Restaurant in Ko Samui, Thailand
Michelin-recognised European cooking, beachside.
FishHouse at Kimpton Kitalay Samui is the strongest European option on Ko Samui, backed by consecutive Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025. Chef Frédéric Delormes cooks à la carte on a beachfront deck at Choeng Mon Beach. At ฿฿฿, it delivers genuine kitchen quality in a lively, atmosphere-rich setting — book for late afternoon into evening.
FishHouse at Kimpton Kitalay Samui is the right call for travellers who want a serious European meal without leaving the beach. If you're staying at the resort, it's an obvious choice for a sunset dinner on the deck. If you're not, it's worth the trip to Choeng Mon specifically for a languid late afternoon into evening — arrive around 5 PM when the pool-deck energy is lively but the dining room hasn't fully filled, order the ceviche while the sun drops, and settle in. Couples marking an occasion, solo travellers who want a polished meal with a sea view, and food-focused visitors who've already worked through Ko Samui's Thai options will get the most from FishHouse.
Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) tell you something clear: FishHouse is cooking at a level that stands apart from the resort-restaurant median in Ko Samui. Under chef Frédéric Delormes, the kitchen takes European technique and applies it to local Thai ingredients rather than importing everything. That approach produces dishes like the seabass ceviche with passionfruit, which works because the fish is genuinely fresh and the tropical fruit is doing real flavour work, not just decoration. The Black Paella with squid ink is built for sharing and is the right order for a table of two or more.
The setting earns its place in the decision. The deck faces the beach directly, which means a sea breeze during dinner and a view that shifts from bright afternoon glare to a softer dusk light. The pool is adjacent, so there's ambient noise from guests and cocktail service , this is not a hushed fine-dining room. The energy reads as resort-lively rather than restaurant-formal, which suits the food and the setting well. If you want silence and ceremony, this is not your venue. If you want a confident European meal with genuine atmosphere by the water, it delivers.
The price tier sits at ฿฿฿, which in the Ko Samui context puts it firmly in the mid-to-upper bracket. For a Michelin-recognised kitchen on a beachfront deck, the pricing is reasonable relative to what comparable resort restaurants charge elsewhere in Thailand. For comparison, PRU in Phuket, another Thai resort restaurant with Michelin recognition, operates at a higher price point and a more formal register. FishHouse is the more accessible version of that proposition , same quality signal, lower price, less formality.
FishHouse is structured as an à la carte restaurant, and the cooking is built around beachside presentation and atmosphere. The ceviche is designed to be eaten where the sea breeze hits it; the Black Paella is a shared centrepiece dish. Neither translates well to a takeout box, and the experience is meaningfully diminished off-premise. If you're considering ordering in to your room or villa, you'll get the food but lose the context that makes it work. This is a sit-down-on-the-deck venue. Book a table, don't order delivery.
The Google score of 4.0 across 208 reviews is solid for a resort restaurant, where expectations tend to vary widely between guests. The Michelin Plate in two consecutive years is the more meaningful signal here: it confirms consistent kitchen quality rather than a one-off strong performance.
See the full comparison below for how FishHouse stacks up against other Ko Samui dining options at similar and adjacent price points.
For more seafood options in Ko Samui, Baan Suan Lung Khai and Bang Por Seafood Takho are worth considering at the ฿฿ tier if you want local seafood at lower spend. Jun Hom adds another seafood option on the island. For Southern Thai cooking, Kapi Sator and Khao Horm are the names to know. If you're planning a longer Thailand trip around food, Sorn in Bangkok and PRU in Phuket represent the highest tier of resort-adjacent fine dining in the country. For European comparisons further afield, Aquila in Chiang Mai, Stiller in Guangzhou, and 1 York Place in Bristol offer useful reference points for the European-in-Asia and European-at-home registers respectively.
Browse our full Ko Samui restaurants guide, Ko Samui hotels, Ko Samui bars, Ko Samui wineries, and Ko Samui experiences for the full picture.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| FishHouse | Set inside the Kimpton Kitalay resort, FishHouse crafts à la carte European recipes using the freshest local ingredients. Take a seat on the deck overlooking the beach and enjoy the sea breeze and the lively atmosphere by the pool where sunbathers sip cocktails. Start with ceviche, bursting with fresh tropical passionfruit flavours and perfectly marinated diced seabass. The Black Paella with squid and squid ink is ideal to share.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | ฿฿฿ | — |
| Baan Suan Lung Khai | ฿฿ | — | |
| Kapi Sator | ฿฿ | — | |
| Koh Thai Kitchen | ฿฿฿ | — | |
| The Ranch | ฿฿฿฿ | — | |
| Ko Seng | — |
What to weigh when choosing between FishHouse and alternatives.
Yes, it works well for a special occasion. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) signal consistent cooking quality, the beach deck setting at Kimpton Kitalay adds occasion feel without requiring a formal environment, and the à la carte format lets you control the pace. For a milestone dinner where atmosphere and food quality both matter, FishHouse is a stronger call than most resort restaurants in Ko Samui at this price tier.
The menu is European à la carte built around fresh local ingredients, which typically gives the kitchen more flexibility than a fixed tasting format. That said, specific dietary accommodation details are not in the available record, so contact the Kimpton Kitalay resort directly before booking if you have strict requirements. Given the seafood-forward nature of dishes like ceviche and Black Paella, pescatarians will find plenty to work with.
At ฿฿฿, FishHouse sits at the upper end of Ko Samui dining, but two Michelin Plates in consecutive years justify that positioning. You are paying for European cooking made with fresh local ingredients, a beach deck over Choeng Mon, and a kitchen operating at a recognised standard. If you want local seafood at lower spend, Baan Suan Lung Khai or Bang Por Seafood Takho deliver at ฿฿ without pretension, but they are a different proposition entirely.
Bar seating specifics are not confirmed in the available data. FishHouse is set inside Kimpton Kitalay with a deck overlooking the beach and a poolside atmosphere where cocktails are part of the scene, so casual drop-in drinking is built into the venue's character. Contact the resort directly to confirm counter or bar-seat availability if that format matters to you.
FishHouse is an à la carte European restaurant at Kimpton Kitalay Samui on Choeng Mon Beach, run under chef Frédéric Delormes and recognised with Michelin Plates in both 2024 and 2025. The setting is beachside with a pool deck atmosphere, so expect a relaxed-but-serious tone rather than a hushed fine-dining room. The ceviche and Black Paella with squid ink are menu anchors worth anchoring your order around. Book in advance, especially during high season, given the resort setting and recognition.
For local seafood at a lower price point, Baan Suan Lung Khai and Ko Seng both operate at ฿฿ and are worth considering if budget is the priority. Kapi Sator and Koh Thai Kitchen offer Thai-focused alternatives for travellers who want regional cooking over European. The Ranch is a different format altogether and suits a more casual evening. None carry Michelin recognition, which is the clearest differentiator FishHouse holds over this peer group.
FishHouse is structured as an à la carte restaurant, not a tasting menu venue. If you want a fixed-menu progression, this is not the format here. The à la carte setup means you build your own meal, which suits most beach-dining occasions better than a multi-course commitment anyway. Order the ceviche and the Black Paella as a baseline and add from there.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
