An Thoi, at the southern tip of Phu Quoc, covers every budget: street stalls and local restaurants serve full meals for 100,000–200,000 VND (roughly $4–$8) per person, budget seafood spots like Óc Đảo An Thới and Phương Đông Quán run $3.80–$7.60 a head, Ann Seafood at Bai Khem ($9.50–$22.80) never closes, and resort restaurants at the JW Marriott and Sunset Town anchor the top end. This guide maps every real option — local eateries, Sunset Town, Bai Khem resort dining and the markets — with actual opening hours and prices.
How Much Does Eating in An Thoi Actually Cost?
An Thoi is the working heart of southern Phu Quoc — a fishing town, ferry gateway to the An Thoi archipelago, and now a resort hub thanks to Bai Khem beach and Sunset Town. That mix means the dining scene is genuinely two-tiered. In the town center and along the local streets, a plate of fried rice, a bowl of noodle soup, or a shared seafood dinner still costs what locals pay: 100,000–200,000 VND per person, or roughly $4–$8. Cross into the resort zones and prices multiply, but you gain air conditioning, wine lists and oceanfront tables.
| Tier | Examples | Price per person | Hours to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street stalls and local restaurants | Noodle and rice spots near An Thoi Market | 100,000–200,000 VND (~$4–$8) | Daytime into evening |
| Budget seafood restaurants | Óc Đảo An Thới, Phương Đông Quán | $3.80–$7.60 | Evening-focused |
| Mid-range seafood | Ann Seafood, Bai Khem | $9.50–$22.80 | Open 24 hours daily |
| Sunset Town | Sun Bavaria, Mare, SURA | Roughly $8–$25 | Until 11 PM–midnight |
| Resort dining | Red Rum, Tempus Fugit (JW Marriott) | Resort pricing | Split service blocks, see below |
The practical takeaway: you can eat extremely well in An Thoi for under $10 a day if you stick to the local tier, and still splurge on one resort or Sunset Town dinner without wrecking your budget.
Budget Seafood and Local Eateries ($4–$8 a Head)
This is where An Thoi shines, and where most of your meals should happen.
Óc Đảo An Thới is the classic budget seafood play, with Phuquocgo listing a price range of just $3.80–$7.60 per person. The name tells you the specialty — ốc means sea snails, and Vietnamese snail houses serve dozens of varieties, boiled, grilled or stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, alongside grilled squid, clams and cheap beer. Order a spread, share it, and you will struggle to break $8.
Phương Đông Quán sits in the same $3.80–$7.60 bracket but earns its reputation on a Phu Quoc signature: herring salad (gỏi cá trích), made with fresh raw herring tossed with coconut, herbs, onion and roasted peanuts, wrapped in rice paper with mint. It also does straightforward fresh seafood at the same local prices. If you only order one island dish this trip, the herring salad here is the move.
Cơm Gia Đình ("family rice") at 17 Đường Amarine, Khu Phố 6, is the everyday local option — the Vietnamese format where you point at pre-cooked meat, fish and vegetable dishes and get them over rice in minutes. It is open daily from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM, which makes it a reliable lunch stop when the seafood houses have not fired up their grills yet. Expect well under the $4–$8 street-stall average per plate.
Be honest about the trade-off: this tier is plastic stools, shared tables, limited English and no ocean view. It is a poor fit if you need air conditioning, western comfort food or a romantic setting — for that, jump to the Sunset Town or Bai Khem sections below. For flavor-per-dollar, nothing on this island beats it.
Ann Seafood: An Thoi's 24-Hour Restaurant
Ann Seafood, located at Bai Khem, An Thoi (postal code 922251), is open 24 hours every single day — a genuine rarity on the island, where most kitchens close by 9 or 10 PM. Phuquocgo lists its price range at $9.50–$22.80 per person, which places it one step above the budget houses but still far below resort pricing.
That 24-hour schedule solves real traveler problems. Ferry transfers and boat tours often mean odd meal times; the night ferry and early snorkel trips leave you hungry at hours when An Thoi town is shut. Ann Seafood serves grilled fish, prawns, crab and shellfish at 3 PM or 3 AM alike, and its Bai Khem location puts it close to one of the island's best beaches — handy after a swim at nearby Bai Khem or a day on the water.
