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Much of Pattaya feels like Little America, with McDonald's, Burger King, and KFC next to each other in the Royal Gardens Plaza mall, and other familiar names nearby. But Pattaya has access to just-picked produce and seafood fresh from the gulf, so you'll have no trouble finding worthwhile local cuisine. Fancier, if not necessarily better, restaurants can be a refuge from the noise and crowds at the simple beachside places.
Run by a friendly mother-and-daughter duo, this restaurant hides in a back alley near Pattaya Beach Road. In addition to breakfast favorites like omelets and fried eggs, they serve all-day brunch with choices like club sandwiches, fried chicken wings, and avocado salad with chicken breast. Cheap local and international beers are available as well. The streetside tables are a peaceful breakfast spot, perfect for catching the morning sun.
This authentic Thai restaurant in Pattaya's north serves double portions of stir-fries and other Thai favorites. Try tom yam pla krapong, white snapper soup with chili and lemon grass, or goong tod sauce makham, deep-fried king prawns tossed in tamarind sauce with kaffir lime leaves and fresh lemon grass. Take a sit at one of the teak tables with plastic chairs or bamboo salas roofed with Nipa palm leaves and mix amongst the locals.
