Karon Beach is not the top-of-mind destination for travellers to Phuket. Which is a shame, because the beach is so much cleaner and prettier as compared to your usual Patong Beach and Kata Beach.
It is relatively untouched by tourism – as compared to Patong Beach - and perhaps this is why food recommendations for the area is scarce too. Our first time to Karon beach had us struggling to find good eats, and most places look like tourists’ traps – which we loathe and always avoid. We’ve had several horrible meals at Karon Beach, got ripped off, and we were always grumpy after meal times.
But this was not until we found Mama Jin – an unassuming eatery that sits on the beachfront at the north of Karon Beach near to the lake. Yes, it looks like any other tourists’ trap along that stretch, but trust us on this: Mama Jin is your best bet at Karon Beach. We had an unforgettable Thai meal that was authentic, inexpensive and very satisfying.