Chaloklum

Must-order spinach cannelloni, fresh pasta and lasagne by the water

Two names, one kitchen: Cafe Della Moca is also Cucina Italiana — it sits right on the water, and the fresh pasta shows in every dish. Order the spinach cannelloni under béchamel, tomato and parmesan; the lasagne also holds up as a delivery. On market days there's life all around it.

ℹ Closed Wednesdays

Vegan in Chaloklum: noodle soup, mushroom shawarma and plenty of gluten-free plates

The vibe is vegan, but people who are nowhere near vegan often walk out having eaten one of the best meals they've had — even if it doesn't win everyone over. The vegetable pie arrives with mashed potatoes, peas and a vegetarian gravy, and raw desserts close things out. With kids it works nicely: a tofu-ball dish and a sandpit right there, just note that it opens at one in the afternoon.

⚠ Opinions are divided

Smoked meats and smash burgers, with chips that have a reputation of their own

The local branch is working again after a refit, with the same smoked line-up: a ribs and brisket platter in barbecue sauce, a smash burger and unusually good chips. And if not a burger — the buffalo chicken sandwich is the first candidate.

ℹ Beyond the smoked meats and burgers the cooking is less consistent

A café on the water in Chaloklum — breakfast, Mediterranean sandwiches, deli

The tables sit at the water's edge, and the coffee — black, with cardamom — tastes especially right there. The pumpkin toast is the dish to come back for, and the deli counter is there for cured meats and cheese. Watch the clock: closing is around 7:30pm, so this is a morning and afternoon place.

⚠ Fans only and it gets hot; opinion is divided

Unfussy Italian with nothing to prove — lasagne, gnocchi, aubergine parmigiana

Book a table ahead and you get a homely Italian evening: seating like someone's back garden, an owner who brings the Italian warmth with her, and aubergine parmigiana that tastes like a grandmother's cooking. Fill in with gnocchi, lasagne and tiramisu. Closed Mondays, and the cooking isn't always consistent.

⚠ Closed Mondays; it divides opinion

Black coffee with cardamom and home-style plates — the carrot salad steals the show

A small corner facing the market pier, with black coffee spiced with cardamom and clove — ask for it in a glass and without sugar. Breakfast is served until noon, and at midday it shifts to a plate of chicken meatballs with carrot salad, pickled cabbage and beetroot. The inside section by the bar is air-conditioned.

Coffee at the island's top end — espresso, cappuccino and beans to take home

The espresso here leans sour-bitter, a profile that recalls rum-raisin ice cream — just the thing if you want a break from the familiar taste. Around it sit a sharp selection of pastries and a pad krapow that quietly stakes a claim to the island's crown. And if matcha is a daily habit, there's a lovely version here at a friendly price.

Salmon burger and beef burger, with a vegetarian option

A burger without crossing the island: the salmon burger is the order this place is known for, the beef holds up too, and vegetarians get a patty of their own plus chilli cheese nuggets. It works for delivery as well — only the standard varies from visit to visit.

⚠ Opinions are divided

Excellent sushi and tiramisu, at a big resort restaurant on the water up north

The menu is built for a whole evening: sushi to open, goose breast salad or pizza to follow, tiramisu at the end. Order the wine by the bottle rather than by the glass, and in the mornings a separate restaurant on the grounds called Moon serves with a view of the sea.

ℹ At large tables the dishes don't always arrive together

Chaloklum's burekas — with hard-boiled eggs, sumac salad and black coffee

Open from eight in the morning, and good for coffee again after five in the afternoon. The burekas are made from scratch on site and come as a set with hard-boiled eggs and a sumac-dressed salad; alongside them, cauliflower with tahini, black coffee and shots of ginger and lime. Just check ahead that it's open — the hours aren't always predictable.

ℹ Opening hours aren't always fixed

Macarons, lemon tart and pastries — a dedicated dessert address in Chaloklum

A shop that is all sweets — macarons, tarts and cakes in a small space built mainly for takeaway, even if there are a few seats. The lemon tart is excellent, and anyone who actually wants bread will find a good baguette, a surprise among all the colours.

ℹ Small space — mostly for takeaway

A home kitchen doing Thai in Chaloklum, with schnitzel fingers fried in butter

Home-style Thai cooking where nothing is started until you order — hence the unhurried pace of service. Beyond the schnitzel, the Thai dishes themselves are excellent, and they hold up on a delivery to the other side of the island.

ℹ The wait for food is long

Sea bass fried with garlic and pepper, out on the Chaloklum pier

The tables stand on the pier itself, out over the water, and the right time to come is midday, when the light and the colours of the sea are at their peak. On the plate: sea bass fried with garlic and pepper — a simple dish that feels right when there's nothing but sea around it.

Local Thai right by Lotus — khao soi and massaman at local prices

It sits right beside Lotus, so it's easy to find even without remembering the name. The menu is Isaan and cheap, the massaman is good, and the pace is unapologetically slow — come when you have time, not when you're in a hurry.

⚠ Bring patience — the food comes out slowly, and it divides opinion

Serious cocktails and a snooker table, well back from the beach

By day an easy café, by evening a stop for a serious drink or a beer in good company, with Korean short ribs for anyone who turns up hungry at midday. The snooker table gives you a reason to stay a while longer.

Fried chicken and gyoza from a small stall, fast-food chain style

Several stalls of the same chain are scattered around the island, and they're the closest answer here for anyone missing KFC. It's chicken only, no pork, and beyond the fried there's rotisserie-style grilled chicken — which runs out fast. Skip the stall opposite immigration and aim for the branches in Ban Tai or Chaloklum.

ℹ Hygiene is doubtful at the stall opposite immigration

Fish on the Chaloklum pier — barracuda, sea bass and a view hard to beat

Order fish here and don't get clever: barracuda, or fried sea bass steeped in garlic and pepper, with fried calamari to open. A family runs the place and it shows in the welcome. Skip the tom yum — that's not what you came for.

ℹ The fish are the strength — the tom yum less so

Good Indian food in Chaloklum, in a restaurant inside the local market

Indian food, and genuinely good — the restaurant sits in the market area and slots easily into a wander through the village, especially when you want a break from Thai food.