Under 300 Baht ... And Good

[Evil Penevil]

I started the "Under 300 Baht ... And Good!" thread several years ago on other Pattaya boards to disprove a particularly idiotic statement by Pattaya's least intelligent and most corrupt Internet poster.  That hungry little numpty claimed  if you spent less than 300 baht on farang food in Pattaya,  you got "garbage." 

 I considered that statement extremely unfair and uninformed, as well as an insult to many restaurant owners.  There are dozens of restaurants, probably several hundred, where you can enjoy good Western food under 300 baht.  But rather than get involved in a meaningless exchange of opinions,  I put my money, my camera and most importantly, my mouth, where my mouth was.  I found numerous examples of good farang food that cost less than 300 baht in Pattaya.  

The "Under 300 Baht ..." thread has run more than two years on four boards and still has a ways to go. There are so many restaurants in town where you can get good food under 300 baht that it's almost impossible to cover them all.  To help kick-start the food review section of ,  I'll carry on with the "Under 300 Baht ..." thread here.

I hope others will contribute their suggestions, with or without photos. There are far more restaurants in Pattaya than I'll ever have the opportunity to visit and I'm sure a lot of them offer good options under 300 baht.  In central Pattaya, many, many farang-oriented restaurants offer daily specials under 200 baht and virtually all but the most expensive fine-dining places will have a main course on the menu for less than 300 baht. 

 But first,  a couple of points of order.  Since I'm responding to a statement about Western food, that would by definition exclude Thai, Indian and other Asian food.  Moreover, this thread isn't about where you can fill your belly for the least amount of money, but specifically about where you can get good Western food under 300 baht.

Also, it doesn't have to be the best food you've ever eaten, especially in comparison to what is available in the West. It should be good, as opposed to mediocre or bad, but not necessarily a peak culinary experience.  The biggest test for me is: will I go back and order the same dish again?  If I do, then the meal has been good.

And the standard disclaimer:  if you want to eat cheaply and well, you're best off sticking to Thai food.  No doubt about it, you get the most bang for your buck by eating Thai food.  However, very few farang visitors or resident ex-pats want to eat Thai food at each and every meal, so most are willing to spend a bit extra for farang food. 

Enjoy your meal (and this thread)!

Evil

[Thinkingallowed]

Thanks and we look forward to your input. 

[Evil Penevil]

In honor of the new forum, I'll start with some restaurants suggestions I haven't posted elsewhere.  I'll expand the thread with some reviews from earlier this summer.

Oriental Trattoria is a 24/7 restaurant on 2nd Road at the corner of Soi 13/1 (Soi Yamato). It's the front section of the Privi Hotel and up a half-flight of stairs from the street. 

It's very much an international restaurant with no less than 12 national cuisines represented on its menu. However, most of the dishes are Italian or Thai.

The restaurant bills itself as a "fusion tea cafe."  I couldn't see any tea angle and the term "fusion" can mean several different things in a culinary sense. I imagine it's called "fusion" because there are so many cuisines under the same roof. There aren't many places in Pattaya where you can find laksa, wood-fired pizza, nasi goreng, hamburgers, Italian pasta and a few French, Russian, Chinese and German dishes on the same menu.

I had wanted to try an iconic U.S. dish, clam chowder, but it wasn't available.  That made me wonder how many other dishes on the extensive menu weren't available either, but that's just my cynical side.

I settled for the weinerschnitzel and it wasn't a bad choice at 150 baht. I had a choice of potato and went with the oven roasted. The pork schnitzel had been pounded thin and properly breaded and fried.  The potatoes had been seasoned with rosemary, which was a nice touch.

 A bottle of SML cost 90 baht and a ditto of water cost 20 baht.

Bottom line: If the rest of the menu offerings hold the same standard and can actually be ordered, Oriental Trattoria could become an interesting place to eat. One discouraging factor for me was the loud and off-key music from the Wonder Bar across Soi 13/1.  In the future, I'll be visiting Oriental Trattoria during the afternoon.

