8 best bars in Phuket
In short
The best bars in Phuket are Bebop for jazz, Timber Hut in the Old Town and beachside Ska Bar.
Eight bars in five areas: Phuket Old Town, Patong, Kata, Rawai and Chalong, side by side.
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
1Bebop฿฿
Live jazz, soul, blues and pop from about 9pm, with musicians welcome to jam, now in a bigger room on the 2nd floor of VELA Phuket Old Town after moving from Takuapa Road in 2026. For the group that wants a grown-up room and a real band; there's no cover, and the line-up changes through the week.
Live jazz in a grown-up roomPhuket Old Town
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
2Timber Hut฿
A two-floor pub at 118/1 Yaowarat Road, packed with locals, expats and visitors, with the house band swinging from hard rock to pop to hip-hop most evenings, and no cover. For a real local evening away from Patong; it gets going late.
A local live-band nightPhuket Old Town
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
3Hard Rock Cafe Phuket฿฿฿
Hard Rock Cafe Phuket covers 1,330 square metres on two levels at 48 Ruam Jai Road in Patong, with a 300-seat restaurant and bar, an outdoor patio and the Rock Shop. February Cherry, the house band, plays tribute shows from Tuesday to Friday and live sessions on Monday and Saturday. It's open daily from noon to 2am, and the Velvet Room on the second floor is a semi-private lounge for groups in the evenings.
A big rock night with a private roomPatong
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
4Molly's Tavern฿฿
Molly's Tavern opened in early 2018 on the site of Phuket's oldest Irish bar, the former Molly Malone's, at 94/1 Thaweewong Road in Patong. It's open every day from 11am to 1am, with live music, live sport, a Sunday roast and a happy hour daily until 6pm. A group that wants a pint, a band and the football before or after Bangla Road.
A pub, a band and the footballPatong beach road
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
5Ska Bar฿
Built around a huge old tree on the sand at the quiet southern end of Kata Beach, with reggae seven days a week and fire shows on some evenings (ask on the day). For a group staying in Kata or Karon that wants its toes in the sand after dark.
A beach bar after darkKata Beach
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
6After Beach Bar฿
After Beach Bar sits on the cliff above Kata Noi Beach, on the road to Nai Harn, with a wooden terrace on stilts over the bay, reggae and Thai food, open from 9am to 10pm, and it's been drawing visitors for more than two decades. Arrive an hour before sunset; the light on Kata Noi Bay in that last hour is the whole point. A group that wants a sunset drink and dinner before a night in Kata; take a car rather than a scooter after drinks.
The best sunset in the southAbove Kata Noi
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
7Nikita's฿฿
Nikita's is a beachside restaurant on Rawai Beach that has been there for 20 years, with one of Phuket's original beach bars attached, serving wood-fired pizza, Thai food and seafood bought daily at the fish market, open daily from 10am to 11:30pm. A group staying in the south that wants a slow sunset drink by the sea before dinner, rather than a party. It's a restaurant first, so book for a group dinner on a weekend.
A slow drink on Rawai BeachSunset in the south
AIPhoto: AI-generated image
8The Distillery฿฿
The home of Chalong Bay rum, with a cocktail bar and restaurant in a tropical garden, open daily from 11am, plus daily distillery visits and a cocktail workshop; book ahead. For the group that wants an afternoon tasting before the evening out.
A rum tasting in the afternoonChalong
Side by side
Bebop
- Area:
- Phuket Old Town
- Best for:
- live jazz
- Music:
- jazz, soul, blues
Timber Hut
- Area:
- Phuket Old Town
- Best for:
- a local live-band night
- Music:
- rock, pop, hip-hop covers
Hard Rock Cafe
- Area:
- Patong
- Best for:
- a big rock night
- Music:
- house band, tribute shows
Molly's Tavern
- Area:
- Patong beach road
- Best for:
- a pub with a band
- Music:
- live music, live sport
Ska Bar
- Area:
- Kata Beach
- Best for:
- a beach bar after dark
- Music:
- reggae
After Beach Bar
- Area:
- above Kata Noi
- Best for:
- the sunset
- Music:
- reggae
Nikita's
- Area:
- Rawai Beach
- Best for:
- a sunset drink in the south
- Music:
- beach bar
The Distillery
- Area:
- Chalong
- Best for:
- a rum tasting
- Music:
- cocktail bar
Which bar for your group?
It comes down to the music, the area and the kind of evening you want.
Live jazz in a grown-up room
- Go to:
- Bebop
A local live-band night
- Go to:
- Timber Hut
A big rock night with a private room
- Go to:
- Hard Rock Cafe
A pub, a band and the football
- Go to:
- Molly's Tavern
A beach bar after dark
- Go to:
- Ska Bar
The best sunset in the south
- Go to:
- After Beach Bar
A slow drink on Rawai Beach
- Go to:
- Nikita's
A rum tasting in the afternoon
- Go to:
- The Distillery
The live music bars
Bebop for jazz and Timber Hut for a local band in the Old Town, Hard Rock and Molly's in Patong. Most bands start at about 9pm.
