Restaurant in Phuket, Thailand
Solid Thai, airport-adjacent, Michelin-noted.
Lertrod is a Michelin Plate-recognised Thai restaurant directly across from Phuket International Airport, earning back-to-back recognition in 2024 and 2025. At ฿฿ pricing, it delivers honest central and southern Thai cooking, including a standout deep-fried seabass and a spicy southern sour curry, making it the most credible quick meal option near the airport and one of Phuket's better-value Michelin-noted tables.
If you are choosing between Lertrod and the Thai restaurant inside your airport hotel for a meal near Phuket International Airport, the choice is easy: eat at Lertrod. This air-conditioned, no-frills spot in Sakhu earns its Michelin Plate recognition two years running (2024 and 2025) not through theatre or plating drama, but through consistent, honest central and southern Thai cooking sourced from local farmers and fishermen. At ฿฿ pricing, it is one of the better-value Michelin-recognised meals you will find anywhere in Thailand. Book it for arrival day or pre-departure when you do not want to commit to a long drive south, or when you want the kind of meal that reminds you why Thai regional food deserves serious attention.
Most travellers landing at Phuket airport are already mentally on the beach, and their first meal ends up being whatever is closest or most convenient. Lertrod sits directly across from the airport in the Sakhu subdistrict of Thalang District, which makes it an obvious logistical choice, but the food earns it a repeat visit in its own right. The room is bright and air-conditioned — practical rather than atmospheric, with the energy of a busy local lunch spot rather than a destination dining room. Noise levels are moderate and conversational; this is not a place where you are competing with a sound system or a DJ. The mood reads as purposeful and neighbourhood-oriented, the kind of room where regulars eat fast and well. For the explorer who wants to understand how Phuket actually eats rather than how it performs for tourists, that is a signal worth reading.
The menu covers central and southern Thai fare, and the kitchen's sourcing distinguishes it from the generic Thai options clustered near the tourist corridor. The chef works with local farmers and fishermen, which matters for a cuisine where freshness of seafood and the quality of aromatics determine the difference between a dish that lands and one that does not. The photo-filled menu is printed in Thai, English, and Chinese, so first-timers without Thai language can navigate it without guesswork. The Michelin guide singles out the deep-fried seabass with fish sauce as a dish that reliably delivers, and the spicy southern-Thai sour curry is offered with a choice of pickled bamboo, coconut shoots, or pineapple, each producing a distinctly different result. Southern Thai sour curry is a style you will not find represented at this quality level in most Phuket resort restaurants, and the option to choose your base makes it worth ordering on multiple visits.
In terms of the morning and midday window, Lertrod suits travellers arriving on early flights who want a proper Thai meal before heading to their accommodation, or those on a late checkout who want to eat well before heading back through departures. The proximity to the airport means the practical case writes itself, but the food quality means you are not making a compromise by going. For food-focused travellers connecting Lertrod to the wider context of serious Thai regional cooking in Thailand, it is worth noting that the southern Thai tradition represented here shares culinary DNA with venues like Sorn in Bangkok, which holds two Michelin stars for its deep southern Thai focus, and Nahm in Bangkok, which has long documented Thai regional cooking at a high level. Lertrod is not operating at that research-driven, fine-dining register, but it is drawing from the same regional tradition with genuine skill and at a fraction of the price.
For travellers spending more time in Phuket, Lertrod is a useful reference point for understanding what the island's own food culture looks like outside the resort zone. Compare it against Chuan Chim at a similar price tier, or look at Buabok and Gorjan for other local options away from the main tourist drag. Further afield in the region, Anuwat in Phang Nga represents southern Thai cooking in a different provincial context. If you are building a broader picture of Thai regional food across the country, AKKEE in Pak Kret, Samrub Samrub Thai in Bangkok, Aquila in Chiang Mai, and Ayutthayarom in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya each offer a different regional lens. Lertrod fits into that map as Phuket's accessible, affordable entry point to southern Thai cooking done with care.
The Google rating of 4.5 across 502 reviews supports what the Michelin Plates confirm: this kitchen is consistent. A Michelin Plate signals cooking that meets the guide's quality threshold without the full star designation, and two consecutive years of recognition at the same address suggests the kitchen is not coasting. For a restaurant at ฿฿ pricing near an international airport, that consistency is the most useful data point you have.
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Reservations: Walk-in friendly; booking is easy given the neighbourhood setting and airport-adjacent location. Budget: ฿฿ — expect to eat well for well under mid-range Phuket restaurant prices. Address: 17, 1 ซอย 7, Sakhu, Thalang District, Phuket 83110, Thailand. Getting there: Directly across from Phuket International Airport, making it the most convenient quality meal option in the immediate airport area. Dress: No dress code; smart casual or casual travel wear is fine. Leading for: Arrival-day meals, pre-departure lunches, airport-area dining with regional Thai credibility.
