Phuket: Chiang Rai Seafood Restaurant – Cheap and tasty seafood in Patong

This is a very old post from my old blog about a seafood restaurant we tried when Poul and I were on vacation in Patong (of all places!) in Phuket back in 2011. I know, it’s a bit random, blogging about a restaurant that I visited 8 years ago, but this is not just any restaurants, this was the only good restaurant we found in Patong. I looked it up on Google and it is still around, so if you are visiting Patong, maybe you can check if Chiang Rai Seafood Restaurant is still as nice as I claim it is in this blog post?

Many parts of Bangkok are still flooded, but down south they are busy preparing for another tourist season. Patong on Phuket is one of the biggest tourist magnets, which clearly shows on the restaurant menus, where pizza and hamburgers are found side by side with Som Tam and Tom Yum Kung.

In addition to very westernized menus, many restaurants in Patong also offer air conditioning, appealing interior and elegant lighting in order to attract the more lucrative tourist segment. However, there is rarely any clear correlation between food quality and price (usually expensive), and we had some very disappointing experiences in the beginning of our trip.

Discovering Chiang Rai Seafood Restaurant therefore felt like winning the lottery because man this place is great! The restaurant is tucked away down a side street near bustling Bangla Rd., and not much has been done to suck up to the tourists. You are seated on plastic furniture, and the TV is showing Thai boxing, so this is probably as far as you get from the Danish definition of coziness. However, the food is outstanding and so cheap that when the bill arrives, you cannot help wondering whether they have forgotten to add a couple of zeroes.

Even though we visited the restaurant many times, we did not come across a single dish, that we did not like. Furthermore, we rarely spent more than 600baht (about $20) on a dinner for 2 persons. Their oysters are in a special league and extremely fresh and delicious. Their soups are like little explosions of flavors, and their traditional Thai dishes are also excellent, but remember to say if you want your food non-spicy, or they’ll set your mouth on fire.

Chiang Rai Seafood Restaurant, 204/49-50 Rasutid 200 Year Road, Bangla Road, Patong, Phuket