Cafeography
Phuket · Kathu

Cafés in Kathu

Inland between Phuket Town and Patong: the Kathu shrine, the waterfall lane and early cafés.

Photo: Daniel P, Pexels License

Kathu (กะทู้) is the district on Phuket's west side that contains Patong and Kamala, bordered by Thalang to the north and Mueang Phuket to the east and south.1 Its inland sub-district, also called Kathu, had 20,239 residents in 2004, more than Patong.1 It was demoted to a minor district under Mueang Phuket in 1938 and restored to full district status in 1959.1

In the early 1800s Kathu was the center of the island's tin mining, and Chinese migrants came to work its mines; many Phuket families still descend from 19th-century tin miners.24 Today it is a low-key village with a few old houses, between Phuket Town and Patong, and you need a car, scooter or taxi to get around it.2

Local tip: In festival week, the Kathu Shrine fire walk is the only one held in daylight, at 15:00; the rest of the year the shrine is open 09:00–16:30 and rarely busy.2

At a glance

66Cafés listed
12With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
22:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: My Secret Coffee and Restaurants, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–21:00).
  • Closes latest: Shuffle Cafe, until 22:00 (Daily 09:00–22:00).
  • Most listed streets: ถนน วิชิตสงคราม (5), Vichitsongkram Rd (3).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (12%), bakery café (8%), specialty (5%).

Ketho Coffee and Kitchen

  • เลขที่ 48/6 Vichitsongkram Rd
  • Mon–Fri 07:30–17:30 · Sat–Sun 07:30–18:00
  • +66815364555
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Mayday

  • กะทู้, 16/161 (ชั้น 2 ม.2 ถ.พระภูเก็ตแก้ว
  • Mon–Thu 09:30–18:00 · Sat–Sun 09:30–18:00
  • +66898903790
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Phuket Roastery

  • 91 สนามกอ์ลฟภูเก็ตคันทรีคลับ, 148 ม.7
  • +66817133022
  • Specialty
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Sponge Cafe

  • กะทู้, ศูนย์บริการนักศึกษานานาชาติ(อาคาร10) มหาวิทยาลัย สงขลานครินทร์
  • +66817877482
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Coffee chains in Kathu

Where the Vegetarian Festival began

Kathu Shrine, Lai Thu Tao Bo Keng (อ๊ามหล่าถู่ตาวโบ๊เก๊ง), dates from the early 1800s. In 1825, with an epidemic on the island, a visiting Chinese opera troupe performed rites it had missed at home; the sickness passed, and locals kept repeating the rites every year.2 Before leaving, the troupe gave Kathu images of three gods that the festival still honors, and Kathu marked its 200th year in October 2025.2

Kathu is one of 27 shrines that walk on fire during the festival, and the earliest, at 15:00 in daylight; in 2026 the fire walk fell on 18 October.2 During the festival the forecourt fills with people in white, and vegetarian food is served at the shrine and sold in the streets around it; the rest of the year it is quiet, open 09:00–16:30 with free entry.2 Wat Kathu, a Buddhist temple, is about 500 m away.2

Tong Yong Su shrine, also in Kathu, remembers 413 Kathu men killed by a rival Chinese gang from Mueang Phuket in King Mongkut's reign; it holds only spirit tablets, with no statues.1

Kathu Waterfall and the mining museum

Kathu Waterfall, on the road approaching Patong, drops through forest in four levels, and entry is free because it lies outside any national park.3 It's at its best in the rainy season; in high season the stream can shrink.3 The Mining Museum, Phuket Wake Park and the Flying Hanuman zipline are nearby, though none is within walking distance of the shrine.2

My Secret Coffee and Restaurants is on the waterfall lane, at 83/2 Soi Namtok Kathu, and opens 07:00–21:00.

Early cafés on Kathu's roads

Kathu is a place for early coffee. Cafe Sino and My Secret Coffee and Restaurants both open at 07:00, and Ketho Coffee and Kitchen at 07:30. Drop Espresso, one of the district's specialty bars, opens at 07:30 most days and at 09:00 on Sundays, and closes on Wednesdays.

Later in the day, Happy Browns at 2/101 Soi Kathu 2 is a bakery café with outdoor seats, Black Sheep Cafe & House has outdoor tables from Monday to Saturday, and Shuffle Cafe stays open until 22:00.

Sources

  1. Kathu district, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Kathu Shrine (Lai Thu Tao Bo Keng) (updated September 2026), Phuket 101 (Willy Thuan), accessed October 2026
  3. A Local Guide to Waterfalls in Phuket (updated July 2026), Phuket 101 (Willy Thuan), accessed October 2026
  4. Phuket province, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Kathu, also browse: Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Open late Brunch Outdoor seating

FAQ

Kathu cafés: questions

Where in Kathu did the Phuket Vegetarian Festival begin?

At Kathu Shrine, Lai Thu Tao Bo Keng. In 1825, during an epidemic, a visiting Chinese opera troupe performed rites it had missed at home; the sickness passed, and locals kept repeating them every year. Kathu marked the festival’s 200th year in October 2025, and its fire walk, at 15:00, is the only one held in daylight.

How much does it cost to visit Kathu Waterfall in Phuket?

Nothing: Kathu Waterfall lies outside any national park, so entry is free. It drops in four levels through forest on the road approaching Patong and is best in the rainy season; in high season the stream can shrink. My Secret Coffee and Restaurants, on Soi Namtok Kathu, opens 07:00–21:00.

Which cafés in Kathu, Phuket, open early?

Cafe Sino and My Secret Coffee and Restaurants open at 07:00. Ketho Coffee and Kitchen opens at 07:30, and so does Drop Espresso, a Kathu specialty bar, on most days; it opens at 09:00 on Sundays and closes on Wednesdays.

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