Rawai Seafood Market in Phuket

What is Rawai Seafood Market?

Rawai beach in the very south of Phuket is also known as the Sea Gypsy Village and has always been a bit of an exotic attraction. Year after year, the small market grew in popularity and a few restaurants started to cook the fish you just bought across the street. The concept was popular, fun and cheap, so tourists heard of it. More restaurants opened, more tourists came, prices went up. The rest is history.



Here you can get you fish, prawns, squids, crabs, lots of shells and lobster at a decent price but because of the growing popularity among tourists, it’s not as cheap as it used to be (large prawns can cost up to 1500 baht a kilo). If you have time and energy, try to bargain the prices!



Your only challenge will be to select your fish from one of the many stalls on one side of the street and pick one of the many restaurants eager to cook it for you on the other side! Expect to pay 100 baht per kilo. It is busy, noisy, crowded, most of the restaurants have no views and not much of a local feel, but people usually seem to enjoy the experience.



While eating at the Rawai Seafood Market appears to be fun and cheaper than a seafood restaurant in Patong, it has become a big tourist attraction with busloads of people noisily disembarking each day.



Alternatively, you can go to one of the many local restaurants where locals really go, just further along Rawai beach where Thai people enjoy sitting on the sidewalk by the beach to enjoy dinner the old fashion way: sitting on a carpet right on the floor. It’s a lot more fun (photo below) or read about Aek Rawai Seafood.

Open: 11 am – 9 pm