KOH SAMUI EATERIES
In Koh Samui, while the food was certainly delicious, it didn’t quite match the spectacular culinary experiences I had in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The street food and local restaurants here were enjoyable, but the sheer vibrancy and variety of flavors in those other cities set a high bar that was hard to compete with. That said, Koh Samui did offer one unforgettable foodie moment—one of the best ice cream rolls I've ever had, served fresh at a bustling street market. It was a sweet highlight in an otherwise more laid-back food scene.
In Koh Samui, we mostly stayed at our resort, Vana Belle, and rarely ventured out for meals, so my dining experiences outside the resort were limited. Even so, here are a few of the restaurants I tried during my stay. I loved my stay in Koh Samui so I definitely plan to come back, and hopefully, I can add more places to this list.
Siam Restaurant: $$, We dined here on our last night for a break from street food, as it was conveniently close to our hotel. The indoor-outdoor restaurant had a clean, jungle vibe. We started with delicious spring rolls and an okay prawn cake. I had the seafood green curry, which was rich, creamy, and perfectly cooked—no rubbery seafood, my biggest pet peeve! The standout was the velvety mango sticky rice, which I still dream about. Friendly and helpful staff made the experience even better.
Sala Thai Art Gallery & Restaurant: $$, Another indoor, outdoor restaurant close to our hotel. We had dinner here. The food was very traditional Thai food. Well portioned and well priced.
Panali: $$, This was the restaurant at the Resort that we ate the majority of our meals at. Their Thai dishes were pretty good, and it’s beach facing on Chaweng Beach which is a huge plus.
MR. TEE Ice Cream Rolls ***: $, Not really a restaurant, but it was so, so good! Found as a cart near Fisherman's Village Night Market in Koh Samui, you can choose an ice cream flavor to mix with 2 fruits. I chose chocolate ice cream and bananas and lychee. It was sweet, tart, and fantastic, especially to cool off on a hot Thai day.
