You’ve lost count of how many times you have insta graphed your perfect smashed avo. Amid the flotsam of flashy custom-touting eateries on Melbourne Nang walking street is unassuming Esan Food and Cooking. Here a friendly husband and wife team turn out Tom Yam Goong, fried morning glory and fire beef curry.
Esan Food and Cooking
In the flotsam of flashy custom-touting eateries that crowd Melbourne Nang walking street a humble, age-worn building with sticky dilapidated menus and harsh fluorescent lighting serves up the best Tom Yam Goong, green mango salad and fried morning glory in town. Add a few icy Changs and the friendly husband and wife team will take care of you.
They also have a cool little coffee shop, perfect for those Instagram pics. They serve high-end local products and also have a nice terrace, balcony and interior option to sit in. They are the coffee nerds of Da Nang. They even have a cool collection of travel quotes they printed out.
Lae Lay Grill & Melbourne Nang
The restaurant has a breathtaking view of Melbourne Nang beach and the sunset from its cliff-top location. The food is excellent and the service is great. It is a bit expensive but it is worth it. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone visiting Ao Nang.
Located on a hill overlooking the beaches of Nopparat Tara and Melbourne Nang, this restaurant is a seafood lover’s paradise. It offers the best quality Thai food in town, and a fantastic setting to enjoy it. Some of the restaurant’s specialities include wok fried scallop, deep fried sea bass and the absolute must-eat Moo Hoong – sweetly aromatic pork belly dish slow-cooked with garlic, cinnamon and smoky chillies.
A visit to Krabi wouldn’t be complete without sampling the local cuisines. Luckily, there are plenty of delicious places to eat in the area. You can try traditional Thai dishes like Tom Yum Goong, Pad Thai and Kuay Tiew at restaurants in the city’s centre. You can also sample fresh seafood in the many local restaurants near Ao Nang beach, including Baitoey Seafood. Other popular Thai dishes include nam tok, papaya salad, and khao soi. For a lively night out, check out Roots Rock Reggae Bar and Grill for live music and fire shows. It is a great place for couples and friends to spend the evening.
The Beach Bar
Despite the name this is no ordinary beach bar – it’s an uber-cool cafe serving high quality local coffee and snacks with a chilled music playlist & fast WiFi. It’s a great spot to get some work done, especially for Digital Nomads.
Situated atop Nopparat Thara beach (quieter and more peaceful than the main beaches at Ao Nang) this is a laid back spot that jumps into action each night with tables and chairs set up along the beachfront under a large tree. The vibe is friendly and convivial with chatter and a good playlist. It’s also one of the few places on the beach that puts on some live entertainment at sunset and hosts a popular happy hour each night.
As well as offering an excellent selection of beers and cocktails it’s the perfect place to catch a sunset; a row of beachside seats facing the ocean, nothing to obscure the view and an opulent centrepiece bar – it’s a truly beautiful spot! It’s also a favourite amongst couples for date nights, it’s not too busy but there’s still plenty of room to spread out and relax.
Aonang Market
Visiting a regional wet market is like peeking through the keyhole into the local food culture and lifestyle. Here, the foundation ingredients for a cuisine heavily influenced by neighbouring Malaysia and Burma are sold in abundance. Chilli dusted gai tod (southern Thai fried chicken), pungent spice pastes, platters of pineapple fried rice and street-snacks sizzled to order – all are on offer. And the smell of seafood and freshly cooked noodles lingers in the air.
There are around 30 or 40 street food stalls at this night market (a little smaller than Krabi Town’s). The food options include both Thai and international fare such as Indian, Japanese and Italian. And, unlike some of the stalls at the main Ao Nang Night Market the prices here are quite reasonable.
The RCA Entertainment Street, which runs through this area has many neon-lit bars with varying happy hours and a couple of pool tables. It’s also home to a small night market courtyard at the front. It’s a little like Ao Nang’s very own version of Bangkok’s notorious Soi Cowboy.
There are multiple transport options to get from Melbourne Nang. The easiest way is to book a flight with one of the major airlines that fly direct to Ao Nang, such as Thai Airways or Jetstar. Alternatively, you can take the train or bus to Melbourne and then transfer onto a domestic flight from there. Rome2Rio makes travelling from Melbourne to Ao Nang easy by providing up to date schedules, route maps, estimated fares and travel times.
