27 Great Restaurants in Chaweng

Copacabana is among the trendy restaurants on Samui Island with a colourful and modern design, potent cocktails, and fresh seafood. Copacabana Chaweng (there is also a branch in Bophut’s Fisherman’s Village) has 2 entrances: one on Chaweng Beach Road (between The Islander and Soi Green Mango), and one in Central Festival Samui. Featuring a chic décor and furnishings, the restaurant has a fancy touch with its bright-yellow logo and is very attractive.

Food at the Copacabana features a great choice of western and Thai favourites with a certain inclination on barbecued meat and seafood like barracuda steak, Aussie filet steak, crocodile steak, or lobster. Seafood loving couples can go for the seafood platter for 2, including lobsters, a fish, 4 tiger prawns, 2 squids, 2 blue crabs plus clams and mussels. Copacabana is a popular and busy place with a usual happy hour from 6 pm to 9.30 pm.

Olivio Italian Cuisine boasts what is quite possibly the most romantic dining venue in Chaweng. Benefiting hugely from its location in the grounds of Baan Haad Ngam Boutique Resort at the northern end of the beach, the restaurant looks out across the bay to the bright lights of Chaweng in the distance. It's also very peaceful – especially if the tide is in and lapping on the sand a few feet from your table. The ambience is more than ably matched by modern Italian cuisine.

Garden dining is complemented by an adjacent infinity pool and luxuriant grass underfoot. Lattice woodwork supports lush bougainvillaea and what was once a coconut grove is a compact, tastefully appointed and colourful little slice of Italy. The antipasti dishes are varied and rich featuring pan-seared tuna, smoked salmon, sweet focaccia and soft shell crab while main dishes such as beautifully rich lasagna, leg of lamb and a snow fish filet underscore the traditional elements in Olivio's refreshingly modern Italian cuisine.

Poppies Restaurant is a respected eatery serving Thai and international cuisine towards the southern end of Chaweng Beach. Part of the Poppies Restaurant and Cottages complex, it's situated right by the beach, making it one of the most romantic and atmospheric restaurants in town, if not in the whole of Koh Samui.

To get to the restaurant itself, you first have to walk through the picturesque gardens of the resort’s bungalows. By night, in particular, the subdued lighting makes the well-manicured greenery feel like a walk through a forest path crossed by babbling streams. The restaurant itself has a very traditional Thai look, with tables under palm thatch roofs, out in the open, by the beach and in a particularly smart wood-walled structure.

Ark Bar Beach Club is a vast complex occupying 150 metres of Chaweng beachfront. It has 327 rooms (bungalows and buildings), and 4 bars and restaurants (including the extremely popular Ark Bar nightclub on the beach). The main restaurant is located next to the resort’s main swimming pool alongside 2 other smaller pools. It also features an open-sided dining room, an outdoor circular bar, and a dozen tables right on the beach under the shade of a huge beach almond tree.

Ark Bar Beach Club’s extensive menu presents an outstanding choice of Thai and international dishes – these include a breakfast option with 5 items (including eggs, sausages, ham, bacon, cheese, bread, vegetables, mushrooms, pancake, and more), a range of burgers served with salad and French fries, over 10 types of pasta and ravioli, fried noodles and many more.

RockPool Bar and Restaurant is part of the stylish Kanda Residences Samui, located between Chaweng and Choeng Mon on the northeastern coast of the island. It holds an excellent Sunday brunch supervised by a Michelin-trained chef. 

Especially recommended to seafood lovers, RockPool brunch allows you to feast on delicacies such as king crab, salmon, scallops, and oysters, as well as a vast assortment of meats grilled to your taste on a barbecue. Side dishes comprise a well-stocked salad buffet, an international cheese board, and those with a sweet tooth will enjoy themselves with a great selection of desserts.

Baci Italian Bar & Grill is one of the modern additions to Chaweng’s dining scene. This trendy restaurant has a large opened front terrace opened to the constant hubbub of Chaweng Beach Road – the ultimate people-watching spot. There's also an entrance at the back of Central Festival Samui. Decorated and furnished in a modern style, Baci is a fashionable venue.

