Under 300 Baht ... And Good! (updated for 2024)

[Evil Penevil]

27 minutes ago, rioman said:

  Not the best by far, but very good value.

That pretty much sums up Cheap Charlie's.

Evil

[Evil Penevil]

Prime Burger has taken over the premises of the venerable but now defunct Butchers Arms across Soi Buakhao from the southern edge of Tree Town.

As the name makes clear,  Prime Burger is narrowly focused on premium burgers. In addition to hamburgers made from 100% imported Australian beef (70% chuck, 30% brisket) ground daily in the restaurant, the menu includes chicken, fish and vegetarian burgers as well as some traditional side dishes and salads. Prime Burger is a good option if you're in the mood for an upscale burger, but not if you want anything else. 

The interior features booth and table seating. There is a big screen TV on one wall and a pool table in the back section. For those who want to people watch or prefer dining al fresco, there are tables outside.

The burgers are named for cities around the world and come in three sizes (single-, double- and triple-patty). Each patty weighs 90 grams.  Eight different burgers are available. The New York Burger is a basic cheeseburger, but I chose the Paris Burger with cheese, U.S.-style smoked streaky bacon, tomato, lettuce, Dijon mustard and truffle mayo. 

On its Web site and printed menu, Prime Burger states "the quality of beef and ingredients" is the  key to making the best burger.  I  certainly won't disagree but add that proper execution by the cook is also important in producing a great burger.  Even the best ingredients can be mistreated in the kitchen and result in an unpalatable dish.

But the kitchen staff at Prime Burger got it right regarding the basics.   Quality ingredients were  well prepared to yield one of the tastiest burgers I've had in a long time.  Admittedly, I don't often eat hamburgers in Pattaya, so I don't have a large or up-to-date basis for comparison.

The owner of Prime Burger is a Swede who opened a Prime Burger in Phuket earlier this year and its Stockholm Burger promptly won the annual Phuket's Best Burger.  If the owner isn't doing the cooking himself, he's trained his staff well.

A bacon cheeseburger is straight out of Peoria or Omaha; it's the Dijon mustard and truffle mayo that gives the Paris Burger it's French twist.  I'm not sure truffle mayo  really has a place on a bacon cheeseburger; a more neutral base like pasta, eggs or mild meat and fish is needed for the truffle flavor to shine. 

A generous blob of Dijon mustard would have been a brilliant addition, as it would have added a contrasting bite to the fatty richness of the cheeseburger.  Alas, the cook had been rather stingy with the mustard and I couldn't notice any taste from the mustard or truffle mayo.  Nevertheless, as a straight-up bacon cheeseburger, it was very good.  The bun, the most overlooked component of burgers, was fresh and light, exactly how a hamburger bun should be.

I ordered the halloumi salad at 90 baht as my side.  Halloumi is cheese that originated in Cyprus and is traditionally made from sheep's milk. It has a low moisture content that makes it perfect for grilling and frying.  Halloumi has a unique taste that's hard to describe; it's sort of like feta, but milder and creamier.  I can't even recall seeing halloumi on a Pattaya menu before.

In modern times, halloumi has been made from cow's milk and I think (but can't be sure) that was the variation I got.  It had a good texture but very little flavor.  The vegetables,  pieces of vegetables (tomato, cucumber, green and red pepper) were freshly chopped.  Black olives provided the accent rather than the cheese.

Bottom line:  Next time I have a yearning for a hamburger, Prime Burger will be one of my options. I wouldn't say it's the best burger in Pattaya, but it's very good and the location is convenient for me.  I also want to try the Tokyo Burger (deep-fried fish).  The total cost of my meal (burger, salad and soda water) was 375 baht.

I'm not sure about Prime Burger's hours of business.  I got there at 2.30 p.m. and the staff was still putting out the settings on the outdoor tables. A "Closed" sign hung on the door, but the waitress told me to go inside and "wait five minute."  I believe it is supposed to be open between 3.00 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Evil

[Taa_Saparot]

36 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

The owner of Prime Burger is a Swede who opened a Prime Burger in Phuket earlier this year and its Stockholm Burger promptly won the annual Phuket's Best Burger.  If the owner isn't doing the cooking himself, he's trained his staff well.

