Pupen Seafood Restaurant In Jomtien

[Evil Penevil]

I ate Saturday night at Pupen, the well-known crab and seafood restaurant at the far end of Jomtien Beach Road, as one of a group of 11 people (three farang males, eight Thai ladies) . I'd eaten there in the past, but hadn't been back for about a year. This time round, the food was just as delicious as I'd remembered it. And the blue crab outside the restaurant was photographed as much as always.

 

 

 

The iconic photo from the Internet, not one I took:

 

 

 

Pupen, which I've been told means "live crab" in English, opened in the mid-1980's as a no-name restaurant with five beach-side tables. It's specialty was fresh seafood, with crabs kept alive in baskets lowered into the sea until needed. The restaurant expanded considerably through the years and now the fish and crabs are held in tanks. I don't know how many seats it has (500? maybe more?), but it's big. Most of the customers, probably 80%-85%, were Thais. The reminder were mostly Asian tour groups. I also saw some Russians, but not many other farang. The menus we got were in Thai except for the cover page. I always let my TGF order anyway, so no problem for me.

 

I was responsible for seven of the group and here's what we ordered:

 

 

The main feature was two kilos of crab at 560 baht per kilo.

 

 

 

I don't eat much crab (or lobster) for medical reasons, but the ladies had no problems in polishing it off on their own. We also had a lovely fried fish:

 

 

 

And a squid dish:

 

 

 

A coconut-based seafood stew (never had it before, but really liked it):

 

 

 

My GF wanted som tam and we also got a place of vegetables and herbs:

 

 

 

 

My lady doesn't think I eat enough vegetables, so she ordered the shrimp-veggie stir-fry for me:

 

 

 

We also had a bowl of tom khai gai that arrived towards the end of the meal, but I forgot to take a pic of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some shots from the interior of the restaurant:

 

 

 

 

 

We got there at about 6 p.m. and didn't have a problem getting a table. The outside tables facing the sea were all occupied, but there were plenty of seats inside. However, by the time we left at 7.30 p,m,, the restaurant was quite full. I imagine it's nightmare to even try to get a table on a Thai holiday weekend. And forget about a beach-side table unless you get there very early.

 

I've read criticism of Pupen for the slowness of service and the rudeness of the staff. We certainly didn't have those problems on Saturday. The food came quickly and the waitresses and waiters were as polite and friendly as they usually are in LOS.

 

Total damages were 2, 650 baht, very reasonable for such a meal for seven people. Considering the two kilos of crab cost 1,120 and I had two SMLs and a watermelon smoothie to drink, the rest of the meal was cheap indeed. The ladies all drank water.

 

Bottom line: Pupen is one of the best places for fresh seafood in Pattaya. It loses a few points due to the lack of English-language menus and the hassle involved in getting to and from Pupen as well as the difficulty you might encounter in finding a table on a busy night.

 

 

Evil

[Kathmandu]

An excellent review complimented by some engaging photos...many thanks EP.

 

I very much agree...the seafood restaurants at the far end of Jomtien (including Pupen) are worth the trip. A nice change of pace from Pattaya and the sea breeze is most welcome. A great place to take a date or a larger crowd. Frequently busy with locals, especially at the weekend, is always encouraging.

 

Now I want to go out and eat some crab!

[brownlegs]

Nice...............havent been there for a long time   maybe 20 years  A good review

[holidaywayne57]

Birthday on July 15 and i like the look of this place. Will impress the girlfriend who loves seafood. Thanks for the review.

[Paul Chonburi]

I have eaten here a few times, always had a good scoff. The staff are busy sometimes and can be a bit abrupt, but no malice intended ....

[Tuna58]

Great review with pics. I will be putting it on the circuit. Thanks.

[Evil Penevil]

Birthday on July 15 and i like the look of this place. Will impress the girlfriend who loves seafood. Thanks for the review.

I suggest you try to get there around 5.30 p.m. so you have a chance for an outdoor seaside table so you can enjoy the sunset. Of course, you need luck with the weather, but if it does rain, the covered section will keep you dry.

 

Evil

Edited June 7, 2013 by Evil Penevil

[Nws]

Great shout, think I will put it in the diary for a last night meal !

[cytolliver]

Thats a ridiculous price for tiny crab with skinny legs...very little meat. Thats the price I have seen for king crab legs in the States from time to time. Looks like a couple if the girls brought their lesbian lovers for free food.

[stickyfingers]

Excellent review and pics there EP.

 

Went there myself on my last trip too and is always popular and busy with the Thais and yes get there around 6pm ish to get a decent table.

 

Service was quick and food excellent, its not the cheapest but on a par with most seafood places I suppose.

[Nws]

I did hear that this place is only open at lunchtime at the moment, can anyone confirm this as I fancied trying it when I'm over

[Sounder]

Thats a ridiculous price for tiny crab with skinny legs...very little meat. Thats the price I have seen for king crab legs in the States from time to time. Looks like a couple if the girls brought their lesbian lovers for free food.

I thought the same thing. Those crabs have very little meat. But everything else looked good. I want to go there!

[Evil Penevil]

An update on Pupen:

I've been there a number of times since the OP, but the opportunity to experience a sunset didn't present itself until yesterday. It wasn't a particularly impressive sunset, but certainly a nice backdrop to a good meal. We arrived at 6:00 p.m., so there was no problem in getting a seaside table.









