Krabi punches well above its weight for food. Most visitors eat mediocre pad thai in Ao Nang and leave not knowing that Krabi Town, 20 minutes away, has one of southern Thailand’s best small-city food scenes — a mix of Sino-Thai cooking, Muslim-influenced curries, fresh crab, and night market stalls charging 40 THB a skewer.
The best food in Krabi spans Kotung’s decades-old Sino-Thai rice shop, the Walking Street market’s grilled seafood, PakNam village’s black-crab restaurant, and Ao Nang Seafood Street’s by-the-kilo fish. Plan to eat in Krabi Town at least twice.
- Price range: 40–60 THB (market stalls) → 300–600 THB (sit-down seafood)
- Best area for budget eats: Krabi Town centre and morning market
- Best area for seafood: Pak Nam village; Ao Nang Hat Noppharat Thara strip
- Night markets: Walking Street (Fri–Sun, 5pm–10pm); Chao Fah Park (daily, from around 5pm — runs late)
- Getting there from Ao Nang: songthaew, 50–60 THB, 20–30 mins
- Cash or card: Most local stalls are cash only; bigger restaurants accept cards
- Muslim-owned spots: Halal clearly marked; pork-free menus common in Krabi Town
Quick Picks
| You want | Go to | Area / Price |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Thai rice and curry | Krabi Town morning market | Town centre / 50–80 THB |
| Sino-Thai comfort food | Kotung | Krabi Town / 80–150 THB |
| Best rural Thai restaurant | Ruen Mai | Edge of Krabi Town / 150–300 THB |
| Seafood by the kilo | PakNam Krabi Seafood | Pak Nam / 200–500 THB |
| Night market atmosphere | Walking Street | Krabi Town / 40–80 THB |
| Beachside fish dinner | Seafood Street restaurants | Ao Nang / 300–600 THB |
| Quick khao yam breakfast | Morning market stalls | Krabi Town / 40–60 THB |
Best Food in Krabi: Night Markets and Street Stalls
The Walking Street Night Market is the obvious starting point. It runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 5pm to 10pm along Krabi Town’s central road, covering around 2,000 square metres of vendors, a central performance stage, and enough food to fill three meals. Arrive at 6pm to beat the peak crowd and still get a choice of seats.
What to order: hoi chak teen (wing shells boiled in their shell, served with garlic-chilli-lime dipping sauce) at 50–60 THB for a bag; grilled squid on skewers at 40–60 THB; roti with condensed milk for 30 THB. A full paper plate of khao man gai (poached chicken on rice with broth) comes in at 60–70 THB and is one of the better cheap meals in Thailand.
Insider Tip: The vendors closest to the stage tend to charge slightly more and have longer queues. Walk 50 metres further from the stage and the same dishes drop 10–20 THB.
The Chao Fah Park Night Market is the alternative for people who prefer a quieter, more local crowd. It sits near Chao Fah Pier and opens daily from around 5pm, running well into the evening — so it’s your option on weeknights when Walking Street is closed. Stalls here lean heavily toward khao gaeng (curry and rice), grilled chicken, and Thai-style snacks. Most dishes run 40–60 THB.
- Cheap, atmospheric, and genuinely local
- Huge variety in one small area
- Chao Fah Park opens daily and runs late (Walking Street only Fri–Sun)
- Seating is limited at both markets
- Walking Street gets very crowded Saturday nights
- Hygiene varies by stall — stick to cooked-to-order and hot food
Southern Thai Cuisine: What Makes Krabi Different
Southern Thai cooking hits harder than the food you’ve been eating in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. More chilli, more fermented shrimp paste, more coconut. Muslim culinary influence runs deep here — Krabi has a significant Muslim population, and the result is some of Thailand’s best massaman curry and khao yam in small, unassuming shophouses.
Kotung is the most famous. This Sino-Thai rice shop on the edge of Krabi Town has been open for several decades and draws locals for braised pork belly, gaeng som (sour tamarind curry), and crab curry over jasmine rice. Expect to pay 80–150 THB for a full meal. Kotung recently moved to a larger premises — the cooking is still the real thing but the setting is more spacious than the original. Confirm the current address via Google Maps before visiting. Arrive before noon for the full selection; it closes when the food runs out.
