Patong Phuket Nightlife

Patong’s pulsating nightlife never fails to attract curious visitors every evening. Like a magnet, it’s hard to resist a wander down Soi Bangla – the heart of bar scene where girls, neon lights and deafening music compete for your attention. Over a hundred bars ranging from beer bars (girlie bars), Go-Go bars, nightclubs, pubs are condensed into the small action packed area fondly known as "Bangla" where the only priority is to have a good time.

VIP and Baya Beach attracting large crowds. There are quite a few interesting spots popping up on Rat-U-Thit, as well as long time favourites. 2 Black Sheep is a popular place for locals to go and watch the game, have some grub or just enjoy a beer without all the hassle and hubbub of Bangla.

Nightlife By Type
Patong Entertainment Options

Patong, once known as the sleazy, red light district of Phuket, has undergone a period of transformation in recent years. The area’s once notorious nightlife has been tamed somewhat to make it friendlier to women, couples and families and Patong now has something for everyone. That’s not to say that you can’t find some wild action anymore – you certainly can – but it does mean that a much wider variety of entertainment options exist to make your nights in Phuket as much fun as your days.

Patong Discos and Dance Clubs

Patong plays host to several nightclubs and discos where those so inclined can let their hair down and get their boogie on. While not featuring top DJs (indeed, most clubs play the exact same music every night, sometimes more than once a night) they do have heaving dance floors and a lot of energy. Most discos in Patong charge a 100 baht admission fee but rather than being a cover charge, this is actually a drink minimum since you get a voucher and most clubs charge 100 baht for almost all drinks.

Seduction Discotheque
Seduction Discotheque has raised the bar for disco’s in Patong. Located at the northern end of Soi Bangla, to find it you just have to look for the red carpet that leads to the door! Big name DJ’s from Bangkok and around the world play here on occasion, one of which is Judge Jules (UK).
A mixed Thai and tourist crowd packs the club most nights of the week to party to whatever’s hot with an R&B theme on the first floor and house/dance on the second, a vivacious atmosphere is virtually guaranteed. Swanky décor includes colour changing chandeliers which hang above the bars, on the second floor the circular DJ booth is raised up in the middle of the dancefloor which also has palm trees dotted around. Unusually for a disco the even the toilets are plush and clean!

Banana Disco
The oldest and one of the most popular discos in Patong still packs em’ in after 10 years! An outdoor bar area directly in front of the air-conditioned disco, usually has a live band until around 11pm, and makes an ideal venue to survey the talent before before getting up-close-and-personal inside.
Despite the crowds (especially around midnight) Banana rarely has any trouble, mainly due to good music, efficient bar staff and strict ID policy that keeps the very young out.
A cover charge (200 Baht which includes the first drink) ensures Patong’s working ladies remain at arms length – at least for most of the week. Mainly House music with some old favs depending on the crowd. Patong’s international crowd ensures you’ll never have the same experience twice. Located right on the Beach Road, close the entrance of Soi Bangla.

Safari Disco and Pub

Patong’s late night disco venue, Safari often stays open long after everywhere else has closed. Outside speakers mean you can dance indoors or outside where bar areas are set up among the rocks and greenery. Faux rocks surround a pond in a lovable kitsch jungle type atmosphere. As well as grooving to the sounds, you can also show off on the climbing wall outside, or listen to live bands in the air-conditioned inside.
Safari only gets going after midnight and heats up in the wee hours. Since most people have already had a few drinks, the mood here is almost always buoyant with good music that keeps just keeps it going. Safari seems to stay open later than the other discos. Free entry.
Located on the outskirts of town, on the road towards Karon, just south of Patong.

Tiger Disco and Bars
Enter the slightly surreal world of Tiger! Crouching tigers and a fantastic hooded cobra mark the entrance to this extravagant entertainment venue just off Soi Bangla. It’s like entering a set from the Flintstones!

Downstairs, the bars offering a platter of groovy music and pole dancers draw in a mixed international crowd looking for a party! Designed like a colourful and rather bizarre cave, outdoor bars like the Hot Rock Bar occupy the main ground level while the disco located an upper floor above the bars is usually packed most nights of the week. Hang around the bars and be entertained by the girls. Located Soi Bangla.

