Fresh Seafood in Phuket: Best Seafood Restaurants

Phuket sits in the Andaman Sea, so fresh seafood is the island's greatest food. Boats land tiger prawns, mud crab, rock lobster, squid and reef fish daily, and the best way to eat it is simple: pick it live, have it weighed, and let a good kitchen cook it to order. This guide rounds up where to find the freshest seafood in Phuket, from our number one pick to the floating restaurants, Rawai's buy-and-cook market scene and the MICHELIN-recognised local institutions. Every place here is a real listing you can tap straight through to on the Thailand Stuff directory, and our top recommendation is Crab Corner in Patong.

Phuket's number one seafood restaurant: Crab Corner

Our top pick for fresh seafood in Phuket is Crab Corner in Patong, a Thai-Cajun seafood specialist that does the island's most fun and generous crab feasts. Where most Phuket seafood is grilled or steamed Thai-style, Crab Corner adds Louisiana-style seafood boils to the mix, tipping king crab, snow crab, prawns, mussels and corn out onto the table in a bag of buttery, spiced sauce.

Crab Corner Thai Cajun seafood spread in Patong Phuket

Restaurants

Featured listing

Crab Corner

4.8 (99)

Patong, Phuket · ฿฿฿

Crab Corner is a Thai-Cajun seafood restaurant in Patong, Phuket serving Cajun seafood boils, snow and king crab, Singapore chili crab and fresh catch.

View listing

Beyond the boils it does Singapore chilli crab, fresh catch of the day and classic Thai seafood, which makes it our all-rounder number one: brilliant crab, a lively atmosphere and something for everyone at the table.

Rawai: Phuket's seafood capital

If you want the freshest, cheapest seafood on the island, head south to Rawai. The Rawai Seafood Market on the seafront sells the day's catch by the kilo, and the restaurants lining the road behind it will cook whatever you buy for a small fee, the purest buy-and-cook experience in Phuket.

A bowl of fresh Andaman prawns, a Rawai seafood-market staple in Phuket

For a sit-down version of the same idea, with a live tank at your table, our pick in the area is Mook Manee.

Neon Mook Manee Seafood sign glowing over busy diners at dusk, seafood restaurant near Rawai Beach, Phuket

Restaurants

Featured listing

Mook Manee

4.5

Rawai, Phuket · ฿฿

Mook Manee is a MICHELIN Selected seafood restaurant near Rawai Beach in Phuket, with a live tank of prawns, crab and rainbow lobster chosen at your table.

View listing

Rawai and neighbouring Nai Harn are the island's most established seafood district, so it is worth basing a food day down here. See everything in the area on the Rawai listings page, and for another local favourite nearby try Samut.

Floating and Old Town seafood institutions

Some of Phuket's most memorable seafood is eaten on the water or in the heart of the Old Town, where family-run shops have been cooking the Andaman catch for generations. For a real adventure, Kruvit Raft is a floating restaurant reached by a short long-tail boat ride.

Restaurants

Featured listing

Kruvit Raft (Ban Laem Hin)

4.5

Old Town, Phuket · ฿฿

Kruvit Raft is a MICHELIN Selected floating seafood restaurant near Ko Maphrao, reached by a short long-tail boat ride from Laem Hin pier in Phuket.

View listing

Restaurants

Featured listing

Go Ang Seafood

4.5

Old Town, Phuket · ฿฿

Go Ang Seafood is a MICHELIN Selected seafood restaurant in Phuket Old Town, run by chef-owner Go Ang since its humble beginnings as a local favourite.

View listing

Restaurants

Featured listing

Hong Khao Tom Pla

4.5

Old Town, Phuket · ฿฿

Hong Khao Tom Pla is a MICHELIN Selected seafood restaurant in Phuket Old Town, famous for its daily queue, fresh prawns and comforting rice soups.

View listing

Restaurants

Featured listing

Chuan Chim

4.6

Old Town, Phuket · ฿฿

Chuan Chim is a second-generation MICHELIN Bib Gourmand seafood restaurant in Phuket Old Town, known for wok-fired dishes cooked fresh, a la minute.

View listing

Go Ang and Chuan Chim are both MICHELIN-recognised local institutions, while Hong Khao Tom Pla draws a daily queue for its fresh prawns and rice soups, so arrive early or off-peak.

