Even with a reservation, don’t expect good seats.
Who can resist the beautiful sunset vista at The Sundeck Phuket? All it took was one look at the romantically lit tables under a blazing sinking sun, and I was demanding to come here. Situated on the hill overlooking Kata Noi Beach, this classy restaurant lounge has become one of the top sunset-watching spots in Phuket.
Ambience & Amenities
Guests enter The Sundeck on the upper floor dining room. This is a gorgeous space with glass walls for maximum viewing opportunities. The side facing the ocean is completely open. Couches are set up on the balcony, and these are arguably the best seats at The Sundeck.
Downstairs there is an indoor dining room, similarly with lots of windows on all sides. The main seating is located outside on the titular deck. There’s a mix of regular tables, couches and high bar tables. There are only three tables in the best positions next to the railing. Expect to see many well-dressed Instagram girls and people who generally look like they have more money than you.
The toilet is in the downstairs dining room, next to the counter on the back wall. The washroom is just one room, but it was spacious and had everything. A sitting toilet, toilet paper, soap and paper towels were in the room.
The View
The view is why anyone comes to The Sundeck. The limitless ocean stretches to the horizon, and you get peeks of Kata Noi Beach through the trees. Lush hills covered with tropical trees fill out the left side of the scenery. Unfortunately, The Sea Galleri hotel blocks most of the view on the right side. This big ugly brown building is a horrendous eyesore, especially if you’re on the lower level deck.
Service
We had made a reservation for 6 pm weeks in advance and specifically asked for a table facing the ocean. Despite the empty tables in the upstairs room, we got placed in pretty mediocre seats next to the side railing. Guests who arrived after us got even crappier seats behind us. One couple just straight up left after seeing what a shit view they had.
I get the feeling that in order to get a decent table at The Sundeck, you have to be one of two people. Either you’re a regular that is known to drop loads of cash. Or, you’re the patient type that is willing to show up at a weird time when the restaurant is empty. Then, you determinedly nurse one drink for three hours while you wait for primo viewing hours. Everyone sitting at the front railing looked like they had been there for a long time. As soon as sunset was over, they promptly left.
We were looking forward to having dinner here. However, once the sun had set, huge flying bugs moved in. Their numbers only increased as it got darker. They kept landing on our table, and a small one even fell into Mark’s juice and drowned. A quick search tells me that they’re called Mang Mao Insects. The staff additionally informed us that they come out after it rains. We tried moving tables twice. We even tried moving inside, but it was no good. These bugs were all over the deck and restaurant in large swarms. If it has rained recently and you don’t want to deal with bugs the size of kidney beans, don’t come to The Sundeck.
Menu
The menu at The Sundeck is quite limited for such a popular restaurant. The food is a Mediterranean-Thai fusion, and there are only a handful of options under each category. I remember feeling underwhelmed that the food seemed so “average” for such a classy place. Except for the wagyu options, the ingredients didn’t sound luxe or high quality. Nonetheless, the prices are whopping, and almost every item on the menu was over 400 Baht.
Click on menu pictures to enlarge
The drinks menu is a bit more varied. Cocktails and wines are the focus, but there are a respectable number of non-alcoholic options. The Sundeck is clearly more of a drinks and nibbles sort of place.
Food
I got the Zombie in the Jungle (325 Baht), a fruit packed cocktail. Despite the sourness of passion fruit, lime and grapefruit, this was still a sweet drink thanks to the honey syrup. The spices – the anise, cloves and cinnamon – gave this cocktail a complex flavour and elevated it. I question the volume of the “blend of rums” in this cocktail as I didn’t feel any buzz after finishing this. There’s not too much ice, and I was able to sip this drink for over an hour. Mark got a Pineapple Juice (135 Baht), and it was nothing special.
The Sundeck Crab Cakes (395 Baht) are a reasonable size, which surprised me for an overpriced venue such as this. The cakes were firm pucks – they would have held together if I picked them up by hand. The outer shell was crispy, and the crab inside was moist. The cajun sauce that accompanied them had a hint of spice and a nice creamy flavour. Overall, these were pretty tasty.
Saturday Worthy?
I was expecting to pay a lot when coming to The Sundeck. What I didn’t expect was how indifferent the staff were to the Mang Mao insect swarm when it happened. From the way they spoke about it, this was a regular occurrence. Yet, they had nothing to deter the bugs – no incense, no bug zappers, nothing. We were all just expected to deal with it. The staff didn’t even close the doors to protect guests that had moved inside specifically to escape the bugs. People are easily dropping over a thousand Baht per person to eat here, but we still have to swat bugs away from our food like we’re at a street food market? Disgusting.
I have zero desire to eat here again, and I don’t recommend anyone else to come here for a meal. The food is uninspired, but the food isn’t the focus at The Sundeck. Drinks are fine, but you have to be willing to arrive at off-peak times to snag a good seat if a view is your priority. If you’re an average person, don’t expect spectacular seats at peak times. The reservation system, especially at dinnertime, does nothing except guarantee what will likely be an inferior table.
Price for 2 Pax: 941 Baht
The Sundeck Crab Cakes: 395 Baht
Zombie in the Jungle: 325 Baht
Chilled Pineapple Juice: 135 Baht
10% Service: 86 Baht
The Sundeck
Address: 228 ถนนป่าสัก-โคก โตนด Karon, Amphoe Mueang, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Opening Hours: Daily, 11am – 9pm
Alcohol Served: Yes
