Restaurant in Phuket, Thailand
Michelin-recognised Indian, mid-range prices, resort setting.
A Michelin Plate-recognised Indian restaurant set beside a lagoon at Anantara Mai Khao Villas, Tiffin by La Sala brings a Maharashtra-rooted kitchen to Phuket's quieter northern tip. The à la carte spans curries, tandoor dishes, and a tiffin chaat platter, with the lamb vindaloo drawing particular notice. Al fresco and indoor seating options frame the meal against open water or an open kitchen.
If you are staying at Anantara Mai Khao Villas or visiting Phuket's north end, Tiffin by La Sala is the most credible Indian dining option on the island. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) confirm what the kitchen is doing technically: flavour-forward cooking rooted in Maharashtra and northern Indian tradition, served in an al fresco setting beside a lagoon that most resort restaurants on this stretch cannot match. At ฿฿ pricing, it is also one of the more accessible Michelin-recognised tables in Phuket. Book it for dinner if the setting matters to you, and book it early in your stay so you have a reason to return.
First-timers should know the layout before they arrive. You have two options: al fresco seating beside the lagoon, which is the main reason people make the trip, or indoor dining with a direct sightline to the open kitchen. If weather permits, take the outdoor table. The kitchen view inside is genuinely useful for understanding the tandoor-led cooking style, but the lagoon setting is the stronger experience for a first visit.
The menu is à la carte and extensive. The cooking leans into Maharashtra's spice tradition without softening for resort palates, which is the right call and worth knowing in advance if your tolerance for heat is low. The lamb vindaloo is the dish most cited in Michelin's own notes as a stand-out. The freshly baked naan from the tandoor is worth ordering as a baseline alongside any curry. The tiffin chaat platter works well as a way to sample the kitchen's range before committing to mains.
The chef's background is from Maharashtra, which grounds the menu in a specific regional Indian identity rather than the generic pan-Indian format you find at most hotel restaurants in Southeast Asia. That specificity is where the technical credibility comes from: the spicing is calibrated, not generic, and the tandoor work shows a kitchen that takes its reference point seriously. For comparison, internationally recognised Indian restaurants like Trèsind Studio in Dubai or Opheem in Birmingham operate at a different price tier and formality level, but Tiffin's Michelin recognition places it in a legitimate conversation about technically grounded Indian cooking outside India.
Google reviewers rate it 3.9 from 124 reviews, which is lower than the Michelin recognition might suggest. That gap typically points to inconsistency in service or experience rather than the food itself. For a first-timer, this means managing expectations around the resort-hotel context: the cooking quality is the draw, not the service tempo or front-of-house polish.
Booking difficulty is low. As a resort restaurant at Anantara Mai Khao Villas, it does not carry the same reservation pressure as Phuket's standalone Michelin venues. A few days' notice is usually enough. If you want a specific lagoon-side table for sunset timing, call ahead and request it directly. Peak season in Phuket runs November through April; during this window give yourself a bit more lead time, though walk-ins may still be possible mid-week.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Michelin | Setting | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiffin by La Sala | Indian | ฿฿ | Plate ×2 | Lagoon al fresco / resort | Easy |
| PRU | Thai, Modern | ฿฿฿฿ | Star | Garden, resort | Moderate |
| Acqua | Italian | ฿฿฿฿ | — | Hillside, Patong | Moderate |
| Tambu | Mixed | — | , | Resort | Easy |
Book Tiffin by La Sala if you want Michelin-recognised Indian cooking at a mid-range price point in a setting that justifies the trip from central Phuket. It is a good fit for couples, small groups, and solo diners who want something more culinarily specific than a standard resort restaurant. It is less suited to large groups on a tight schedule or diners who prioritise service formality over food quality. If you are already staying at Anantara Mai Khao, it should be your first dinner reservation. If you are based in Patong or Kata, weigh the drive against the experience: the lagoon setting and the cooking make the journey reasonable, but not essential.
For more dining options across the island, see our full Phuket restaurants guide. Other Michelin-recognised tables worth knowing in Thailand include Sorn in Bangkok and Age Restaurant in Phuket. For regional context beyond dining, see our Phuket hotels guide and our Phuket experiences guide.
Choose the al fresco lagoon seating if the weather is clear. The menu is à la carte and wide; start with the tiffin chaat platter to get a read on the kitchen's range, then order the lamb vindaloo and fresh naan from the tandoor. The cooking is genuinely spiced rather than resort-softened, so adjust your order accordingly. Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen's consistency at this price tier.