Baya Beach
One of Patong’s original hot spots, Baya Beach always seems to be celebrating a party of some sort! The entrance is often covered in balloons and the girls appeal to male egos by wearing outfits last seen on Barbie in the 90′s. Baya is a kind of legendary mini-disco and party place which you either love or hate.

VIP
Next door, VIP with its shiny chrome interior, still draws a Thai and international crowd of Patong party-goers with a mix of excellent music and a mini dance floor. Across the road, Rio seems to have broken out of the mould with salsa sounds – an excellent alternative to the pounding rock belted out by 90% of Patong’s bar owners, and comfy seats! All located at the junction of Rat-U-Thit Rd and Bangla Rd.

SOUND Phuket
Whether you like electronic music, hip-hop and R n’ B or House music, SOUND promises to deliver the ultimate indoor clubbing experience to all partygoers at a typically outdoor destination resort.
SOUND features a 19m long LED screen that interacts with music, state-of-the-art club lighting equipment and cutting-edge sound system. Everything is aimed at creating an out-of-body experience. Designed and conceived by the people who brought you Bed Supperclub, SOUND’s interior is a mix of science fiction and ultra-sleek production design based on the concept of the "human ear".
Located at the resort destination of Patong in Phuket, Thailand, SOUND aims to be a must visit club for any guests looking for fun, uniqueness and contemporary clubbing experience.

While Patong’s discos and dance clubs don’t compare in size or sophistication with their Ibiza counterparts, they do offer a groovy fun atmosphere. The fashion police are noticeably absent, which makes for a friendly and generally welcoming place to groove, so before you say " I don’t dance," check them out; but not before 11pm!

Go-Go Bars in Patong Beach

This is the reason why many people come to Patong in the first place – sexy young girls barely wearing bikinis swaying seductively to the music. Go-Go bars aren’t the raunchy circuses they used to be but they still provide plenty to look at. According to the law, there is no actual nudity anymore but these rules are often bent if not outright ingnored.

Drink prices tend to be higher in Go-Go bars but this is offset by the fact that many of the girls in them are free to come and go as they please, with no bar fine involved. Soi Seadragon has the most go-go bars in Patong, with Playschool, Showgirls, Lolita and The Heights. Next door is Rock Hard Café, above Club Rio, which has (some say) the sexiest dancers around. Dragon Club is also popular, but some think the music is a little on the loud side.

Phuket Beer Bars or (Bar Beers!)

The quintessential Patong entertainment, a beer bar is one of the countless little places that are jam-packed together on the bar streets and sois of Patong. These places uniformally employ numerous pretty hostesses whose job is to lure patrons by various means. The most common tactic is simply to stand out front and repeat "Hello, welcome" like a mantra to anyone who walks by.

Once you’re in the bar, expect to be surrounded by these girls who will lavish attention on you like you’re Hugh Heffner and entice you to play a game of connect four or hammer-the-nail-into-the-block-of-wood.

Be wary if a girl wants to bet on one of these games; they have little else to do during the day time and spend lots of time practicing. The day you beat a bar girl at connect four you’ve been in Patong way too long. The games are just a diversion, however as the real entertainment is the girls themselves. For a modest fee you can relieve her of her bar duties for an evening on the town.

If you’d like to spend a little more time with her, that can usually be arranged as well; for that you and your new friend will have to come to your own arrangement. Beer bars are ubiquitous in Patong and there’s no shortage, just head to one of the many sois off of Bangla and you’ll be hip deep in them. A few of the better ones are The Point, Sharky Bar and Black Cat.

Sports Bars

Sports Bars in Phuket generally divide into two concepts: Those with large TV screens and pool tables along with a darts board and those with just large TV screens. You will be informed ahead of time about sporting events by announcements – generally outside the bar.

Champs Sports Bar in the diagonal soi leading to Soi Kepsup from Song Roi Pee Road has Monday night darts competitions with pool every night. Thursdays are for organised team pool. They even organise golf outings if you have enough time to book one.

The Aussie Bar on Soi Bangla is reliable for atmosphere and fun. With a total of 20, yes 20 large TV screens you’re not going to miss any goals here. Free WiFi. The main sports shown here are Aussie Rules Rugby and Rugby itself.

Speaking of Australian sports bars Billabong ("We’ve got a Pommy manager but he’s okay") on Soi San Sabai is also another friendly venue to chill out in as it is air conditioned.

