Phensiri Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in Ko Samui

We’ve been to Phensiri twice, and the experience was mixed.

There’s not much to say about the food, which is overall very good. The menu is large and varied, though it might feel a bit overwhelming. Portions are also generous. Curries and desserts are definitely a must-try. However, be cautious with some dishes that aren’t marked as “spicy” but actually are.

The real issue lies with the service: the ordering process was very confusing. The staff speaks little to no English, making it hard to understand and communicate. There doesn’t seem to be much coordination between staff members either.

Both times, we had a particularly unprofessional waitress, almost rude and disrespectful. She was very loud, made inappropriate comments, and even touched us. This kind of behavior is disappointing in an establishment aiming to be one of Koh Samui’s best. She took the food order before the drinks, made mistakes with the order itself, and asked several times if we wanted to be served together but still brought the dishes separately.

It’s disappointing because the restaurant is beautiful, and the cuisine is diverse and flavorful. The ambiance is nice, although the music is maybe a bit too loud. I think the restaurant is too large, as several tables remained empty even during peak hours. This also affects the service and kitchen, which struggled to keep up. We had a much better dining experience at less pretentious spots on the island. The prices are high, and while the food quality may justify that, the service experience falls short.

If they can improve the service, this place could be a true gem. Until then, I’d recommend exploring other similar options...

We’ve been loyal patrons of Phensiri Thai for many, many years. It’s been one of those places we almost whispered about to friends — “trust me, go there.” The food? Still superb. The kitchen clearly hasn’t lost its magic. But sadly, what was once an intimate, authentic experience has started to feel like a mass-production line with a side of apathy.

In recent visits, it’s become glaringly obvious that the focus has shifted from quality of experience to quantity of covers. Tables packed in tighter than a Bangkok tuk-tuk at rush hour, harried staff rushing past like extras in a kitchen nightmare episode, and service so disinterested you feel like an inconvenience asking for another drink.

And the real kicker? The 10% service charge automatically slapped onto the bill — whether you received service or not. A bold move, considering you’re more likely to catch a unicorn than a waiter’s eye these days. But hey, it’s a win-win for management: more feet, less fuss, guaranteed gratuity.

We’ll always have fond memories of those early years, but unless management takes a long, hard look at how the soul of this place is slipping through the cracks, they’ll start to see more long-time loyalists quietly slip away. Us included.

Phensiri — we love you, but love should be a...

As a group of 7 adults, 2 kids and a baby, our experience at this restaurant was well below the Michelin Rating it supposedly has. We were seated at 6:30 and our order for food and drinks was taken soon after. We received our drinks along with 4 out of 5 appetisers with not too long of a wait. We started to noticed a lot of vacant tables were starting to fill up. After approximately an hour of waiting we started to question how long our meals were going to take, we were told not long, that there were a lot of people of a certain nationality there. As the 2 hour mark was nearing, we then questioned again where our meals were to which our 5th appetiser was delivered along with 4 out of 6 main meals. After the 2 hour mark, we noticed that the people on numerous tables who were seated well and truly after us, had received their meals and were already on to their desserts when we hadn’t received all our meals. They wanted to charge us for the meals we did not receive. We were given a 10% discount and left very very disappointed and hungry. Terrible experience and do...