Who it is less suited to: if you want a polished, design-led dining room, this is still a working seafood restaurant, not fine dining. But for fresh seafood at fair prices on your own schedule, it is arguably the most useful single restaurant in southern Phu Quoc.
Sunset Town: Gastropub, Italian and Korean Options
Sunset Town, the Mediterranean-style complex on the southern coast, has become An Thoi's dining-and-entertainment anchor. Three names cover most visits:
Sun Bavaria Gastropub keeps unusual hours worth memorizing: it is open 12:00 to midnight on Thursdays and Fridays, but 16:00 (4 PM) to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and on Saturday. Translation: a proper pub lunch is only possible Thursday and Friday; every other day, food service starts at 4 PM. It pours Bavarian-style beer and serves hearty gastropub plates until midnight, making it one of the latest kitchens in the area.
Mare, inside La Festa Phu Quoc (Curio Collection by Hilton), is the upscale Italian pick, open daily from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM. It suits sunset dinners and lingering pasta-and-wine evenings high above the harbor. It is less suited to early birds — there is no lunch service, so plan your 1 PM meal elsewhere.
SURA Korean Restaurant covers the growing Korean traveler base with authentic Korean cuisine in Sunset Town — bulgogi, stews and banchan when you need a break from fish sauce and rice.
Budget note: Sunset Town prices sit clearly above An Thoi town, and the atmosphere is staged rather than local. It is a poor fit if constructed theme zones are not your thing — but the free nightly waterfront market (below) softens the cost for casual eaters.
Resort Dining at Bai Khem: JW Marriott Emerald Bay
The JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa on Bai Khem beach runs two accessible outlets, and non-guests are generally welcome to book and dine:
Red Rum, in the resort's Eco-Tourism zone at Khem Beach (An Thoi, 922280), opens at 11:00 AM and splits service into two daily blocks: 11:00 AM–4:30 PM for lunch and 5:30 PM–10:00 PM for dinner. The Rum-plantation theme fits the resort's over-the-top design; the setting on Khem Beach is the real draw.
Tempus Fugit, also at Eco-Tourism by Bai Khem (92513), is the all-day workhorse: breakfast runs 6:30–10:30 AM and lunch-dinner service goes from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM, every day. Its grand hall is one of the most photographed dining rooms in Vietnam.
Two practical warnings. First, respect the service blocks — there is no food between 4:30 and 5:30 PM at Red Rum, and nothing outside the listed hours at Tempus Fugit. Second, expect resort pricing: the same grilled snails that cost $3.80 at Óc Đảo An Thới will cost several times more here. This tier is a poor fit for budget travelers; it is exactly right for a special-occasion dinner or a lazy resort day when you are already on Bai Khem.
Markets, Morning Fish Auctions and the Night Market
An Thoi's food scene is not just restaurants — the markets are half the experience and the cheapest eating on the island.
An Thoi Market is the town's daily market for southern Phu Quoc: fresh produce, vegetables, live and iced seafood, and essential goods. It opens at 5:00 AM and closes at 6:00 PM, so go early for the full display of fish, squid and shellfish straight off the boats. Several surrounding stalls and shops cook or serve quick local meals at the 100,000–200,000 VND level.
The wholesale fish market near An Thoi pier runs between 5 AM and 8 AM, when fishing boats unload the night's catch. This is the island at its most authentic — baskets of tuna, mackerel and reef fish being auctioned by flashlight. Some nearby vendors will cook what you buy for a small fee.
Tip: Plan one early morning for the pier. Arrive between 5 and 7 AM, watch the wholesale auction, buy a kilo of whatever looks freshest, and have it grilled nearby. It is the cheapest premium seafood meal you will eat on Phu Quoc — and it is over before most tourists wake up.
The Sunset Town waterfront night market opens nightly from about 5 PM to 10:30 PM, stretching along the harbor with grilled skewers, seafood, fresh fruit and sweets. It is the budget-friendly way to experience Sunset Town: street-food prices with the same showpiece backdrop.
