1. The Whitening
Fantastic views, great food and a chic white interior is what you can expect from the Whitening. This restaurant is located right in the heart of Sairee Beach and lacks absolutely nothing – the food is great, the atmosphere is relaxing and the service formidable, but the best part of it is the beautiful beachfront view. With a location directly on the beach, you can literally feel the sand beneath your feet while eating your delicious Tom Yum. I can easily imagine how this restaurant turns into the most romantic setting for dinner at the beach as the sun is setting on the horizon. Having a long-running history of over 20 years of existence, the Whitening has a diverse menu with a selection of both the Thai and Western cuisine and oh my, was this tasty!
2. Pranee's Kitchen
I am a big planner through and through when it comes to everything related to travel, I even research restaurants in advance. When we entered Pranee’s Kitchen it was one of those rare situations where we spontaneously had picked a restaurant for dinner after an exhausting day at sea. There we stood, between the choice of eating at a restaurant in the front row with a sea view or going for the second range tucked away in between buildings which however looked cozier. We opted for the last, and I’m so glad that we did. Pranee’s Kitchen had the most flavoursome, exquisite food which just wouldn’t make me stop eating. Being already so full after the main course and everything that followed along, we still had to try their dessert, and it wasn’t disappointing either. Pranee’s Kitchen remains one of the original island restaurants that has been owned and operated by a local family for over 30 years, serving authentic and mouthwatering Thai food.
3. Babaloo
This local gem you will find tucked well away on a hillside, surrounded by the lush greens of nature. Until this day today, this restaurant remains one of the best I tried throughout our entire month in Thailand. Despite being low-key and perhaps less fancy than other restaurants on Koh Tao, Babaloo gave me by far one of the best Thai-food experiences I had during our stay on the island. When being a vegetarian, or even vegan, finding options in Thailand can be challenging since most dishes are paired with either meat or seafood. At Babaloo however, you have infinitely many options to pair with your traditional Thai dish. After choosing your dish, you can pair whichever (vegan) protein you want alongside – vegan “duck”, vegan “beef”, vegan “chicken” or the more traditional meat/seafood options, you name it! Sitting inside this open-air restaurant while sipping on my shake, I could feel how this place is the perfect reflection of Koh Tao as an island – welcoming and laid-back and worth adding to your where-to-eat-on-Koh-Tao-list.