Few places become entrenched in folklore – and the fact that Don’s Café, between Rawai and Naiharn, has achieved such status is an indication that this is a very special place. But why?

It’s one of the few places that drags both North-Islanders and local Thais out for the long trek south. With a change in location and in business now for ten years, Don has established a mysterious, delicate balance of factors that makes a restaurant what it is.

There may be classier establishments around, but none has this powerful attraction. So the secret’s out: Don’s, like the man who gives his name and lots of his time to this eatery, is unique.

Don’s is one of the first places you try when you come to live in Phuket, so our meal held few surprises. What is unusual, though, is the energy and dedication of the man behind the name. Rumor has it that Don saw off his 74th birthday not long ago. Yet it’s rare to dine here and not meet your host. Nor is that all; an insatiable desire for new things has led to a meat-curing operation, a soft cheese plant, sausage plant, a bakery, a wine cellar and wine club, butcher shop, delicatessen, and Don’s Mall that brings them all together, as well as the shiny International Food Supermarket with gourmet foods and wines and the Western-style bar, Longhorn Saloon. In the butchery you can buy fresh meat cut to order.

Don’s has no pretensions. Don’s Café nestles between the Longhorn and the supermarket. Legend has it the original restaurant came about because folk liked to sit at the tables out front of the minimart for a few drinks. But how it’s grown! Today’s menu includes Thai food, Western fare, Mexican food, pizzas and Swedish food. Don grows his own Black Angus Beef and ages it to perfection.

The signature dish is Smoked BBQ Ribs – ribs that melt off the bone, covered in a sauce that’s a secret you’d go to jail for. For the past 8 years Don’s has been serving a barbecue buffet with 20 items of foods. All the meats are cooked over charcoal. Many customers say that the quality and quantity can’t be beat.