Regarding food, Baci serves excellent classic Italian fares: antipasto, pizza, pasta, and risotto – all of them are here and bring a genuine Mediterranean flavour to Chaweng. Desserts such as tiramisu and coffee such as caffè stretto are as good as they could be in Rome. Prices are slightly steep yet in line with other top Chaweng venues.

Drink Gallery is a restaurant and cafe on the front of The Library, a stylish resort set in the heart of Chaweng Beach. It’s near all that this popular resort town has to offer in terms of entertainment and shopping opportunities – Central Festival Samui is diagonally opposite the resort. Set in an impressive 2-storey glass building and featuring a large wooden deck, the attention to detail in the décor and furnishing is top-notch. The venue blends Bohemian and futuristic styles in a very trendy way.

Serving sophisticated west-meets-east gourmet cuisine, Drink Gallery is opened from brunch to dinner and proposes the best and freshest ingredients in any of its preparations – from the 20 signature cocktails to the finely flavoured dishes of its resident Thai chef, this venue offers a modern approach to gastronomic cuisine. Prices are rather steep yet in perfect accordance with their high quality.

Baitong is the signature restaurant of Banana Fan Sea Samui, a stylish yet affordable resort located right on the beach in the central area of Chaweng. Featuring a rather large and covered open-sided dining room right next to the swimming pool and offering a dozen tables set on the white sand of Chaweng Beach, Baitong is a great place for a tropical dinner under the stars and with toes in the sand.

Regarding food, Baitong serves a great choice of Thai and western favourites including the chef’s recommendations such as baked New Zealand mussel with spinach, garlic, creamy cheese sauce, and garlic bread, Banana Fan Sea Caesar salad, pan-fried sea bass fillet, and pad Thai goong (stir-fried rice noodles with king prawns and vegetables.

Bondi Aussie Bar & Grill is a cool and modern sports bar and restaurant located next to Xin City Samui Hotel and Soi Green Mango on Chaweng Beach Road. Set in a large 3-storey building and featuring 2 dining rooms – one on the ground floor and the other in a mezzanine – Bondi can accommodate comfortably up to 150 diners on high round tables and bar stools or on traditional tables and chairs overlooking the hustle and bustle of Chaweng’s main street. 

The venue’s décor is modern, lit in electric blue, and features large flat screens broadcasting major international sports events. Five nights a week, a live band rocks the venue with all-time classics. The menu is typical of a sports bar/pub – it features an excellent variety of salads and signature burgers. Try the Peri-Peri burger or go for grilled meats and pub grub.

Green Bird is an unpretentious Thai restaurant serving mostly Thai seafood on Chaweng Beach Road. It’s very popular with visitors as it keeps its prices down (they’re still higher than non-tourist spots, though). Green throughout, one wall of this small (30 square-metre) restaurant is entirely covered with positive comments from satisfied customers.

Among the must-tries at Green Bird are the green curry and mixed seafood salad. Whatever you order, a great way to wash them down is with a serving of fresh coconut juice.

Hard Rock Cafe Koh Samui offers the international brand’s distinctive combination of American cuisine, rock ‘n’ roll music and entertainment memorabilia in a classy, spacious venue right in the heart of Chaweng. The restaurant serves a wide range of good quality dishes in generous portions, with the burgers and sandwiches being particularly noteworthy. The signature Legendary Burger – topped with smoky bacon, cheddar cheese, onion rings, lettuce and tomato – is quite a mouthful, as is the hickory-smoked pulled pork sandwich.

Located on Chaweng Beach Road, right by the famous Soi Green Mango, Hard Rock Cafe is a unique addition to the city’s already renowned nightlife and dining scene.

The Beach Club at Buri Rasa is a charming beachfront bar and restaurant located on the ground of the Buri Rasa Village in the central part of Chaweng Beach. The L-shaped open-side restaurant is set in a garden next to the swimming pool and offers an alfresco wooden deck overlooking the beach under the shade of tropical almond and coconut trees. 

