Thong Sala

A chef's tasting menu, one seating a night, fixed price, dishes that surprise

A whole evening rather than just a meal — a Tel Aviv chef's-restaurant standard transplanted to the island, exacting about every detail and priced to match. Among the plates that stay with you: a reinterpretation of brik with potato, egg, curry and caviar, where pouring the sauce over it pulls the whole thing together. This is the address for occasions — a birthday, an anniversary, a farewell dinner before you leave the island; just know it's closed on Fridays.

ℹ booking ahead is essential

Thin-crust pizza, ice cream made on site, and a feta salad that's an institution

Start with the feta salad — which turns out to be shredded pasta rather than cheese, and all it's missing is a little salt. Move on to the pizza, which also comes gluten-free, and finish with coconut ice cream in a cone made on site and served still warm.

ℹ Several places on the island go by a similar name; gluten-free pizzas available

Vegan cafe in Thong Sala — the Ananda sandwich, salads and good coffee

Make the first visit a morning one: the Ananda sandwich on sourdough with aubergine, chutney and vegan feta, or the spinach and cheese toastie, with a watermelon salad on the side. The menu is mostly vegan, every dish comes with a fresh Israeli salad, and the room is an easy place to sit.

Slow-cooked pulled beef burritos and fish tacos, upstairs above the market

Tucked away on the second floor above Pantip market: slow-cooked pulled beef burritos, fish tacos and vegetarian quesadillas, with cocktails and tequila alongside. Open until midnight — a real answer to late-evening hunger.

ℹ On the second floor above the market — the entrance is easy to miss

Curried fish bun and ceviche — the fish kitchen of Thong Sala market

Start with the curried fish bun — a bite that folds together sweet, sour, hot and salty — then carry on to ceviche made from whatever came in that day, or the seafood pan in butter and tomato. The place has already moved into a large air-conditioned space, and there are vegan options too.

Bulgur salad, lentil soup, mash and meatballs — brunch in Thong Sala

European home-style brunch: the bulgur salad is the signature, and the eggplant bruschetta sits well beside it — or with the lentil and tomato soup. At lunch there's mash with chicken meatballs and dill, and for dessert a yeasted bun filled with cinnamon cream, or the lemon tart.

⚠ the salad and the coffee are hit and miss

The wholegrain rye is the reason to come — plus pretzels, baguettes and challah

The northern-European wholegrain rye is the main reason to come, and beside it pretzels, cheese sticks and baguettes that come out warm around 11:00. Challah is ordered a day ahead, and keep in mind it is closed at the weekend — and sometimes for a whole stretch of the low season.

⚠ Closes for a stretch in low season; the challah divides opinion

Breakfast by the water — eggs Benedict, oat pancakes and crêpes

Breakfast starts here at eight, with eggs Benedict, crêpes and oat pancakes. Later in the day it moves on to schnitzel strips or a salad with chicken, and there's a comforting soup for anyone who's caught a cold. Worth remembering that the kitchen is closed on Wednesdays.

ℹ Closed Wednesdays

Among the island's best sushi — plus ramen, miso soup and Japanese cocktails

Some of the island's best sushi sits right next to Francesca, and anyone staying in orders delivery. Alongside the platters there's ramen and tuna poke — and if you're heading to Haad Yao anyway, that's the better of the two branches.

ℹ on the pricey side, and the Haad Yao branch is the better one

The green salad — avocado, fennel and nut dressing, among the island's best

The green salad is the reason to step in — avocado, fennel, soy and a nut dressing, in a make-up that shifts with whatever is in the kitchen — and around it good omelettes in the morning and fish with dill at lunch. The quiet and the air conditioning make it a pleasant refuge in the hot hours.

ℹ The green salad changes name and make-up with whatever is in the kitchen

Italian pizza and pasta, plus a whole tiramisu cake to order

The tiramisu can be ordered ahead as a whole, giant cake — not just as a dessert at the end of the meal. Beyond the pizza and pasta, the aubergine fritters and the prawns in butter are worth knowing, and the place is open at lunchtime too, walking distance from Phantip.

Serious croissants, a giant sourdough loaf and a lemon tart

Right beside the food court, just past the 7-Eleven — stop for a chocolate croissant or the one filled with cream and chocolate, and the lemon tart closes off the sweet end. In the morning you can also sit down to a full meal, and the coffee lives up to expectations.

⚠ The pastries aren't at the same level at both branches

Frozen yogurt with a spread of toppings, coconut ice cream and a cake fridge

After years in Ban Tai, they now operate from a new address here. The yogurt with toppings is still the main event, alongside coconut ice cream and a cake fridge where the New York cheesecake is the safe pick; for the sensitive there's a non-dairy coconut base and a sugar-free version.

