✈️ Off the island

Organic meat, bone broths and steaks, delivered from Bangkok

The answer for things the island simply does not carry — tallow, decent miso paste, marrow bones for stock at home, and good meat priced to match. You order through the app and it all arrives frozen from Bangkok, usually within four days, so plan ahead rather than counting on it for tonight. Passion Delivery is the more butcher-minded sibling, and with them you can talk things through before you order.

ℹ Order through the app; delivery from Bangkok takes a few days

The restaurant worth the trip to Samui — a chef's kitchen with a personal touch

Small and intimate, one of the standouts on Samui, and priced sensibly for what it delivers. The chef comes out to the tables himself, going dish by dish to explain what is in each one and who it suits. The room is crowded with ornaments that are not for touching — better saved for a dinner for two than a meal with kids.

ℹ Tight on space and not really for kids

Where to eat on Koh Samui — from authentic Thai to Italian and market stalls

When you hop across to Samui there are a few anchors: Gusto for Italian, The Shack for meat and scallops, and Cafe 69 — Thai fusion around Fisherman's Village. Not everything lands there: The Door, for one, is expensive and touristy. And if you're in the area on a Monday, the Fisherman's Village market comes alive around four or five — look for the fresh pasta stall.

⚠ Some of the places on this list are uneven

A steakhouse in Samui's Fisherman's Village — meat, and it books up in advance

In Fisherman's Village, this is the restaurant you plan the evening around — the meat justifies it, but only if you've booked. Tables go hours in advance, and for anything bigger than a couple, a reservation isn't optional. Looking for wagyu? Worth a phone call to check — you may well find it.

ℹ Reservation essential

Israeli cooking in Chaweng on Koh Samui — a branch of the original chain

A moment of home in the middle of Samui: Israeli food done properly, genuinely good, with lovely hospitality. If you are spending time in Chaweng, plan a dinner around it.

A restaurant in Koh Samui's Fisherman's Village, with a notable iceberg salad

If a day or a night on Samui comes your way, this is a safe stop for a meal on the neighbouring island. The dish to note is, of all things, the plain iceberg salad. Not a reason to make the crossing specially, but a pleasant addition if you're already wandering Fisherman's Village.

Good Italian on Koh Tao — spinach and sage ravioli, gorgonzola gnocchi

An Italian stop for anyone hopping over to Koh Tao — not on Phangan, but close enough to earn a place on the list. The ravioli is the pick: a spinach filling with a touch of sage, a combination that tells you the kitchen thinks about detail. Save it for a visit to the neighbouring island.

An Israeli joint on Samui — baguettes, sabich and fried cauliflower

Samui's Israeli stop — about five minutes from the pier, between Bang Rak and Fisherman's Village, with a chef who has passed through a good number of kitchens back home. Don't miss the fish cigars — the dish that makes it worth planning a stop here — and know in advance: there's no falafel. The room is far more elegant than the word "joint" suggests, and it works nicely as a break on a ferry day.

ℹ On Koh Samui, in the Bang Rak area

A burger diner in Chiang Mai, for the days off the island

Worth keeping the name for the moment the trip carries on north: a diner whose whole point is the burger, and it's excellent. A focused stop for a Chiang Mai evening when you fancy something American instead of another curry.

A modern take on khao soi, for a stop in Chiang Mai

A Chiang Mai entry, not a Koh Phangan one — a name to keep for the day the trip heads north. You come here for khao soi in an updated version, and that is exactly what to order.

The khao soi address in Chiang Mai — a Michelin-recognised classic

This one is off the island, kept here for anyone carrying on north. You come for one thing — a bowl of khao soi made at a level that put the place on the Michelin map. If you are planning to eat your way through Chiang Mai, this is a stop to slot into the route in advance.