For a step up in setting without losing the southern Thai identity, Ruen Mai sits just outside central Krabi Town in open bamboo dining rooms surrounded by dense trees. The menu covers the southern Thai classics — gaeng tai pla (fermented fish innards curry, intensely flavoured and not for everyone), gaeng massaman of the quality you’ll struggle to find in tourist restaurants, fresh crab dishes, and a particularly good tom kha (coconut galangal soup). Budget 150–300 THB per person. It’s a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride from central Krabi Town. Hours are roughly 10:30am–3pm and 5pm–9pm; worth calling ahead or checking their Facebook page before visiting on weekends.
Insider Tip: Order khao yam for breakfast at the Krabi Town morning market, not at a sit-down restaurant. The cold rice salad with grated coconut, dried shrimp, herbs, and kaffir lime comes assembled to order for 40–60 THB, and it’s gone by 9am. This dish is a southern Thai breakfast staple that almost no tourist ever tries.
For more background on the dishes you’ll encounter, see our guide to popular Thai food.
Seafood in Krabi: PakNam and the Riverside
The freshest seafood in Krabi Province isn’t in Ao Nang — it’s in Pak Nam village, a short drive or longtail boat ride from Krabi Town toward the coast. PakNam Krabi Seafood has the best reputation in this area, known specifically for black crab and sea bass. The horseshoe crab egg salad (yam kai mang da) is a house speciality — a regional southern Thai dish made from the roe of horseshoe crabs. Order it if adventurous; the kitchen will guide you. Prices here reflect the quality: a whole grilled sea bass runs around 300–400 THB, black crab 250–500 THB depending on size.
Back in Krabi Town itself, the riverside restaurants along the Krabi River waterfront serve grilled fish and standard Thai dishes at mid-range prices, with views of the limestone karsts across the water. Nothing revelatory, but a pleasant dinner setting for 200–350 THB per person.
Insider Tip: Tell the kitchen your heat tolerance upfront. Southern Thai seafood dishes — particularly anything with shrimp paste or chilli paste (nam prik) — are genuinely spicy by default. “Mai phet” (not spicy) will moderate it; asking for “phet nit noi” (a little spicy) still delivers real heat.
The accommodation pages — particularly for luxury hotels in Krabi — often note which resorts have their own seafood restaurants worth dining at even as a non-guest. Rayavadee’s Raya restaurant is the most cited; expect to pay 800–1,500 THB per person for the setting as much as the food.
Ao Nang: Seafood Street and the Tourist Strip
Ao Nang is where most visitors stay, and the food reality is mixed. The main strip running through town has 50+ restaurants all competing for tourist attention with similar menus, inflated prices, and mediocre execution. That said, there are specific spots worth knowing.
Seafood Street, the restaurant stretch near Hat Noppharat Thara beach (a few kilometres from central Ao Nang), is the better choice for fresh seafood. Restaurants along this strip display their catch on ice out front and sell fish by the kilo. A whole red snapper grilled with herbs runs 400–600 THB depending on size; tiger prawns are typically 600–900 THB per kilo. The cooking is good rather than exceptional, but the seafood is genuinely fresh. Sunset timing here from around 6pm is the better reason to choose this area over Krabi Town for an evening meal.
Lae Lay Grill is the most recommended sit-down seafood restaurant in Ao Nang — perched on a hill above Ao Nang with views over the Andaman Sea, with shuttle service from local hotels. Budget 500–1,000 THB per person. The setting earns its own admission price; the food is reliable but the view is the main event. Book ahead for sunset tables. For more restaurant options across the area, our best restaurants in Krabi guide covers the full sit-down dining shortlist.
For cheap food in Ao Nang, the small lane markets and food stalls behind the main drag — away from the beach road — run 80–150 THB for a plate of something genuine. It takes a few minutes of walking to find them, but every guesthouse owner knows where. Ao Nang has a decent third-wave coffee scene too, with several cafes near the beach road doing proper espresso.
