🔄 Updated 4 Jun 2026
Phuket Old Town — around Thalang Road, Phang Nga Road, Dibuk Road and Soi Sun Uthit — is the living heart of Peranakan food culture. Many of the sweets here are made by hand and have been sold for decades; some shops pass the recipe down from grandparents to grandchildren. Strolling past the Sino-Portuguese shophouses while stopping for dessert along the way is the most relaxed way to see the Old Town.
What is O-Aew, and why do locals love it?
O-Aew is a clear, soft jelly made from the seeds of the O-Aew plant, a member of the fig family. The seeds are kneaded in water until they release a gel, which is then set into jelly with a natural setting agent. It's served in sweet, cold syrup over shaved ice with red beans, grass jelly, banana or whatever fruit you like. It isn't overly sweet, the jelly is smooth and easy to eat, and it suits Phuket's heat perfectly. Many of the old shops still make their jelly fresh every day rather than using gelatin powder, which is exactly why locals say no two taste the same.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Phuket 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.
10 O-Aew and local sweet shops worth trying
O-Aew Pae Lee (the original)
A little cart in front of an old cinema near Soi Sun Uthit, going for over 30 years. They make the jelly themselves without gelatin powder — fragrant syrup, soft and silky O-Aew. This is the one locals and reviewers talk about most. It's very cheap, but it only opens in the afternoon and usually sells out before evening.
A-Pong Mae Sunee
A local-sweet legend of more than 50 years, with a Michelin Bib Gourmand several years running. A-Pong is a coconut-scented batter fried over charcoal until it's crisp around the edge and soft in the middle, then rolled into a stick — eaten hot right at the stall. It sits at the mouth of Soi Sun Uthit near Pae Lee, opens in the morning, and sells out fast.
O-Aew Lor Rong, Chamcha Market
Reviewers praise this one for its fragrant syrup and jelly with just the right chew, served over icy-cold shaved ice. It has that old market atmosphere in the middle of town — a good stop while you're walking around.
O-Aew Dibuk Road
A shop that plays with O-Aew in newer ways — Thai-tea O-Aew and loaded-topping versions. Good for anyone who wants the local sweet in a less strictly traditional form. It's on Dibuk Road, which is easy to wander.
Café'in (cafe-style O-Aew)
A cafe next to the Thaihua Museum on Krabi Road that reworks O-Aew into new versions — pineapple, honey-lime, lychee, even coffee. You sit in a cool old building, which makes it a good fit if you want your O-Aew in a cafe setting. Prices are quite a bit higher than the carts.
Lok Tien
A collection of local dishes in an old building, with both savoury food and desserts. The O-Aew here is served with red beans and grass jelly. It gets a lot of reviews and is handy if you want a main meal and a dessert to finish in one spot.
O-Aew Baan Ko Roj
A classic O-Aew cart where you can add red beans, taro, banana or fresh fruit. Prices start very low, and it's a spot locals drop by regularly — nothing flashy, but the flavour is reliably good.
Hokkien Kopi House, Baan Thaew Nam
An old-school Hokkien-style coffee house that serves O-Aew with red beans and ice. It has that vintage coffee-house feel — good for sipping hot kopi and following it with something cold and sweet.
Torry's Ice Cream
Not a traditional sweet, but homemade ice cream in a Sino-Portuguese shophouse that's become a regular stop for Old Town visitors. There are dozens of flavours, including local ones like mango and coconut. It's around Soi Romyen.
ROÔF Pudding & Cafe
A small dessert cafe in the Old Town, known for its soft pudding and coffee. A nice way to cap off a walk-and-eat trip with a newer-style dessert in an easy-going setting.
How to hit them all
Heritage shops like Pae Lee and A-Pong Mae Sunee sell fresh, make everything to order, and often sell out before closing time. If you're set on these two, do the morning for the A-Pong and circle back in the afternoon for the O-Aew — or check that day's opening hours before you head out, since the carts can take unpredictable days off.
Other local sweets worth trying too
- A-Pong — coconut-milk batter fried over charcoal, crisp outside and soft inside, rolled into a stick and eaten hot with that coconut aroma. It's the Old Town's partner to O-Aew.
- Tao Sor — Hokkien-style pastries filled with sweet mung-bean paste, with a thin, fragrant crust. A popular Phuket souvenir, found at the old sweet shops in town.
- O-Tao — though it's savoury (oysters fried with batter and egg), many Old Town spots sell it alongside sweets, so you can easily eat your way from one to the next.
- Kopi + kaya toast — old-school Hokkien-style coffee in a vintage coffee house, eaten with kaya (coconut-custard) toast. A breakfast or snack locals know well.
How to plan a sweet-tooth walk through the Old Town
Walking distances in Phuket Old Town are short — Thalang Road, Phang Nga Road, Dibuk Road, Krabi Road and Soi Sun Uthit are all within easy walking range of each other. Park on the edge of the area and walk in, because parking inside is hard to find. On Sunday evenings there's the big Lard Yai walking street on Thalang Road with even more food and sweets; come on a weekday and it's an easier walk with fewer people.
The heritage, traditional route
Start the morning at A-Pong Mae Sunee, then loop back to Pae Lee in the afternoon — all about original flavours, made by hand, cheap.
The sit-and-relax cafe route
Pick Café'in or ROÔF, sit in a cool old building, eat newer-style sweets and snap some nice photos.
Plan a full day of eating your way through Phuket Old Town
See the Phuket travel guide →