Eat better than you expected.

Koh Tao punches absurdly above its weight at the table. On one small island you'll find ฿60 pad thai at a plastic-stool street stall, wood-fired pizza that would pass in Naples, French bakeries with real croissants, and beach clubs plating up sundowners with your toes in the sand.

A lot of the island's best food is French, oddly enough. Cafe del Sol has served French-Italian classics in Mae Haad since 1999; The French Market bakes proper bread, cheese and charcuterie; Croissant & Ko does the buttery morning stuff by the pier; and Taoni pairs homemade French plates with a coworking garden down in Chalok.

When the sun drops, dinner turns social. Grab a sunset table at a beach club like Ibiza Beach Club on Sairee, or pull up a stool at a sports bar like Choppers for the game and a burger. The shortlist below is sorted by what you're craving, just the places locals actually go back to.