Searching for Food in Hua Hin

May 28, 2016

Over the weekend we joined our parents for a little getaway from Bangkok. We headed down to Hua Hin, a beautiful and charming coastal city about 200 km away. It’s known for a lot of things but what we were interested most on this trip was the food in Hua Hin.

While the parents decided to stay in the newly renovated Regent Cha am resort, we opted to go into town and make a foodie exploration day out of it. There is not a lot to do in Hua Hin so finding cafes and restaurants was the best we could think of, especially after reading an awesome article by BK Magazine on why Hua Hin is hot right now.

Cafe Hopping

First we made our way to Seen Space as we had been to the one in Bangkok and were quite curious how its Hua Hin iteration would be. In case you don’t know what is Seen Space – it’s a community, open-air mall and market filled with local clothing vendors, food stalls and bars.

When we got there, we were a bit disappointed to learn that it was only half open. The full launch is set to happen late December 2016. And as it was only midday, even the stalls that had made their setup there were not yet open.

So we decided we would come back in the evening. It was a beautiful and scenic place though. Everything was in white or industrial concrete decor with grassy knolls all around. The mall also overlooked the beach, which made for an amazing setting for enjoying delicious drinks and food.

Not far away from Seen Space, we heard about a cafe called The Treehouse. After 5 minutes of driving, we found it, literally tucked away deep inside Hua Hin soi 29. The cafe is actually the home of a sweet family of 4 where the husband and wife turned the garden and kitchen into a homely cafe.

They didn’t have a lot on their menu, which was understandable since it had only been open for 7 months. Coffee, teas, Italian sodas and an array of spaghetti and sandwiches were listed. We ordered a set of Spaghetti each followed by a nice conversation with the owner. It was a very pleasant experience since we got to eat delicious food in a homely environment while interacting with the locals.

Just across from Hua Hin soi 29 (corner of soi 82), we hit the third spot of the day – Bliss Cafe, a very regal place with beautiful white decor and vintage furniture.

Here we ordered a set of flavored tea each and a mouth-watering chocolate cake. They had a lot more on the menu though – from full fledged meals to snacks, desserts and coffees.

At the end of it we were bursting through our stomachs – a food coma as you will. We went back to our resort for a bit of swimming and lounging about before heading back to town again.

Dinner and Drinks

We were now starving for a really good seafood dinner. We didn’t exactly where to go so we drove around for a bit looking through our Foursquare and some food blog recommendations. Hua Hin is well known for its seafood restaurants.

After a few fail attempts, we came across a restaurant called Baan Itsara, which seemed to be getting busy by the minute and since it was right by the beach we quickly parked and went in. Overall the food here was decent but a bit pricey. We were so hungry, we didn’t even think of taking any photos but we ordered:

Prawn cakes
Whole fried fish with spicy sauce
Tom Yum Goong
Fried Rice
Omelette with minced prawns

Again, we were stuffed! But Shayan was insisting we check out Seen Space again. I don’t know how he could even think of eating or drinking more after all this…but we went anyways.

Back at Seen Space, the place was a lot more lively. There were about a 100 or more people, eating, drinking and shopping. We grabbed a beer from House of Beers and sat by the balcony, listening to ambient sounds of the waves crashing in.

Oh what a food-fun-filled day it was. I loved it!

Pro Tips

If you’re heading to Hua Hin or any other place looking for restaurants or things to do, you’ll obviously turn to TripAdvisor first. While that is a good resource, we recommend going beyond that. Here are some tips:

Check food blogs for that destination i.e. we searched best seafood restaurants in Hua Hin and the top hit was a post by Tieland to Thailand but we couldn’t find these restaurants on the map (hint: that might mean they were good, not well-known restaurants)
Stop and ask the locals, they will sometimes point you to places that are never on guides or blogs
Drive around and see what fancies you – be spontaneous!
Check out our post on 5 apps to discover new places

13 Comments

Megan Indoe June 9, 2016 at 12:04 pm - Reply

Oh you’re food order made me want to go back to Thailand right now! Seen Space looks really cool, I wish we would have known about it while we were there! Thanks for sharing!
- Shayan June 9, 2016 at 3:02 pm - Reply
  
  Imagine if we shared the pictures of our food from the restaurant and first cafe. Haha You would drool. But Seen Space is quite new and in fact not completely ready. So next time you’re here.
Voyager June 9, 2016 at 1:54 pm - Reply

The cafes look so charming, however is Veg food available there, because that is what we look out for 🙂
- Shayan June 9, 2016 at 3:03 pm - Reply
  
  I believe so. It’s quite easy to get veg and vegan food in Thailand now. Just tell them you’re vegetarian and they fix it up for you. They are quite open to it.
Safari Junkie June 9, 2016 at 4:03 pm - Reply

The primary reason i would visit Thailand is food. I am surprised how hip cafes are!
Katie June 9, 2016 at 5:17 pm - Reply

Wow all those places look so cool, totally the places I would hang out in. I completely agree with your tips to ask locals, that’s how you find the best secret spots!
Suma Jain June 9, 2016 at 7:14 pm - Reply

The cafes looks so inviting and comfy!! I can totally picture myself in a place like Bliss sipping on some hot tea or indulging in a dessert 🙂
- Shayan June 13, 2016 at 11:12 am - Reply
  
  Oh yea Bliss was great. Saw plenty of expats sitting and working there while sipping on some java. Very cute.
Cynthia June 9, 2016 at 10:20 pm - Reply

Oh wow I need to visit such cute cafes!! I’ve been hearing that Thailand is a good and easy place to get vegetarian and vegan food.
- Shayan June 13, 2016 at 11:11 am - Reply
  
  Yes it is actually. More and more people (expats and Thais) are opening vegan restaurants, especially in Chiang Mai.
Cassie June 10, 2016 at 4:19 pm - Reply

What a cute little cafe! It’s totally not what I imagine when I think Thailand – very neat! I’d love to check it out one day 🙂
Sally June 11, 2016 at 5:38 am - Reply

Wow this place looks amazing! Nice atmosphere
Janna June 12, 2016 at 1:11 pm - Reply

That Bliss cafe looks so charming! I love hanging out in cute cafes. Great photo op too! 😀

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Cafe Hopping

Dinner and Drinks

Pro Tips

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