Nice Diner opened recently on Soi Buakhao about 100 meters south of Soi 15 on the east side of the street.  It's a small open-front restaurant that centers on U.S.  hamburger and hot dog staples.  It also offers breakfast, salads, wraps, spaghetti, some Thai dishes and desserts.  

Customers can sit diner-style at the counter or in booths. The decor is heavily U.S.1950s, but I found the red-tinged lighting to be irritating. 

I wasn't in a hamburger mood, so I had the mozzarella salad (119 baht) and the chicken wrap (129 baht).  The salad was a bit of a disappointment.  I wasn't expecting a Caprese salad (fresh mozzarella, tomato slices and basil) for the price, but the rectangular slices of industrial mozzarella were flavorless.  On the upside, the lettuce and tomato were very fresh and the oil-and-vinegar dressing good.

The chicken wrap was also good with strips of pan-fried chicken, lettuce, tomato and bell pepper in a flatbread. A bottle of water cost 25 baht.

Bottom line:  On the U.S. academic grading scale, I'd give the meal a B-, the lower end of  "Good."  

Most of the menu was pretty standard and doesn't inspire a return visit.  I may, however, give the chicken-and-beef hybrid cheeseburger (259 baht with fries) a try. I've never had that combo in the same burger, so extra points for originality.  The pic is from Nice Diner's Facebook page.

Prices seem at the high end for the burgers compared with what's available elsewhere in the area. Location, location, location also figures in.  That section of Soi Buakhao doesn't get a lot of foot traffic, so the food will have to be good enough for customers to make a special trip. 

The September menu from Facebook:

Edited September 24, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[Baldylocks]

Brilliant thread EP, thanks for the pictures and for the info.

[Thai Spice]

Excellent job E.P., as usual !

 

[Evil Penevil]

Korando's Bar on Soi 15 behind The Avenue has a special on pizza on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The ordinary price of the large Ground Beef Lover's Pizza in the pics below was 290 baht.  

It had the thin crust I prefer.  The topping (ground beef, onion and cheese wasn't overdone, but for my taste, it could have done with more seasoning. 

Korando's has at least 10 different types of pizza, the usual favorites as well as a few original variations.  I will be going back to try the Parma Ham Pizza.  The pic is from Korando's Facebook page.

[Lanzalad]

This is how i like my pizzas this and not fill of dough.

This reminds me of the little place where my self and Puang would eat often.

It was owned my two Italian brothers, we really enjoyed and early evening meal with the odd pizza and a few Italian dishes to share across the table.

Its hard to find but the best say to find the place is to go behind the original 18 coins and it over looks there back door and it next to the backpackers.

Thanks for posting Robb 👍🏻

[Evil Penevil]

4 hours ago, Lanzalad said:

This reminds me of the little place where my self and Puang would eat often.

It was owned my two Italian brothers, we really enjoyed and early evening meal with the odd pizza and a few Italian dishes to share across the table.

Its hard to find but the best say to find the place is to go behind the original 18 coins and it over looks there back door and it next to the backpackers.

Thanks for posting Robb 👍🏻

Sounds to me like you are describing Pizza Italy.  I have reviewed it several times over the years.  Some old pics:

And a review from July this year:

 

Freshly made gnocchi (potato-filled dumplings) with ground beef sauce at Pizza Italy off Soi Bukhao for 220 baht.  This is a hearty dish perhaps better suited for snowy winter evenings than the tropical heat of Thailand, so fresh gnocchi is hard to find  in Pattaya.

 

 

 

 

 

Pizza Italy can also be find hard to find, or at least explain where it is. However, the map is NOT to scale.  Pizza Italy is close to Soi 15  and much closer to Soi Diana than Pattaya Tai.

 

 

Bottom line: Consistently good Italian food by an Italian chef at reasonable prices. 

 

Evil

Edited September 25, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[Thinkingallowed]

14 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

Sounds to me like you are describing Pizza Italy.  I have reviewed it several times over the years.  Some old pics:

And a review from July this year:

 

Freshly made gnocchi (potato-filled dumplings) with ground beef sauce at Pizza Italy off Soi Bukhao for 220 baht.  This is a hearty dish perhaps better suited for snowy winter evenings than the tropical heat of Thailand, so fresh gnocchi is hard to find  in Pattaya.