Catching the sunset:





Pupen itself was much like always.









It's a good idea to get there earlier rather than later. After we'd ordered, we watched five tour buses arrive over the course of the next 90 minutes, including two giant double-decker coaches full of Thais. Arrive at Pupen at 8.30 p.m. or later and a lot of best items including crab, may have already been sold out.

Here's what we ordered for a table of five:

Grilled squid, one of my favorites:



Tom yum goong (hot and spicy shrimp soup):



Crab, fresh, succulent and very tasty:



Sweet-and-sour whole fish:





Prawns steamed in salt:





A coconut-based seafood stew:



Pork and fish ball soup:



Grilled whole fish:





The total cost for five people, including drinks, was 3,500 baht. About 2,800 was for the food, 600 for drinks and a 100-baht tip. The food is always good at Pupen, but to beat the tour groups, get there before 6.00 p.m.

It was interesting to see the carts selling mango and sticky rice as well as dried squid outside Pupen. They seemed to be doing quite a business.






Evil

Edited February 21, 2014 by Evil Penevil

[The Selfie Warrior]

Always a nice meal at Pupen.... But only a 100b tip on 3400b bill?! Ouch!

[expatdude]

Perfectly appropriate here in Thailand.

[Evil Penevil]

Always a nice meal at Pupen.... But only a 100b tip on 3400b bill?! Ouch!

 

I always let the girl I have with me choose the tip amount, as I figure it will be appropriate for Thai circumstances that way.  She thought 100 baht was the right amount.

 

Evil

[ChiFlyer]

I did a search for Pupen's and this thread seemed to be the one most pointed at the restaurant. I had Pupen's on my list, but after reading a wide range of good and bad reviews (internet in general) put it on the back burner. Wish I would have just read this thread instead.

A Thai lady friend whose recommendations I am usually in tune with suggested we go with her sister and brother-in-law. I really like the place. We rang up a bill of 2250 for shared foods and a couple of beers. The Crab Curry in particular was quite tasty. Also had the Kow Phat Poo and various other dishes. Everything was very good. I will be back.

btw - I must be some kind of ridiculous sport. I tipped 250. I will slow that down. Wouldn't want to give Farangs a bad name.

[Thai1onjohn]

Always a must when taking out thai family...

 

[cytolliver]

On 21/02/2014 at 00:57, Evil Penevil said:

 

I always let the girl I have with me choose the tip amount, as I figure it will be appropriate for Thai circumstances that way.  She thought 100 baht was the right amount.

 

Evil

Thats about 3 %.   I mean, in Thailand its not the West so no reason to pay 15-20% tip.   300 should be the minimum as thats about 9% or so.   Despite what Expatdude said, that is not perfectly acceptable in Thailand, not even by super cheap wealthy Thai standard(and trust me the wealthy in Thailand are kio nio x 1000.

 

Anyways, didnt want to take away from another excellent review just thought newbies might want to know reality and you obviously left it up to your gf and she is used to not tipping as well.

[likeaking]

I try to compromise between silly U.S. and CC tipping by leaving 10%. It's easy to calculate, too.

[jpmelville]

On 22/02/2019 at 07:35, cytolliver said:

Thats about 3 %.   I mean, in Thailand its not the West so no reason to pay 15-20% tip.   300 should be the minimum as thats about 9% or so.   Despite what Expatdude said, that is not perfectly acceptable in Thailand, not even by super cheap wealthy Thai standard(and trust me the wealthy in Thailand are kio nio x 1000.

 

Anyways, didnt want to take away from another excellent review just thought newbies might want to know reality and you obviously left it up to your gf and she is used to not tipping as well.

I always leave tipping to my TGF. She never leaves more than 100bht. They know better than any tourist how much to tip.

[cytolliver]

15 hours ago, jpmelville said:

I always leave tipping to my TGF. She never leaves more than 100bht. They know better than any tourist how much to tip.

No they dont.  The less money you tip, the more money available for them.   Not saying your gf in particular as I dont know you.

[jpmelville]

Just now, cytolliver said:

No they dont.  The less money you tip, the more money available for them.   Not saying your gf in particular as I dont know you.

Yes they do know better. She has couple of millions in the bank, so no need to save my money. I wouldn't try to teach Thais what to do in their own country as I would not try to tell you how to tip in your own country.

[ChiFlyer]

I go with a combo of what likeaking said and also follow the GF rules. I tend to go with 10%, but the GF sometimes tells me I am being an idiot (I don't like passive aggressive women). She will point out that the service level does not warrant that much and she is usually right.

As far as the "more for her" comment goes --> some of you guys seem to think that all Thai women are whores. If you spend all of your time in bars, I can see why you think that. For decades that is what I did. The coldest I have ever been worked was my divorce from my first wife (an American). That is a whore.

A point worth mentioning. Do not tip when you pay your tab. Let the server bring you the change. Put the tip directly in their hand. That way they get the money, not the restaurant to be split up, maybe. Also, never include the tip on a credit card for the same reason.

Edited February 26, 2019 by ChiFlyer

[ChiFlyer]

Meanwhile back at Pupen's.

I have been to Pupen's perhaps a dozen times. I have enjoyed those visits with friends and had a lot of good food and good times.

I am starting to think that Pupen's is/has become a victim of their own success. On the last couple of visits the food has not been as good, the service has been not as good, ......

Any comments?