What to Order in An Thoi: A Quick Checklist
Beyond the herring salad, southern Phu Quoc has a short list of dishes worth hunting down:
- Gỏi cá trích — herring salad, Phu Quoc's signature dish; the benchmark version is at Phương Đông Quán ($3.80–$7.60 bracket).
- Ốc (sea snails) — grilled or stir-fried with lemongrass and chili; the whole point of Óc Đảo An Thới.
- Nhum (sea urchin) — split open, topped with quail egg and scallion oil, flash-grilled.
- Scallops mỡ hành — grilled on the half shell with scallion oil and peanuts; the night market sells them by the plate.
- Bún quậy — a Phu Quoc-only noodle dish where you mix your own fish-sauce broth; look for it in local eateries around An Thoi Market.
- Grilled whole fish — choose it live at Ann Seafood (open 24 hours) and let them salt-grill it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I budget per meal in An Thoi?
Street stalls and local restaurants typically cost 100,000–200,000 VND per person (about $4–$8). Budget seafood restaurants like Óc Đảo An Thới and Phương Đông Quán run $3.80–$7.60 per person, while mid-range Ann Seafood ranges from $9.50 to $22.80. Resort and Sunset Town dining costs more but stays far below equivalent prices in western resorts.
Is there anywhere to eat 24 hours in An Thoi?
Yes — Ann Seafood at Bai Khem, An Thoi is open 24 hours every day of the week, with a price range of roughly $9.50–$22.80 per person. It is the reliable answer for late ferry arrivals, early fishing trips, or post-snorkel hunger at odd hours when every other kitchen in southern Phu Quoc is closed.
What time does An Thoi Market open and close?
An Thoi Market opens at 5:00 AM and closes at 6:00 PM daily. For the best seafood display, go before 9 AM. Separately, the wholesale fish market near An Thoi pier operates only between 5 AM and 8 AM, when the fishing boats unload their catch — miss that window and the auction is over.
Where can I eat late in Sunset Town?
Sun Bavaria Gastropub serves until midnight, but note the split schedule: it opens at noon on Thursday and Friday only, and at 4:00 PM on Sunday through Wednesday and Saturday. Mare at La Festa closes at 11:00 PM daily (opening 3:00 PM), and the waterfront night market runs from about 5 PM to 10:30 PM for cheaper street-food options.
Can non-hotel guests eat at the JW Marriott's restaurants?
Generally yes, with a booking. Red Rum at Khem Beach opens at 11:00 AM with service in two blocks — 11:00 AM–4:30 PM and 5:30 PM–10:00 PM. Tempus Fugit serves breakfast 6:30–10:30 AM and all-day dining from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Expect resort-level prices, several times what the same seafood costs in An Thoi town.
What is the cheapest good seafood in An Thoi?
Óc Đảo An Thới and Phương Đông Quán both fall in the $3.80–$7.60 per person range. Phương Đông Quán is the pick if you want to try herring salad, the island's signature dish, while Óc Đảo An Thới specializes in sea snails and grilled shellfish. Both undercut the town average of 100,000–200,000 VND per meal.
Is there a night market in An Thoi?
Yes — the market along the Sunset Town waterfront opens nightly from roughly 5 PM to 10:30 PM, with grilled seafood, skewers, fruit and sweets at street prices. It pairs well with the pricier Sunset Town restaurants: eat casually at the market, then walk the harbor as the lights and evening shows come on.
What local dish should I try in southern Phu Quoc?
Start with gỏi cá trích (herring salad) — raw herring with coconut, herbs and peanuts, wrapped in rice paper — at Phương Đông Quán for $3.80–$7.60. Then try grilled sea urchin with quail egg, scallops with scallion oil, and bún quậy, a mix-it-yourself noodle dish found only on Phu Quoc, at local spots near An Thoi Market.
Staying in An Thoi or planning a southern-island food run? Sabrina Rental can set you up with a motorbike, a room or a private boat to the An Thoi archipelago — plus honest local tips on where to eat tonight. Message us and we will point you to the right table.
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