🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Seafood is the main reason a lot of people drive to Chanthaburi on a weekend. What stands out here is freshness, because most restaurants buy straight from the local fishing boats that same day, and a few even run their own crab and prawn farms. We've ordered the spots by the three main beach areas so it's easy to plan which direction to head.
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On long weekends the popular beachfront places get packed, especially around sunset. Call ahead to book a table, or arrive before 5pm to grab a sea-view seat more easily · Prices in this article are rough per-dish estimates and depend on the size of that day's crab and prawns, so always ask the price by weight before you order.
Laem Sing — fresh off the local boats
Laem Sing sits where the Chanthaburi River meets the sea, an old fishing district. Many places here are family-run, the catch comes off the boats nearby, and the standouts are blue crab and seasonal sea fish.
Krua Ao Mu
Tucked down Soi Ao Mu — drive past the Laem Sing bridge and follow the lane almost to the end. It's a local favorite that flies under the radar. The blue crab meat is white and firm, sweet the way only day-boat crab is, the seafood tom yum is bold and full-flavored, and the bay view is quiet and easygoing.
Krua Rabiang Chan
Right on Laem Sing beach, with both an air-con room and a deck over the water. The menu covers everything — steamed crab, grilled prawns, curry-powder crab, prawns in tamarind sauce and baked mussels. Good for families who want to order a spread and share.
New Thiew Son Seafood
A long-running spot on Laem Sing beach with seafood straight from Chanthaburi waters, cooked in a simple home style. The standouts are crab curry, grilled prawns and pomfret fried with fish sauce. Prices are friendly and you can sit back to the sound of the waves.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Chanthaburi food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
Pak Nam Khaem Nu — oysters and sea farms
Pak Nam Khaem Nu is another river mouth, with the blue temple (Wat Khet Nabun Yaram) as a landmark nearby. This area is known for big oysters and seafood from local farms — a good lunch stop before or after visiting the temple.
Krua Khun Lho Seafood
On Burapha Chonlathit Road, near the Pak Nam Khaem Nu bridge and the blue temple. The big draw is the restaurant's own seafood farm, so the blue crab, mud crab and tiger prawns are very fresh. There's a cool, glass-walled air-con room with a sea view, and the signatures are soft-shell crab in curry powder and crab with glass noodles.
Chill Lay Station
About 2km from Pak Nam Khaem Nu, with an indoor room, a lawn area and a section by the water. The standouts are grouper stir-fried with chili, soft-shell crab in curry powder, and sour curry with fish roe. A good spot to settle in for a while and take photos.
Krua Maley
A restaurant with a river-mouth view, where the blue water plays off the fishing boats — best in the late afternoon when the light is soft. The catch is fresh and seasonal; order fresh oysters and steamed lime fish to enjoy with the view.
Chao Lao — the popular beachfront strip
Chao Lao beach is in Tha Mai district, about 30km from Chanthaburi town, and it has the most beachfront restaurants — many of them right on the sand. It's a great spot for dinner while you wait for the sunset. It gets crowded on weekends, so come a little early or book ahead.
Sut Thang Rak Seafood
On Chao Lao beach, with a section right by the water and an open sea view. The usual orders are big firm-meat grilled prawns, plump sweet snails, and fish fried with fish sauce — fresh seafood with the waves rolling in right beside you.
Krua Mar Had Beach
Right on Chao Lao beach, with fresh seafood brought in daily by local fishermen. The standouts are sea bass miang with herbs, soft-shell crab in curry powder, and prawns in tamarind sauce with crispy wonton. The vibe is relaxed and easygoing.
Pu Ma Chom Talay
A restaurant inside a resort on Chao Lao beach, with relaxed sea views. As the name suggests, it's known for blue crab — order the steamed blue crab with seafood dipping sauce for that fresh-crab flavor. A handy stop between beach time.
Malibu Beach Chao Lao
A beachfront spot where you can eat seafood while looking out over the long stretch of sand, with a chilled beach-club feel and live shows some evenings. Good for a group of friends who want to settle in and listen to the waves into the night.
Dishes you have to order
- Steamed blue crab — the star of Chanthaburi. White, firm, sweet meat with seafood dipping sauce. Look for meat that fills the shell tightly, and if it has roe, even better value.
- Grilled tiger prawns — big and bouncy, and very fresh at the places with their own farms. Grilled just to done, then dipped in seafood sauce or spicy nam jim jaew.
- Fresh oysters — big ones from the farms near the river mouth, eaten raw with the usual sides: fried shallots, lime, garlic and chili.
- Curry-powder crab / soft-shell crab in curry powder — a dish almost every place does well, fragrant with curry powder and fluffy egg, great over rice.
- Pomfret / sea bass fried with fish sauce — fresh fish fried crisp outside and soft inside, finished with sweet-salty fish sauce, eaten with hot steamed rice.
How to pick the freshest catch
Fresh crab has a firm shell, clear dark eyes and legs that still move · fresh prawns have clear shells and heads that aren't darkened · good oysters are plump with clear liquid and no strong fishy smell · if you're not sure, ask which catch just came in that day — you'll usually get the freshest thing available.
Planning a Chanthaburi seafood trip
If you only have one day, sticking to a single area is the easiest move, since these three areas are in different directions — about 20–40 minutes' drive between them. Below is an unhurried two-day seafood plan.
Laem Sing + Pak Nam Khaem Nu
Chao Lao beach
Sort out a beachfront stay in Chanthaburi to round out the trip
See the Top 10 Chanthaburi hotels →