too!
Issan food - North Eastern Thai food,
Soh Larb Pbet....you won’t break the bank here!
Please forgive the approximate spelling, but I thought it well worth mentioning this restaurant specializing in Issan food. Larb Pbet is a minced duck dish usually eaten with sticky rice and some raw veggies as a side salad these are served with a spicy dip too.. This place in a back street of Pattaya does some of the best larb I%26#39;ve tasted...they does various flavours....duck, pork and even frog! Another great one is Yam Pla Duc Fuu (??), which is a catfish salad consisting of catfish fried at high temperature served with spicy salad and peanuts. The grilled beef (Nua Yang) is usually a bit chewy but always tasty. Other items on the English language menu include bull’s penis soup, various frog dishes and some startlingly hot Som Tam. Beer is only available in big bottles. With a beer 2 should eat for 3 to 500 baht.
A covered open-air establishment, the furniture is basic; bamboo chairs and tables, although they do have air-conned VIP rooms for karaoke. There are fish tanks around for decoration and some catfish in an artificial stream. The staff don’t usually speak much English, so be prepared to point and mime the mime for “Not too HOT!’
How to get there......Start from the Carrefour supermarket crossroads/traffic lights on Pattaya Klang. Take the road off called ';Paniad Chang'; and continue along to Soi 8 on the left, follow this Soi and take the second lane on the right, the restaurant is down this rough old track (a cul-de-sac) about 40 meters on the left...there is somewhere to park.
Bon appetit!
Go-go bars are really pretty safe for voyeurs.
Most of the eateries recommended I would say are pretty poor or average.
Good Indian food - Singapore or UK style is difficult to find in Thailand.
Ailibaba%26#39;s is appalling.
Ahaar on Soi 13 is one of the better ones but getting dear.
Cliff Hotel has a swish expensive one with good food but a little bland.
there is a new one on 3rd road - opposite ';Exite'; night club - any motorbike taxi knows Exite....
Seafood,
About 10 km south is the village of Ban Amphoe for seafood but unfortunately, you will get plastic plates. However Preecha and Co have some of the best seafood around.
Sattahip has too.
Try Moom Aroi in Naklua? Beachfront and modern ';arty'; decor. They have one on 3rd road too and another in Sri Racha. There%26#39;s also ';Grand Seaview'; in Sri Racha....over the water with trad Thai decor.
For atmosphere, try Cabbages %26amp; Condoms or Sugar Hut. Sugar hut has a beautiful wooden restaurant and great gardens but the food is crap, bland and really expensive. C%26amp;C has better food lovely surroundings and some good reasonably priced wines. The walk from the car park to the restaurant is beautiful.
at the very end southern end of Jomtien beach is a Thai seafood restaurant - it%26#39;s the very last restaurant on the corner - cheap and very good seafood - try the steamed black crab...
Ruen Thai on 2nd road has Thai dancing etc......food%26#39;s OK too.
Street food,
No trip to Thailand is complete without sampling the street food. Unlike many other countries it really is quite safe….why this should be I can only hazard a guess, the food is prepared, cooked and then reheated on sale, a high turnover ensures there is little time for bacteria to culture.
Those of you who saw the comedy “The trouble with Mary” may recall a scene where the lead actors bemoan the fact that there is not enough “meat no a stick” …they should come to Thailand; everything is stuck on a stick…spicy Issan sausages, chicken livers, chicken satay, fish balls, and other dumpling-like savouries, eggs, squid, fish…the list is endless.
Whether sweet or savoury the food is delicious and cheap…usually about 20 baht a throw.
My favourite? “Pok-Pok - Som tam thai, a spicy papaya salad made with peanuts and dried shrimps., you will see someone bashing away with a pestle and mortar, then they are most likely making some form of Som Tam, or “pok-pok” as it is called referring to the sound made by the mortar and pestle. It comes in various forms and can be extremely spicy so beware. Another favourite of mine is chicken liver on a stick….my least favourite? - Malaeng or maeng - crispy fried insects…I still can’t bring myself to eat these, but with so many other choices, who needs to?
