Though the sun doesn't set over the
gulf here, there's no shortage of good food or things to do once the sun
goes down. All of the large hotels have several restaurants and coffee shops
and many of the guesthouses provide more than just basic Thai meals and
sandwiches. Several of the large hotels have nightly buffets with Thai or
international themes and often dinner shows of Thai classical dancing. The
Salathai Restaurant, at the Mercure Hotel, across
from the Sofitel has a Classical Thailand buffet and show each Wednesday
evening.
To truly get a taste of what Hua Hin has to offer though, one should explore the restaurants of the city. Hua Hin is an extremely safe city, regardless of the time of day.
Update! Kai GaTa in Hua Hin
Hot Food Tip
Thai Spices
Thai Dishes
There are several large seafood
restaurants just south of the pier on Naresdamri Road, each offering beautiful
views of the boats coming and going from the dock. These restaurants include
the Meekaruna, the
Chaolay, the Saeng Thai
and the Cholern Pochana. Their menus are quite
extensive and offer Thai delights unavailable in the local Thai restaurant
in your home city. Remember though, the treats here are probably a bit more
spicy than the bland fare your local take-away offers. The key Thai phrase
to remember for the faint of taste bud is My Phet--not too spicy!
The best seafood in the area, to my mind, is not in Hua Hin but in nearby Cha Am. The Pak Klong is not known for its ambiance or view but often has a queue out into the street for it's widely known for its delicious offerings and generous servings. The Pak Klong is at the northern end of the Cha Am beach, just past where the road veers inland. It's a bit out of the way but all the locals know it so just ask if you think you've lost your way. It's well worth the drive and an ideal place to take a new found Thai friend who can help you explore their varied menu. Don't even think of visiting if you don't try their Yam Gaeson Hoi--if it's the first thing you order, they'll know who sent you! |
These restaurants are clustered on and around Petchkasem Road, between the night market and the Hua Hin temple. The menus are similar to those at the sea front places but the dishes tend to be a bit less spicy. The food is good however though the view might not be quite as romantic.
The Night
Market, on Dechanuchit Road, has everything from noodles, fried rice
and oyster omelettes to Dom Yom Gung (spicy lemon grass soup with
shrimp) and grilled horseshoe crab. Closed to traffic in the evening, this
street west of Petchkasem Rd comes alive with food stalls with folding
tables serving all types of food, sweets and cold drinks and many stalls
offering handicrafts, wood carvings, Thai CDs and tapes, and even magic tricks.
A great place to practice your bargaining skills between breaks for a cold
beer, snacks, and some serious people watching.
I wrote before that Pizza Hut has now joined the Swensens Ice Cream on Petchkasem Rd as the token fast food outlets in Hua Hin. Well, Bill and Tricon had a spat so Bill's Pizza Huts have now been rebranded as The Pizza Company. If you've eaten in one, you'll find the other most familiar. There is now a Baskin Robbins to give Swensens a run for their money but they've changed locations so many times I'm not sure where they are now but they are in Hua Hin. There are no KFCs in Hua Hin though there is one in Cha Am, 26km to the north and another in Pranburi, 26km to the south. Don't know what Tricon has againist Hua Hin. Also, I don't know what keeps MickeyD from opening here as there is no shortage of those who would like to open a franchise. Burger King (Hua Hin has been good to Bill) has now opened close to the post office so others shouldn't be far behind though as for now, fast food is still mostly available in Thai flavors only.
Most Thai restaurants and food stalls are more than willing to wrap up anything from noodles to fried or grilled chicken to banana fritters for a quick take-away and most folks here still drink pop out of a plastic bag handily wrapped with a rubber band--it's cheaper and you don't have to worry about what to do with the aluminum can.
Prices below do not reflect the recent devaluation of the Baht. While some prices might have gone up a bit in Baht terms, more often than not the dollar prices shown here are higher than what you will find.
Expats from many nations have settled in Hua Hin and the large number of
restaurants offering European dishes reflect the diversity of this group.
Billy and the same staff now offer food all day and drinks 'til late.
Some say the Billy's Bar's popularity is due to Billy's perverse sense of humor
but my bet is that Pee Pee, the
cook's 4-year-old son and unofficial greeter, is the true reason for the many return
guests. A free beer for anyone who can tell Billy how the gecko died
(limited to one customer each evening). As Billy has lost so much
paying out for the dead gecko, we have a new quiz: Tell Billy who spent
the most money at Burger King on their opening day and you get a free
Buffalo Wing.
Max the dog is one of the more well known denizens of Soi Bintabaht and makes frequent sojourns between Berny's Inn and street of sorrows looking for ladies. Should you lose your way, just grab Max and he'll take you to Bernies or Billy's. sites.
Satchmo's, at the Sofitel, is the up-scale hotel nightclub and disco in Hua Hin. featuring Philippine bands doing cover tunes.
J. Gene, on Bintabaht is another club (with lots of rock 'n' roll from their house band) but without the hotel sanitizing. For night owls, The Paradise Disco really gets going around 0300 when the local bars put up their shutters and doesn't close 'til dawn.
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