Cooked to order and fine dining

For seafood with a bit more polish, two MICHELIN Selected kitchens let you choose from live tanks and turn the catch into something special. Ta Khai at Rosewood Phuket does refined Thai seafood, while Heh brings a contemporary, Melbourne-influenced touch to local Andaman ingredients.

A cooked-to-order Andaman fish fillet plated with vegetables in Phuket

Lantern-lit wooden dining deck and thatched pavilion bar at dusk, Ta Khai seafood restaurant at Rosewood Phuket in Patong

Restaurants

Featured listing

Ta Khai

4.5

Patong, Phuket · ฿฿฿

Ta Khai at Rosewood Phuket is a MICHELIN Selected restaurant in Patong, where diners choose from live seafood tanks before their catch is cooked to order.

View listing

Overhead trio of dishes at Heh contemporary restaurant, grilled fish, fried squid and kingfish crudo, Old Town Phuket

Restaurants

Featured listing

Heh

4.5

Old Town, Phuket · ฿฿฿

Heh is a MICHELIN Selected restaurant in Phuket Old Town, blending Melbourne-style contemporary cooking with fresh local Andaman ingredients and seafood.

View listing

Both are worth booking ahead, especially at weekends, and both prove that Phuket seafood scales all the way from a plastic stool by the pier to a white-tablecloth dining room.

Chalong and Kathu: local seafood kitchens

Away from the beaches, Chalong and Kathu hide some of the island's most characterful seafood restaurants, cooking Southern Thai style for a mostly local crowd. Mor Mu Dong sits in rustic pavilions among the mangroves, while Khrua Ohm sources its seafood fresh at the market every morning.

Whole salt-grilled fish on a banana leaf with dipping sauces and shellfish at Mor Mu Dong seafood restaurant, Chalong, Phuket

Restaurants

Featured listing

Mor Mu Dong

4.6

Chalong, Phuket · ฿฿

Mor Mu Dong is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand seafood restaurant in Chalong, Phuket, set in rustic pavilions among the mangroves beside the Mu Dong Canal.

View listing

Plates of crispy fried soft-shell crab with green seafood dipping sauce at Khrua Ohm, Southern Thai restaurant in Chalong, Phuket

Restaurants

Featured listing

Khrua Ohm

4.5

Chalong, Phuket · ฿฿

Khrua Ohm is a MICHELIN Selected restaurant in Kathu, Phuket, run by former musician Somphop, who sources fresh seafood at the market every morning.

View listing

These are the kind of places where you eat with your feet up, order the whole fish and the crab curry, and settle in for the afternoon. Both sit in the Chalong area.

Seafood street eats

Not all of Phuket's best seafood comes on a plate at a restaurant. Two Old Town classics turn the day's catch into legendary street food: O Tao Bang Niao for its stir-fried oyster and taro dish, and Shrimp Noodles Ao Kae for tom yum noodles rich with shrimp. Both feature in our full guide to Phuket street food, which is the perfect companion to this one.

Where to buy fresh seafood in Phuket

The cheapest, freshest seafood in Phuket comes straight from the markets, where you buy by the kilo and either take it home or hand it to a nearby restaurant to cook. Three markets are worth knowing.

Fresh Andaman seafood on ice at a Phuket market, including fish, prawns, crab and lobster

Rawai Seafood Market. The island's most famous, right on the seafront in the south, with restaurants next door that cook what you buy.
Banzaan Fresh Market, Patong. A clean, covered market behind Jungceylon in Patong, with a seafood floor and cook-to-order stalls upstairs.
Chalong and local markets. Smaller neighbourhood markets across the island sell fresh fish and shellfish daily, usually cheapest early in the morning.

Always check the price per kilo before you buy, watch the seafood being weighed, and choose the liveliest crabs and prawns in the tank.

What seafood to try in Phuket

Phuket's Andaman waters yield a superb range of shellfish and fish, and knowing the local names helps you order well.

