Pattaya Cafés — Coffee by the Sea,
a Sunset Over the Bay

This is the café scene that sets Pattaya apart from other beach towns — Pratumnak Hill is the headland between Pattaya Beach and Jomtien, looking down over the whole of Pattaya Bay and out to Ko Larn. Cafés and rooftop bars line the slope, with seats and terraces angled out to sea on purpose, and some facing west for the full sunset. The drinks to order are iced coffees and cold signature drinks. To be straight, the coffee ranges from fine to good and the prices reflect the view, but what people come for is the bay and the evening sky.

Pattaya's specialty café scene has grown steadily in the last few years. These places bring in beans from Thai growing regions like Doi Chang and Doi Pa Mee, or from abroad, and roast them in-house for pour-overs, espresso and signature drinks a barista makes to order. Most are spread through the city around Central Pattaya and the sois off Pattaya 3rd Road, as well as up on Pratumnak Hill. The rooms tend to be minimal or photo-friendly, with cool air-conditioning, and they suit anyone after a serious cup rather than only a sea view. Look for a place that names its bean origin and pours each cup fresh.

If you want to sit right by the sea, the beachfront cafés are the answer. Jomtien beach, longer and quieter than Pattaya Beach, has cafés and drink spots by the sand, plus specialty cafés in the back sois. The north side around Wong Amat and Naklua is quieter and more upmarket, with cafés inside hotels and small places by the water. The drinks to order are iced coffees, fruit smoothies and coconut water. Sit with the sound of the waves and the sea breeze in the evening — the mood is more relaxed than a city café. It suits you if you're staying near Jomtien or Wong Amat and can walk over.

Pattaya is sunny and hot most of the year, so a café in a mall is the most comfortable call in the middle of the day. The big malls like Central Pattaya and Terminal 21 Pattaya have both familiar chains and independent cafés, with cool air-conditioning, plug sockets and Wi-Fi — good for working or for ducking out of the midday heat between sights. Prices are the same as ordinary city cafés. The drinks run wide, from coffee and tea to sweet things, and it's a safe stop if it rains or the sun is too strong to sit outside. There are restaurants right there too if you want to eat on.

Before the specialty cafés, a beach town like Pattaya already had old coffee shops by the markets and in the local quarters — traditional Thai coffee roasted dark and brewed through a cloth sock (kafae chak phaa) over condensed milk, or oliang, iced black coffee, to beat the heat, served with patongko (fried dough sticks) or kaya toast. The price is several times lower than a specialty café. You'll find them at the morning markets, around South Pattaya, and in the sois where locals actually live. The mood is plain and local, the cup is honest, and it's a good place for a Pattaya-local breakfast before heading out. Carry small cash, as many of these places take cash.

If you want a cheap cup before a full day at the beach, the local chains are the answer. Café Amazon is on almost every corner and in petrol stations, cheap and consistent. Inthanin is just as easy to find. Both run a wide menu of coffee, tea and blended drinks, and plenty of their seasonal options use coconut or fruit that fits a beach town perfectly. They're a good morning cup before you hit the sand or take the boat to Ko Larn. Some branches have air-conditioned seating, some are takeaway — either way it's far cheaper and quicker than a sea-view café.

The drink that suits Pattaya's hot, humid seaside air best — an iced coffee like an iced latte or a cold brew, made at a specialty café from beans roasted in-house, smooth and cooling. Sipped on a café terrace up on the hill or by the sand at Jomtien as the sun softens, it sums up a Pattaya café in a single cup. If you want the coffee to come through, order it less sweet; if you want it soft, ask for it full of milk. It's the cup to order if you're sitting at a sea-view café.

Plenty of Pattaya cafés lean into Thailand's tropical ingredients — coconut coffee, where espresso is shaken with fresh coconut water or coconut milk for a sweet, creamy, cooling cup, sometimes served in a real coconut. There are also fresh-fruit smoothies with mango or passionfruit and blended coconut drinks. They fit the hot air of a beach town perfectly, and you'll find them in beachfront cafés and at drink stalls all over town. A good choice for anyone who doesn't drink coffee but wants something cold.

The most familiar Thai coffee and tea flavours, and the cheapest — oliang is iced black coffee, sweet and strong; cha yen is the orange Thai iced tea with sweet condensed milk. You'll find both at the old coffee shops in the markets, at street carts, and at ordinary cafés, for several times less than a specialty cup. They're everyday cooling drinks Thais have all the time, good with a snack or while walking a market. If you want a light, budget-friendly taste of the local thing, these are the first to order.

Many specialty and mall cafés in Pattaya have cakes, croissants and house-baked pastries to order with coffee, and some are known for the bakery itself. The old coffee shops, meanwhile, serve patongko or kaya toast the Thai way. A snack alongside makes the coffee more of a sit-down, and works as a light meal between sights. The price depends on the place, from a few baht for kaya toast to over a hundred for a slice of cake at a specialty café. Try pairing a black coffee with something sweet — it works.