10 Best Local Restaurants in Pattaya

The Thepprasit Night Market serves a variety of delicious Thai street food. Known as Pattaya´s largest night market, it features wide alleys so you won't feel crowded while browsing its many stalls. Take in the delicious scents and colours of local dishes displayed in big silver pans.  

Local favourites include roasted duck with rice, chicken satay, curries and noodle soups. You can also try BBQ seafood like squid, prawns, and crab – there’s even jellyfish on a stick. Save some room for a sweet treat like coconut ice cream.

The Glass House is known for its chilled atmosphere, gorgeous ocean views, and signature fresh seafood. You can choose to sit inside or head outside, where you can dine under pretty striped umbrellas and canopy trees. Relax to the sound of soft jazz, enjoy the breeze, and take in the sunset over a delicious Thai meal.

Seafood is prepared the Thai way at The Glass House. Must-tries include fish cakes, seafood fried rice, shrimp spring rolls, or salmon salad with spicy lime dressing. Bamboo shoots and tom kha gai (coconut soup) are also available.

Mum Aroi is one of the largest restaurants in Pattaya. It has a beachfront dining hall that gets a nice sea breeze throughout the day. The atmosphere is equally as enjoyable, with pretty lighting, live music and ice-cold beers.

Mum Aroi prepares a variety of Thai-style seafood dishes, like steamed mussels, scallops and squid with flavourful herbs, garlic and spicy sauces. Try the fried horse crab served in a sweet curry sauce or sea bass barbequed in garlic and peppers. You can ask the friendly staff who will happily adjust the spice levels to suit your preference.

Locals flock to the Bua Khao Night Market for its variety of street food and fun atmosphere. Take in the appetising sights of pork satay, chicken feet, and wieners on sticks, along with delicious scents of barbequed meats.

The Bua Khao Night Market is a great place to try local cuisine in Pattaya. A must-try is pad Thai, a stir-fried rice noodle dish with shrimp, peanuts, egg and sprouts. If you’re feeling courageous, you can try fried insects, which pair very well with a nice cold beer.

The Pattaya Park Night Market is a busy covered shopping venue with a variety of stalls selling Thai food. It’s modern, clean and brightly lit and the booths have colourful signage. Your eyes won't know where to rest as you take in the platters of local dishes and cups of fresh fruits and smoothies displayed on tiered counters. The welcoming vendors add to the relaxed vibe with their friendly banter.

Enjoy a pleasant evening out at this market sampling local favourites and browsing souvenir stalls. Seafood and ribs are cooked on charcoal grills and served with spicy sauces. Work up some courage and try fried insects before washing them down with a cold draft beer.

Suttangrak Pattaya is a longstanding restaurant where locals enjoy their favourite dishes in a beautiful setting. At night, this seaside restaurant is lively yet romantic, with live music and gorgeous sunset views.

The extensive menu includes a variety of fresh seafood, like pepper soft shell crab, oyster omelette, and stir-fried prawn with chilli garlic. You can also enjoy fried squid with salted egg curry, deep-fried grouper with sweet-sour sauce, and king lobster baked in spicy cheese sauce. After eating, you can stay for the evening to enjoy cool drinks, good music, and the ocean breeze.

Lung Sawai Seafood is a beachside restaurant specialising in Thai-style seafood. The wooden open-air seating, greenery, and beautiful ocean views will give you a homey feeling. Parking is available around the corner, but most tourists arrive at this venue via songthaew, a pick-up truck converted to an open-air bus.

Must-tries at Lung Sawai Seafood are fried garlic crayfish and spicy horseshoe crab egg salad. The restaurant makes its own seafood sauce, which is deliciously tangy and spicy. Finish off your meal with mango sticky rice, a classic Thai dessert.

Flying Vegetable Restaurant is a roadside family eatery serving Thai dishes with Chinese influences. Here, big platters of vegetable dishes are on display, while whole chickens and ducks hang in a warming case. The restaurant occasionally lives up to its name, when the vegetables being cooked in the heated wok catch fire and get tossed onto the street.

The extensive menu comes with pictures, making it easy for tourists to order. Go for a Thai classic like som tam, a green papaya salad with beans, brined crab, plum and lime. If you're feeling brave, try something new like fish stomach soup or pickled pig intestines.

Nai Poom Tom-Yum Pork Noodle opens 24/7, so you can stop by for a quick snack or stay for a late-night dinner. It exudes a clean and fresh vibe, with wooden pallet-style tables, matching benches and walls lined with shelves of bottled spices.

Here, you can try the local favourite tom yum, a hot and sour noodle soup with shrimp, prawns and crab, or moo krob (crispy deep-fried pork belly) with spicy lime dipping sauce. If you’re dining with friends, it’s a good idea to order small dishes for sharing so that you can sample a variety of Thai flavours.

Jae Tho Beef Noodles is a mini food court with several stalls serving classic local dishes. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual, with a semi-covered dining section hosting plenty of communal tables and benches.

Try its signature stewed beef noodle soup, which is made with dark herbal beef broth and chewy rice noodles. You can also order a customised noodle dish, which lets you choose from different meats, toppings, and of course, spice levels. From the other stalls, you can get sides like som tam (green papaya salad) and sweets like ruam mit, a chilled dessert made from coconut milk, tapioca, corn, sweet potatoes, beans, jackfruit, and lotus root.