I never thought I would like and feel so homy in Ao Nang in Krabi but it’s now been a month since I first moved to town and here I am – completely in love with Ao Nang and the crazy amount it has to offer. Ao Nang is so underestimated in that most people think it’s just a party place that’s a good base for hopping onto the nearby islands. Honestly though, Ao Nang is so much more than that. It offers a terrific variety of things to do in and around the town, but also comes with an awesome diversity of places to stop by for fresh local food to prepare at home as well as authentic restaurants. All of that makes Ao Nang ideal for living here comfortably for a bit of time.
I’m not gonna lie that having spent a month here, I’m now craving for more vegetarian and vegan food option so I’m buzzing with excitement to move to Chiang Mai tomorrow. However, for its small size Ao Nang in Krabi actually has a fascinating number of restaurants to choose from, both Western and local. This means that you can taste a lot of different Thai dishes at different places but when you want something that reminds you of home, you’ve got options locally too.
Over the month, we’ve been to quite a lot of places in Ao Nang but for one reason or another many of them did not make it onto my list of favorite places to eat. Some of these places are Lekker Café & restaurant, Banana House, and Sareefah Thai Food. Before you dive into my list of 10 favorite places to eat in Ao Nang in Krabi, a quick disclose is needed to say that I don’t eat meat so my top places are not such because of the tastiness of their steaks or chicken curries haha … thought it’s worth mentioning! Now, onto the list.
Burger Bung
One of my absolutely favorite places in Ao Nang in Krabi is without any doubt Burger Bung. It’s a very local place with a super quirky vibe and most of the days, with a lot of crowds. If you go in the evening, you may even have to queue a little to grab a table which only testifies for how yum and locally priced this place is. As the name suggests, the place is most known for its burgers which Alexis, my boyfriend, tried many many times and absolutely loved them. For as low as 40 THB (EUR 1), he tried pretty much all the options on the menu haha! They even offer what’s known at a Condo Burger which is a giant tower or 4 burgers stacked on top of each other. If you’re a burger fan, that’s your dream come true right there haha! On my side, I’m a big lover of their salmon on rice and actually tend to go for that almost all the time because they simply can’t be beaten when it comes to their salmon rice prep. The place is super chilled, and you even get to write your order on a piece of paper and hand it over at the till to order your food so if you love non pretentious, easy-going places, you’ll LOVE Burger Bung. One tip – walk around the entire place before you pick a table. The place has a very quirky hidden garden at the back which we missed the first time we visited so definitely do the tour 🙂
Must tries: Grilled salmon on rice, Volcano Roti (you’ll be eye-popping when you see what arrives), burgers
Cafe 8.98
Cafe 8.98 is one of the Western place in Ao Nang in Krabi which is definitely the place to head to when you start to miss home food. Their menu is full of everything you can dream of from healthy Buddha bowls, good salads, burgers and steaks to smoothie bowls, and vegan and veggie options to please all tastes. The food is definitely super yummy but we did feel heavy for the whole day afterwards despite sticking to just one dish per person haha so make sure not to make huge food plans for before or after you visit Cafe 8.98. Otherwise, you risk feeling as if you’ve overeaten the whole day! The vibe of the cafe is super cool too so budget a couple of hours to just enjoy and treat yourself to a slow breakfast, lunch or dinner 🙂 If you love a morning cup of coffee, I loved their cappuccino so splurge on that too!
Must tries: Definitely make your own Buddha bowl, try the salmon avocado omelet with sourdough bread and have some passion fruit juice … yum!
Mama Kitchen
Mama Kitchen has become the place to head to when we want a homy dinner. The reason for that is that we bonded a bit with the owner of the place who’s running the restaurant with his wife-the chef, and their little girl who’s acting as the food runner. I love the place for how local, authentic and personal it is. Also, the family is always so sweet and accommodating, especially when it comes to my non-spicy non-meat sometimes annoying requirements haha! The menu here is very local and you’ll find them offering the basic Thai dishes such as fried rice and phad thai for as little as 50 THB which is massive value for money as the food is super tasty. What’s a big shame is that despite the amazing reviews Mama Kitchen has on TripAdvisor and Google, it’s hard to find it busy both at lunch and in the evenings which has made it though for the family especially during Covid. However, it does mean that you’re almost guaranteed to find a table whenever you head there and don’t underestimate the place if you pass by and don’t see anyone eating there. The place is underestimated and the food is absolutely delicious!
Must tries: Banana Lassi, Tofu Phad Thai, Stir-fired Tofu with Veggies
Su Sa Thai
Ever since we spent some time in Phuket and discovered Chillva market and the sushi we used to grab on the go every day, I’ve been missing that a lot in Krabi as we don’t really have that kinda market around here. That’s until we discovered Su Sa Thai and their freshly made-to-order sushi and vegetable noodles with seaweed. It’s a very small place which has always been empty when we visited so this tends to be our takeaway go-to spot whenever we’re lazy to cook and love a quick sushi fix haha! The staff is super sweet and accommodating though so I’m sure sitting in would be equally nice but we’ve just not experienced it here. Also, the actual sushi is great value for money as you get some of the options for at little as 10 THB per piece which is amazing. So, whether you decide to sit in or take away, try their sushi, especially if you’ve not had any in Thailand yet (it is different from the one we get in Europe so it’s a whole new experience haha).
