Phuket Old Town Food Walking Tour: Hokkien Mee, Loba & Peranakan Shophouses
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Phuket, Thailand
Phuket
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/10
0 booked
Tour description
Most visitors think of Phuket as a beach. The Old Town is something completely different—a Sino-Portuguese commercial shophouse district built with tin money by Hokkien Chinese families in the 19th century, with its own dialect, festivals, and a menu you won’t find in Bangkok.
This walking tour is about tasting that menu. Hokkien mee, yellow noodles stir-fried in pork-bone broth and finished with a soft-boiled egg, from a stall that has prepared it the same way for generations. Loba, five-spice-marinated pork offal and crispy fried items cut onto a plate with a thick dipping sauce. O-tao, the island’s unique pan-fried dish of taro, oysters, and eggs. Dim sum from a bakery that has been open since the early 20th century. And a-pong, a thin, crisp coconut pancake rolled from a small copper pan, from a Bib Gourmand street cart operated by the same family for decades.
Between tastings, your guide will lead you through Soi Romanee and the shophouses on Thalang Road, explain the Peranakan culture that shaped these dishes, and tell you what really happens during the famous Vegetarian Festival.
Small group, maximum 10 guests, entirely on foot, approximately 1.5 km.
This walking tour is about tasting that menu. Hokkien mee, yellow noodles stir-fried in pork-bone broth and finished with a soft-boiled egg, from a stall that has prepared it the same way for generations. Loba, five-spice-marinated pork offal and crispy fried items cut onto a plate with a thick dipping sauce. O-tao, the island’s unique pan-fried dish of taro, oysters, and eggs. Dim sum from a bakery that has been open since the early 20th century. And a-pong, a thin, crisp coconut pancake rolled from a small copper pan, from a Bib Gourmand street cart operated by the same family for decades.
Between tastings, your guide will lead you through Soi Romanee and the shophouses on Thalang Road, explain the Peranakan culture that shaped these dishes, and tell you what really happens during the famous Vegetarian Festival.
Small group, maximum 10 guests, entirely on foot, approximately 1.5 km.
Meeting point:
View on map
Corner of Thalang Road and Soi Romanee, Phuket Old Town
We meet at the corner of Thalang Road and Soi Romanee, in front of the blue shophouses. Your guide will have a small sign with your name. About 45 minutes by taxi from Patong.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Dim sum and Chinese tea: Steamed buns, dumplings and salapao at a shophouse bakery trading since the early twentieth century - Phuket's Hokkien breakfast.
Stop 2 - Hokkien mee: Yellow noodles fried in pork-bone stock with squid, pork and greens, a soft egg broken in at the last moment. The island's signature bowl.
Stop 3 - Soi Romanee and Thalang Road: A guided walk through the best-preserved Sino-Portuguese street in Thailand, with your guide on tin money, Hokkien clan houses and the Peranakan families who built the town.
Stop 4 - Loba: Five-spiced pork offal and crisp fritters chopped onto a plate with a dark sweet sauce and chilli - the snack that most clearly shows the Chinese-Malay side of Phuket.
Stop 5 - O-tao: A griddle of taro, oyster and egg cooked hard on a flat pan and eaten with chilli sauce. Found on this island and almost nowhere else.
Stop 6 - A-pong, Bib Gourmand: Paper-thin coconut pancakes curled off small copper pans by hand, from a family cart Michelin put on the map. Cash only and usually sold out by early afternoon.
Stop 7 - Kopi and chendol: Local coffee at a Thalang Road kopitiam, or a bowl of chendol with palm sugar and coconut milk, with your guide's notes on the Vegetarian Festival and where to eat at night.
Stop 2 - Hokkien mee: Yellow noodles fried in pork-bone stock with squid, pork and greens, a soft egg broken in at the last moment. The island's signature bowl.
Stop 3 - Soi Romanee and Thalang Road: A guided walk through the best-preserved Sino-Portuguese street in Thailand, with your guide on tin money, Hokkien clan houses and the Peranakan families who built the town.
Stop 4 - Loba: Five-spiced pork offal and crisp fritters chopped onto a plate with a dark sweet sauce and chilli - the snack that most clearly shows the Chinese-Malay side of Phuket.
Stop 5 - O-tao: A griddle of taro, oyster and egg cooked hard on a flat pan and eaten with chilli sauce. Found on this island and almost nowhere else.
Stop 6 - A-pong, Bib Gourmand: Paper-thin coconut pancakes curled off small copper pans by hand, from a family cart Michelin put on the map. Cash only and usually sold out by early afternoon.
Stop 7 - Kopi and chendol: Local coffee at a Thalang Road kopitiam, or a bowl of chendol with palm sugar and coconut milk, with your guide's notes on the Vegetarian Festival and where to eat at night.
Tour price includes
• English-speaking local food guide for a small group
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One local beverage at the final stop
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the walk
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One local beverage at the final stop
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the walk
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pickup and drop-off unless otherwise stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. The tour operates rain or shine—Old Town has covered arcades along most of the route. If we cancel, you will receive a full refund or be transferred to another tour free of charge.
Other notes
Departs on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 09:30. We do not operate tours on Monday or Wednesday, when some of the main venues on this route are closed—a Monday or Wednesday tour would lose two Michelin-recognized stops at once.
On Sunday, the Lard Yai walking street takes over the entire length of Thalang Road from approximately 16:00, after we have finished, but note that some shophouses may close early to prepare. Our Sunday departure is not affected.
How to get here: The Old Town is approximately 45 minutes from Patong and 35 minutes from the airport. Overcharging by taxis and tuk-tuks is common; we can arrange a fixed-price transfer if you let us know when booking the tour.
Some stops accept cash only and sell out by early afternoon, which is why this tour cannot operate in the afternoon.
Dietary requirements: please notify us at least 48 hours in advance. Pork and shellfish are key ingredients here. A genuinely vegetarian route can be arranged in Phuket, which has a strong Chinese vegetarian tradition, but advance notice is required.
The monsoon season lasts from May to October, with heavy afternoon rain.
On Sunday, the Lard Yai walking street takes over the entire length of Thalang Road from approximately 16:00, after we have finished, but note that some shophouses may close early to prepare. Our Sunday departure is not affected.
How to get here: The Old Town is approximately 45 minutes from Patong and 35 minutes from the airport. Overcharging by taxis and tuk-tuks is common; we can arrange a fixed-price transfer if you let us know when booking the tour.
Some stops accept cash only and sell out by early afternoon, which is why this tour cannot operate in the afternoon.
Dietary requirements: please notify us at least 48 hours in advance. Pork and shellfish are key ingredients here. A genuinely vegetarian route can be arranged in Phuket, which has a strong Chinese vegetarian tradition, but advance notice is required.
The monsoon season lasts from May to October, with heavy afternoon rain.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $55 |
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