Mor Mu Dong Restaurant

Mor Mu Dong Restaurant

Mor Mu Dong is quite an unusual restaurant in Phuket. If you enjoy eating off the beaten tracks where mostly locals go for a great lunch or dinner, Mor Mu Dong is your place. Every Phuket resident knows it, and you have to count the cars on the parking to know that something special is cooking here. People travel a long way to come to Mor Mu Dong. It’s so local and good, even Andrew Zimmern from the famous TV show ‘Bizarre Food’ had lunch here and featured it in his Thailand episode.



Mor Mu Dong is down-to-earth and back-to-basics, with a lot of charm for a lazy Sunday lunch or even for dinner with friends or colleagues after work. It is simple and rustic, but the food is delicious. You can choose to eat in small private wooden ‘Salas’ built over the mangrove or simply under the trees. It sounds fancy, but in reality, it’s not: concrete tables, plastic chairs, plastic plates, period.



If you’ve never seen one, a sala is a little wooden pavilion without walls, with just a thatched roof. It’s a fun experience if you haven’t tried yet. This is what travelling is all about. You and your friends sit around a low table placed on a rug, with a view of the mangrove, enjoying a gentle breeze. A sala can accommodate six to twelve people around a single low table. Of course, when the tide is low, you’ll see more mud than water, but it still is fun for a very local dinner while watching hundreds of tiny little red crabs wandering around. If you are not ready for an entire meal sitting on the floor, some larger huts offer regular tables with normal chairs.

What to Eat at Mor Mu Dong?

The food is the reason people travel such a long way to reach Mor Mu Dong. The menu is extensive, serving a mix of Thai food and seafood. Many dishes are Phuket specialities, and they have a way to make it look delicious. While you are waiting, they will serve some slices of green fruits like guava and green mangoes plus a choice of fresh vegetables. That should get you into the mood. You’ll get to enjoy a beer with ice in it, the way local do when it’s hot out there, and that always surprise or even shock foreigners.



Our favourites are Moo Kua Klua (pork belly), Pak Miang Goong Siah (green leaves with dry shrimps), Pak Good Salad (fern salad with squid), and if you can take it: Kaeng Prik Kraddok Moo (a very spicy pork curry).



Finally, what we came for arrives. ‘Pla Pao’ is a steamed fish in a salt crust that takes no less than 30 minutes to cook. Something you usually don’t find in such a local restaurant. It is genuinely delicious, soft and moist. We love its simple and delicate texture, and the taste of salt is just enough; no sauce needed (but some will be served).

Open: 10:00 am – 9:30 pm