🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Before you pick a spot, it helps to sort them into three types — mookata / grill buffets focus on marinated meat over a charcoal stove and are the cheapest, seafood buffets add prawns, shellfish, and blue crab so the price goes up a bit, and combined hotpot + grill is for anyone who wants both boiling and grilling in one meal. Surat Thani has all three, and a lot of spots come out cheaper than you'd expect because the competition is fierce.
10 Best-Value Mookata, Grill & Seafood Buffets
Long Lae Mookata
A legend among Bandon locals for over 20 years, with a chilled-out riverside vibe and a long buffet line that runs from marinated pork and seafood to fried snacks, yum salads, and refillable desserts. It's the first place locals think of when a big group wants to do grill night.
Mana Mookata Buffet
A newer spot with great pricing — 229 THB for adults including drinks, no time limit. Kids 6–11 are half price and under 6 eat free. There are several zones, from private booths to a riverside area and a kids' play area. The line has pork belly, scallops, and seafood, making it a solid family pick.
Osaka Buffet
A grill + grilled-seafood spot on the Samet Riang road. The draw here is the à la carte menu you can order on top of the buffet line, as much as you like. Reviewers say it goes all out on both the seafood and the grill menu — you'll leave full for under three hundred a head.
Umi Shabu
For anyone who wants both shabu and grill in one place. The line has wagyu, salmon, and Japanese dishes. Shabu starts at 319 and grill at 329, all in. It's a step up in price, but you get more premium ingredients than a standard mookata spot.
3 Bai Thao Mookata
A budget mookata buffet at 199 THB, all-you-can-eat with no time limit, on the Samet Riang road. Good for anyone on a tight budget or who wants to settle in for a long sit. Plenty of food for the price — nothing flashy, but it earns its keep.
Talay Ja Seafood Buffet
A straight-up seafood buffet leaning on prawns, shellfish, blue crab, and fish, which you grill and boil yourself. Good for anyone who wants more seafood than pork. If you're in Surat Thani, it's worth trying a place in the land of big oysters at least once.
Win Win Mookata
The buffet line is clearly split into zones — a pork zone, snacks, and a seafood zone — with no time limit. Reviews give it high marks for freshness and value, and it's a spot locals keep coming back to.
Sangkasee
Has both a hotpot stove and a grill at the same table, so you can choose to boil or grill. Fresh shellfish is what reviewers mention most, in a relaxed, no-frills tavern-style setting.
Ratchanan Mookata Buffet
A mookata buffet that throws in all-you-can-eat seafood — prawns, crab, and fish — at a regular buffet price. Good for anyone who wants seafood but doesn't want to pay full seafood-restaurant rates.
Je Sao Mookata (Phunphin)
For anyone staying or getting off the train near Phunphin, this one saves you a trip into the city. It serves a pork belly set and a standard grill line at friendly prices — a handy option near Surat Thani railway station (Phunphin).
How to pick a spot
If you're coming as a big group on a budget, go for a place that throws in seafood at the regular buffet price — like Mana, Long Lae, or Ratchanan — which works out cheaper than a dedicated seafood buffet. If you're after premium stuff (wagyu, salmon), step up to Umi Shabu.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Surat Thani 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.
Rough price per head by type
- Standard mookata / grill buffet — around ฿199–229/person including drinks, many with no time limit
- Grill + grilled seafood — around ฿249–299/person, adding prawns, scallops, and blue crab to the line
- Combined shabu + grill (premium) — around ฿319–329/person, with imported meat, salmon, and Japanese dishes
- Stove/equipment charge — some spots add ฿89–99 per grill stove, so ask up front before you sit down
Opening hours and booking a table
Most grill spots in Surat Thani open in the evening, around 16:30 onwards until about 22:00–22:30. Many are walk-in and don't take reservations. Tables tend to fill up between 18:00 and 20:00, especially on Friday and Saturday. If you're coming as a big group or want a good zone, aim for around 17:00 or after 20:00 — it's more relaxed.
Coming as a family
Pick a spot with a kids' play area and separate kids' pricing, like Mana Mookata — bring the whole family without worrying about the little ones.
Want lots of seafood
Head to Long Lae, Osaka, or Talay Ja, where the seafood line is long — fitting for the land of big oysters in southern Thailand.
On a budget
3 Bai Thao at 199 THB or Mana at 229 THB — all-you-can-eat with no time limit, the best value on the list.
Plan a full eat-and-explore trip in Surat Thani
See the Surat Thani travel guide →