Most restaurants on Phuket serve a variety of cuisines, including Thai and international foods. Most guesthouse and resorts have restaurants that serve both, while in the more popular beaches, such as Patong, there are restaurants specializing in various international cuisines, such as Italian and German. Beachside, seafood barbeque restaurants are also common, as dining on fresh seafood is certainly a Phuket attraction. Thanks to the diversity of visitors to Phuket and the variety of restaurants established to cater to them, tourists are hardly starved for choice when dining on Phuket. Even vegetarians are in for a treat as Phuket’s local residents celebrate a vegetarian festival each year (around September/October).

Dining out in Phuket can be an experience in itself. From top class restaurants such as Ka Jok See in Phuket Town, to local hawker stalls that can be found on almost every street on the island, Phuket has something for every taste.

If you’re a fan of fresh seafood, you’ll be in heaven! Many restaurants have live seafood tanks where you can choose among live crabs, lobsters and fish, at a fraction of the price you’d pay at home!

If you have never tasted Thai Cuisine before, it owes much of its appeal to exotic spices, and herbs from China, India, Java and Portugal. The final art of the country's cuisine comes from the skill and ingenuity of cooks.

And nothing tastes better with Thai food than an ice cold beer. If you are feeling parched in Phuket, quench your thirst with a frosty cold Beerlao, recently named by Time Magazine as the ‘Best Beer in Asia’. Once one of the region’s best kept secrets, this tasty brew is fast on its way to becoming the world’s next trendy boutique beer after this recent story in Wall Street Journal Asia . It is already Phuket’s beer of choice at a growing number of bars and retail outlets. Plus they offer free delivery for a two case minimum order to several key locations around Phuket.

Although some Thai dishes are quite spicy, many are mild. If you don't want spicy food, it's a good idea to learn the words "My pet" meaning, “Not spicy”.

Some Thai restaurants such as the Old Siam restaurants at the Thavorn resorts in Karon and Kamala offer dinner with classical Thai dance performances. 

Mediterranean and Thai specialties combined with stunning views can be found at The Mangosteen Resort in Rawai. They also have live music every Friday night and a sumptuous Sunday brunch. Tel: 076 289 399.

Phuket’s large Italian community produces some of the best authentic Italian cuisine outside Italy. Capannina in Kata is a popular favourite. Tel: 076 284 318.

Japanese food is available at Zen outlets in Patong and Central shopping mall, Fuji, also in Central mall, and Otowa in Patong, among others.

In addition to international cuisine, fast food chains are popping up in tourist areas. McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Starbucks can be found in the tourist areas such as Patong, Phuket Town, and Central shopping mall.

If you want to impress your friends back home, enroll in a Thai cooking class. Available at many hotels and schools throughout the island, some courses come with an instructional video for you to take home.