Margarita’s on the corner of Soi Bangla with Rat-U-Thit Road also shows live sports although they sometimes compete with live music but some people go for that sort of thing!

For those who like plush surroundings while watching their sport, check out the cool lobby of Millennium Resort (Beachside wing) next to Jungceylon. The lobby bar features two large screen TV’s showing different sports channels as well as a pool table. The resort even reserves one of its meeting rooms as a sports venue when a major sporting event is on.

Over in Le Meridien, the downstairs Patong Bar features large-screen sports.

If the match you were hoping to see is not on in one, just keep on looking and you’ll find it.

Music Pubs

If you’re all about the music then you have plenty of options in Patong. There are quite a few places where the most important thing going is the tunes.

Molly Malone’s features Celtic music nightly, Banana Club (below the disco) also features live bands, as does Margaritas, at the Rat-U-Thit/Bangla intersection..

Saxophone (Beach Road, north end) is the latest venue to elevate the music scene in Patong. Cloned from the original Saxophone in Bangkok, famous for its quality jazz, R & B and reggae Saxophone Phuket has some excellent musicians and a relaxed unpretentious atmosphere. It’s the kind of place where you can just get up and dance to quality live music and feel totally unembarrassed.

Rock City (Beach Road, north end)
All you metal fans requiring your daily dose should head to Rock City. Among the head banging bands is a AC/DC tribute band that just belts it out. Various live bands pump up the volume with cover versions of Scorpions, Van Halen, Metallica and other vintage metal. For die hard rockers there’s Rock City on Rat-U-Thit road

The enthusiastic house bands at Scruffy Murphy’s and Molly Malone’s rarely fail to rouse the crowds, while the band at 2 Black Sheep usually coaxes more than a few out to the dance floor.

Live music has also hit the beach road with the rather obvious realisation by the hotels that people like to sit out in the open and listen to live music. (Strange but true) Some of the larger restaurants now offer a live band with your lobster at places like The Port at Banthai Beach Resort, featuring a lively and talented Filipino band.

On the corner of Soi Bangla and Rat-U-Thit road, Tai Pan, Safari and Star Club all feature a mix of live and DJ-spun music. A lesser-known spot called Relics, on Sai Namyen Rd, is very popular with local Thais and packs people in most nights.

Upscale Bars/Cocktail Lounges

Its not all girlie bars and go-gos in Patong. There are some more refined places with style and class where you can sip something sexy in trendy surroundings. Club Rio is a cool place to check out some latin jazz and dig the scene on Bangla Road.

The Patong Bay Garden Resort has a lovely and quiet cocktail lounge, located right on the beach, while Joe’s Downstairs also features a hip piano bar overlooking the rocky headland at the beach’s north end. La Baia has lots of comfortable seating and a sophisticated vibe and The Sofa is filled with plush sofas and armchairs from which to have a martini.

Cabarets & Transvestite Shows

Once upon a time if you wanted to see boys who pretend to be girls (so well that it’s hard to tell they’re boys – if they still are) then you had one choice: Simon Cabaret. Combining glamour, song, dance, comedy and elaborate staging, this was a one of a kind experience; the sort of thing you could only see in Phuket.

Although Simon Cabaret is the first (and some say still the best), a number of other ladyboy cabarets have sprung up in recent years, such as Sphinx, My Way Cabaret and Moulin Rose. The shows, costumes and performers get more and more extravagant every year as each theatre raises the bar and dares the others to match them, but one thing remains the same: it’s the kind of thing you can only see in Thailand.

Muay Thai in Phuket

Thai boxing is one of the world’s most devastating martial arts and a Muay Thai match is a spectacle not to be missed. Muay Thai fighters train by slamming their shins against progressively harder surfaces until are the nerves are dead and their bones become iron bars. In addition to these punishing kicks, Muay Thai boxers use an arsenal of elbow and knee strikes to punish their opponents.
A dynamic and varied style of combat, it’s much more exciting than western boxing. Which sounds better – two weapons or eight? Part of the fun of Thai boxing is immersing yourself in the environment ringside.

The traditional music that rises and falls to match the pace of the fight, bookies circulating through the crowd taking bets, local patrons cheering on their favourite fighters. You can get a taste of Muay Thai at Thailand boxing, there are many ‘show’ stadiums where you can watch the action for the price of a beer.

