Our Take on Nikita's
The light does the work at Nikita's. Tables sit a few steps from the Rawai waterline on Viset Road, longtail boats swing on their moorings, and Chalong Bay runs out toward the small islands off Phuket's south coast. Tripadvisor's listing has the kitchen open from 9:30am, which means the bar watches the bay through every register of the day.
Phuket 101 records 20 years on this beachfront and calls the attached bar one of the island's original beach bars. That history shows in the crowd: Rawai retirees, sailing crews, and families who have ordered the same wood fired pizza for a decade.
Restaurant Guru aggregates 4,455 reviews at 4.2, with the setting and the views carrying most of the praise.
Reading the Room
There is no room, and that is the point. Sand floors at the front tables, timber and thatch behind, ceiling fans, and the wood fired pizza oven working at the back. The bar holds the corner nearest the water.
A Taste of Rawai's local guide sends visitors here for exactly this: an unhurried beachfront table at the village end of the island, a long way in spirit from Patong.
The Menu, Edited
Who Shows Up, and When
Mornings belong to coffee and the fishing pier traffic next door. Afternoons bring long lunches that refuse to end, and by 6pm the bar side fills with the south coast's mix of expats, sailors, and travelers who chose Rawai over the west coast resorts on purpose.
Evenings stay conversational. The music sits under the sound of the bay, and the kitchen runs until 11:30pm.
The Word on the Street
- Tripadvisor reviewers call it the best bar and restaurant pairing in Phuket's south, with the gorgeous setting cited again and again.
- Phuket 101 files it as a Rawai institution: 20 years on the beach and one of the island's original beach bars.
- Restaurant Guru's 4,455 reviews average 4.2, with service and the beachfront ambience leading the positives.
- A Taste of Rawai recommends it as the village's reliable all day anchor, from breakfast through last drinks.
Go, or Skip
- Anyone staying south who wants sunset without a resort bill
- Families early, couples at dusk, sailing crews always
- Avoid if you want nightlife; Rawai winds down before Patong warms up
The bars worth going to, weekly.
One email every week. The bars our editors are recommending right now, across 168 cities worldwide.
Reach bar-goers in every major city.
Sponsored listings, newsletter placements, and city guide partnerships across 168 cities.