The Best Restaurants in Koh Lanta
Updated: Oct 29
In this travel guide, we will tell you about all of the best restaurants in Koh Lanta! Now don't get me wrong, there are THOUSANDS of places to eat on Koh Lanta; too many for me to have sampled all of them in my 3 months on the island. But I did get through a fair few, and these are the ones that stood out to me as not-to-be-missed eateries whilst on Lanta.
Let's be fair, most of the food is good on Koh Lanta, including the little hole-in-the-wall places and the no-name street stalls and food markets... even 711 has some tasty stuff!
This list of the best restaurants in Koh Lanta are all of the places that gave me magical food experiences, and that I went back to several times as they are just.so.good.
While you're here, you should check out my other Koh Lanta travel guides:
The 7 Best Restaurants in Koh Lanta
in no particular order!
YAWEE
Yawee is a cheap little restaurant near to Lanta Animal Welfare (where I volunteered) so we found ourselves returning here again and again. Their reputation is so stellar that there is almost always a queue out of the door, and as a testament to the quality of this food, being a Muslim establishment they do not serve alcohol, and people STILL can't get enough.
Yawee serves Thai food and prices start from 50 baht – my favourite dish was the 'shrimp omelette & rice'. Do not let these simplified names fool you, the flavours are magic and all of the dishes are made so well. (Yawee does not serve pork and closes for the month of Ramadan.)
GINA'S
I'll be honest, the exterior of Gina's, located on the main road behind Long Beach, is not that eye-catching – it just looks like every other restaurant on that road. We stumbled in by chance, couldn't believe our taste buds, and kept coming back for more.
Gina's curries are out of this world, we tried almost all of them, with the Massaman being particularly dreamy. You can tell they put a lot of love and time into the sauces, and the difference in quality between nearby restaurants is obvious. The portions are really generous, so you can buy one curry for around 180 baht and share it between 2 people.
ALEENA MINIMART
Aleena Minimart is my favourite restaurant on Koh Lanta, even though it is not technically a restaurant and it does not serve Thai food! Is that sacrilege?
It is a small mini-mart tucked down a lane near Pangea Bar, and out front, there is a sandwich stall which sells the best bagels I have ever had. I am telling you, Aleena Minimart would rival any specialist bagel shop in London! I normally always get the bacon, cream cheese, avocado and jalapeno bagel which is 190 baht and a generous serving. So delicious!
YANG
Yang is for those looking for a very special treat and the prices reflect that. This is a creative restaurant that specialises in steak and is the closest thing Koh Lanta sees to fine dining. The food is cooked brilliantly, the wine list is very impressive, and a meal with a bottle of wine for 2 will set you back around £100. (Reservations are necessary.)
JOE'S TEXAS BBQ
Joe's Texas BBQ only opened this year and again they are on the pricier side of things, so we visited there only once for a special treat. We met Joe himself from Texas and he is very passionate about his slow-cooked meats – which really shows.
A dish is about 500 baht per person, we actually had a sharing board – where the ribs melted away from the bones and the brisket was phenomenal. Joe's Texas BBQ is exactly what it says on the tin and I would even say it is the best slow-cooked meat I have ever had (I have been working in hospitality for 15 years so that is saying something).
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KINBURGER
I don't know about you but I love burgers. When travelling Asia I am more often than not super disappointed with them, so I gave up ordering them in these parts a long time ago. Bland patties, way too sloppy with sauce, sweet, limp bread – it was always the same regret. But then someone told me about Kinburger, of which there are two restaurants on Lanta, one at Long Beach and one at Klong Dao.
These burgers are soooo great, the brioche bun is on point, with a perfect ratio of sauce and cheese, and an absolute bargain too. A cheeseburger and fries is 135 baht and they deliver for free! All you need to do is send them a message on Facebook Messenger and your burger will arrive at your door in like 15 minutes. We indulged in Kinburger multiple times and the standard was always great. This restaurant is another wicked addition to Koh Lanta this year.
MAMA DANG
Mama Dang is another like Gina's, where the menu will feel very familiar, full of Thai classics, but they just pull them off really really well. Like Yawee, Mama Dang often has queues outside during high season so it's best to get there early evening to avoid being turned away.
I always have the Khao Soi curry with the crunchy noodles – so good – and their white wine is my favourite wine I have tried on the island (often it is off or a bit sweet). Mama Dang delivers every time, with every dish.
Many of the best places to eat on Koh Lanta are on the main road, as opposed to on the beachfront. So be sure to grab a sundowner and enjoy the sunset first, before heading to these amazing restaurants on Koh Lanta.
For more Koh Lanta info check out my articles:
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