These stadiums and fights aren’t exactly the real deal, though, so if you want to watch some serious action check out Phuket Boxing Stadium here you will find all the information you need on Muay Thai in Thailand.

Patong’s Party Zones!

Hot Spots By Area

Trying out every bar on Bangla Road is the life’s work of a dedicated few and the comings and goings of different places are sure to keep those people happily occupied for as long as they wish. The nightlife scene in Patong is governed by immutable but unknowable forces.

One night a given place may be completely packed, come back the next night and it will be deserted. Bars come and go like fireflies in the night, meaning that keeping an accurate record is almost impossible so we won’t even try. Instead, here’s a breakdown of the general character of each area: what to expect and where to go (usually). Bangla Road (The most famous Hot Street in Patong)

Bangla Road HOT SPOTS

The pulsating heart of Patong nightlife is surely Bangla Road, or more properly, the arcades of bars known as ‘Bar Sois’. Each one has its own unique character and style, from clean and organized Soi Eric to loud and bright Soi Tiger.

The bars are largely indistinguishable from one another so take a turn up and down the soi until you find one that appeals to you.

Soi Easy
Best known for the upstairs Aussie Bar, which attracts a faithful crowd of (drum roll, please) Australians, Soi Easy is the bar soi closest to the beach on Bangla Road.
A two storey complex of flashing neon and loud music, Soi Easy has about 25 different bars to choose from but the aforementioned Aussie Bar and Dragon Club are the main hotspots to check out.
Soi Easy is Patongs only fully enclosed beer bar soi and so is air conditioned and sheltered from the big rains.

Soi Gonzo
Next to Soi Easy you’ll find Soi Gonzo, a cool little place that often gets overlooked between the neon of Easy and the ladboys of Soi Crocodile.
Soi Gonzo is the place to go to enjoy all the enticements of Bangla Road without having to deal with the crowds. There are maybe ten bars on Soi Gonzo, such as the interesting-looking Black Cat, but the perennial favourite is The Wet Spot, the friendliest bar on the soi.
Soi Gonzo is pretty plain when it comes to decor but once you enter you will find that the ladies and good times are plentiful. Most of the bars play hip hop and seem to try to play over one another throughout the night. One bar seems to dominate when it comes to volume and they like to play heavy rock. There is 21 bars currently in this soi.

Soi Crocodile
Also known as ‘Soi Katoey’ for the prominent stage where ladyboys shake everything they’ve got (and some things that were just recently added). This is the most consistently busy of the bar sois and even on a weeknight in low season there are plenty of punters around.

The Point Bar is always popular and The Rasta Bar at the back often has a large crowd of foreign ladies flirting with the reggae boys behind the bar (see, it does work both ways).

The Crocodile Disco at the end of Soi Crocodile burned down in early 2006 but there are plans to re-open it as a massive go-go bar by high season of 2006. Check back here for more updates.

Soi Eric

Run by a professional and well-organized management team from Europe, Soi Eric has done a good job of bringing order from chaos. The first thing you notice is that Soi Eric doesn’t sound like battle of the bands. There is one DJ who plays the records for the entire street, which cuts down on some of the noise and confusion of the other sois.

Of course, some like the confusion and with six different beats playing even the worst dancer is bound to find one by mistake. Soi Eric has also tried to cover all the bases, with a pharmacy and art gallery at the front, a restaurant at the back and a go-go bar as the anchor, Soi Eric takes care of most of your needs (the girls handle the rest).

Soi Seadragon
Lined on both sides with go-go bars, Soi Seadragon is the place to go to watch scantily clad maidens shake what they’ve got for all they’re worth. Places like Playschool A-Go-Go, Lolita A-Go-Go and The Bang Bang Club offer plenty of eye candy, while those who would rather have a beer and a chat will find a home at Two Brothers, Crow’s Nest and Mickey Mouse.
Scandinavian Bar is a perfect place to escape the bar girl scene and has hosted such luminaries as Noel Gallagher and Liv Tyler. Seadragon is one of the largest sois in Patong and has a guest house, a tattoo shop and a couple of eateries, as well as the bars.