In Pattaya itself there are street stalls everywhere, near the bottom of Soi8 at the entrance to the old immigration office is a great stall for kebabs, he also sells BBQ’d sticky rice - mmmm!
On the lane that links Soi 7 and 8 there is a lady who has about 3 tables set Along the side of the road, she does fantastic Thai curries and salt egg salad…what’s on offer depends on what she’s got. I think it’s a family thing, they never seem to close I had a great meal there once at about 4 or 5 in the morning. They even have a small English Language menu on the wall now.
On Central road make sure you visit the sweet mango and sticky coconut rice stalls situated about half way between 2nd and 3rd roads. 50 baht will buy you a Styrofoam boxful of heaven.
If you venture to Soi BuaKhao market, be sure to visit the duck noodle stall by the Seven-Eleven on South Pattaya Rd…it attracts scores of people ho sit at tin tables eating the duck noodle soup sat on plastic chairs. The drinking water is free. Strangely enough, noodle soup is about the only thing Thais eat with chopsticks (and a spoon) I guess because of its Chinese origins. Any of the noodle stalls offer great value, with pork, chicken or Beef mixed into various kinds of noodles. You can have it as soup or “dry” too!
Issan food - North Eastern Thai food,
Soh Larb Pbet....you won’t break the bank here!
Please forgive the approximate spelling, but I thought it well worth mentioning this restaurant specializing in Issan food. Larb Pbet is a minced duck dish usually eaten with sticky rice and some raw veggies as a side salad these are served with a spicy dip too.. This place in a back street of Pattaya does some of the best larb I%26#39;ve tasted...they does various flavours....duck, pork and even frog! Another great one is Yam Pla Duc Fuu (??), which is a catfish salad consisting of catfish fried at high temperature served with spicy salad and peanuts. The grilled beef (Nua Yang) is usually a bit chewy but always tasty. Other items on the English language menu include bull’s penis soup, various frog dishes and some startlingly hot Som Tam. Beer is only available in big bottles. With a beer 2 should eat for 3 to 500 baht.
A covered open-air establishment, the furniture is basic; bamboo chairs and tables, although they do have air-conned VIP rooms for karaoke. There are fish tanks around for decoration and some catfish in an artificial stream. The staff don’t usually speak much English, so be prepared to point and mime the mime for “Not too HOT!’
How to get there......Start from the Carrefour supermarket crossroads/traffic lights on Pattaya Klang. Take the road off called ';Paniad Chang'; and continue along to Soi 8 on the left, follow this Soi and take the second lane on the right, the restaurant is down this rough old track (a cul-de-sac) about 40 meters on the left...there is somewhere to park.
Bon appetit!
Wow wilko - I%26#39;ll try Ali Babas this weekendas i%26#39;ll be down there in pataya and report back -don%26#39;t want to give out misleading info!It used to be fabulous (7 years ago or so) and was very dificult to get a table most nights.Has it changed hands?
Firstly - I have yet to find a ';fabulous'; Indian restaurant anywhere in Thailand.
In the past 5 years I%26#39;ve eaten there about 4 times and eventually had to give up trying - The last time I ate in Ali Babar%26#39;s myself was about 2 years ago....the water had been cut off so they simply laid the dirty dishes in stacks up and down the stairs.
The food was so bad we paid and left after sampling a few things.
Since then I%26#39;ve had come-back off various people - some solicited some not - and one in particular was a visitor from UK who I%26#39;d never met before suddenly said....
';And what%26#39;s with that Indian round the corner? worst meal I%26#39;ve ever had in my life!';
I would imagine that the place hasn%26#39;t changed hands at all - I think one of the problems with all the Indian (generic term) restaurants in Pattaya is they utterly fail in consistency. Some are OK for a while and then the whole thing goes downhill and expensive - I%26#39;ve yet to understand why, relatively speaking Indian restaurants are so expensive here as 90% of all the ingredients etc are readily available here.
I have a couple of business acquaintances who are first or second generation Indian immigrants and none of them can recommend a good Indian restaurant in Pattaya.
Hi, I was wondering how much cost food on the beach or in carts on food street?
Do I have to haggle or is there a fixed (and displayed) price?
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