What Is The Best Restaurant In Koh Lanta?
The BEST Restaurants In Koh Lanta
Looking for the best restaurant in Koh Lanta? After spending nearly 3 months exploring every corner of this beautiful Thai island and trying countless restaurants, I can tell you it’s a tough choice – but there are two clear winners that stand out above the rest: Yawee Restaurant and the Koh Lanta Night Market.
I am someone who loves to discover places to eat during my travels, and I made it my mission to sample as many restaurants as possible across Koh Lanta.
Amazing seafood, tasty Thai curries and even some brilliant italian restaurants can be found on Lanta!
I’ll not only reveal why these two spots share the crown for “best restaurant in Koh Lanta,” but I’ll also share other must-try places that deserve a mention.
If you’re planning a trip, you can also find out what the best things to do in Koh Lanta are, and the best beaches in Koh Lanta.
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Best Restaurants In Koh Lanta Map
1. Yawee Restaurant
This place kept popping up in reviews when I searched for the best restaurants in Koh Lanta.
I must admit their chicken wings are truly amazing.
You can get some fantastic papaya salad and Pad Thai here too. The staff are excellent, and they have two of the most beautiful cats who roam around the seating area.
Anytime I went to Yawee, it was packed with people.
With delicious food, brilliant service, and a comfortable seating area, it’s easy to see why this place tops the list of best restaurants on the island.
If you are travelling to Koh Lanta from Krabi, checkout my detailed articles to plan your trip.
2. Koh Lanta Night Market
A special place is the Koh Lanta night market.
While it only opens for the high season (November to February), it was so much fun to walk through the market and see all the amazing options available.
You could have Thai food, Mexican food, and even Chinese food if you wanted.
The merchants are all lovely to deal with, and I recommend you take a stop at any of these for some tasty meals.
Lanta Plaza 555 for some shopping if you need to walk off some of that amazing food.
For a pre-meal or post-meal drink, head to the bar on the corner of Walking Street. Though I can’t recall its name, it’s an excellent spot to enjoy a cold beer.
It opens from 05.00 PM until about 11.00 PM
An unmissable experience for a nice night out in my book!
3. Turtle Beach Restaurant
If you want an exquisite setting and great food, Turtle Beach Restaurant is for you.
Located at the southernmost point of Long Beach, this place has a really cool bar, but the view is what makes it special.
When we visited with our friends one night, the sky was erupting with thunder and lightning, making for a bizarrely cool sight.
There is a nice drop onto the beach close to the edge of the beach, and I think it’s the best place to sit.
What I also liked about this place was the vibe. It was busy, sure, but it was great for couples or even small families too.
The green curry risotto will change your perception of food, mark my words!
4. Loro Loco
This place has amazing pizza!
Another restaurant that I kept hearing people talking about, and it did not disappoint.
The pizza was massive and left us totally full. It looked and tasted like authentic Italian food, which was surprising since Italy was almost 9,000 kilometers away. Crazy!
The restaurant is actually quite small, and whenever we visited, there were many people inside.
The reviews were good, and it made total sense. The hummus and falafel are also a great option for those with allergies.
You should certainly book this place in advance when traveling in the high season—November to February to guarantee a place.
If you can, I suggest you visit Loro Loco!
5. San Sunset Bar
Another epic place for sunset views and amazing food.
When we first visited Koh Lanta in 2023, we stayed in the accommodation right beside San Sunset, so we ate here almost every day.
The Massamam curry is to die for.
During high season, they set up bean bags on the beach, and there’s nothing better than watching the sunset over Koh Phi Phi with a cocktail in hand.
The staff are all very friendly and they have a great bar too.
At night during high season, you can enjoy exciting fire shows. Though during our visit, one of the performers accidentally dropped their fire prop and it hit someone in the crowd.
While the girl wasn’t hurt and the performer apologized, it wasn’t a great moment, but this wasn’t San Sunset’s fault.
All things considered, I highly recommend eating at this place. It’s definitely one of the best restaurants in Koh Lanta.
6. Tamarind
Tamarind is a very cool restaurant with an interesting interior.
There are flags all over the walls and a small cocktail bar on the edge of the road, almost right on the street.
The costs here are reasonable even by Thailand’s affordable standards, and the food is awesome.
The papaya salad and green curry were my favorites. We often got fresh coconuts, making it the perfect authentic Thai dinner.
When we visited, it was usually quiet, which we loved. It was nice to sometimes have a more conversational dinner instead of a hectic experience.
You have to try Tamarind when you visit Koh Lanta.
