Café Kantary Phuket

Overview

Café Kantary sits on the southern tip of Cape Panwa, one of Phuket’s quieter peninsulas, tucked inside the grounds of Kantary Bay Hotel on Sakdidej Road. Far removed from the noise of Patong or Karon, this two-storey white-and-blue café has built a loyal following — locals and hotel guests alike — on the back of quality coffee, proper European-style pastries, and a sea view that feels genuinely earned for the drive out here. It isn’t a hidden gem in any secret sense; it rates consistently near the top of Phuket’s café rankings, but it doesn’t feel overrun, which is something increasingly hard to find on the island.

What’s on the Menu

The café’s own description — “pâtisserie-crêperie cum delicatessen-wine-bar cum gelato-parlour” — gives you a fair picture of the range. Coffee is the anchor, made with Italian-roasted beans, and the espresso drinks hold up well. The iced chocolate frappe is one of the most ordered items. Pastries rotate seasonally and are baked on-site: look for the fruit tarts, macarons, and layered cakes — carefully presented and not overly sweet. Thin-crust pizzas, paninis, and crepes cover the savoury end. If you want something more filling, Thai standards like fried rice and noodles come in around ฿155–165. Gelato and smoothies round things out. Prices sit comfortably at ฿200–400 per person, making this one of the more affordable sea-view café experiences on the island.

The Setting

The building is two floors, white with blue trim, with large windows framing Panwa Bay on the upper level — well worth climbing the stairs before you sit down. Downstairs there’s an air-conditioned interior and a shaded outdoor terrace beneath mature trees that catches the sea breeze. The space is clean and unhurried, a step above the average hotel café. Free Wi-Fi, table service, and wheelchair access are all in place, and staff draw consistent praise for being attentive without hovering.

Getting There and When to Go

Café Kantary is open daily from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Cape Panwa is about 25 minutes from Phuket Town and 45 minutes from the airport — not a quick drop-in from the west coast, but worth building into a day that already brings you south. The Phuket Aquarium is metres away, making this a natural stop before or after that visit. Late afternoon is particularly pleasant; the light on Panwa Bay at that hour doesn’t need a photograph to remember. It works equally well for couples wanting a calm stop, families after a proper dessert, or solo travellers with a book and no particular schedule.