Soi Lion

Located between Soi Tiger and Soi Seadragon, Soi Lion is the new kid on the block at Bangla Road.
With only ten bars, its compact size makes it a perfect destination if you want to drink your way from one end to the other, a practice that’s almost guaranteed to have you doing the ‘Technicolor Yawn’ on one of the larger sois. 69 and Pum Pui seem to be the main attractions here.
Soi Lion is a new soi just open on 2007. In Soi Lion have about 7-8 beer bars. Enjoy and have fun.

Soi Tiger
Underneath the outrageous edifice that is Tiger Disco there are perhaps two dozen bars that make preludes or interludes to a night of boogie action. One of the few sois that is completely roofed, Tiger gets pretty steamy and crowded and the best refuge from a sudden rain squall.
The lines that divide one bar from another are even more vague here and it sometimes feels like one huge party. Sharky Bar, out front is always popular (it might have something to do with the girls in schoolgirl outfits dancing on the bar) and Hot Rock is like a go-go bar without the huge drink prices. Crazy Horse is always popular and if you want to see ladyboys head to Cocktail and Dreams Bar.

Like all night owls, Bangla road awakens when the sun sets. That’s when Patong’s liveliest party zone becomes closed to traffic and ready for action!

Rat-U-Thit Road

Rat-U-Thit Road has changed a lot in the past few years. There are tons of choices for everyone whether you’re into beer bars, sport bars, up-market nightclubs, discotheques, theatre & shows, cinemas, bowling and karaoke – all here on Rat-U-Thit Road.

Rat-U-Thit Road (Northern Part)

The Playhouse

This unique restaurant and theatre has New York-style cabaret shows at 20:30 and 22:30 nightly except Sundays. They successfully turned five ordinary shop-houses into a good-looking restaurant with an up-market environment and an outside beer garden. The Playhouse has a good range of dishes and is affordable. The theatre also hosts plays performed by the Andaman Players, a group of amateur actors made up of local Thais and expats. Call for its schedule.
Location: near Club Andaman Beach Resort

Nicky’s Handlebar

This bar, as the name suggests, features Harley Davidson’s. It is of course a favourite hangout out for bikers but many none-bikers like this place for its good food and friendly staff. At Nicky’s, you can enjoy pool, bar games and good music as well as book motorcycle tours or rent motorcycles. Talk about convenience.
Location: Near the Deli Shop.

Bangla Road / Rat-U-Thit Road Junction

Rat-U-Thit’s middle part houses many good entertainment spots, including a few of the hottest bars and nightclubs on the island; Rock City, Tai Pan, Margarita Bar and the well-run gay bars in the Royal Paradise Complex. Many of the bars here are so popular that it’s hard to get a seat in them on weekend nights. Expect to pay a little more for drinks at some of these venues.

Two Black Sheep

The Two Black Sheep Aussie Bar & Restaurant offers good food with reasonable prices with UBC sports on screen plus good live music from 22:00 onwards.
Location: Opposite the Royal Paradise Hotel.

Tai Pan

Tai Pan Night Club has been open since 1999 and is a combination of a pub, bar and a disco. Live music (pop/rock) from 21:00 -23:30 then the place turns into a disco (no entry fee). They have games, prizes, girls on the poles and stage. The crowd is a mix between expats and tourists.

Happy hour is from 20:30 – 22:00 and after that drinks get pretty expensive.
Location: Opposite Soi Bangla.

Baya Beach Night Club

Baya Beach is popular because it is a nicely set up, smallish club. It is a mellower sort of place with both outdoor and indoor sitting areas. The club usually gets busy after midnight and stays open till late. More than just a simple pickup joint, drinks are a bit pricey.
Location: Next to Tai Pan, opposite Soi Bangla.

Rock City

If you love rock ’n’ roll, this is the place to be or if you just want to have great time, then this place can guarantee a fun night out. Rock City has two levels inside and usually fills with a younger crowd. The tribute bands handle all sorts of rock, old and new throughout the night. There is an entrance fee of 100 baht (‘band charge’ as the sign at front claims). Drinks are on the expensive side.
Location: Next to Baya Beach, opposite Soi Bangla.

Soi Sukhumvit

Soi Sukhumvit is a rather quiet soi but it is a perfect place to relax and chat with the friendly girls. It does not have the same buzz as Bangla Road which is sort of a good thing as this means you will get tons of attention from the ‘halloooa you velly hansom’ crowd. They also have plenty of pool tables.
Location: Opposite Ayudhya Bank, look for the 7-Eleven shop at the entrance.

