Best Street Food in Phuket

Eating street food in Phuket is one of the cheapest ways to enjoy authentic Thai cuisine. The convenience and affordability make it the meal of choice for many Thais, as well as tourists seeking a bona fide dining experience during their vacation.

In Phuket, you can find market stalls, large carts, motorbike sidecars, and wandering vendors carrying rattan baskets filled with Thai street foods. Groups of sellers often gather in specific areas in the evenings, creating an impromptu and entirely mobile market. There are also plenty of established night bazaars and restaurants that are a haven for foodies. Read our guide below to get the low-down.

What are the best street foods in Phuket?

1. Noodle Soup

Guay tiew reur

Good for: Budget, Food

Thai noodle soup, known locally as guay tiew reur, consists of egg or rice noodles in broth, usually accompanied with beef, chicken, pork, or fish balls. Sometimes you’ll find ground beef, seafood, vegetables, and tofu in it too. It’s usually served with an array of condiments including ground chilli flakes, fish sauce, and chilli in vinegar, so you can spice it up as much as you please.

This cheap, filling, and tasty dish is widely available in Phuket. Most stalls and restaurants offer different types of noodles such as glass vermicelli, flat white noodles, and instant noodles.

2. Thai Fried Chicken

Hat Yai

Good for: Budget, Food

Many street food stalls in Phuket serve generous portions of deep-fried chicken drumsticks, wings, and thighs at affordable prices. The Thai-style batter makes this street food significantly tastier than what you’ll find at your regular fast-food restaurant (it’s made with ingredients like soy sauce, cumin, rice flour, garlic, and cilantro roots).

You can enjoy a large piece of fried chicken (with sticky rice) for around 60 baht. Fried chicken stalls are especially common at the city’s street bustling street bazaars like Phuket Indy Night Market, Chillva Night Market, and Sunday Walking Street Market (Lard Yai).

3. Grilled Pork with Sticky Rice

Moo ping and khao niao

Good for: Budget, Food

Moo ping are char-grilled pork skewers. They’re often served on a bed of khao niao (sticky rice). The dish’s sweet and savory marinade contains a wealth of delectable ingredients including fish sauce, palm sugar, garlic, and coconut milk.

The meat is particularly tender and aromatic, while the sticky rice is fluffy and moist, delivering a wonderful contrast of textures and flavors. Moo ping is popular at breakfast, though many street food stalls and restaurants offer it throughout the day and evening. Find this dish at Malin Plaza and the lively Kata Night Market.

4. Green Papaya Salad

Som tam

Good for: Budget, Food, Unusual

Som tam (green papaya salad) has long been considered a national dish of Thailand. You’ll find cart vendors with pestles and mortars constantly making fresh batches. The main ingredient is green papaya, which is mixed with chilli, lime, fish sauce, and palm sugar.

This salad often contains brined crabs, tomatoes, yardlong beans, and carrots. Som tam is an acquired taste for most travelers due to its unusual combination of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty flavors. While this dish originates from the Issan region of northeastern Thailand, it’s particularly easy to come across in Patong (the main tourist resort on the island of Phuket).

5. Thai Pancakes

Roti

Good for: Budget, Food

Roti is a Thai-style pancake that’s often enjoyed with sweet or savory fillings. It’s best known as a dessert. A common variety is roti stuffed with banana slices, slathered in condensed milk, and cut into small squares.

Meanwhile, savory roti is popular among native Thais who tuck into them at breakfast with a curry dish on the side. You can spot a roti vendor by their cart, which boasts a large hotplate. Hit any street food market and have them cooked on the spot. You can also try them with other fillings like mango, raisins, and chocolate.

6. Fermented Rice Noodles

Kanom jeen

Good for: Budget, Food

Kanom jeen consists of fermented rice noodles in tight little bundles, topped with curry and crunchy vegetables. This Phuket breakfast staple is usually served by large food carts and stalls, often with a few tables and chairs close by.

Toppings include curries made from beef, chicken, fish, and crab, along with radishes, beansprouts, and green beans. It’s a mixed bag of textures and flavors, from the soft noodles and crisp veggies to the tender meat and seafood. Try a bowl of it at popular Phuket restaurants like: Saphan Hin, Pa Mai, and Baan Mae Taan.

7. Satay

Sate

Good for: Food

Satay, or sate in Thai, is one of the nation’s most beloved and convenient street foods. Pieces of chicken, beef, or pork are pushed onto skewers, seasoned with mild spices, then grilled to perfection. You can also find vegetarian satays made with tofu. It’s always served with peanut sauce, and sometimes with a vinegary side salad.

You can find satay sticks in beachside eateries, high end restaurants, and lively street food markets. For some of the best skewers on the island, head to establishments like Patong Social Phuket, Blue Elephant, and Natural Restaurant.

8. Steamed Curry

Haw mok

Good for: Food, Unusual

Haw mok is a small serving of steamed curried crab (or fish mousse) that’s infused with chilli paste and coconut milk. Resembling a custard tart, it’s parcelled up in a tiny bun case made with banana leaves. This snack is very light on its own, so it’s often paired with rice or kanom jeen (thin rice noodles) for a more substantial meal.

For some of the best haw mok in Phuket, head to Kan Eang 2, an atmospheric restaurant in the Mueang District. This highly-rated eatery overlooks the ocean and boasts a number of scenic dining areas including a fabulous al fresco terrace.

9. Phuket Spring Rolls

Por pia

Good for: Budget, Food

Por pia closely resembles a spring roll. It’s served either deep-fried and piping hot or left uncooked and cold. This tantalizing Thai appetizer contains fresh ingredients in a thin and translucent wrapping. It’s usually vegetarian and is jam-packed with carrots, cucumber, roasted nuts, lettuce, and herbs. That said, there are street vendors in Phuket that make it with grilled chicken.

Por pia is often topped with sweet chilli or peanut sauce. To sample some of the best, head to Lock Tien Food Court, a no-frills local haunt that offers a wide variety of tasty street food at very affordable prices.

10. Ice Cream Sandwich

Itim khanom pang

Good for: Food, Unusual

The ice cream sandwich (or itim khanom pang) is one of the most common snacks in Phuket. This simple Thai dessert contains a variety of fillings stuffed inside a hotdog bun, as well as scoops of refreshing ice cream (coconut is a very popular flavor).

You can enjoy it like a real hotdog or sandwich—no spoon needed! Choices of fillings include banana, sweet taro, sweet corn, sticky rice, raisins, peanuts, jackfruit, and candied palm seeds. Torry’s Ice Cream in Phuket Old Town is the place to go to indulge.

This article includes opinions of the Go Guides editorial team. Hotels.com compensates authors for their writing appearing on this site; such compensation may include travel and other costs.