 

 

 

 

 

Pizza Italy can also be find hard to find, or at least explain where it is. However, the map is NOT to scale.  Pizza Italy is close to Soi 15  and much closer to Soi Diana than Pattaya Tai.

 

 

Bottom line: Consistently good Italian food by an Italian chef at reasonable prices. 

 

Evil

I reviewed this yesterday and was really underwhelmed by it. In fact utterly disappointed. 

From Lanzalad's description of the position I thought he may be on about La Taverna del Passatore? 

 

[Thinkingallowed]

23 hours ago, Thinkingallowed said:

So a few beers, actually Sangsom soda, this afternoon and I've just remembered to pick up my laundry. 

A few steps from the laundry there's Pizza Italy and I decide to try them. 

This does not begin good. 

Order some garlic bread, a meat dish and two espresso as they don't have double espresso on the menu. 

Coffee, which is very good, arrives with milk? 

Review begins here,  it's on page 8 of that thread. 

 

[drifter]

Wonderful. I’m glad you’re doing restaurant reviews here.  A few notes from my own recent experiences. Often on Fridays I’ll head over to the Sportsman on soi 13 for their pizza buffet. Their pizza is good, typical thin crust. 249 baht and you must buy one drink. I’m still amazed that I can find good pizza in Thailand.

 

Lately, in Bangkok I’ve used the Eatigo app for up to 50% off on food. For me, it was very worthwhile. Often I’d save over 300 baht on a meal. So now I’m back in Pattaya,  last night a friend and I went to S.E.A Restaurant in Hotel Baraquda. It’s still low season, thankfully, so there was no one else there our entire visit. We ordered a fried seafood appetizer and the grilled beef tenderloin. The seafood was good, but the typical fried seafood you can get so many places here. It did have a very nice mayonnaise and horseradish sauce. The steak was the best chunk of beef I’ve had here in Thailand. I was pleasantly surprised, very surprised. I’d given up on finding good beef here. I will definitely go back for that again. The cost was 690 baht for the steak, half off is 345. The seafood was less than 200 after discount, so the total cost of the food was under 600 for two. If anyone else has been there please let me know.

 

The other afternoon I returned to my old standby, Smokin’ Joe’s BBQ. I had a craving for their ribs. I was sad to see that they no longer do the dinner specials. Most of the specials took 100 baht off each dinner. So the rack of ribs for 465 baht used to be 365 on Tuesday.  I felt the 365 baht was expensive, but worth it occasionally. At 465 it’s very hard for me to justify going there since there are so many good meals to be had in Pattaya for under 299 baht.

 

A subject near and dear to my heart, eating in Pattaya.

Edited September 26, 2018 by drifter

[Thinkingallowed]

3 hours ago, drifter said:

...

Lately, in Bangkok I’ve used the Eatigo app for up to 50% off on food. For me, it was very worthwhile. Often I’d save over 300 baht on a meal. So now I’m back in Pattaya,  last night a friend and I went to S.E.A Restaurant in Hotel Baraquda. It’s still low season, thankfully, so there was no one else there our entire visit. We ordered a fried seafood appetizer and the grilled beef tenderloin. The seafood was good, but the typical fried seafood you can get so many places here. It did have a very nice mayonnaise and horseradish sauce. The steak was the best chunk of beef I’ve had here in Thailand. I was pleasantly surprised, very surprised. I’d given up on finding good beef here. I will definitely go back for that again. The cost was 690 baht for the steak, half off is 345. The seafood was less than 200 after discount, so the total cost of the food was under 600 for two. If anyone else has been there please let me know...

Not been but I'm very tempted to go especially with the eatigo discount. 

[Evil Penevil]

The 99-baht hamburger at Harry's, the second of the restaurant's summer specials, has been extended. Harry's is located on Soi Diana near LK Metro.

I tried it several times over the summer and iIt was a tasty burger.  Considering the price and that it came with plenty of crispy skinny fries, it was excellent value for money.

 

It had a bit too much dressing for my taste, but that's a matter of personal preference.