Soi Sansabai

Another soi filled with bars and pubs but less crazy than Bangla is Soi Sansabai. It used to be rather sad and dull but it seems that they are cleaning up very nicely. There are many longtime venues here and if you’re a newcomer in town here’s the place to get clued in with some Patong survival tips. Good watering holes here include the Siam House (with a trio playing easy listening music), the good looking Yorkshire Inn & Sports Club, a Scottish bar Fiddy’s, Lek Murphy’s Irish Bar, Power Bar, Blarney Stone Bar, Patrick’s Bar, Gonzo Bar and Billabong Sports Bar. Most of them have pool tables.
Location: Opposite Soi Bangla

Soi Tiger

The soi is full of affordable seafood/Thai restaurants which are set up in a very simple way, similar to the open-air food courts across the road from the Royal Paradise Complex. Notorious Bangla Road is a few steps away. Soi Tiger can be a convenient stop whenever you are hungry or need a break from the madness of the Bangla bar scene. Food is served from 15:00 to 03:00.

Location: Next to Soi Bangla

Margarita Bar

The Margarita Bar is a level higher than the usual Bangla bar brashness and is a perfect place to people-watch and listen to the live bands playing every evening. Also offers food, TV and a pool table.
Location: Corner of Soi Bangla.

Bangla Boxing

Above Margarita Bar is the Bangla Boxing Stadium hosting real Muay Thai fights and competitions about twice a week. Expect to pay 700 B for normal seats and 1000 for VIP seats, but they are not so different. An average of 10 fights last for about 4 hours, but you can join anytime, or even go in and out as you like once you have your ticket. Usually the first rounds are very young fighters, but it gets more serious at the end of the game, Thai supporters and betters are also fun to watch! Muay Thai is more a Martial Art than Boxing, so everyone can watch.
Location: Corner of Soi Bangla, above Margarita Bar.

Jungceylon Shopping Complex

Jungceylon is the biggest and one of most extensive shopping venues in the south of Thailand. This megamall is full of good shops, restaurants, cafés, bookstores and beauty parlours. The SFX Cinema City has five movie theatres, 16 bowling lanes and karaoke as well as an indoor shooting range, an arrangement unique to Thailand. There is another similar range near the cinema using laser guns instead of real bullets.
Location: Diagonally opposite Soi Bangla.

Rat-U-Thit Road (Southern Part)

The southern part of Rat-U-Thit Road has a rich variety of restaurants and shops. On the road and in the sois leading off there are quite a number of massage shops with girls out front, luring customers inside but the biggest mama of them all is Christin Massage, a huge massage establishment where men with big smiles on their faces come out smelling strongly of soap.

OTOP Market

OTOP Market is a fun bazaar to explore, a casual place with rows of shops selling a wide and sometimes surprising range of items from traditional arts and crafts, clothes, lacquer ware, bags and ‘made-to-order’ paintings that take a few days to complete. If you find Soi Bangla too over the top, you’ll probably like the calmer atmosphere at the open-air beer bars inside the OTOP Market. With small but cozy bars, (close to 30 of them in the middle of the market plus a huge screen showing all major football matches), the OTOP Market has become a new popular nighttime hangout. Read more about OTOP
Open from 10:00 to 24:00
Location: South of Rat-U-Thit Road, behind the Holiday Inn Phuket Resort.

Paradise Complex

The biggest attraction of Rat-U-Thit Road is The Paradise Complex. Thailand is very tolerant of different lifestyles (just take a look at the blatant transvestites if you doubt that) and the Paradise Complex was purpose-built to be a gay playground. The complex itself is massive, covering almost an entire city block. Within Paradise you will find countless pubs bars and discos.

After Bangla, probably the most lively area in Patong is the Paradise Complex located in front of Royal Paradise Hotel. Mainly a male gay area, the Paradise Complex is popular with gay visitors and locals. More than 50 venues – bars, a-go-gos, karaokes, saunas, guesthouses, restaurants and discos – are packed into the u-shaped lane. For dancing, the longstanding Boat Bar always attracts a crowd, especially in the later hours.

Also has nightly cabaret shows. My Way, Uncle Charlie’s bar and Tangmo (See our photo gallery of Ladyboys Shows ) are other spots that pack people in with their friendly staff and cabaret performances every evening. No entry fee requested, just order a drink once seated. Prices are normal and no overcharges or bad surprises…. just enjoy the show.

