Koh Phangan has been called the world's first vegan island. That is probably stretching it. But the plant-based food scene here is genuinely exceptional — concentrated mostly in Sri Thanu, spread across the whole island, and improving every year. If you eat plants, you will not go hungry here. You will probably eat some of the best food of your life.
We live here. We eat here every day. Here is what we actually recommend.
Eat.co — Sri Thanu and Thong Sala
The island institution. Eat.co has been here for years and it still draws queues because nothing else quite matches it. The menu is 100% vegan and runs from loaded breakfast bowls and smoothies through to burgers, kebabs, ramen, burritos, and an extraordinary dessert list. The cheesy kebab burger is one of the best things you can eat in Thailand. The baked Twix bar for dessert is better than the original.
Two locations: the Sri Thanu original has the atmosphere — open design, community tables, the owner Kinga usually around. The Thong Sala branch near the pier is smaller but useful if you are catching a ferry. Go to Sri Thanu if you have the choice.
Pure Vegan Heaven — Hin Kong Road
Pure Vegan moved to a new spot on the Hin Kong sunset road a few years ago and the new location suits it better than anywhere it has been before. It sits in a lush garden setting with the kind of light in the late afternoon that makes everything look like a painting. The menu covers smoothie bowls, poke bowls, Thai dishes, wraps, and fresh-pressed juices. Consistent, well-priced, and the kind of place you find yourself going back to every other day without noticing.
Orion Café — Sri Thanu
Orion is inside the Orion Healing Center, which sounds more intimidating than it is. The café is open to everyone and the view across the water from the terrace is one of the best places to sit on the island. The food is clean in the way that actually means something — locally sourced ingredients, superfoods used because they belong in the dish, not to justify a price. Raw cacao, coconut, fresh juices, elixirs. Breakfast here, then nowhere better for two hours of slow work or reading. The wifi is good.
Karma Kafe — Sri Thanu
Organic, fully vegan, Balinese-inspired interior. Karma Kafe sits in the heart of Sri Thanu and does some of the best vegan desserts on the island — the cheesecakes in particular. The menu is considered without being precious. Cosy, unhurried, the kind of place where nobody rushes you out. Worth going specifically for dessert if nothing else.
Chana Masala — Hin Kong
South Indian vegetarian restaurant, almost everything on the menu available fully vegan on request. The masala dosa is the reason to go — enormous, fresh, made properly, around 200 baht. Strong wifi makes it a reliable place to spend a working morning. There is a smaller version at the Phantip market in Thong Sala if you are near the pier, but the Hin Kong original is the one.
A note on the night markets
Every night market on the island has vegan options — the Sri Thanu night market especially, which reflects the wellness community around it. Smoothie bowls, vegan curries, raw desserts, and fresh juices alongside the Thai food. The Saturday Walking Street market in Thong Sala has grown its vegan offering considerably in recent years. If you are grazing rather than sitting down, the markets are worth an evening of eating.
— Spirit House Gallery, Koh Phangan
Come find us on Walking Street. The paint tables are always open.
