🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Sleep in when you're in Phang Nga and you'll miss the best meal of the day. Breakfast here isn't like other parts of Thailand — it's full-on Hokkien Chinese crossed with the deep south. The dim sum is steamed fresh, one bamboo basket at a time, eaten with a small glass of hot kopi, while the old-town morning market in Takua Pa is where long-running spots that have been going 50 to 70 years all gather in one place. We've picked out the ones worth your time across Mueang Phang Nga, Takua Pa and Thai Mueang, and we'll tell you straight when each one sells out.
Dim sum — the heart of a Phang Nga morning
Phang Nga dim sum is the real thing that locals eat every morning, not a tourist novelty. Hot steaming bamboo baskets stack up on the cart — pork siu mai, bao buns, har gow, chive cakes — at 10–15 THB a basket. Order a few alongside congee or rice soup and you'll be full for under 80 THB.
Jeeb Sod Dim Sum (central Mueang Phang Nga)
A well-known spot in the middle of Phang Nga town, best known for freshly steamed siu mai packed with filling and a punchy dipping sauce locals talk about a lot. Bao buns, soft-boiled eggs, congee, pork rice soup, fish rice soup, bak kut teh and kopi are all here under one roof. Opens at the crack of dawn — a good way to start the day before heading out to Phang Nga Bay.
Chin Geng, Takua Pa old market
An old-school kopi house going back more than 70 years, now run by the second generation. Dim sum starts at 12 THB a basket, well-seasoned and nicely balanced, with freshly fried pa thong ko (Chinese doughnuts) to dip in pandan custard. This is genuine old-town Hokkien-style breakfast, on Klang Kaew Road in the old-market quarter.
Kai Tong Breakfast & Dim Sum (Takua Pa)
A breakfast spot in Takua Pa town where the dim sum is made fresh and steamed to order. Rice soup, mee sua and pan-fried eggs round out the menu, prices are friendly, and the vibe is the unpretentious neighborhood kind, with regulars who are all locals.
Prem Dim Sum (Takua Pa)
A morning dim sum spot in Takua Pa town — properly early and closed before noon, made for early risers who want hot steamed baskets before moving on. One thing to note: it's closed every Monday, so check before you go.
Ji Rung Breakfast & Dim Sum (Thai Mueang)
A morning spot in Thai Mueang district, on the way through before you reach Khao Lak. Dim sum and breakfast every day — handy for a refuel if you're staying around Khao Lak or driving south. It's on Soi Thetsaban 3.
Im Suk Dim Sum (Thap Lamu)
A newer dim sum spot in the Thap Lamu area, near the pier for the Similan Islands — good for eating before an early boat. Hot steamed dim sum plus hot and cold drinks, a newer option that people around Thap Lamu have started going to.
Local tip
Phang Nga dim sum spots sell out fast. Many start at 4am and the good stuff is gone before 9. If you want baskets that are steamed fresh, getting there before 8 is best — and bring cash, since most don't take transfers.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Phang Nga 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.
Kopi — old-school coffee, the morning companion
The word kopi comes from Hokkien and simply means coffee, while a kopitiam is a coffee shop — a tradition that arrived with the Chinese mining-era community. The old-school coffee is dark-roasted, brewed through a cloth sock and served in a small glass with sweetened condensed milk, eaten with pa thong ko dipped in pandan custard. It's a morning scene you can still genuinely catch in Takua Pa old town.
Lert Ocha Old-School Coffee (Takua Pa)
A single-shophouse kopitiam beside the Takua Pa bus station. The standouts are yellow siu mai, siao boey (minced pork tossed with pepper and coriander root), and pandan custard to eat with pa thong ko.
Chai Coffee Shop (Mueang Phang Nga)
A roughly 50-year-old old-school coffee shop in Phang Nga town, with siu mai, bao buns, pa thong ko, rice soup and mee sua to order alongside a hot kopi.
Khanom jeen and southern morning eats
Beyond the Chinese side, plenty of southern Phang Nga locals start the day with khanom jeen under a ladle of curry sauce, eaten with fresh raw vegetables — bean sprouts, pennywort, cucumber and pickled greens. Southern curry sauce runs hotter and heavier on the spice paste than the central-Thai version. You'll find it at morning markets and the neighborhood khanom jeen shops.
- Khanom jeen nam ya — a deep, spice-paste-heavy southern fish curry sauce over rice noodles, with fresh veg on the side as you like
- Mee sua — thin Chinese noodles in a clear broth, usually found at kopi shops, a light Hokkien-style breakfast
- Congee / fish rice soup — a warming bowl you can order alongside dim sum at almost any spot in Phang Nga town
Takua Pa old-town morning market
To really get under the skin of a Phang Nga breakfast, head to the old-town morning market in Takua Pa — a quarter of Sino-Portuguese shophouses where long-running spots 50 to 70 years old sit side by side. One short stretch covers dim sum, kopi, khanom jeen and local sweets. It's a real working morning for locals, not a market staged for photos.
- Chin Geng — a 70-year-old kopitiam, dim sum from 12 THB a basket, pa thong ko with pandan custard
- Mee Sua Ko Chai — a shop over 50 years old, now third generation, known for rice soup and mee sua, around 30–35 THB
- Lert Ocha — old-school coffee beside the bus station, siu mai, siao boey and pandan custard
- Khanom jeen stall in the municipal market — khanom jeen nam ya loaded with fresh veg in a single bowl
Planning a Takua Pa morning
The Takua Pa morning market is liveliest from around 5 to 8am, and some stalls sell out before 9. Come early and graze a little at several spots, and you'll get the full set — dim sum, kopi and khanom jeen — in one meal.
Plan a full eat-and-explore trip through Phang Nga
See the Phang Nga travel guide →