The lamb vindaloo is the kitchen's most cited dish and the clearest signal of the Maharashtra-rooted cooking style. Order fresh naan from the tandoor as a baseline. The tiffin chaat platter is the leading entry point for first-timers who want to sample range before committing to mains. Beyond these, the curry section of the à la carte reflects the chef's regional background most directly.
A few days is usually sufficient. As a resort restaurant, it does not carry the reservation pressure of Phuket's standalone Michelin venues. During peak season (November to April), book three to four days out and request a specific lagoon-side table if that setting matters to you. Walk-ins are plausible mid-week in low season.
Yes. The à la carte format and mid-range price point make it manageable solo. The indoor kitchen-view seating works well for solo diners who want engagement without the exposure of an outdoor table alone. The extensive menu means you can order at your own pace without feeling locked into a tasting format.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in available data. The restaurant offers both al fresco lagoon-side tables and indoor dining with an open kitchen view. Contact the restaurant or Anantara Mai Khao Villas directly to ask about bar or counter seating options before your visit.
The kitchen's Indian menu naturally includes a range of vegetarian dishes, and tandoor-based cooking accommodates several dietary formats. Specific allergy or dietary accommodation policies are not confirmed in available data. Contact the Anantara Mai Khao Villas team ahead of your reservation to confirm what the kitchen can accommodate.
The al fresco and indoor dining areas suggest reasonable capacity for small to mid-size groups. For parties of six or more, contact Anantara Mai Khao Villas directly to confirm table configuration and any group booking requirements. The ฿฿ price tier makes it a practical group option by Phuket resort-dining standards.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiffin by La Sala | Al fresco dining by a tranquil lagoon is the big draw at this restaurant located in Anantara Mai Khao Villas. The chef, from Maharashtra, takes diners on a journey through authentic Indian cuisine via an extensive à la carte featuring curries, a tiffin chaat platter and dishes from the tandoor oven. The cooking is flavoursome and well-spiced, with their signature lamb vindaloo a stand-out and the freshly baked naan well worth trying. Indoor dining with a view of the open kitchen is also available.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | ฿฿ | — |
| PRU | Michelin 1 Star | ฿฿฿฿ | — |
| Blue Elephant | ฿฿฿ | — | |
| Acqua | ฿฿฿฿ | — | |
| Baan Rim Pa Patong | — | ||
| Chuan Chim | ฿฿ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The venue data confirms indoor dining with a view of the open kitchen as well as lagoon-side al fresco seating, but no bar seating is documented for Tiffin by La Sala. If counter or bar-style dining is your priority, the open kitchen view from the indoor section is the closest equivalent this restaurant offers.
The kitchen runs an extensive à la carte that spans curries, chaat, and tandoor dishes, which gives reasonable flexibility for vegetarians. The chef's background in Maharashtra means vegetable-based preparations are a genuine part of the repertoire, not an afterthought. Specific allergy or dietary accommodation is not documented in available venue data, so flag requirements when booking through Anantara Mai Khao Villas.
Yes — the indoor section with open kitchen views suits solo diners well, giving you something to watch without the awkwardness of a lagoon table set for two. The à la carte format means you control portions and pacing. At the ฿฿ price point, a solo meal with a couple of dishes from the tandoor and a curry is easy to manage without over-ordering.
Booking pressure here is lower than at Phuket's standalone destination restaurants. As a resort restaurant within Anantara Mai Khao Villas, same-day or next-day reservations are realistic for most of the year. That said, if lagoon-side al fresco seating matters to you, book ahead to secure it rather than arriving and taking what's available.
Choose your seating deliberately: the lagoon terrace is the reason most people make the trip to Mai Khao, but the indoor section with open kitchen views is the smarter call in monsoon season or if you prefer air conditioning. This is a Michelin Plate-recognised restaurant at a ฿฿ price point, which is unusual for Phuket's Indian dining scene. It sits inside a resort, so the journey from central Phuket takes time — factor that in before you go.
The lamb vindaloo is explicitly noted as the signature stand-out, and the freshly baked naan is worth ordering alongside any main. The tiffin chaat platter is a good entry point if you want a cross-section of the kitchen's range before committing to heavier dishes from the tandoor. The chef's Maharashtra background means the spicing is calibrated for authenticity rather than tourist-adjusted heat levels.
The al fresco lagoon setting and indoor dining room both suit groups reasonably well within a resort context, though large private dining arrangements are not documented in the venue data. For groups of six or more, contact Anantara Mai Khao Villas directly to confirm table configuration and availability, particularly if you want the lagoon terrace. Smaller groups of two to four have the most flexibility across both seating areas.
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