Designed in a classic Thai style, The Beach Club at Buri Rasa offers 2 different menus for lunch and dinner. Lunch presents a choice of salads, burgers, sandwiches, and popular Thai dishes. For dinner, a great selection of Thai and European dishes such as garlic butter king prawn, filet of red snapper, or stir-fried chicken breast with cashew nuts, are some of the highlights.

La Taverna is 2 restaurants in one, secreted away on a back street near Chaweng’s Soi Mango. With a large air-conditioned, traditional interior dining room and a corridor-like outside space lit by an electric-blue neon arrangement, the 2 areas couldn’t be more different. Some less-than-generous souls would call the outside area of La Taverna downright dark, and the fact that the wait staff all wear black doesn’t exactly help those leaning towards the myopic. 

Still, there is just enough light to read the menu by, revealing La Taverna’s choices of classical Italian dishes in the old school manner. Pizzas here are notably large and top-heavy with rich additions while grilled lamb chops imported from Australia come with mashed potatoes and zucchini to add an Italian afterthought. The house wine comes in a generous portion when served by the glass.

Chaweng Walk complements Chaweng’s shopping/dining/nightlife scene on a large empty plot linking Chaweng Beach Road to the beach located between Banana Fan Sea Samui and Tradewinds by Lawana. This daily market is in the same vein as Chaweng Walking Street (their rather similar names can be slightly confusing).

One side of Chaweng Walk is open-air while the other is covered with a corrugated iron roof – the open-air area has a paved trail flanked by something like 30 stalls selling an eclectic choice of beachwear, handcrafted souvenirs, spa oils, cheap jewellery, and souvenirs, while the covered area features a food court (tables and chairs) with a dozen stalls selling Thai snacks and street food from chicken satay to grilled sausages and squid. Live Thai music is performed on a small stage set towards the beach. Chaweng Walk is Thainess at its best as it offers a good way to mingle with locals in a friendly atmosphere and to sample local delicacies at rock-bottom prices.

Prego Italian Restaurant at Amari Koh Samui is one of the elegant restaurants on the island serving some of Samui's finest modern Italian cuisine. It’s where gourmet comfort food and upscale ambience meet. The restaurant offers a rustic trattoria-inspired setting where you can dine al fresco or inside with cool air conditioning for when you want to escape the summer heat. 

The menu at Prego lists some authentic Italian selections, from wood-fired pizzas to homemade pasta and zesty seafood dishes. You can come as a group of friends or family and share the food or opt for a table to share as a couple. In any case, for dessert, their homemade tiramisu is essential.

The Islander is a pub and restaurant on Chaweng Beach Road that doesn’t do things by halves. It can handle 200 covers, has an incredible 22 large-screen TVs, probably the cheapest Guinness on Samui, free Wi-Fi and free pool tables upstairs. 

At The Islander, you can get all-day breakfasts (the “Full Monty”), pub grub, and even Mexican food on its predominantly British menu. Stay around for their happy hour, and you’ll have the chance to enjoy free bruschetta and discounts on beers.

Tropical Murphy’s is the ultimate pub food venue in Chaweng, with a buzzing atmosphere, live music and a choice of beers that spans from here to Dublin. Tropical Murphy's can make simple fish and chips into a gourmand's delight, an Irish breakfast into an unforgettable treat and what with live bands performing every night, quizzes and pool competitions, all appreciated by a crowd of happy punters. It's a fairly unique place to be in Chaweng.

It's one of the great spots to hit in Chaweng when you’re looking for a nice pub setting with a cool outdoor area to sit and people-watch. If you’re feeling hungry and want a hearty serving, try their generously portioned ribs. Their steaks are good, too. Wash them all down with a good, cold pint.

Will Wait is a long-established and ever-popular bakery-cum-restaurant with 2 branches in Koh Samui. An extensive menu covers all your dining needs from breakfast through to post-club snacking. Although they have many western dishes on the menu, among the must-tries at Will Wait are the seafood Penang and Massaman curries.

The freshly baked bread and Thai food is high quality and reasonably priced and there's also a decent range of a la carte specialities on the menu. They also show movies nightly.