There are two types of Indian restaurants in Phuket. The first type is the tourist-facing curry house near Patong's Bangla Road — menus the size of small novels, slightly plasticky naan, and a business model built around capturing passing foot traffic. The second type is the smaller, often family-run place where the Indian expat community actually goes. The gap in quality between these two types is substantial.
After six years in Phuket, I have eaten at both. This guide focuses on the good stuff — where to find genuinely satisfying Indian food, what to expect to pay, and a few things about Indian groceries that will make your life easier if you like to cook.
Indian Food in Phuket — Key Facts
North Indian vs South Indian Food in Phuket
North Indian cuisine dominates Phuket's Indian restaurant scene — butter chicken, dal makhani, paneer tikka masala, naan, paratha, various biryanis. This reflects both the demographics of Phuket's Indian expat community (heavily North Indian) and the fact that these dishes are the most internationally familiar, making them easier to sell to non-Indian tourists.
South Indian food — dosa, idli, sambar, rasam, coconut chutney — is less common but does exist. A handful of restaurants, mostly in Patong and occasionally in Phuket Town, offer genuine South Indian breakfasts. These are worth seeking out if you know what to look for: a crisp masala dosa at 08:00 with good sambar is a genuinely excellent start to a Phuket day.
What About Gujarati and Jain Vegetarian Food?
Purely Gujarati or Jain-vegetarian restaurants are rare in Phuket, but the broader North Indian vegetarian menu is strong at the better restaurants. Paneer dishes (paneer tikka, palak paneer, matar paneer), dal preparations, chana masala, rajma, aloo gobi — all are typically available and well-executed at good Indian restaurants. If you are vegetarian or vegan, Indian restaurants in Phuket are consistently among your best dining options on the island.
Indian Food in Phuket by Area
Patong
Patong has the highest concentration of Indian restaurants on the island, centred around the streets near Bangla Road and the beach road. Quality ranges from tourist-trap-mediocre to genuinely good. The better places here are run by Indian or Pakistani families who have been operating in Phuket for years — if you see a restaurant where Indian tourists are eating (rather than just Western tourists), that is usually a good signal. The Patong area guide covers what it is like to live there more broadly.
Bang Tao and Cherng Talay
The west coast around Bang Tao and Cherng Talay has a smaller number of Indian restaurants than Patong but higher average quality. Several of these cater specifically to the Indian expat community in the area and to the affluent Indian visitors staying at the Laguna resort complex. Expect slightly higher prices than Patong (reflecting the area's premium positioning) but reliably better food. The Bang Tao and Laguna guide covers the area in full.
Rawai and Nai Harn
The south of the island around Rawai and Nai Harn has a handful of well-regarded Indian restaurants that serve the local long-term expat community. These places tend to be smaller, less tourist-facing, and very consistent — they survive because the residents who eat there regularly would notice immediately if quality dropped. Prices here are typically the most reasonable on the island for Indian food.
Kata and Karon
Kata and Karon have several decent Indian restaurants, mostly on the main strip through Kata. Quality is mid-tier — better than the worst of Patong, not as good as the best of Bang Tao. For a quick, reliable curry dinner, these work fine.
Key Indian Dishes Available in Phuket
| Dish | Region | Typical Price (THB) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butter chicken | North Indian | 150–220 THB | The most universally available; quality varies |
| Dal makhani | North Indian | 120–180 THB | A good quality test — takes hours to make properly |
| Paneer tikka masala | North Indian | 150–200 THB | Strong at vegetarian-focused places |
| Chicken biryani | Widespread | 180–280 THB | Hyderabadi and Lucknowi styles both found |
| Masala dosa | South Indian | 80–140 THB | Available at a small number of specialist places |
| Garlic naan | North Indian | 50–80 THB | The bread standard; paratha also widely available |
| Tandoori chicken | North Indian | 200–350 THB | Good at restaurants with a proper tandoor oven |
| Chana masala | North Indian | 100–160 THB | Reliable vegetarian choice |
| Lassi (sweet/salted) | North Indian | 60–100 THB | Quality indicator — see insider tip above |
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[AFFILIATE_PACIFIC_CROSS] Compare Plans Free →Indian Grocery Shopping in Phuket
Supermarkets
For standard Indian cooking ingredients, Makro has the best selection of bulk spices, lentils (multiple dal varieties), basmati rice, and Indian-brand products. Big C and Lotus's carry a more limited range — you can typically find curry powder, cardamom, cumin, and a few other essentials, but the selection is thin compared to Makro. Tops at Centralworld Phuket has a small international food section that sometimes includes Indian products.
Specialist Indian Grocery Shops
For comprehensive Indian grocery shopping in Phuket — atta flour, specific masala blends, methi leaves, curry leaves, tamarind, specific pickle varieties, incense, and occasionally imported Indian snacks — you need one of the specialist Indian grocery shops. There are a small number of these in Patong and in the Phuket Town area, often near the mosques (as they cater to both Indian Hindu and Indian Muslim communities). They are small, sometimes difficult to find, but stocked with things you cannot get elsewhere. Worth asking at any Indian restaurant — they will know where to direct you.
The Phuket supermarkets guide covers all the main grocery options across the island in detail, including what each store is best for.
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Tips for Indian Expats in Phuket
Phuket's Indian expat community is smaller than Bangkok's but growing, concentrated mainly in Bang Tao and Phuket Town. There are Indian community events around Diwali (when several restaurants do special menus and some community gatherings happen) and Holi. The Indian community in Phuket tends to be quite integrated — many Indian expats have been here for years and are deeply embedded in local business and social life.
For accommodation, Bang Tao and Laguna or Rawai and Nai Harn are the two areas where you will feel most connected to Indian food and community. Both have good Indian restaurant access, proximity to the supermarkets with the best Indian grocery sections, and established long-term expat communities. The broader expat lifestyle in Phuket hub covers community, social life, and what daily life looks like in each area.
If you are still researching the visa side of a move to Phuket, the Phuket visa guide covers all your options in detail. And use the cost of living calculator to get a realistic sense of what monthly expenses look like for your situation.