7. Anny Restaurant
Anny is great and we love her food too!
Every time we ate at Anny’s, it just got better and better! Everything we ordered was magical.
We even booked our 4 Island Tour through Anny, as she has a tour office attached to the restaurant.
Now let’s talk about the service. It was brilliant.
The waitresses who attended to us struck the perfect balance between helpful and unobtrusive. They played nice background music, and we could wave to the chefs through the kitchen window.
My expressions of enjoyment always brought smiles to their faces, as if their mission was accomplished.
Anny always had time for a chat too.
This is probably an underrated restaurant on Koh Lanta, but nonetheless brilliant!
8. Where Else Garden
If you want a dining experience that feels like you’re climbing through trees, then Where Else is for you.
This place has the most unusual setup I’ve seen on Lanta.
Many bamboo trees line the path into the restaurant, and it feels a bit like you’re going on an adventure.
Each table feels like its own humble abode.
When we visited, we found the Papaya Salad and Yellow curry to be out of this world.
While it may be marginally more expensive than some other restaurants on the island, we didn’t mind paying the difference.
The setting alone is worth paying twice the amount we paid.
9. Spring Rolls
For the best pork curry on Lanta, I suggest you try Spring Rolls.
While it may not look as fancy as other restaurants, it makes up for it with taste.
It is small, but that means nothing.
Though it did take a long time to get our food when it was busy, we didn’t mind waiting in the end.
The spicy pork curry was absolutely amazing.
I recommend getting the small portion size; it’s the perfect amount of food, especially given the hot weather, which can reduce your appetite.
Everyone’s different, of course, but that’s my suggestion.
The staff were always lovely too, which made the experience even better.
10. Rareview Coffee & Restaurant
Located in Lanta Old Town, Rareview has, as you may guess, a rare view.
This panoramic vista stretches across Koh Por, the mangroves, Koh Lanta Noi, and the Andaman Sea.
The seafood here is the winner. While all restaurants in the area offer great seafood options, Rareview’s dishes stand out.
Our experience was thoroughly positive.
Tasty food with a stunning view meant it ticked all the boxes.
We even had time to sit on the swing overlooking the ocean. Lanta Old Town is truly a place full of character, great food, and rare views.
11. The Glasshouse
I loved eating at the Glasshouse.
Whenever we used their co-working space, we went downstairs to eat. I’m talking tasty Katsu Curry, great coffee, and sweet dessert treats.
Now, we did experience a small snake climbing up the walls, but it was promptly removed by staff members.
The downstairs has an open area if you prefer fresh air. You can sit inside in the air-conditioned section downstairs, or you can go upstairs if you need to complete some tasks on your laptop.
We found our time in the Glasshouse to be the perfect place to eat with lots of quality.
We even got to sign their wall!
12. Koala Bar & Restaurant
Perched right on the edge of Khlong Dao Beach, you will find the Koala Bar.
When we visited, they had a great acoustic guitar player and singer entertaining the people.
They have a BBQ once per week, every Thursday, where you can eat to your heart’s content.
We watched the sunset over the Phi Phi Islands (you can do that from almost everywhere on the west coast), which left us with great memories along with great food.
You can eat right on the sand, or you can under cover if the rain decides to come.
Either way, the Koala Bar has great food, and you should consider it when visiting.
Where To Stay On Koh Lanta
Koh Lanta is filled with great places to stay.
I personally stayed at Nakara Long Beach Resort and Peaceful Resort and happily tell people they should stay there.
Some options to consider below:
Budget
Mid Range
Nakara Long Beach Resort – SHA Extra Plus ***
Peaceful Resort, Long Beach – Koh Lanta ***
Long Beach Chalet – SHA Extra Plus ***
Luxury
Nirvana Beach Resort, Koh Lanta SHA Extra Plus ****
Sai Naam Lanta – Apartments & Townhouses ****
Layana Resort & Spa – Adult Only – SHA Extra Plus *****
Final Thoughts/Conclusion
You can rest assured that if you’re coming to Koh Lanta, good food will be everywhere. If you love seafood, authentic Thai food, or street food, it has it all.
If you’re tired of Asian food and feel like you need something closer to home, there’s good pizza, pasta, and hamburgers to be had.
Ultimately, this list of the best restaurants in Koh Lanta comes from my experience. Let me know what your experience was.
I loved the food here. If I had to choose a favorite, it would be Yawee, with the seafood coming in as a close second.
These restaurants are just another reason among many to love the island of Koh Lanta.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you check out the best things to do on Koh Lanta to plan your trip accordingly.
Thanks for reading,
James
