ZENITH CAFES - Ao Nang Branch (formerly Shaka) — Restaurant in Krabi Province

What a gem! Even though seemingly a brand new place and the reviews thusfar not overwhelmingly positive (yet), no menu online and not too many pictures — we decided to give this place a try. And we’re so happy we did.

The menu was great, with options from smoothiebowls and chia puddings to pink pancakes, no fish ‘n chips burgers and even lasagna (omg), we had a hard time choosing. We got one salted caramel / peanut butter smoothiebowl (delicious) and one beautiful nori bowl loaded with perfectly seasoned veggies and a glorious fried silken tofu that blew my socks of (which I wasn’t even wearing at the time, can you imagine). One of my favouritest meals I’ve had over the last months in Thailand 😊

As vegans we absolutely loved the oat milk as a default mylk for their coffees, which were very tasty too I might add. We had two lattes (we got the first one iced, after ordering a hot one, but we decided to just go with the flow and have a taste — was fine, but preferred the hot latte we ordered again after), a dreamily perfect cappuccino with some appreciated cocoa sprinkled on top and a solid americano.

We had a lovely talk with the super friendly owner who told us they have franchises all over the Philippines (where it all started), one in Koh Tao and are planning to do quite a bunch more throughout SEA. We talked a bit about traveling and be provided us with some enticing jungle tips for our last weeks in Thailand.

To make this Shaka as awesome as the other restaurants apparently are, he brought in the OG manager who helped make the Philippines a success: Ricco, who came to say hi too and was a beaming individual and lovely appearance too. Most people serving us this day were very friendly and made us feel welcome.

Shaka has a really pretty setting with a view at the ocean, surrounded by plants and trees and very comfortable fans blowing a tropical breeze on your face.

Highly recommend & we’ll return many times during our long-term...

Disclaimer: it was a busy Sunday lunchtime, so this could just have been a bad day.

I don't like writing negative reviews, but my meal at SHAKA was a real disappointment.

To begin, it wasn't clear if you should wait to be seated or not, so I lingered by the bar for a while. Nobody acknowledged that I was there. I tried and failed to get someone's attention, so I eventually just sat down and waited another 5 minutes to be given a menu.

When the waiter returned to take my order, I found out they were out of the two things I wanted to try, so I picked a Mexican bean burger and fries instead, plus a coffee and one of their juices.

The food was slow in arriving. The kitchen and staff looked pretty overwhelmed. When it did arrive, almost every part of it was disappointing. The patty was thin, mushy, and underseasoned. The bun was hard and dry. The mustard was watery and lacked flavour. The salsa just tasted like chopped tomatoes. My juice was strangely warm and diluted. Mercifully, the fries were great, and the coffee was pretty good. I only ate a few bites of my burger before giving up.

While I was eating, I could hear nearby tables complaining that their smoothy bowls were ice cold or that their food was over or undercooked or just plain boring. Half empty plates and bowls were piling up on tables as the staff struggled to keep pace.

Nobody came to check if my food was OK. When I finally managed to ask for the check, the waiter clearly noticed my half eaten, sad looking plate of food and didn't say anything about it.

To top it all off, I decided to use the restroom before leaving, only to find mould and fungus growing on the walls, diluted soap, peeling paint, and an overpowering chemical smell.

In the end, this was the least enjoyable meal that I've had in Asia while also being one of the most expensive I've had in Thailand. I strongly recommend not...

A really nice vegan restaurant with some great breakfast options!

We were happy to finally find a fully vegan restaurant that serves a proper breakfast. Unfortunately some of the menu wasn't available, but the Big Breakfast was a great substitution. A great portion size, and all the components tasted really good. The Pink Pancakes however weren't as good. They were quite dense and seemed a bit under cooked. The sauce also lacked quite a bit of flavour. The only real plus for that dish is the large amount of fresh and good tasting fruit that they put on top of it. Both plates were also presented very well.

The service was good. The ladies on the floor were very smiley and very nice the whole time. Big hellos and goodbyes when entering and exiting the venue. The only knock on the service was the timing of the dishes. We got our first dish and then waited about another 7-10 minutes before we got the rest of our order. There was only one cook in the kitchen, so it could be because it's a bit understaffed, but in the future hopefully all the dishes either come together or closely to.

The atmosphere was great! Just off the main road so it's nice and quiet, but still right by the ocean. It has a really nice open concept that allows for a really nice breeze to run through the restaurant. Comfy seating, and good bar seating to ensure...