Restaurant in Phuket, Thailand
Michelin-recognised Thai food, below fine-dining prices.
Suay earns back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) for owner-chef Tammasak's modern Thai cooking, with bold, well-judged spicing and artsy presentation in a bright, Portuguese-tiled room with outdoor garden seating. At ฿฿฿ in Thalang District, it is the strongest case for contemporary Thai dining in northern Phuket without the formality or price of the ฿฿฿฿ tier.
If you are deciding between Suay and the more formal Thai fine-dining options in Phuket, the choice is clearer than it might first appear. PRU sits at ฿฿฿฿ and delivers a tightly choreographed tasting format; Suay at ฿฿฿ gives you owner-chef Tammasak's modern Thai cooking in a space that breathes easier, with outdoor seating, live music, and Portuguese-tiled floors that set a tone somewhere between relaxed and considered. For food-focused travellers who want genuine technique without the formality tax, Suay is the stronger call.
The interior at Si Sunthon reads as airy and bright rather than atmospheric in the candlelit, hushed-room sense. Portuguese-tiled floors anchor the room visually and give it a texture that most mid-range restaurant fit-outs in Phuket's resort corridors do not bother with. The outdoor seating extends into a garden, and live music plays there on certain evenings, making it one of the few spots in the Thalang District that works for both a focused dinner and a more loosely-paced evening. If you are the kind of diner who wants spatial separation from a neighbouring table while eating something technically composed, this setup delivers that without the stiffness of a hotel dining room. Parties who want a livelier backdrop should head outside; those who prefer quiet should take the interior.
Tammasak's approach is modern Thai, which at Suay means classical Southern and Central Thai flavour logic updated with contemporary plating and technique. This is not fusion in the blurred, anything-goes sense. The spicing is described in Michelin's own notes as bold but well-judged, which is a meaningful distinction: the heat and aromatics are deliberate, not decorative. The grilled lemongrass lamb chops with papaya salsa are cited as the signature, and they illustrate the kitchen's method clearly: a protein that sits outside traditional Thai canon, treated with lemongrass and paired with a fruit-based salsa that references local ingredient logic. The crab cakes with Sriracha chili aioli and mango chutney follow a similar architecture — familiar formats reoriented around Thai flavour markers. If you are visiting from Bangkok and have eaten at Baan Tepa or Wana Yook, you will recognise the intent here: Thai contemporary cooking where the modernisation is in service of the food, not the Instagram grid.
The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms cooking of consistent standard. A Plate is not a star, but it signals that Michelin's inspectors found the food worth recommending across two consecutive years. That level of consistency at ฿฿฿ pricing in a non-central Phuket location is the core reason to book. For broader context on how Suay sits within Thailand's modern Thai dining scene, it is useful to compare against Sorn in Bangkok at the starred end, or the more approachable Aeeen in Chiang Mai at the other.
At ฿฿฿, Suay is not a budget meal, but it is meaningfully cheaper than the ฿฿฿฿ tier occupied by Acqua or PRU. The Google rating of 4.6 across 635 reviews is a reliable signal of consistent execution rather than a single exceptional visit — that volume of reviews at that score is harder to sustain than a small sample of five-star ratings. Booking is rated Easy, which means you are unlikely to need to plan weeks in advance, though for weekend evenings or if you want outdoor seating with live music, reserving ahead is the sensible move. The address at Moo 6, Si Sunthon, Thalang District puts it north of Patong and the main beach strip, so factor in a 20-30 minute transfer from the more tourist-dense areas. That location is part of why the atmosphere is calmer than comparable restaurants closer to Kata or Karon.
For food travellers who plan their itinerary around eating, Suay fits naturally into the same day as exploring northern Phuket. Check A Pong Mae Sunee for a street food reference point earlier in the day, or plan the evening around Suay and follow it with a drink from our full Phuket bars guide.
Suay is the right choice for food-focused visitors who want Michelin-recognised Thai contemporary cooking at a price point below the top tier, in a setting that is polished without being stiff. It suits couples who want a proper dinner that does not feel like a hotel package, small groups of four or fewer who can take advantage of both indoor and outdoor seating, and travellers who have already done the beach-club circuit and want something with more culinary weight. It is less suited to large groups or anyone wanting a purely traditional Thai experience: the kitchen is updating the canon, not preserving it. For a longer stay in Phuket, cross-reference our full Phuket restaurants guide and Phuket hotels guide to build an itinerary around it.
If you are already considering Suay, book it. The combination of back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition, a 4.6 Google score on 635 reviews, and ฿฿฿ pricing in a well-designed space with outdoor dining makes it one of the more defensible dinner decisions in northern Phuket. The location in Thalang District suits travellers based in the north of the island; if you are staying further south, the drive is worth making once during a week-long visit.
Quick reference: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025 | 4.6/5 on 635 Google reviews | ฿฿฿ | Si Sunthon, Thalang District | Booking: Easy | Leading for: couples and small groups wanting modern Thai cooking with outdoor seating.