 

If you have a big appetite, the portion may not be large enough.  I saw one guy scarf the burger and fries quickly, then order the other 99-baht summer special (the minute steak),  which he ate at a more leisurely pace.  That's a fair amount of food for 198 baht.

I'm not sure if the minute steak is still available, but the hamburger apparently is. 

Bottom line: It's one of the better ways I've ever spent 99 baht.

Evil

[Evil Penevil]

On 9/26/2018 at 8:47 AM, drifter said:

 If anyone else has been there please let me know.

Following drifter's tip in a post above, I tried the SEA Restaurant at the Baraquda Hotel on 2nd Road.  I used the 50% Eatigo discount that's available 1.00 pm to 3 pm and again between 8.00 pm and 10.00 pm.  The rest of the day it's 20% off with Eatigo.  The exterior pic is from Baraquda's Web site.

I had  what the menu called "baked white snapper with bambu Bali paste."  White snapper (pla kapong in Thai) is also called Asian sea bass and is very similar to the barramundi of Australia. Bumbu Bali is a complex Indonesian spice base that's used in many Indonesian dishes.  The baked fish came with chilled pickled vegetables and rice. The normal price was 340 baht, so with the Eatigo discount it was 170 baht.  However, 10% service and 7% VAT were added, so the real cost was 200 baht, still very good value for money.

It tasted fine and the spice paste didn't overwhelm the fish. There was a little heat from chili peppers, but just enough to give the dish an appropriate kick.

 

It was a light but satisfying meal, perfect for lunch on a hot and muggy day,

...

I had a glass of mango ice team, which was refreshing and a good match for the food.  However, it cost 140 baht ++ (165 baht), which isn't cheap and beverages don't fall under the Eatigo discount.  Bottled water cost the same.

The SEA is nicely decorated and a good place to have a quiet meal.  You can also eat outside, but that would be too warm during the afternoon hours.

Bottom line:  I'll be back to try a few more of SEA's menu offerings.

Evil

 

[Evil Penevil]

Café Pitini on Soi Buakhao has long been a favorite of farang tourists and residents for good food at reasonable prices. It's an attractive and comfortable place to have a meal, casual dining in the best sense of the phrase. 

However, there are rough spots on the menu, with a big gap between the top and bottom items. Most meals there have been good, but a few were disappointing.  The menu is extensive, running the gamut of international dishes found in a lot of farang-oriented Pattaya restaurants.   The emphasis is on British comfort food, with Italian food running a close second.  Hamburgers, pasta,  pizza,  steak,  panini and the customary Thai dishes are also on offer.   Café Pitini  is also noted for its ice cream and other desserts that are several notches higher than what's usually found in Pattaya. 

It features daily specials on popular dishes, with 20 or 30 baht knocked off the ordinary menu price.  I tried the spaghetti bolognese, which if I remember right is the Wednesday special at 179 baht.  It was very good, far better than much of the "spag bol" available in Pattaya.  The sauce was closer to a traditional ragù alla bolognese than what's usually put on spaghetti in Pattaya or elsewhere outside of Italy.

Basically, ragù alla bolognese is a meat-based sauce, usually ground beef these days. It doesn't have a heavy tomato taste. Classic bolognese sauce is not served on spaghetti, but on tagliatelle or a ribbed pasta like penne.  What is widely called spaghetti bolognese outside Italy is actually spaghetti with a generic Italian tomato sauce to which ground beef has been added, hence the bolognese connection.  Kudo to Pitini for keeping things real.

It was a good-sized portion and with the three pieces of freshly toasted garlic bread, made a very filling meal.

The panini (bacon, egg, sausage and cheese) at 150 baht was excellent, probably the best panini I've had in Pattaya.  It was made with high quality ingredients and real ciabatta (bread) that had been appropriately grilled and not squashed.

I also appreciated the lack of dressing on the fresh cabbage and lettuce, but that's just my preference. I'm sure others would have preferred dressing.

The menu sports a half dozen different types of panini.  A panini at Pitini is perfect as a light lunch or evening snack.

I was less impressed with the Sunday special roast dinner at 159 baht.  There was a choice of beef, chicken or pork and mashed or roast potatoes.  I went with pork and mashed potatoes..  