Must tries: Their sushi is top
Dot Cafe’ Krabi
Ao Nang in Krabi was not only a stop for us for a bit of travel but it was also where we based ourselves to work for a month. So with that, we had to find a place we could do some work from and Dot Cafe quickly became our go to place for the best coffee in Ao Nang in Krabi and the friendliest most smiley staff. Slightly off the center and buzz of Ao Nang, this place is tucked away in a small street about 10 min drive from Ao Nang beach. But, before you get discouraged to do the ride, trust me when I say that this place is different. And really is! Not a single other place in Ao Nang that I’ve been to has the chilled vibe, green laid back ambience, and really good quality drinks and food. Not only that, but it truly is the best place to head to if you need to do a bit of work and need strong wifi, whilst having the place practically all to yourself. Dot Cafe has amazing reviews on Google but for breakfast and lunch it really isn’t frequented by many so it was our place to hide and get some work done at least twice every week and we loved it!
Must tries: Best coffee in Krabi & Alexis’s favorite banana pancakes were here so maybe try them for yourself too 🙂
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I’m a big fan of going to random super local places where I’ve got zero idea what I’m gonna find. This was totally the case with this place. We were on our way back from Mirror Lake in Krabi when I spotted this place on Google with super nice reviews, pictures of what looked like good food and it looked very local so we quickly headed there to test it out. When we got there, the staff was so shocked to see foreigners, they even asked us what we were doing there haha! Lunch, is what we bluntly answered haha and that’s how we quickly found another favorite place in Ao Nang in Krabi. The staff here is so nice, mainly Muslim so they always go out of their way to make sure we understand the menu (there’s no English version), and make sure we enjoy the food. The place is really not that big. In fact, it’s only got about 10 tables which makes it a very cozy place to hide away from the heat especially at lunch. Their signature dish here is the papaya salad with seafood so if you like something fresh, have the salad or if you don’t mind (yet another) fried rice, theirs is one of the best (if not the best) fried rice I’ve had in Krabi so try it out as well.
Must tries: Papaya salad and if you eat seafood, order it with fresh salmon
KoDam Kitchen
KoDam is a kinda hidden place which was actually very close to the Rocco where we lived for a month. We actually we only found out about it from a friend who recommended it because unless you know it, you wouldn’t really head down the tiny street it’s on. When we first visited, we couldn’t believe how busy KoDam was and it was just round the corner from us. We quickly realised that it was one of the locals’ favorite places for dinner which explains why the place kept on growing its tables into its parking lot little by little every time we were going back haha! What’s super special about KoDam is the fact that it’s super secluded and the staff really goes above and beyond to make sure you’re well and enjoying your meal. One of the last times we went, the waiter even noted down our names to know them for next time which was so kind and thoughtful. We loved this place so much we even got back here for New Year’s Eve dinner and couldn’t have been happier with their pineapple fried rice. But really, whatever we’ve ever ordered here has been so yummy and adapted for spiciness, unlike many other places we’ve been to which have gotten us drink water as if we’ve just been set on fire. So don’t miss out on KoDam, you’ll love it 🙂
Must tries: Pineapple fried rice
Sandee’s Thai Restaurant
After spending nearly a month in Ao Nang, I came to love the vibe at Nopparat Thara beach at night even more than at Ao Nang beach. With that we’ve tried a few food places here the most favorite of which is Sandee’s. It’s a very local place with local prices and quite a big menu. What I’ve come to love here the most is their vegetarian menu section which offers far more than fried rice and the classic phad thai. If you come here before sunset, you’ll also get to indulge in some pretty scenic views over the sea and the tree garden set along the beach which is the just perfect place to stroll after until your lunch/ dinner digests!
Must tries: Stir fried veggies & tofu with glass noodles is my favorite
Caesars Pizza
When I travel abroad I tend to prefer the places owned by locals, in this case Thai people. The reason I’m saying this is because Caesars Pizza is actually owned by an Italian guy who’s now local but obviously not Thai. However, his little restaurant is an absolutely gem, the pizza is so amazing and the owner is so kind and humble that it’s a absolute must-try at least once whilst you’re in Ao Nang. Another thing I really like about this place is that the pizza really is Italian and what I mean by that is that the chef is the very owner, using true Italian recipes and you can taste it for sure. Price wise naturally the pizzas are a bit more expensive than your traditional Thai food options but they’re worth the treat of 200-250 THB (5-6EUR) every once in a while.
Must tries: Actually you can’t go wrong with any pizza you go for
Mountain View
Not exactly in Ao Nang in Krabi, Mountain View ended up being a nice surprise. I had booked this place for one first 2022 date night with Alexis and when we got there we were immediately wow’ed by the ambience of the place. Built right next to an impressive limestone and sort of in the trees, Mountain View is a quirky place that’s frequented a lot during the day for the many beautiful pictures you could take here. However, come the evening, the place welcomes with a lot of lights, live music, friendly staff and some of the yummiest and most different Thai food I’ve had. After quite a bit of time in Krabi, we didn’t expect the food to be too different than what we had seen and tried before so we were definitely well surprised to see a big menu with intriguing dishes we haven’t even seen on other menu before, such as curried seafood prepared in a coconut or mussels. That’s exactly what we went for and we loved it! It’s not the cheapest of places but it’s definitely worth the experience and deliciousness.
Must tries: Mixed seafood & curry paste in coconut, New Zealand Mussels
I hope the list was helpful and that you’ll enjoy at least a couple of these places. If you do, send me a picture on Instagram? 😊 Thank you so much for reading and see you in the next one!
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