Where to Eat in Koh Samui: Our Favourite Night Markets and Local Food

Koh Samui is a food lover's island, but the restaurants right on Chaweng beach are often the most expensive and the least authentic. The best meals we had during our months on the island cost a fraction of that, in night markets, food courts and simple roadside kitchens where locals eat.

We ate our way around the whole island on our scooter and kept coming back to the same kinds of places. Here is where to find them in 2026, what to order, and how to spot a good local restaurant on your own.

If you only have one evening, go to a night market: Fisherman's Village on a Friday, Lamai on a Sunday or the Chaweng night market food court any day of the week.

Quick answer: For cheap, authentic food in Koh Samui go to the Lamai Night Plaza (daily), the Lamai Sunday walking street, the Fisherman's Village Walking Street in Bophut (Mon, Wed and Fri), the Chaweng night market food court and the food court at Lotus's. A street-food dinner costs around 50–100 THB per dish.

1. Lamai Night Plaza and the Sunday walking street

Our favourite place for dinner on Koh Samui. In the centre of Lamai, a long row of food stalls fries, grills and stirs everything from pad thai to spring rolls, with a big shared seating area at the back. You order straight from the stalls, and there are plenty of vegetarian choices.

Lamai Night Plaza is open every evening and busiest after 7 pm. On Sundays (about 5–10 pm) the Lamai walking street fills the beach road with even more food, crafts and live music.

What to try:

• Pad thai, the classic rice-noodle stir-fry, cooked to order.
• Spring rolls and crispy shrimp or chicken tempura with sweet chilli sauce.
• Grilled skewers of chicken, pork or tofu.
• Fresh fruit: mango, dragon fruit, papaya and honeydew, or a shake made from any of them.

2. Fisherman's Village Walking Street, Bophut

Bophut's old Chinese-Thai fishing village is the prettiest place to eat on the island. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings (about 5–11 pm) the main street becomes a walking street with food stalls, cocktail bars and crafts; Friday is the biggest night. Grab a coconut, a few skewers and some mango sticky rice and walk to the beach to eat.

3. Chaweng night market food court

If you are staying in Chaweng, skip the beach-road restaurants and walk to the Chaweng night market food court behind the main road (daily, about 5–11 pm). It is cheaper and more local, and you can try a little bit of everything.

4. Roadside tom yum and noodle soup stalls

Some of our best meals came from tiny roadside places with a Thai-only menu and plastic chairs. One of them, on road 4169 near Bangkok Hospital Samui, served nothing but tom yum goong: spicy-sour shrimp soup with lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal and chilli, with noodles and a soft egg. No English was spoken, which is usually a very good sign.

How to spot a great local restaurant:

• It is full of Thai customers, especially at lunchtime.
• There is a photo menu or the dishes are on display.
• The kitchen is open and you can watch the cook.
• Seafood is shown on ice and weighed before cooking, so you know the price.

Our favourite restaurant in Chaweng was exactly that kind of place: a simple open hut with plastic chairs, baby-blue plates, a photo menu and a cook who had every dish under control. We ate pumpkin curry, spicy noodle salad, squid with lime and the best mango shakes on the island there. Come early; good local places fill up fast.

5. Food court at Lotus's

When it is too hot or raining, do what locals do and eat at the air-conditioned food court at Lotus's (formerly Tesco Lotus). You buy a card or pay at each counter, and a plate of Thai food costs very little. Our routine was a stop at the fresh juice counter: carrot-apple for Tomek, watermelon-pineapple for Dasza.

6. Fruit stands and fresh coconuts

Roadside fruit stands are everywhere on Koh Samui, and they are the best energy for a day on the scooter. Try a green coconut, opened with a machete in front of you, and if you are brave, a piece of durian. You will smell it long before you see it.

7. Thai pancakes (roti)

The roti stands that pop up in the evenings make something between a French crêpe and a pancake, fried in butter and filled to order. Our favourite: banana with coconut, or banana with condensed milk and chocolate if you are not counting.

8. Local markets for the adventurous

The local fairs and markets that move around the island are where you find the more unusual snacks: fried insects, mystery sweets and skewers of things you can't identify. They are aimed at locals, not tourists, so prices are low. Dasza's safe choice: tofu skewers with sweet chilli sauce.

9. 7-Eleven snacks

Don't laugh. Thai 7-Elevens are a snack adventure: seaweed crisps, toasted sandwiches, honeydew milk, jelly drinks and dozens of things you won't find at home. They are perfect for a quick breakfast or a cold drink on a hot ride.

10. Dinner on the beach at Silver Beach

For one special evening, have dinner at one of the small beach restaurants on Silver Beach (Crystal Bay). The food is simple Thai: pad thai, green curry and our favourite, tom kha, a mild coconut soup with galangal and lemongrass. You come for the setting: a quiet lagoon, palm trees and the sea right in front of you.

Tips for eating in Koh Samui

• Spice level: Thai food can be very hot. Ask for mai phet (not spicy) or phet nit noi (a little spicy).
• Condiments: most tables have four little pots: chilli flakes, fish sauce with chillies, vinegar with chillies and sugar. Use them to season your noodles.
• Street-food hygiene: choose busy stalls where food is cooked fresh in front of you. We never had any stomach problems.
• Water: don't drink tap water; refill stations and bottled water are everywhere.
• Prices: street food dishes cost about 50–100 THB; restaurant mains in tourist areas are usually 150–350 THB.

Planning your trip? See our best things to do in Koh Samui and where to stay in Koh Samui.

---

Sources checked: Accor – Koh Samui night markets, Home is where your bag is – Koh Samui.