Yes, without qualification. At ฿฿ pricing with back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, Lertrod delivers better value than almost any comparable Michelin-noted Thai meal in Phuket. You are paying local-restaurant prices for cooking the Michelin guide has twice deemed worth flagging. The only scenario where it might not fit your budget is if you are comparing against street food , but for a sit-down, air-conditioned meal with a full menu of central and southern Thai dishes, the price-to-quality ratio is strong.
The location is the first thing to understand: Lertrod sits across from Phuket International Airport in the Sakhu subdistrict, not in Patong or Kata or any of the main tourist areas. The menu is printed in Thai, English, and Chinese with photos, so you can order confidently without Thai language skills. The room is casual and air-conditioned , think busy local lunch spot rather than destination restaurant. It is easy to book and easy to walk into, which makes it particularly useful on arrival day or before a flight. For context on the wider Phuket dining scene, check our full Phuket restaurants guide.
The Michelin guide flags two dishes specifically: the deep-fried seabass with fish sauce, and the spicy southern-Thai sour curry. For the curry, you choose between pickled bamboo, coconut shoots, or pineapple as the base, each giving a meaningfully different result. Southern Thai sour curry is a regional style that most tourist-facing restaurants in Phuket do not execute well, so this is the dish that leading demonstrates what Lertrod is doing beyond the ordinary. Order the seabass if you want a reliable, crowd-pleasing dish; order the sour curry if you want to understand the local food culture. The photo menu makes navigating the rest of the menu manageable for first-timers.
There is no dress code. This is a neighbourhood restaurant near the airport, not a resort dining room. Casual travel wear, shorts, or smart casual clothing are all appropriate. The room is air-conditioned, so if you are sensitive to cold after a flight or a day outdoors, bring a light layer. Phuket's general dining culture at this price tier is relaxed, and Lertrod fits that norm entirely. For higher-end Thai dining in Phuket where presentation matters more, Baan Rim Pa Patong or Blue Elephant have more formal expectations.
For Thai food at a similar price point, Chuan Chim is the most direct comparison at ฿฿. For a step up in setting and ceremony with Thai cuisine, Baan Rim Pa Patong offers clifftop dining at a higher price tier. Blue Elephant at ฿฿฿ sits between Lertrod and the leading end, trading Lertrod's neighbourhood authenticity for a more polished, heritage-property experience. At the leading of the Phuket Thai dining market, PRU at ฿฿฿฿ is a Michelin-starred farm-to-table operation with a completely different register. If you are making decisions purely on value and regional authenticity, Lertrod and Chuan Chim are your leading options; if setting and service are part of what you are paying for, move up to Blue Elephant or Baan Rim Pa Patong.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lertrod | ฿฿ | Easy | — |
| PRU | ฿฿฿฿ | Unknown | — |
| Blue Elephant | ฿฿฿ | Unknown | — |
| Acqua | ฿฿฿฿ | Unknown | — |
| Baan Rim Pa Patong | Unknown | — | |
| Chuan Chim | ฿฿ | Unknown | — |
How Lertrod stacks up against the competition.
Yes, at ฿฿ it overdelivers for the category. A Michelin Plate in 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen is doing something right, and the price point means you can order widely without anxiety. For the quality of sourcing described — local farmers and fishermen — this is strong value by any Phuket standard.
It sits across from Phuket International Airport in Sakhu, Thalang District, so it works as either a first or last meal on a Phuket trip. The menu is written in Thai, English, and Chinese, so ordering is accessible. Walk-ins are welcome; no reservation is needed for most visits.
The deep-fried seabass with fish sauce is specifically noted as a reliable dish. For the spicy southern Thai sour curry, the kitchen offers a choice of pickled bamboo, coconut shoots, or pineapple — worth trying if you want a direct read on the southern Thai cooking here.
Lertrod is a bright, air-conditioned neighbourhood restaurant near the airport — casual clothes are entirely appropriate. No dress code applies here; the setting is relaxed and practical.
Chuan Chim is the closest like-for-like if you want affordable, straightforward Thai cooking elsewhere on the island. Blue Elephant and Baan Rim Pa Patong operate in a different tier entirely — higher price, more formal setting — and suit a special-occasion dinner rather than an airport-adjacent meal. PRU and Acqua are fine-dining options with no meaningful overlap with Lertrod's format or price point.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
