🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Ask anyone who regularly drives south through Phetchaburi and Hua Hin and they'll tell you dessert is the reason they stop every time. The heart of this area is palm sugar — sugar tapped from the toddy palm that carries more aroma and a deeper, richer flavor than ordinary sugar. That's what gives the custard, the lod chong, and even the cafe drinks here a taste you won't find elsewhere. Below we've ordered things from the most famous downward, but locals vouch that every place on this list is still open and still good.
Mor Kaeng Custard & Palm Sugar: the real souvenir
Phetchaburi is about a 40-minute drive from Hua Hin, and plenty of people stop for mor kaeng custard on the way in or out. This is the original home of real palm-sugar custard.
Mae Kim Lai Mor Kaeng (Phetchaburi)
A long-running classic that's been part of Phetchaburi for ages. Its signature is the crispy, fragrant fried-shallot topping that's become its trademark. Baked fresh daily with real palm sugar, the custard is dense, fragrant and rich. Buy a small tray to eat yourself or a big tray as a souvenir.
Phansuk Food and Farm (Cha-am)
A one-stop souvenir shop on Phetkasem Rd at km 182 in Cha-am. The sweets are made with palm sugar sourced directly from Phetchaburi farmers, and there are several custard flavors — taro, mung bean, lotus seed. Easy to take a break and use the restroom too, so it's a handy roadside stop.
Lung Anek Phetchaburi Sweets
A Phetchaburi local-sweets shop that makes a range of things from palm sugar — mor kaeng plus thong yip, thong yot and foi thong. If you want a full set of classic Thai court sweets as a souvenir, this place has it covered.
About palm sugar
Real palm sugar has a soft caramel aroma and isn't as sharply sweet as cane sugar. Shops that use genuine palm sugar usually say so clearly on their signs. If something tastes unusually sweet, it's often been cut with a lot of cane sugar.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Prachuap Khiri Khan 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.
Old-school Thai sweets & desserts in Hua Hin
In Hua Hin town there are still old Thai sweet shops that have been open for decades — perfect for an afternoon cool-down or a late-night stop after wandering the market.
Pa Da Thai Sweets
A classic Hua Hin dessert shop that's been going for over 30 years. It started as a cart at the mouth of Soi Hua Hin 56 and has since moved across from the Meteorological Department on Phetkasem Rd. The menu is mixed Thai sweets — tup tim krob, lod chong, sarim, water chestnut, sticky rice with coconut — all topped with fragrant coconut milk, at friendly prices.
Palm-Sugar Lod Chong & Coconut Ice Cream (Hua Hin town shops)
One thing several Hua Hin shops do well is lod chong drizzled with rich palm sugar, plus coconut ice cream topped with the same. The standouts are fresh coconut milk and palm sugar that isn't sharply sweet — great for anyone who loves proper Thai-style desserts, and you can ask for your sweetness level.
Sweet Corner Hua Hin
A dessert corner in Hua Hin that gathers bingsu, fruit and several sweets under one roof. Good for groups of friends or families who want to order a bunch of things to share, with a comfy, cooling spot to sit.
Dessert cafes: coconut & chocolate
Hua Hin is a serious cafe town, with newer spots that play with local ingredients like coconut and palm sugar, plus chocolate cafes that make their own desserts — ideal for settling in for a long afternoon.
Pleek Wiwek Cafe
An open-air cafe under the trees around Nong Kae and Khao Takiab, with minimal Japanese-style decor. The standout menu leans coconut and palm sugar — palm-sugar latte, coconut dirty, and coconut cake. Shady and comfortable to sit, open daily.
The Chocolate Factory Hua Hin
A half-cafe, half-restaurant on Soi Hua Hin 65 that makes its own chocolate from cocoa beans. The signature is the Chocolate Dome — a chocolate dome with hot chocolate poured over it that melts to reveal a soft mousse cake inside. There's a dessert shop area up front and seating to dine in.
Air Space Hua Hin
A large-scale cafe and restaurant with an aviation theme and airplane models to look at. Big menu spanning drinks, bakery and desserts — great for photos and lingering, and kids love the atmosphere.
Baan Klai Wang Cafe
A relaxed beachfront cafe in Hua Hin with a varied dessert menu. The standout is the coconut cake, made with coconut milk smoked with scented candle for a Thai-style aroma. A nice spot to catch the sea breeze in the evening.
How to order your dessert crawl
If you're here for just a day, grab custard as a souvenir while driving through Phetchaburi and Cha-am, then save the cafes and old-school Thai sweets for Hua Hin town in the afternoon and evening — that way you won't have to double back.
Know before you go for dessert here
- Mor kaeng custard only keeps a few days — because it uses egg and coconut milk, eat it within 2–3 days of buying. The fridge helps stretch it a little.
- Old Thai sweet shops are often cash-only — carry cash. Some take PromptPay, but not all.
- Popular cafes get crowded on weekends — seats fill fast on Saturdays and Sundays. If you want a good spot, going in the early afternoon is more comfortable.
- Leave time for the Phetchaburi–Hua Hin drive — it's about 40 minutes, but traffic can build up on long weekends, so allow extra time.
Plan a full eating-and-exploring trip around Hua Hin and Prachuap
See the Prachuap Khiri Khan guide →