The grilled lemongrass lamb chops with papaya salsa are the kitchen's signature and the clearest expression of what Tammasak does: a non-traditional protein treated with Thai aromatics and paired with a fruit-based element that references local ingredient logic. The crab cakes with Sriracha chili aioli and mango chutney follow the same structure. Order both if you are trying to understand the kitchen's range. These dishes are confirmed in Michelin's own notes on the restaurant.
Yes, at ฿฿฿. You are getting two consecutive years of Michelin Plate recognition and a 4.6 Google score across 635 reviews, which is a meaningful consistency signal. Compared to PRU or Acqua at ฿฿฿฿, Suay costs less and delivers a less formal experience with comparable cooking ambition. Compared to Blue Elephant at ฿฿฿, Suay's modern Thai approach is more technically current. The price is justified for food-focused visitors; if you are looking primarily for a setting rather than the food, there are cheaper options with comparable garden ambiance.
Yes, with caveats. The combination of a well-designed interior, outdoor garden seating, and live music gives it more occasion-appropriate atmosphere than most ฿฿฿ restaurants in the area. The food is serious enough to anchor a celebration dinner. That said, if you want private-room formality or a tasting menu with tableside service rituals, PRU is the better fit. Suay suits occasions where you want a proper dinner with a relaxed pace rather than a choreographed event.
No booking policy or menu details are available in the public record to confirm this with precision. The kitchen works with Thai contemporary cooking that uses bold spicing and ingredients like lemongrass, chili, and shellfish prominently in its signature dishes. Severe allergies or strict dietary requirements should be flagged directly when booking. Given the ฿฿฿ tier and Michelin Plate status, the kitchen is likely experienced at accommodating common requests, but this cannot be confirmed without direct contact.
Bar seating details are not available in the venue record. Suay has both indoor and outdoor seating with a garden area, and the format appears to be a standard restaurant floor rather than a counter-led or bar-forward setup. If bar seating is a priority, confirm directly when making a reservation. For counter-format dining in Thailand's modern Thai scene, venues like AKKEE Thai delicacies and Tasting Counter in Nonthaburi are built around that format specifically.
For higher-budget Thai: PRU at ฿฿฿฿ is the most technically ambitious option and suits diners who want a full tasting format. For a comparable price tier with a heritage setting, Blue Elephant at ฿฿฿ is the main alternative, though the cooking is more traditionally oriented. For Italian at the leading end, Acqua at ฿฿฿฿ is the reference. For budget Thai, Chuan Chim at ฿฿ covers the local-food end of the spectrum. See our full Phuket restaurants guide for a broader view.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suay | Thai contemporary | ฿฿฿ | Easy |
| PRU | Thai, Modern Cuisine | ฿฿฿฿ | Unknown |
| Blue Elephant | Thai | ฿฿฿ | Unknown |
| Acqua | Italian | ฿฿฿฿ | Unknown |
| Baan Rim Pa Patong | Thai | Unknown | |
| Chuan Chim | Thai | ฿฿ | Unknown |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
No specific dietary policy is documented for Suay, but the kitchen's modern Thai approach — with dishes like crab cakes and grilled lamb chops — suggests a menu broad enough to accommodate requests. Given the ฿฿฿ price point and Michelin Plate recognition, it is reasonable to call ahead and ask directly rather than assume. The address is 177/99 Moo 6 Si Sunthon, Thalang District, if you want to visit in person to enquire.
PRU is the closest competitor if you want a higher-tier tasting menu format, but it sits at ฿฿฿฿ and leans farm-to-table rather than specifically Thai. Blue Elephant and Baan Rim Pa Patong both offer Thai cooking in more theatrical heritage settings, though neither holds current Michelin recognition. Chuan Chim is the pick if you want traditional Thai flavours at a lower price point without the contemporary plating.
Bar seating arrangements at Suay are not documented. The venue has both indoor and outdoor garden seating, so if counter or bar dining matters to your group, confirm directly before booking. The outdoor garden area with live music is noted as a distinct and equally viable option to the main room.
Start with the crab cakes served with Sriracha chili aioli and mango chutney, then move to the signature grilled lemongrass lamb chops with papaya salsa — both are specifically called out in Suay's Michelin recognition. These dishes reflect chef-owner Tammasak's approach: classical Thai spicing applied to less conventional ingredients, with modern presentation.
At ฿฿฿, Suay is a solid call. It delivers Michelin Plate-recognised Thai contemporary cooking at a price point well below ฿฿฿฿ venues like Acqua or PRU, and the Google rating of 4.6 across 635 reviews indicates consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. If you want creative Thai food with genuine technique and no tasting-menu commitment, the price is justified.
Yes, especially if your group prefers a relaxed setting over a formal one. The garden area with live music works well for celebratory dinners that should feel festive rather than hushed, while the airy interior with Portuguese-tiled floors provides enough atmosphere for a proper occasion. Suay sits below the top-tier Phuket fine-dining ceiling in price, which makes it the stronger choice when you want a memorable dinner without the ฿฿฿฿ commitment.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