The sides were good, with the Yorkshire pudding among the better I've had in Pattaya.  I ate at Pitini at 7.00 p.m. and the Yorkshire was fresh out of the oven.  It hadn't been standing all day and re-warmed.  The menu proclaimed the meal came with Bisto gravy.  For non-Brits, Bisto is a meat-flavored gravy product in powder or granule form to which boiling water is added. The name is an acronym for "Browns, Seasons and Thickens in One."   

The pork was a bit of a disappointment.  It wasn't bad, bit it had most likely come from a cylinder of precooked and pre-sliced industrial pork.  It was almost flavorless and I was glad for the Bisto gravy, even though it tasted as out-of-a-packet as gravy can get.

An older British guy sitting nearby said I should have ordered the chicken instead.  I could see from his plate the chicken was a large piece of breast meat. If I ever have the Sunday special at Pitini again, that's what I'll order.

I also tried the Saturday steak special at Pitini and reviewed it in the Steak in Pattaya thread.  I don't think the steak was value for money at 289 baht.

 
Bottom line:  The food at Pitini is generally good, but some menu items can be below par.  In the future, I'll probably stick to the Italian-inspired dishes.  The ice cream sundaes and other desserts look great, but I don't eat much sweet stuff these days.  Thai girls rave about them.

Evil

[Baldylocks]

Cafe Patinis one of my regular places to eat, however in September I didn't find the food as good as previously. 

[Binlid]

Café Pitini has served me well over the years but only as a breakfast venue . The wife loves their Thai food.

[Steelers4Life]

I and many have mentioned the Spaghetti stall on the corner of Diana and Buakaow is fabulous value. Their sauce that is tangy and properly spiced with no hint of sugar is the hit in my book. I always get the Bolognese with extra sauce and extra actual grated Parmesan.  130 baht 

[Evil Penevil]

On 10/5/2018 at 9:50 AM, Steelers4Life said:

I and many have mentioned the Spaghetti stall on the corner of Diana and Buakaow is fabulous value. Their sauce that is tangy and properly spiced with no hint of sugar is the hit in my book. I always get the Bolognese with extra sauce and extra actual grated Parmesan.  130 baht 

I agree. I've written about it several times.  I have their take-away spaghetti a couple of times a month and through the years it's always been good  quality. The pics aren't new. but not much has changed at that stand since 2016.

Edited October 12, 2018 by Evil Penevil

[STARGAZER]

You need a "channel" EP.

 

With each passing month your reviews get better and better and they were always good to start with. Nice, succinct, straight to the point. Easy to tell no "payments" involved like a vast amount of reviewers base their slant on!

[Evil Penevil]

I'll probably get some negative responses to the following review, but "Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war."

I ate dinner at 7.00 p.m. a few nights ago at the Beer Garden at the Beach Road end of Walking Street.  It wasn't my choice, but a friend from the U.S. wanted to eat there. I had had a bad meal at BG a few months ago and had more or less given up on its food.  I agreed to go to keep him company.  He and his GF had arrived a few minutes before me and had gotten a table on the veranda in the section closet to the entrance.  

The music was so loud I told my friend I wouldn't sit there.  He could barely understand what I said from across the table.  Never before have I heard the music that deafening at Beer Garden.  My friend called over one of the female managers and asked if the music could be turned down.  She said it couldn't as it was controlled by computer, but offered to move us to the far end of the veranda where the volume was indeed much lower.  That's a big plus on the service side for the BG.

My friend ordered a garden salad for 80 baht and the fish and chips for 195 baht.  He asked if he could substitute a baked potato for the chips and that was no problem.  He thought it was a very good meal.  I'm relating his opinion here, his opinion, not mine. 

It was a big portion of salad for 80 baht. It came with two sorts of salad dressing and an small dish of potato salad.

 

The vegetables that were supposed to be crispy were and the tomatoes had flavor.

He commented that he had had smaller plates of salad for a higher price in Pattaya that weren't as fresh as this one.

He thought the fish was properly breaded and fried, still flaky on the inside.  He didn't know what sort of fish it was- the menu didn't say- but said it tasted fine.  It came with peas, tartar sauce and as requested, a baked potato instead of fries.