Funny, it was reported elsewhere that the owner was an ex-Beefeater Chef.

[Evil Penevil]

Just now, Taa_Saparot said:

Funny, it was reported elsewhere that the owner was an ex-Beefeater Chef.

I don't know if it has changed hands, but Beefeater was owned by Swedes.

Evil

[dan2016]

Tried Cheap Charlies breakfast twice now, small Scottish and the Chaplain breakfast they have, never again, bland, no flavor very low quality sausage and bacon. For that price might as go to I-Rovers and pay an extra 20-30bht for a more quality breakfast or even the Bhatbuster at Retox for 99bht is way better and tastier then that theirs IMO.

[Crushed]

56 minutes ago, dan2016 said:

Tried Cheap Charlies breakfast twice now, small Scottish and the Chaplain breakfast they have, never again, bland, no flavor very low quality sausage and bacon. For that price might as go to I-Rovers and pay an extra 20-30bht for a more quality breakfast or even the Bhatbuster at Retox for 99bht is way better and tastier then that theirs IMO.

I felt the same way about the Chaplain breakfast sausage however I really like the roast chicken dinner, which Evil Penevil posted.  I've written it off as a breakfast place.  The competition along the road gets my brekky money.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Crushed

[Evil Penevil]

This is more an informative post than a review. Kilkenny Bar and Guesthouse revamped its restaurant menu about three weeks ago.  Here's an excerpt the new menu:

Kilkenny also has great value-for-money daily specials.  Today's three specials:

and yesterday's two:

I've tried and reviewed the beef stew, pork chop and Ozzie burger.  All were very good. You can find the daily specials on Kilkenny's Facebook page.

Most noteworthy is probably the Sunday roast lamb dinner for 199 baht.  You won't do better than that for the price anywhere in town.

What impresses me most about Kilkenny is its consistency.  I've never had a bad meal there.  In many farang-oriented places in Pattaya, the quality of the meals can swing dramatically depending who's in the kitchen at the time.

Prices are reasonable at Kilkenny but it's 30-50 baht higher for popular menu items compared with the nearby Cheap Charlie's, Chunky Monkey and Hungry Hippo.  However,  in terms of quality and portion size, Kilkenny wins hands down.  Kilkenny also has an extended Happy Hour from 4 p.m. to midnight every day, during which all house spirits and bottled beers go for 65 baht.

Kilkenny's is located at the corner of the L on LK Metro, across from the Billabong Bar.  It's an excellent spot for people watching on LK Metro. Things can get quite lively at the Billabong.

Evil

[Rikamaroo]

I drink in Kilkenny every trip but haven't tried the food. I will give it a whirl next time. 

[udontony]

For many years Kilkenny has been one of my favourite breakfast places in Pattaya.  I have never had a bad meal there, it is consistently good in quality and service..   Looking at the new menu it seems they have omitted the mushrooms from the big breakfast which is a pity.  I will be back there again soon to see how much it has changed.

[jimboh]

Like Kilkenny, good spot to listen to music from Billabong-too loud for me over there. Bonus is kitchen is open till midnight. Good value/ decent quality. Value for money.

Maybe needs a bit of a face lift, a tad dated?? Cant quiet put my finger on it but ticks a lot of boxes, just feel it could do/change something to attract more punters 

[Terryofcrete]

On 12/09/2019 at 10:19, Crushed said:

I felt the same way about the Chaplain breakfast sausage however I really like the roast chicken dinner, which Evil Penevil posted.  I've written it off as a breakfast place.  The competition along the road gets my brekky money.