Night Market
Patong Night Shopping

Patong Beach transforms into a large night bazaar every evening, when all the main roads become clogged with stalls selling handicrafts, silk scarves, sarongs and a variety of beach clothes, leisure wear, leather goods and luggage, CDs, computer games and electronic gadgets and toys.

It’s chaotic but fun if you approach it with the right attitude — just remember that bargaining yields the best results when done lightheartedly and with a smile. Most of the shopping here is aimed at the tourist market, so prices are a bit higher than they are in Phuket City.

The main night market stretches all the way down the beach road and into small secondary soi (lanes) on all nights of the week. In front of the Paradise Complex, another market sets up 2-3 nights a week, in high season, usually Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Lots of stuff aimed at the teenage market – recycled jeans, funky shoes and clothes, but also Thai sweets, orchids, ornaments and hair accessories. Set-up time is usually around 6-7pm until late and remember to bargain!

Where to Dine in Patong
Dinner at Patong

Calling all lovers of good food! Go for it and indulge! Cliffside restaurants overlooking the sea, lively trattorias in quiet back streets, bustling seafood restaurants, middle-eastern eateries – complete with hubble bubble pipes.

Being the main centre of tourist activity in Phuket, it’s no surprise that Patong has the highest concentration of restaurants to be found on the island. Patong is a cosmopolitan place, attracting visitors from all over the world and the cuisine on offer here reflects this in its diversity.

If you’re feeling adventurous there’s bound to be something you’ve never heard of and if you’re missing the pleasures of home you’re sure to discover a restaurant with some down-home comfort food.

Patong dining establishments run the gamut from hand-wheeled carts selling kebabs and sticky rice all the way to world-class fine dining, with celebrity chefs and award-winning wine lists. There are Thai food courts, where you can join the locals for a delicious and incredibly inexpensive meal, mid-range restaurants with solid and budget-friendly European food and trendy places with nouvelle cuisine and arty décor where the Beautiful People come to see and be seen.

Beach Road Restaurants

The main part of Patong is chock full of dining choices, so many that to name them all would require an entire guide unto itself. Additionally, places appear and disappear like David Copperfield’s car keys so keeping an accurate, up-to-date record is nearly impossible. We’ve done our best to provide you with a good idea of what to expect and what to look for. Along the Beach Road from Sawatdirak Road to Bangla there are dozens of eateries to choose from. The Andaman Bazaar features a selection of different places to nourish yourself. On the beach side of the road there is a large, airy food court with almost two dozen different small stands.

Rat-U-Thit Road Restaurants

Rat U Thit Road (or ‘Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road’ in full) is the second most prolific road in Patong and runs parallel to the Beach Road for over two kilometres.

Rat-U-Thit Road features a dizzying variety of businesses ventures from night entertainments to hotels, banks, malls and many good dining venues. It is slowly gaining a reputation as a culinary destination with a truly international selection of quality eating establishments.

Bangla Road Restaurants

Bangla Road itself has a few options for mid-party snacking. La Cantina is located at the back of Soi Eric and you can order a tasty Italian meal from any bar on the soi and the girls will deliver it right to your table. Halfway up the road is Scruffy Murphy’s – just the place if you’re after pub grub. There are a number of international restaurants on Soi Bangla Square, including Rico’s Pizzeria and Steakhouse and The Islander. Las Margaritas at the end of Bangla (farthest from the beach) serves a decent variety of dishes and there is an outlet of The Pizza Company if you’ve got the urge for a late night pizza.

Patong North

Coming down Patong Hill from Phuket City you will arrive at the north-eastern corner of Patong. From the first intersection at the bottom of the hill you can take a left and travel down Sai Nam Yen Road, where most of Patong’s Thai population lives.

Tucked along this quiet street are the inexpensive but wonderful little shacks and stalls where the hotel and restaurant staff members go to eat. When it comes to food you can always trust the Thais to know the best places for cheap eats so cruise this road and look for the places that are packed with locals.

The rest of North Patong is quite similar, if not quite as Thai. Many of the restaurants located here are inexpensive places where locals go to eat. Kaab Gluay is an excellent choice if you want a set of extremely tasty Thai dishes with wine for the same price as one plate of food in a five-star hotel.