His GF ordered ordered a spicy Thai salad and a bowl of soup, which I didn't bother to photograph.  She said it was good, but I noticed she didn't eat all of it,  She had a Singapore Sling for 200 baht along with her meal.  I wasn't very hungry and ordered stir-fried vegetables with tofu and cashew nuts (120 baht) and an order of steamed rice (40 baht). Unfortunately, I can't say it was good.  The tofu had a weird texture and I didn't eat much of it.  The veggies were OK, but nothing special and the sauce was a bit too salty. 

Bottom line:  My friend will continue to eat at the Beer Garden as he said he's never had a bad meal there.  I probably won't, as it's been a long time since I've had a good meal at the BG.  And if the music remains nightclub loud,  I definitely won't even have a drink there unless I can be seated at the far end of the veranda.

When we sat down about 7 p.m., there were a lot of seats available on the veranda.  By eight p.m., when we chek binned, the veranda was full and the covered section roughly half-full.  I noticed five groups of Asian tourists (with four to eight people in each) dining on the veranda.  Neither he nor I could recall seeing as many Asians in BG before. It does seem to have expanded its customer base and remains one of the busier restaurants in central Pattaya.

Evil

 

[Rompho Ray]

4 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

The tofu had a weird texture and I didn't eat much of it.

I noticed right away that it looks like Korean-style tofu, which is much grainier and coarser than Thai tofu.  I actually prefer the Korean style.

Never been especially impressed with PBG as a restaurant personally.  Nice place for a few beers though.

[Lemondropkid]

Love the PBG, as an occasional tourist have long given up on the food in there. Still a great place for a beer the camera doesn't lie

[Steelers4Life]

3 hours ago, Rompho Ray said:

 

Never been especially impressed with PBG as a restaurant personally.  Nice place for a few beers though.

Nice place to chill, but most of the food both Western and Thai has been lackluster as of late.

[Evil Penevil]

Chunky Monkey is a new restaurant on Soi Buakhao, open less than a week. It's located just north of Tree Town on the east side of Bukhao.  I read that the original owner of the Robin's Nest is behind it, but I don't know any details.

I had the "Monkey Madness" pork chop with fried onions, crinkle-cut French fries and small portions of salad and applesauce.

It was good considering the price (79 baht).  

The chop had been fried properly and tasted fine.  It was a bit thin, but what can you expect for 79 baht?

I wish the onions had been fried a bit longer to allow more caramelization, but that's a minor criticism. The fries were crispy outside, fluffy inside and the salad was fresh.

The Chunky Monkey has 99-baht daily specials in addition to the 79-baht Monkey Madness offers. The specials appear to give about a 50-baht discount compared with the ordinary menu prices.

The menu is extensive, running to over 100 food items.  Like dozens of other Pattaya restaurants, the emphasis is on British and international comfort food, but the menu also includes about 20 Thai dishes and 10 desserts.

Most of the menu items are under 200 baht. The sirloin and ribeye steaks with egg, fries, tomato and peas are 249 baht.  The most expensive menu item I could see was the salmon with parsley sauce, mash and peas at 289 baht.

The Chunky Monkey offers breakfast as well.  I forgot to ask the hours of operation, but I imagine it's early until late.

It's a spacious restaurant with several wall-mounted TVs for sports fans.  My rough estimate is 70 seats indoors and at least 15 outside.  The indoor section is no smoking. I ate there at about 10.15 p.m. and there were 10 other diners at that time.

Bottom line: The Chunky Monkey is cheap and cheerful. The service was fast, friendly and attentive. If by choice or necessity you don't want to spend a lot to eat farang food, it would appear a good option.  It's still very early days, but the location on Soi Buakhao bodes well for attracting budget-conscious customers.  I have to say, though, that I don't think much of the name.

And in fairness, you can add 50 to 100 baht to the Chunky Monkey's price and get a much bigger pork chop dinner at several restaurants in the LK Metro area.But if a smaller-to- normal portion is good enough for you, the Chunky Monkey offers great value for money.

Evil