Bebop
- Music:
- jazz, soul, blues
- When it starts:
- about 9pm
Timber Hut
- Music:
- rock, pop, hip-hop
- When it starts:
- late
Hard Rock Cafe
- Music:
- tribute shows Tuesday to Friday
- When it starts:
- evening
Molly's Tavern
- Music:
- live music
- When it starts:
- evening
- Bebop, Phuket Old Town
- about 9pm
- none at Bebop and Timber Hut
- Old Town, Patong, Kata, Rawai, Chalong
What it costs
Most Phuket bars don't publish drink prices, and only Bebop and Timber Hut say there's no cover. Here's what the bars do publish.
At the hotel bars and bigger places, check whether service charge and VAT are added. Ask Tanner for prices when he books.
Bebop
- What the bar publishes:
- no cover charge; tip the band
Timber Hut
- What the bar publishes:
- no cover charge
Molly's Tavern
- What the bar publishes:
- happy hour daily until 6pm
The Distillery
- What the bar publishes:
- distillery visit ฿590 a person
When to go
From about 9pm, when the bands start, on a Friday or Saturday between November and April. For the sunset bars, After Beach Bar and Nikita's, arrive an hour before dark.
On Buddhist holidays, shops stop selling alcohol, but licensed venues in tourist areas and hotels can still serve, under the Prime Minister's Office notice on alcohol days (signed 7 May 2025, checked November 2026).
Old Town, Patong or the south?
The top bars in Phuket are spread across the island, 20 to 40 minutes apart by car, so pick one area for the evening.
The Old Town is for live music in old shophouses. Patong is for a big rock night before Bangla Road. Kata and Rawai are for sunsets and a beach bar after dark.
Tanner's pick: Old Town first. Bebop for the band at 9pm, then Timber Hut when it gets going late.
Insider tip: Bebop moved in 2026, so ignore old maps that send you to Takuapa Road; it's now on the 2nd floor of VELA Phuket Old Town.
Ask Tanner which area suits your group's evening.
Phuket bars in short
- The best bars in Phuket: Bebop and Timber Hut in the Old Town, Hard Rock and Molly's in Patong, Ska Bar and After Beach Bar in Kata.
- Live music: most bands start at about 9pm.
- Cover: none at Bebop and Timber Hut.
- Sunset: After Beach Bar above Kata Noi, and Nikita's on Rawai Beach; arrive an hour before dark.
- Season: Friday and Saturday between November and April.
- Getting around: the areas are a drive apart, so the driver waits all evening.
Checked October 2026.
After the bars
After the bars, the night goes on at the best clubs in Phuket, or start at sunset with the best rooftop bars in Phuket. Want your VIP table at Illuzion? Ask Tanner.
Getting home
The area, the door and the car
Three things make it easy: the area, the door and the car. The area: pick one area for the evening, as the Old Town, Patong, Kata and Rawai are 20 to 40 minutes apart by car. The door: bring your passport for ID. The car: a driver waits all evening and takes the group between areas. Then the club, or start at sunset on a rooftop. Plan it with Tanner.
Written by Tanner Altman · Updated 7 November 2026
Questions
Phuket bar questions
What are the best bars in Phuket?
Bebop and Timber Hut for live music in the Old Town, Hard Rock Cafe and Molly's Tavern in Patong, and Ska Bar and After Beach Bar in Kata.
Where are the best Old Town Phuket bars?
On and around Yaowarat Road: Bebop on the 2nd floor of VELA Phuket Old Town, and Timber Hut at 118/1 Yaowarat Road.
What time does Hard Rock Cafe Phuket close?
2am; it's open daily from noon, with tribute shows from Tuesday to Friday.
Is Molly Malone's in Patong still open?
It's now Molly's Tavern, which took over the same site on Patong's beach road in early 2018; it's open from 11am to 1am.
Where is Bebop jazz bar in Phuket now?
On the 2nd floor of VELA Phuket Old Town, at the corner of Yaowarat and Phang Nga Roads; it moved from Takuapa Road in 2026.
What are the best Kata bars?
Ska Bar on the sand at the southern end of Kata Beach, and After Beach Bar on the cliff above Kata Noi for the sunset.
Do Phuket bars charge a cover?
Bebop and Timber Hut say there's no cover charge; at the others, ask at the door.
Plan it
Plan it with Tanner
Are you in Thailand now?
Sources
Credits: top photo by Photo: Joachim Hillestad / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.