THE RETURN OF PATTAYA – AND ITS RESTAURANTS

I think we can all agree that Pattaya has made a spectacular comeback since the pandemic virtually closed it down for the previous two years. Anyone who was here during that time will remember the way the city, and the businesses who tried to battle through it, suffered terribly at the hands of the endless shutdowns and the banning of international travel.

However, since the lifting of the restrictions the city has made a remarkable recovery, not least the restaurants and hotels who depend so much on a combination of local residents, weekend visitors from Bangkok and beyond and international travellers.

We here at Discover Pattaya have visited some of the restaurants and hotels over the last few months and it really is astounding what choice the city gives you and the range and variety of food being offered, at both low and high end prices.

One of the most enjoyable was a visit to the Movenpick Siam Hotel in Na Jomtien, where they have a “Fisherman BBQ Buffet” between 6pm – 10pm on Saturday evening. We sat down at 6pm and were bowled over by the choice of dishes available. Of course, every type of fresh seafood was being served, which was highly praised by the shellfish and sushi lovers amongst us, but it was the variety of dishes through the whole range that was impressive. We even had a non-seafood eater amongst us but there was no complaints from them after seeing the meat dishes and charcuterie being offered, not to mention a wonderful array of dessert choices, accompanied by a chocolate fountain! Sitting in the restaurant looking out over the excellent family pool and onto the beach, it was certainly a memorable evening.

Another venue where we were bowled over by the food and the setting was the beach club at The Pullman Pattaya. We decided on the “Grazing Board” for four people, which you have served to you whilst lazing on a bed looking out over the beach. The quality and variety was excellent and was more than enough to satisfy the whole party. We also sampled the seafood buffet that is served every Friday and Saturday evening and this was another high quality offering, again not just for seafood lovers.

One of the restaurants we have been visiting for years now is Marco’s on Thappraya Road, and over all that time I doubt the food has ever let us down. Our latest meal there was as good as ever and the quality of the food, the excellent staff and the attention to detail from Marco himself has made this one of the busiest and best loved eateries in the city. The choices are continuously updated, with a new variety of pizza every month, and with the addition of various Thai infused dishes the menu has been given an added twist.

Speaking of Thai food, I find it impossible to recommend anywhere in particular as everywhere I go I enjoy! The quality of the local food is really something and this is what I believe makes Pattaya extraordinary in its choice of places to eat. No matter what budget you are on, you can find something to suit you and being able to mix up the more upmarket international food with some of the local offerings make eating out in Pattaya a continuous pleasure. You can rest assured that like us, many of the long term residents here will have there “go to” places where the food is always good and the prices don’t break the bank, and finding a new one is always a pleasure. It really is good to see the big hotels, bars, restaurants and local businesses busy again and with Songkran officially back in full swing I think Pattaya can look forward to a much improved 2023.