Insider Tip: If you’re based in Ao Nang and don’t want to travel to Krabi Town, the Ao Nang Weekend Night Market (check current schedule locally — days and location can shift seasonally) offers similar Walking Street prices in a smaller format. Ask at your accommodation for the current location.
Morning Markets and Daytime Eats
The Krabi Town morning market, running roughly 6am–10am near the town centre, is where locals shop and eat. For visitors, it’s the single best breakfast option in Krabi: khao yam (40–60 THB), kanom jeen (rice noodles with southern curry sauce, 40–50 THB), khanom krok (coconut-rice pancakes, 30 THB), and khao man gai all appear before 8am. The market also sells fresh fruit at prices well below tourist shops: rambutan, mangosteen, and dragonfruit by the bag.
There’s no sit-down component — eat standing or find a low stool. That’s the point. Arrive hungry, bring small bills, and point at what looks good.
How to Eat Well in Krabi on Any Budget
Under 100 THB per meal: Krabi Town morning market before 9am; night market stalls at Walking Street or Chao Fah Park from around 5pm. Stick to one market per evening rather than trying both — the food at Walking Street is more varied.
100–300 THB per meal: Kotung for lunch (arrive before noon); Ruen Mai for dinner (budget an extra 100 THB for the tuk-tuk each way). Both are better value than anything on the Ao Nang strip at the same price.
300 THB and above: PakNam Krabi Seafood for crab; Seafood Street near Hat Noppharat Thara for a by-the-kilo fish dinner; Lae Lay Grill for the occasion meal.
Getting around: songthaews between Ao Nang and Krabi Town run throughout the day and evening for 50–60 THB per person. They stop running reliably after 9pm — if you’re staying in Ao Nang and eating late in Krabi Town, budget 200–300 THB for a tuk-tuk home.
A reliable SIM card saves you from getting stranded when Google Maps fails on back streets. Thailand eSIM options are covered in our best eSIM Thailand guide. And if you’re weighing nights out alongside dinner plans, several of Ao Nang’s beachfront bars have food menus worth knowing.
8Verdict: Krabi’s food scene rewards the 20-minute songthaew ride from Ao Nang to Krabi Town. The night markets are genuinely good, the southern Thai cooking at Kotung and Ruen Mai is the real thing, and fresh seafood at PakNam beats anything on the tourist strip. Ao Nang has its moments — Seafood Street for a sunset fish dinner, Lae Lay Grill for an occasion — but the best eating is firmly in Krabi Town. Rating: 8/10
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best night market in Krabi for food?
The Walking Street Night Market (Krabi Town) runs Friday to Sunday, 5pm–10pm, and is the best for food variety: grilled seafood, southern curries, and mango sticky rice all under 60 THB. Chao Fah Park market opens daily from around 5pm and runs late into the evening — better for a quieter, local atmosphere.
Where can I eat the best seafood in Krabi?
PakNam Krabi Seafood in Pak Nam village is the local favourite for black crab and sea bass. In Ao Nang, the restaurants along Seafood Street (near Hat Noppharat Thara) sell fresh fish by the kilo — budget 400–800 THB for two with a whole fish, prawns, and rice.
What southern Thai dishes should I try in Krabi?
Order khao yam (cold rice salad with herbs and toasted coconut), gaeng tai pla (fermented fish innards curry — intense and not for everyone), gaeng som (sour tamarind curry), and massaman curry. Krabi Town morning market is the best place to find khao yam for breakfast before 9am.
Is food in Krabi Town cheaper than Ao Nang?
Yes, noticeably. A plate of rice and curry in Krabi Town costs 50–80 THB at a local shop; the same meal in Ao Nang tourist strip runs 150–250 THB. Night market stalls in Krabi Town are the cheapest option of all, at 40–60 THB per dish.
How do I get from Ao Nang to Krabi Town for the night market?
Songthaew (shared pickup truck) runs between Ao Nang and Krabi Town throughout the day and evening for around 50–60 THB per person. The journey takes 20–30 minutes. Tuk-tuks are available for around 200–300 THB if you prefer a direct ride.
