Maenam may only be a small village, but there is no shortage of great restaurants! We've spent almost two months on Koh Samui and have sampled some really great dishes.
Here is our curated list of the best places to eat in Maenam, ranging from extensive breakfasts with homemade bread or fluffy pancakes, to savory noodle soup for lunch or a healthy vegan dinner.
Best places to eat in Maenam
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Top restaurants in Maenam: map
Check the map below for the location of the Maenam restaurants included in this post.
Click here for the interactive map
Where to eat in Maenam, Koh Samui
1. Best breakfast in Maenam: About Cafe Koh Samui
An excellent place to get breakfast on Koh Samui is the About Cafe in Maenam. This small and cozy coffee bar is owned by a professional and award winning barista so if you're a coffee addict (like myself) you won't be disappointed.
Their breakfast options are delicious as well and the wholegrain bread is such a welcome change from the sweet soft bread sold in most supermarkets.
There are only a couple of tables so you may have to wait a while on busy days, but I promise it'll be worth it!
2. Best croissants on Koh Samui: Le Fournil French Bakery
Owned by a Frenchman who made his way to Koh Samui in 2011, this bakery sells freshly made croissants that will make you feel like you're in a Parisian bistro instead of a tropical island in Asia.
The coffee is good too and the baguettes are massive. While it's a bit more expensive than your average Thai breakfast, it's definitely good value for money given the portion size.
You can have breakfast at one of the tables on the porch, or get a large bag of croissants to go.
3. Best pancakes in Maenam: Pancake Island
The name kind of gives it away, but this lovely little place specialized in pancakes.
Not just any pancakes, delicious light and fluffy pancakes smothered in berries, chocolate, and ice cream. Or bananas and honey. Or nuts and pineapple. Or… well you get the gist…
It may not be the healthiest breakfast option but since you're on holiday you're allowed to treat yourself every once in a while.
They also serve great coffee, fresh fruit smoothies, and other breakfast choices such as scrambled eggs on toast.
4. Best Thai food in Maenam: Poom's Place
Thailand is home to one of the most delicious cuisines in the world. No matter the dish you order (or learn to create during a Thai cooking class), there is always a perfect balance between the four basic flavors: sweet, sour, salty, and of course spicy.
So while you can't really go wrong with Thai food in general, there are some places that are just in a whole different league than the ‘average' restaurant.
Poom's Place is one of those restaurants, unassuming and you'll easily walk past it. But please don't because every item on the menu is DE-LI-CI-OUS!
We ate there many times and kept coming back to try out more dishes. Our recommendations include Gai Pad Med Mamuang (chicken stir-fry with cashew nuts) and the Massaman curry.
Though if you ask our son he'll tell you to get the pancake with strawberry jam…
5. Best noodle soup on Koh Samui: Permpoon Thai Food
This modest little roadside restaurant is one of those places where looks can be deceiving.
Permpoon Thai Food may not look very polished or fancy (it's not) but it serves up some of the best noodle soup I've ever had. And I've sampled a LOT of soup during our travels…
Their pad kra pao (pork and holy basil stir-fry) is delicious as well, though it's pretty spicy. If that's not your thing, you can ask for ‘European spicy‘.
6. Restaurant without a name
One of the things I love most about travel is finding new and exciting places to eat.
Some of the best meals we had during our travels around the world were not at fancy restaurants, but at small roadside stalls with a couple of plastic tables and chairs strewn about the sidewalk.
While the ‘Restaurant without a Name' isn't a roadside stall, it felt very similar. It's simply a small kitchen and a few tables and chairs covered by some roofing sheets, where they somehow manage to whip up the most amazing meals.
The family who runs this place is very welcoming and friendly and we ate here many times during our months on Koh Samui.
I've marked the location on the map above. Coming from Maenam, take a left just after the Family Market on the leftside of the road and just before the Maenam Afternoon Market.
Drive around 430 meters and you'll find this small restaurant on your right. It's across the fenced property and about 70 meters before the 7-11.
7. Best family-friendly restaurant on Koh Samui: Monster Café
One thing nobody told me about having kids: you'll never be able to have a nice and quiet meal again.
Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, however, when you're traveling with young children it can be challenging to find places to eat that appeal to every family member.
Enter Monster Café.
This lovely little spot in Maenam quickly became our go-to breakfast place, and it's easy to see why.
Not only do they serve beautiful breakfast bowls and delicious (though admittedly very sweet) Dalgona coffee, there is an endless supply of toys, stuffed animals, and a little playground.
The friendly owners have done their utmost to create a cozy space and you'll finally be able to enjoy that nice and quiet breakfast you've been secretly missing (and craving) for the last couple of years.
But don't dismiss this spot when you don't have kids. The food is really good and very affordable. Plus, there are some tables in the front where you won't be bothered by other peoples little ones running around.
8. Restaurant with the best view: Toh Kin Kao
If you're looking for coffee with a view, Toh Kin Kao is the place to go. Situated on the premises of Maenam Resort, this restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The food is very tasty and the iced coffee is nice too. If you're lucky enough to snatch up one of the tables at the edge of the porch, the ocean views are hard to beat…
9. Best healthy and vegan food in Maenam: Two Sister
Two Sisters is a small restaurant in Maenam serving healthy (and vegan) food, lovingly made and absolutely delicious.
I've lost count of how many times we ate here and ordered pretty much every item on the menu at least once.
Our favorites include the vegan burger, the chicken-avocado quesadilla, vegan wrap with cauliflower and quinoa and the tabouleh salad.
That being said, you can't go wrong here. Every dish is made from scratch, with fresh ingredients and a lot of attention to detail.
The amazing staff even decorated my son's pita with heart-shaped carrots and cucumber. No pics though because he ate everything before I had the chance to take one…
10. Best pizza on Koh Samui: Pizzeria Da Bardo
Don't feel like having Thai food today? If you're done with curry and rice or simply craving a different cuisine, go for pizza at Pizzeria Da Bardo.
The owner is originally from Tuscany and really knows his stuff. All the ingredients are sourced from Italy, meaning you'll pay around 350-550 bath for a pizza.
Which is still a great deal considering the fact you're eating an authentic Italian pizza on a small tropical Thai Island almost 10.000 kilometers from Rome.
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Best restaurants in Maenam: in conclusion
While this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the nice places to eat in Maenam, I hope you'll have some delicious meals and enjoy these great restaurants in Maenam as much as we did.
Feel free to leave a comment below or send me a message if you've got any questions, I'm happy to help!
You may also like my other Thailand posts:
- 3-day Koh Samui itinerary
- Hotel review: Kimpton Kitalay Samui
- 10 days in Thailand: travel Itinerary
- Thailand travel budget
