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To truly get a taste of what Hua Hin has to offer though, one should explore the restaurants of the city. Hua Hin is an extremely safe city, regardless of the time of day. Just be careful in dealing in real estate. ;-)
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There are several large seafood
restaurants just south of the pier on Naresdamri Road, each offering beautiful
views of the boats coming and going from the dock. These restaurants include
the Meekaruna, the
Chaolay, the Saeng Thai (I'm not sure if the Saeng Thai is still on the waterfront as they've opened a new location on Naepkhaehart Rd, an increasingly popular upscale stretch a little north and west of the waterfront) and the Cholern Pochana. Their menus are quite
extensive and offer Thai delights unavailable in the local Thai restaurant
in your home city. Remember though, the treats here are probably a bit more
spicy than the bland fare your local take-away offers. The key Thai phrase
to remember for the faint of taste bud is My Phet--not too spicy!
The best seafood in the area, to my mind, is not in Hua Hin but in nearby Cha Am. The Pak Klong is not known for its ambiance or view but often has a queue out into the street for it's widely known for its delicious offerings and generous servings. The Pak Klong is at the northern end of the Cha Am beach, just past where the road veers inland. It's a bit out of the way but all the locals know it so just ask if you think you've lost your way. Open this map and click the "-" icon a few times to zoom out. Eventually you'll see a lonely knife and fork icon to the north. Click on that icon and you'll see it's the Pak Klong. Now click on the "+" icon a few times and you'll see the location of one of the best kept secrets in Thailand. Once you get familiar with the interactive Google Map, you can even have it show you the best route from your hotel to the restaurant that you can then print out. It's well worth the drive and an ideal place to take a new found Thai friend who can help you explore their varied menu. Don't even think of visiting if you don't try their Yam Gaeson Hoi--if it's the first thing you order, they'll know who sent you! Also, there are those among us who swear by Somboon’s crab curry in Bangkok. Somboon's is probably OK for Bangkok, if you like eggs and soup. However, if you like chunks of crab meat as big as your thumb and a delicate curry, look no further than Pak Klong. Some folks just need to get out more. |
These restaurants are clustered on and around Petchkasem Road, between the
night market and the Hua Hin temple. The menus are similar to those at the
sea front places but the dishes tend to be a bit less spicy. The food is
good however though the view might not be quite as romantic.
Another very popular Chinese seafood restaurant is the Hi Bieng on Petchkasem Rd, at Soi 64. The Hi Bieng can be very quiet on most days but when the Bangkok hoards come down, it becomes a zoo. There can be as many as a dozen VIP coaches parked out front and a couple of hundred Bangkokians will walk en masse to fill up on Chinese seafood delights. It's probably best to stay away on those days.
The Night
Market, on Dechanuchit Road, has everything from noodles, fried rice
and oyster omelettes to Dom Yom Gung (spicy lemon grass soup with
shrimp) and grilled horseshoe crab. Closed to traffic in the evening, this
street west of Petchkasem Rd comes alive with food stalls with folding
tables serving all types of food, sweets and cold drinks and many stalls
offering handicrafts, wood carvings, Thai CDs and tapes, and even magic tricks.
A great place to practice your bargaining skills between breaks for a cold
beer, snacks, and some serious people watching.
There also several seafood restaurants at the night market, closer to the railway line end, which also serve steaks and chops.
The Grand Market, adjacent to the Grand Hotel a bit south at Soi 86, is a similar market, probably more popular with locals and residents.
There is another strip of small Thai restauants on Phunsuk Rd behind Hua Hin temple which offer many local dishes. For some spicy Northeastern (Essan) Thai food like grilled chicken, sticky rice and Som Tom (raw papaya salad) this is the place to go.
If you visit the Teak Palace at the Rama 6 Camp north of town, you should stop by either Saep Eli or Ban Essan. Saep Eli has been there for many years, across from the entrance to the Narasuan Camp, offering some of the best Essan food in the area. A few years ago, Ban Essan opened a couple of hundred meters south of Saep Eli and with just the overflow from the former would do a decent trade but they have developed their own clientele over the years which shows they can hold their own anyway. Either are worth visiting but both can be very busy between 1100 and 1400, especially on weekends.