Tiger prawns (kung). Big, sweet and best grilled over charcoal with a nam jim seafood dipping sauce.
Mud crab and flower crab (pu). Meaty local crab, superb in a yellow curry (pu phad pong karee) or steamed.
Rock and rainbow lobster. A special-occasion treat, usually grilled with butter and garlic or steamed.
Blood cockles and clams (hoy). Southern Thai favourites, quickly blanched and eaten with a fiery dipping sauce.
Squid (pla muek). Grilled whole or stir-fried with salted egg or fresh peppercorns.
Reef fish (pla). Snapper and grouper are commonly steamed with lime, chilli and garlic, or deep-fried whole.

Tips for eating seafood in Phuket

A few habits will get you the best seafood at a fair price and keep every meal fresh.

Buy and cook. At market-style spots, pick your seafood live, agree the price per kilo, and pay a small cooking fee to a nearby restaurant.
Check the weight and price first. Always see your seafood weighed and confirm the rate before it hits the grill, so there are no surprises on the bill.
Go for the lively tanks. The most active prawns, crabs and fish in the tank are the freshest. Avoid anything sluggish or already on ice for a long time.
Eat where locals eat. A busy restaurant with high turnover means faster-moving, fresher seafood. Follow the Thai crowds.
Try the local preparations. Steamed fish with lime, crab curry and charcoal-grilled prawns show off Andaman seafood far better than anything deep-fried and battered.

If seafood is your thing, these Phuket food and living guides pair well with it.

Guide	What it covers
Phuket street food	The island's best local dishes and where to eat them
Spiciest Thai food	The hottest Southern Thai dishes, including seafood
Unusual Thai foods in Phuket	The island's stranger local specialities
Cost of living in Phuket	What eating and daily life actually cost
Best areas to live in Phuket	Where to base yourself, including seafood-rich Rawai

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best seafood restaurant in Phuket?

Our number one pick is Crab Corner in Patong, a Thai-Cajun specialist famous for its crab boils, king and snow crab and Singapore chilli crab. For the freshest, cheapest seafood, the Rawai Seafood Market and its cook-to-order restaurants in the south of the island are hard to beat.

Where can I buy fresh seafood in Phuket?

The Rawai Seafood Market on the southern seafront is the most famous, selling the day's catch by the kilo with restaurants next door that cook it for a small fee. Banzaan Fresh Market in Patong and smaller neighbourhood markets across the island are also excellent, especially early in the morning.

How does buy-and-cook seafood work in Phuket?

At Rawai and similar spots you choose live seafood from market tanks or ice, have it weighed and pay by the kilo, then hand it to a nearby restaurant that cooks it your way for a small per-dish cooking fee. Always confirm both the seafood price and the cooking charge first.

How much does fresh seafood cost in Phuket?

Prices vary by type and season, but market seafood is far cheaper than restaurant menus. Prawns, squid and local fish are very affordable, while crab and lobster cost more and are usually priced per kilo. Always check the per-kilo rate and see it weighed before ordering.

What seafood is Phuket famous for?

Phuket is known for Andaman tiger prawns, mud and flower crab, rock and rainbow lobster, squid, blood cockles and reef fish like snapper and grouper. Local specialities include crab curry (pu phad pong karee), grilled prawns and steamed fish with lime and chilli.

Is seafood in Phuket safe to eat?

Yes, when it is fresh and busy. Choose restaurants and markets with high turnover, pick lively seafood from tanks rather than anything long on ice, and eat where the locals eat. The MICHELIN-recognised and market-fresh spots in this guide are all well established.

Do I need to book seafood restaurants in Phuket?

Market and casual spots do not take bookings; you simply turn up and queue. Popular places like Hong Khao Tom Pla draw daily lines, and the fine-dining seafood restaurants such as Ta Khai and Heh are worth reserving ahead, especially at weekends.

When is the best time to eat seafood in Phuket?

Seafood is landed year-round, but the calmer, drier high season from roughly November to April brings the widest choice and the best conditions for the fishing boats. Markets are freshest and cheapest early in the morning when the catch first comes in.

Sources

About this guide

This guide was written and reviewed by the Thailand Stuff Editorial Team, which lives in and covers Phuket. We eat at these places, cross-check the seafood and local names against reputable food sources and the MICHELIN Guide, and review the guide regularly to keep it current. It was last reviewed on 2 August 2026. Market prices and opening hours change with the season and the day's catch, so treat prices as a guide and always confirm the per-kilo rate before you order.