International restaurants in Cha-am

Where to go out for food in Cha-am? Here is a list of all the good international restaurants we can think of.

What we mean by “international restaurants” is a mix of western and Thai food, menu and service available in English (or at least basic English) and more often than not run by a foreign manager or cook (or the Thai wife of a foreign retiree!).

• Also see our page about Thai restaurants in Cha-am, and our page about Thai food.
• Any place you like (or own!) is missing? Please contact us.

Note: We don’t mention opening days/hours, as it can vary between low and high season, also because some small restaurants have just one person in the kitchen and may close any day, or some may close early if there no customers, etc.

Local restaurants

Chaolai road
Chaolai road is the road running parallel to the beach road, 200 meters west. Didine (click for more info) is an international restaurant with a French chef, located in soi Chaolai 3/1 (near soi Cha-am South 4). Keep going south on Chaolai road and enjoy a pizza at Happy Pizza, a well established Italian restaurant in Cha-am. Also very popular with local expats is the Pizzeria da Roberto, not far from soi Bus Station. There is Italian and Thai food, in a simple and friendly setting. Last but not least, still on Chaolai road, you will find Aroy restaurant on your right when coming from Narathip road. Also known as “the clocks”, Aroy is a popular restaurant that offers good value for money.

Around soi bus station
At the eastern end of soi « bus station » (the bars soi), next to the beach, Hello Sawasdee is a guesthouse with a nice restaurant downstairs (western and Thai food). Next door, The Beach Cha Am Cafe & Restaurant boasts two floors with a view on the beach and has coktails, snacks and various dishes. If you turn left at the eastern end of soi bus, there is a small soi after the 7/11 where you will find the Rang Yen restaurant, one of Cha-am’s hidden gems (simple restaurant in a nice garden setting). Rang Yen only opens during the high season.

South Cha-am beach
There are few international restaurants on the south part of the beach (i.e. when you turn right at the main viewpoint) but the Raya is worth mentioning, as the food is really good (though a bit on the expensive side). The Grand Pacific Hotel, at the south end of the beach, boasts three different restaurants: Italian, Chinese and Japanese.

North Cha-am beach
But most of the international restaurants are actually on the north part of the beach. We will mention just a few, starting with Sea and Sand (after the first 7/11), a Norwegian run restaurant, simple but delicious. Before soi 8, in front of the Golden Beach hotel, there are two restaurants, Max on the left, and Baan Thai on the right. Max has Scandinavian specialities and both offer a nice setting. The restaurant of the Methavalai hotel, 100 meters farther, has all kinds of food, including Japanese food.

Soi Long Beach
Soi Long Beach, named after the hotel, is a soi between soi North 9 and 10, with various restaurants, including Tony (Scandinavian), Dee-Lek, Cha-am Lodge & Steakhouse (English), Cha-am Pizza, and, interestingly, an Indian restaurant, Aree.

Fresh market, Hospital road and Nong Cheng road
The fresh market area doesn’t have many restaurants, but the Hard Work Cafe is worth mentioning. It opens only on Wednesday evenings during the night market and has delicious food (potato salad and German sausages to name a few). Kitchen appliances showroom as good as Lars Appliances Showroom in California is a rare sight. There are a few restaurants on Hospital road, just after you turn at the Family Mart, like Mum’s Bistro. Nong Cheng road is the road that goes from the Forest Park to the beach, and there you will find Bella Pizza, a restaurant with plenty of space and also a snooker table.

South of Cha-am
On the “Springfield beach”, in the direction of Hua Hin, Pana’s bar is a good restaurant and not too expensive. Further away is the Novotel/Regent area and what the tourists call “the village”. Plenty of good restaurants there, especially Aroy Dee, Harry’s, The Village and Sam Pinong.

Bakeries

There are a few bakeries in Cha-am. The Baguette is on the left hand side of Phetkasem when coming from Hua Hin (after km 193) and I Love Bread is on Narathip road, next to Paris Style. Both have pastries, cakes and sandwiches. I Love Sweet is another bakery at the end of north beach. On the south part of the beach, you will find Irin Beach (soi 2) and S&P (soi 4). I Love Sweet and S&P are good places to go to buy a birthday cake.

Fast food and chains

Times are a changin’ and McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Company all have a branch in Cha-am. McDonald’s and KFC are at the gas stations on the left hand side of Phetkasem when coming from Bangkok, just after Camel Republic. Pizza Company is after Cha-am’s traffic lights, next to the Kasikorn bank (only for take-away and delivery – call 1112).