Eating on Koh Chang

Thai food, everywhere

The backbone of eating on Koh Chang is the small family restaurant: a handful of tables, a wok on full flame, and a menu of the classics done properly — pad krapow, green and massaman curries, som tam, whole fried fish, tom yum heady with lemongrass and lime leaf. Being an island in the Gulf's eastern corner, the cooking leans towards seafood in a way you'd more often associate with the Thai south: prawns, squid and crab find their way into curries and stir-fries as naturally as chicken does elsewhere. The humbler the room, very often, the better the food — some of the island's best meals come off plastic tables at the roadside. Point, smile, and order what the family at the next table is having.

Seafood — eat it over the water

For the full island seafood experience, head to Bang Bao, the fishing village at the southern end of the road, where restaurants stand on stilts along a long wooden pier — you eat literally above the sea that your dinner came out of. Tanks and ice displays out front show the day's catch: crab, prawns, squid, shellfish and whole fish, grilled, steamed with lime and garlic, or fired through a curry. It's at its most atmospheric in the late afternoon, when the boat trips return and the sun drops behind the bay. Fish restaurants dot the rest of the coast too, but Bang Bao is the pilgrimage.

Night markets & street food

As the sun goes down, stalls and small walking-street-style markets come alive along the west coast — the areas around Kai Bae and Klong Prao are good hunting grounds. Expect grilled chicken and pork skewers, papaya salad pounded to order, noodle carts, roti dripping with condensed milk, mango sticky rice and trays of tropical fruit. Markets on the island have a habit of moving and evolving between seasons, so treat any specific location as a rumour — ask locally, or just follow the smoke and the crowds after dark. Eating this way is cheap, fast and one of the island's genuine pleasures.

Cafés & brunch

The west coast has quietly grown a proper café culture. Between the beaches you'll find serious espresso, Thai-style iced coffees, smoothie bowls stacked with island fruit, fresh juices, and all-day breakfasts that run from banana pancakes to full brunches. Many cafés double as the island's unofficial co-working spots — decent wifi, sea breeze, a second flat white — and they're the natural refuge in a green-season downpour. If your holiday rhythm involves a long, slow morning before the beach, Koh Chang will meet you there.

International food

Decades of visitors — and the residents who never quite left — mean the west coast covers international cravings surprisingly well. Wood-fired pizza and pasta, proper burgers, Indian curries, steaks, Scandinavian and German comfort food: it's all here, mostly strung along the main road from White Sand Beach down to Lonely Beach. Quality varies more than with the Thai food, which is exactly where reviews from other travellers earn their keep.

Vegetarian & dietary needs

Thai cuisine is naturally kind to vegetarians — tofu and vegetable versions of most stir-fries, curries and noodle dishes are everywhere, and kitchens are relaxed about swaps. The key phrase is "jay" (vegan) or simply asking for a dish "mai sai neua" (without meat); note that fish sauce hides in many dishes, so vegans should say so explicitly. A growing handful of places cater specifically to vegan, vegetarian and health-focused eating. The Koh Chang Community app lets you filter restaurants by cuisine, which makes tracking down the right kitchen a great deal easier than riding the coast road hopefully.

Frequently asked questions