🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Krabi desserts split roughly into three lanes. The first is the in-town cold-sweet shops — fresh-coconut bua loy, grass jelly with Thai tea, salted-yolk ice cream — the kind of thing you grab to cool off after walking around. The second is the southern Thai sweets you can take home as gifts, like tao sor and Lanta sand cookies. The third is the newer cafés around the edge of town that are really about the setting plus a cake or some baking. We've put all three in one list, starting with the in-town dessert shops, then heading out to the cafés on the outskirts.
Dessert shops in town
KAINOM
A small dessert shop in central Krabi and one of the most talked-about in reviews. The draws are fresh-coconut bua loy, coconut sago, salted-yolk ice cream and grass jelly with Thai tea, all piled with toppings. It's halal, you can sit and eat in, and it's a good afternoon stop to cool down.
Bua Loy by Jongjaroen, Krabi branch
A well-known bua loy brand from Hat Yai that opened a Krabi branch. The selling point is sweet-egg bua loy and black-sesame bua loy with rich fresh coconut milk, with Thai tea and salted-yolk ice cream to order alongside. The shop is new and clean, and it suits anyone who likes their sweets properly sweet.
Sweet & Sour ice cream & dessert cafe
A dessert café split into several zones with plenty of photo corners. The main thing is ice cream in lots of styles, plus desserts and coffee. Good for a group of friends who want to linger and take photos. Open Tuesday–Sunday, 10:30–18:00.
Old-style purple-yam dumplings (Ruean Thip)
An old-school sweet that locals in Krabi recommend — thin pastry, a generous filling, gentle purple yam that's sweet but not cloying. Buy it to snack on or carry home. It's getting harder to find these days, so if you spot it, give it a try.
Straight talk
A lot of the in-town cold-sweet shops are small and open only for part of the day — some start in the afternoon and sell out before evening. If you've got a particular one in mind, check the opening hours on its page before heading over to be safe, and note that many take cash only.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Krabi 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.
Southern Thai sweets & Krabi gifts
If you want sweets that really carry the local culture, Krabi has traditional ones that clearly reflect its Hokkien-Chinese community and southern Thai way of life. The two to know are tao sor and Lanta sand cookies. They're mostly sold as gifts, but they're easy to unwrap and eat on the road too.
- Tao sor — a sweet that looks a lot like a Chinese-style mung-bean pastry (khanom pia), with both a sweet filling and a savory one studded with salted egg yolk. It's a legacy of the southern Hokkien-Chinese community. Several well-known shops in town sell it, such as Jee-Or and Pornthip.
- Lanta sand cookies (khanom sai / khanom khi mod) — a specialty from Koh Lanta that's become a province-wide gift. The texture is crumbly like sand, made from coconut, rice flour, salt and sugar — sweet, fragrant and rich. It goes well with black coffee.
- Krabi cake — a dense gift-style cake that Krabi's gift shops bake and sell. It keeps for a while and travels easily as carry-on.
- Traditional Thai sweets — around the Ao Nang night market and the in-town markets you'll find a rotating set of homestyle Thai sweets, like khanom chan, khanom tom and khanom kluai, priced in the tens of baht.
One-stop gift shopping
If you're short on time, just stop by a big gift shop like Jee-Or — it pulls together tao sor, Krabi cake and a range of local sweets in one place. But if you want fresher items at friendlier prices, walk the in-town market in the morning, where you'll find the regular stalls the locals buy from.
Cafés worth a sit around Krabi
Krabi's newer cafés are mostly about the setting. There are minimalist spots in town that lean on their baking, and out-of-town cafés selling mountain, river and sea views. Pick based on the rhythm of your trip — if you're in town in the morning, drop into a bakery café; if you've got a car and want to settle in, drive out to a view café on the edge of the city.
Much Mellow
A minimalist, wood-toned café in Soi Maharaj 2 in central Krabi, known for its signature croissants and homemade baking. There are fusion dishes and vegan options too. Good for a late breakfast or a coffee while you work in town.
EP's Cafe Patisserie
A polished-looking café in town with a fairly complete bakery — cakes, pastries, food and drinks. Service is good, and the prices aren't as high as the room makes you expect. Good for anyone who likes sitting in a smart-looking spot in town.
BE TREE CAFE
A white, minimalist café on the Sai Thai side, on the road between town and Ao Nang, about 7 km out of the city. It has food, drinks and baking — a good rest stop if you're driving toward Ao Nang. Opens around 09:00.
Into the Forest
A café-restaurant tucked into shady greenery. The menu is broad — steak, pasta, salads, croissants and cake — so it works as a real meal plus dessert. If you like a quiet, woodsy setting, this one will land.
Baan Ton Mai Cafe
A riverside café wrapped in trees, with several seating zones to choose from. Good for settling in to catch the breeze — order a coffee and a dessert and just chill. Open daily, roughly 09:00–18:00.
Khaothong Hill
A hilltop café in the Khao Thong area with long views over Krabi's sea and mangrove forest. It has food, drinks and baking. Go in the late afternoon to catch the sunset. Open daily, roughly 11:00–20:00.
Traditional Thai Sweets by Asiyah
A stall-shop of homestyle Thai sweets in the Ao Nang night market, with fresh-made sweets that rotate by the day at friendly prices. Good to grab as you walk the evening market around Ao Nang.
Plan a full day of sweets and cafés
If you want to make the most of Krabi's sweets and cafés in a single day, here's an easy route. Start in town in the morning and around midday, then move out of the city in the afternoon and evening to catch the views.
A half day that works even without a car
A half day with a car, out of town for the views
Want a full eat-and-explore trip in Krabi? Check the city guide and where to stay.
See the Krabi travel guide →