Blue Elephant Phuket Cooking School & Restaurant

Phuket Old Town’s grandest dinner address sits behind white columns and swaying palms on Krabi Road. Blue Elephant turns the former Governor’s Mansion into a stage for Royal Thai cuisine: polished service, clinking glassware, and plates that lean refined over rustic. Walk past the veranda into high-ceilinged dining rooms dressed in Sino‑Portuguese detail and you’ll see why birthdays, proposals, and ‘we finally made it to Phuket’ dinners happen here. The kitchen stays true to Thai flavors while elevating the presentation. Expect classic curries, seafood done right, and house cocktails at the Blue Bar before you sit down. It’s pricier than the shophouse joints nearby, but for a splurge meal in Old Town, this is the one. Tip: aim for dinner when the mansion is lit up, or slip in at lunch for a quieter table. Open daily 11:30am–10pm. By day, the action shifts next door to the cooking school. Hands‑on classes walk you through ingredients and technique—many sessions start with a market visit—before you cook alongside the chef and then sit down in the mansion to eat what you made. It’s a fun couple or family activity, and spots go fast, so book ahead on their website. Address: 96 Krabi Rd, Talat Nuea.