The small Brekkie has a lot of stuff but yeah.. bland and tasteless .. the butter is pure shite that they give you with the toast and of course the juice isn’t .. juice .. just watery cordial or something . 
on the other hand .. the roast dinners are very cheap and nice enough BUT a the roast potatoes are terrible ..  not cooked enough.. hard.... but the chicken dinner at 99baht is good value. The specials every day are good .. mostly .. ribs and onion rings and salad and French fries .. on saturdays .. not always though is quite nice at 129.  I ate there a lot and was ok with it but mostly had thai food which was very acceptable at 99 incl. rice. The spicy pork mince / basil is eye watering but nice . My selection of ladies liked it too.. next door to Sutus court. It was a lot better than that Cheeky Monkey place up the road . 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Terryofcrete
Added stuff

[striderman]

On 12/09/2019 at 15:23, dan2016 said:

  or even the Bhatbuster at Retox for 99bht is way better and tastier then that theirs IMO.

forget Retox lengkee,  out of the breakfast business.

 

[Taa_Saparot]

26 minutes ago, striderman said:

forget Retox lengkee,  out of the breakfast business.

At the moment.

[Taa_Saparot]

Two Lions have the joined the 99 baht breakfast crowd though

[Scuba+]

forget Retox lengkee,  out of the breakfast business.

 

Looks like they've given up on lunch also, just targeting drinkers

[Evil Penevil]

6 hours ago, Scuba+ said:

10 hours ago, striderman said:

forget Retox lengkee,  out of the breakfast business.

Looks like they've given up on lunch also, just targeting drinkers

A couple of years ago,  Simon Peatfield wrote on a FB page that the Retox group lost money on food operations as a whole.  However, the food offerings helped pull in the punters who did make Retox profitable, he wrote.

Evil

[Pheat]

31 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

A couple of years ago,  Simon Peatfield wrote on a FB page that the Retox group lost money on food operations as a whole.  However, the food offerings helped pull in the punters who did make Retox profitable, he wrote.

Evil

195Baht for chicken fried rice /280 Baht pie/chips and loses money very hard to believe 

[Evil Penevil]

7 minutes ago, Pheat said:

195Baht for chicken fried rice /280 Baht pie/chips and loses money very hard to believe 

He didn't say Retox lost money on each and every menu item, but that they lost money overall. Some menu items "subsidized" others to minimalize the total loss.

Also, if no one orders a certain dish,  it's not going to be profitable.

Evil

[Taa_Saparot]

51 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

A couple of years ago,  Simon Peatfield wrote on a FB page that the Retox group lost money on food operations as a whole. 

No, he said the Baht Buster Breakfast was a loss leader.

[Scuba+]

We've said before Retox menu options are poor in comparison to the competition. Everyone got the 99 baht buster because everything else was circ 200

[Pheat]

4 hours ago, Scuba+ said:

We've said before Retox menu options are poor in comparison to the competition. Everyone got the 99 baht buster because everything else was circ 200

Especially the Thai food on the main menu ,195Baht for chicken fried rice is taking the piss

[taylor1975]

4 hours ago, Scuba+ said:

We've said before Retox menu options are poor in comparison to the competition. Everyone got the 99 baht buster because everything else was circ 200

Their daily specials are all 200b and really good value i think. Out of a 30 days trip, i'll go there about 15 times (lengkee branch).

[Scuba+]

Their daily specials are all 200b and really good value i think. Out of a 30 days trip, i'll go there about 15 times (lengkee branch).

Better options i think, Hungry Hippo, Pitini, Market cafe. Decent food for 100-150, Market cafe includes a drink for the specials

[taylor1975]

15 minutes ago, Scuba+ said:

25 minutes ago, taylor1975 said:

Their daily specials are all 200b and really good value i think. Out of a 30 days trip, i'll go there about 15 times (lengkee branch).

Better options i think, Hungry Hippo, Pitini, Market cafe. Decent food for 100-150, Market cafe includes a drink for the specials

Its stuff you'd struggle to find for 100-150 range .....dirty big double burgers with fries, lasagne, ribs etc.

I'm familiar with the places you mention and there is a notable difference.

 

[Pheat]

21 minutes ago, Scuba+ said:

31 minutes ago, taylor1975 said:

Their daily specials are all 200b and really good value i think. Out of a 30 days trip, i'll go there about 15 times (lengkee branch).

Better options i think, Hungry Hippo, Pitini, Market cafe. Decent food for 100-150, Market cafe includes a drink for the specials

Yep and you don’t get arse wiped on the Thai food