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Sukhumvit has moved to Hua Hin. Big Macs' available across the street from Burger King and they're both open 24 hours. Yum Corp has a long memory and has taken up Tricon's beef with Bill and has opened up a Pizza Hut right next door to the Pizza Co. (formally Pizza Hut in case you forgot) so the pizza wars have come to Hua Hin. Both have their staff out on the sidewalk in the evening, reminding some more of Patpong than Sukhumvit.
In addition, there are two Starbucks and dozens of wannabees in town. KFC, Fuji, Sizzler, Sante Fe Steak, S&P, MK Suki, Subway, Häagen-Dazs, Dairy Queen, and probably more but I don't get out as much as I used to.
In Hua Hin, not just the pizza places deliver. There are no drive-thrus here but all the giants deliver and have hotline telephone numbers: Pizza Hut--1150; Pizza Co & Burger King--1112 (Pizza Co and BK have the same number as Heinecke owns them both); KFC--1150; McDonalds--1711.
Most Thai restaurants and food stalls are more than willing to wrap up anything from noodles to fried or grilled chicken to banana fritters for a quick take-away and most folks here still drink pop out of a plastic bag handily wrapped with a rubber band--it's cheaper and you don't have to worry about what to do with the aluminum can.
Expats from many nations have settled in Hua Hin and the large number of
restaurants offering Western and other dishes reflect the diversity of this group. Even without the chains, Hua Hin offers some very good Italian, Indian, Muslim, Scandinavian, and Mexican food so one doesn't have to eat rice every night.
For another fast food example, the local Pizza Hut charges 415 Baht for a Super Supreme Pan Pizza, or about US$13. Your local price may vary.
There are local shops that sell steak (beef, pork, or chicken), fries and a small salad for 69 Baht. Others have similar deals with all you can eat buffets for around 169 Baht. Of course, the Hua Hin Sizzler will charge more than that for local beef and much more for imported beef from the US or Australia and a 5 star hotel will charge much more than Sizzler and add tax and service.
A few examples of prices for Thai food:
Shrimp Fried Rice--35 Baht
Quitio (noodle soup plus)--25 Baht
Pad Thai w/shrimp--35 Baht
Fried Pork and Basil over rice--25 Baht
Somtom (papaya salad)--20 Baht
Khao Neo Gai Yang (1/2 grilled chicken and sticky rice)--80 Baht
These prices are for street stalls or small restaurants. You'll obviously pay more for air con and ambiance or the number of stars behind the name of your hotel but the price will be much more affordable than the less authentic Thai dish available at your home.
This is not to say that all food stalls or restaurants in Hua Hin serve nothing but delicious food. Like everywhere, there are some real posers out there. Suffice it to say, if you see lots of tourists eating in a certain spot, the chances are they serve food for the tourist palate. The same applies if you see many locals eating somewhere. If you see a mixed crowd, that's probably a sign that they serve all round good food or good value for money, or both.
Recently several stylish restaurants have opened, serving dishes not often found in Hua Hin. In some, there always seem to be folks enjoying themselves. In others, there is seldom anyone there. That means something. Should you want to try Vietnamese food, Northern Thai food, or some combination of fusion while you're in Hua Hin, make sure you see others enjoying the food first. The only thing worse than being the only customer in a large restaurant is being the only customer eating bad food in a large restaurant.
Billy and the same staff now offer food all day and drinks 'til late.
Some say the Billy's Bar's popularity is due to Billy's perverse sense of humor
but my bet is that Pee Pee, the cook's 4-year-old (he's now closer to 13) son and unofficial greeter, is the true reason for the many return
guests. A free beer for anyone who can tell Billy how the gecko died
(limited to one customer each evening). Billy has sports on the TVs most of the time and also sponsors a team in the local pool contest. He's also known for having very popular rib nights if you like BBQ.
Max the dog is one of the more well known denizens of Soi Bintabaht and
makes frequent sojourns between Berny's Inn and street of sorrows
looking for ladies. Should you lose your way, just grab Max and he'll
take you to Berny's or Billy's sites.
Sorry to say, Max died a few years ago but there are those who still see his spirit running around so we'll just keep this little gif running back and forth in his memory.
The Hua Hin Brewing Co, at the Hilton, is the up-scale hotel nightclub and disco in Hua Hin. featuring Thai bands doing cover tunes. They also have their own micro brewery.
El Murphy's, off of Bintabaht is another club (with lots of rock 'n' roll from their house band) but without the hotel sanitizing.
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