ℹ Has moved location — worth confirming the address in advance

Build-your-own breakfast, Turkish eggs and bagels — plus AC and a work corner

You assemble breakfast exactly how you want it — that's this place's whole thing — and the bagel alone justifies a stop. At midday it's an air-conditioned station for a proper meal or a sitting with a laptop, and there's tomato soup when you want something that isn't Thai.

The island's ice cream parlour, vegan flavours and sorbet, next to Yang Sun

An ice cream parlour with a lovely owner, more likeable than it is impressive — but for ice cream with kids it does the job. Among the flavours hides a cold, refreshing take on mango sticky rice, and there's good chocolate milk in a small cup too. Open until six and closed Wednesdays, so plan an afternoon stop rather than a late dessert.

⚠ Closes early; opinion is divided

Bagels and breads in Thong Sala, plus roast beef with horseradish spread

Bagels and deli sandwiches are the reason to hunt down this corner, right beside Indigo on the inner lane: roast beef, Philadelphia and the horseradish spread that makes the difference, plus burger buns worth taking home. Fresh tortillas — by advance order over the phone.

ℹ Tortillas by advance order

Melanzane parmigiana and aubergine lasagne, plus pizza that delivers

No airs and no fuss — a neighbourhood Italian that easily becomes the default order-in. Sit down and you find a room that fills with Italians, the owners among them, and a mushroom-cream gnocchi worth marking alongside the familiar names. An easy call for dinner with fussy kids, even if not every visit lands at the same level.

⚠ Opinions are divided

The most indulgent sandwiches on the island, plus a lemon cookie in its own league

Mac and cheese that is pure sin, a good ribeye sandwich and plenty of other ways to ruin your day for yourself — the menu doesn't pretend to be healthy, and that's part of the charm. You close the visit with a cookie, and if you can't decide, start with the lemon.

ℹ Closed on Mondays

Chickpea hummus and masabacha in Thong Sala, with green falafel alongside

A few steps from Macy House, and worth confirming it's open before you set out — the listed hours have not always matched the door. On the plate: hummus with whole chickpeas, or masabacha that is really a mallow stew, green falafel, and pitas best asked for hot.

ℹ The pitas aren't classic, and the price per plate is high

Duck noodle soup and tom yum noodles — a local spot, cheap and very good

Next door to a garage and running on breakfast-place hours: it shuts at five, and plenty of dishes are gone by three, so earlier is better. The duck soup comes in several sizes, on a dark, deep broth that's the real reason to come. Closed Fridays, and for anyone who can't be bothered — they're on the delivery app under the name uncle teum.

ℹ closes in the afternoon and dishes run out early

Burmese cooking only, in a family restaurant — the Burmese salad is the star

Every corner here has had something invested in it — down to a small stream built inside the room — and the owners are warm and attentive, with good English. Do not miss the sweet potato noodles: a Burmese-style bowl with a smoky flavour you do not run into every day. The menu is short, a handful of dishes only, so come for a focused stop — and check in advance that it is open.

ℹ Small portions for the price; the opening hours on Google are unreliable

A family café with simple food, good coffee and a cinnamon roll

It takes a little time to warm to this one — give it another chance and the improvement is obvious. Across the way there's a strip of beach with a few bits of play equipment, which makes the stop easy with children, and at the counter you'll find natural peanut butter of their own making. In the afternoon it's the right place for a working coffee, with the cheesecake alongside.

⚠ Opinions are divided

Thong Sala's schnitzel and chips — one plate feeds two kids

Schnitzel and chips like home cooking, in big portions — one covers two kids or one adult. The right move is to eat it here, hot out of the pan; don't build your evening on the delivery version.

The moussaka carries the place — a Greek taverna with ouzo and grilled fish

Beyond the moussaka it is known for there is grilled fish, souvlaki and roasted aubergine, with ouzo alongside good cocktails. Before setting out, take a look at Google — the opening status is updated there day by day, and Wednesdays are closed as a rule — and if the moussaka is the whole reason for the trip, ask whether any is left.

ℹ Closed Wednesdays, and worth checking it is open before you go

Properly French pastry, plus cakes and tarts ordered ahead

Ordering ahead is the game: the strawberry-heavy cream tart and the lemon tart — family size for a birthday — get arranged in advance and collected right next to the German bakery, just before Makro. Walk in without a plan and there is still ice cream and pastry on the spot.

ℹ Whole cakes need ordering in advance

Focaccia-style pizza straight from the oven, and a pistachio cinnamon bun

The pizzas come out of the oven from nine in the morning, and freshness is the whole story — crunchy, with toppings that recall Tony Vespa. On Saturdays, when the market around it wakes up, the place takes on the character of a wine bar; and for something sweet, a cinnamon bun with pistachio cream.

