Alcove Bistro

Alcove sits right on Hin Kong beach, about ten minutes out of Thong Sala, and it's built its name on doing something few places on this island bother with properly: a genuinely serious French menu, alongside Thai dishes, with a wine list that actually has depth to it — 60-plus bottles, including Burgundy and Sancerre, and more than a dozen options by the glass.

The food leans classic French bistro — duck leg, salmon, a cheese platter, chicken with mushroom and bacon sauce — next to Thai standards like papaya salad and lemongrass prawns, so it works whether you're craving something from home or want to stay local. Musicians play for sunset most evenings, with proper live sets on Fridays and Sundays, which is part of why it keeps coming up in conversation as one of the better dinner-with-a-view spots on this side of the island.

It's the kind of place that gets recommended person-to-person rather than found by scrolling — ask a few long-term residents where to go for a proper dinner and this name comes up a lot.