ℹ Best when the baking comes out fresh from the oven

Veteran Japanese kitchen under Japanese ownership — the curry udon is the dish

The curry udon is the reason to come, and the soups around it turn the place into an obvious refuge on a rainy day — the seating is entirely covered. A Japanese couple has run the kitchen for 15 years, right next to Japan Cafe and within walking distance of Pantip; the room is small, lovely for couples and less so for groups.

ℹ Small place, not suited to large groups

The island's best shawarma, with chips cut from real potatoes

The food court stall is the fast route to the island's best shawarma; for a full sit-down meal there is the restaurant in Haad Rin. Do not miss the chips, cut from real potatoes, and anyone after a different direction will find beetroot kubbeh and a vegan shawarma too.

Burgers in Thong Sala, delivery included — the fries are not the point

Delivery is the main draw here — a burger that turns up at the door on an evening when going out holds no appeal, and one that sits lightly afterwards.

⚠ Opinions are divided

Smash burgers in Thong Sala — the French one, with truffle mayo

The joke in the name is part of the experience, but the burgers are entirely serious — smash-style, rich and messy. Once you're done with the French one, move on to the Mexican, an indulgence in its own right. The heavy hand with sauce is a matter of taste, and the prices aren't among the cheapest — anyone who likes a minimalist burger will feel less at home.

⚠ Opinions are divided over how much sauce lands on it

Japanese-owned Japanese in Thong Sala — tantanmen, veggie ramen and curry

Two separate restaurants sharing a wall, both Japanese-owned — The Zen on the right and Japan Cafe on the left, and it's hard to go wrong with either. At The Zen the order is curry udon, and the vegetarian ramen can be had with soba noodles — a small upgrade in protein. An especially easy corner for vegetarians.

ℹ Closed for a break between the afternoon and the evening

Ramen in a range of styles in Thong Sala, black garlic and pumpkin included

Ramen in all its shades is the point — an unusually broad menu that invites a few different bowls around the table. The execution shifts from evening to evening, so it's worth turning up open-minded rather than locked into expectations.

⚠ Opinions are divided

A new bakery in Thong Sala, with a spread of pastries and americano

Very young on the local scene, but the shelves are already loaded and the staff are among the friendliest you will meet. An amusing bit of neighbouring: a vegan, gluten-free deli has opened right next door, so anyone steering clear of flour is covered too. Easy to stop at on the way past — in for a minute, out with a bag.

Georgian khachapuri and khinkali, at a place that opens only after midday

Khachapuri and khinkali are the whole story — a heavy Georgian evening of stuffed dough and carbs. Watch the hours: it opens only at four in the afternoon, which makes it a dinner destination and nothing else. And it is uneven — excellent nights sit alongside lukewarm ones.

⚠ Uneven from visit to visit; opens only at 16:00

A Thai workers' canteen — chicken noodle soup and pad thai, with a local crowd

A workers' canteen where most of the diners are Thai, at the roadside by the police station, right next to Pantip. The chicken noodle soup is the winning order and the pad thai is right behind it, and it's all daytime only — open from eight in the morning until three or four in the afternoon.

ℹ Daytime hours only

Grilled chicken and basil prawns, and a chicken soup for a cool day

Grilled chicken is the main card here, with the basil stir-fried prawns right beside it; on a cool day a perfect chicken soup joins them.

A quiet Thong Sala spot with avocado toast and egg, bowls and seared tuna

Never crowded, and that's part of the charm: fair prices, a calm room, and owners who make a point of putting something extra on every plate, even the most classic ones. The food takes its time coming out of the kitchen, so arrive without pressure — a slow breakfast, or lunch with no clock on it.

⚠ Opinions on the pancakes are divided

A Bangkok-style cocktail bar beside HOB Cafe — precise bartending

Opened next to HOB Cafe and brings the style of a Bangkok bar: a back bar with bottles and ingredients you hardly see on the island, and a bartender who treats a cocktail as a craft. The design will not impress you — what is in the glass will.

A café for getting work done — comfortable table, good coffee, pumpkin cookie

An open, easy-going space of the kind you sink into for a few hours — the seating is out in the open air, with a pleasant through-breeze instead of air conditioning. Beyond the coffee the food is good too, and the staff are friendly in the way that makes you want to come back. Best caught in the hours when the heat is still bearable.

ℹ No air conditioning

Korean barbecue you grill yourself, next to Panthip market

Self-grilling on a grill built into the table — a format that isn't a given on the island, and when the craving for Korean comes this is the address. There's beef for anyone who comes for it, and the search is short: next to Panthip market, by the Chinese pharmacist.