Food & grocery delivery in Koh Samui.

Grab is the default all-rounder on Samui and the app most expats install first. It has the broadest restaurant list and the strongest coverage across the busy east coast (Chaweng, Lamai) and the north (Bophut, Bang Rak, Maenam, Choeng Mon), a fully English interface, in-app card payment or cash, and the same account also books Grab rides and GrabMart groceries. It is rarely the cheapest, but it is the most reliable for choice and driver availability on the island.

Run on top of Thailand's dominant LINE messaging app, LINE MAN often lists smaller local Thai kitchens and beach-road stalls that never appear on Grab, and frequently undercuts it on price and delivery fees. The app works in English once set up, though some restaurant menus are Thai-only. A strong second app to run alongside Grab for authentic, cheaper island food.

Delivery Hero officially ceased all foodpanda operations across Thailand on 23 May 2025 after 13 years in the market, citing intense competition and accumulated losses. It is not available in Koh Samui or anywhere else in the country -- Grab and LINE MAN are the two apps to rely on today, with ShopeeFood as a smaller, mostly bigger-city third option.

Beyond restaurants, Grab runs a grocery arm (GrabMart) that pull from convenience stores, supermarkets and dark stores for snacks, drinks, fresh items and household basics - handy for a quick top-up without a drive to Central Festival, though selection is narrower and prices higher than shopping in store, and everything carries the usual island mark-up.

You may still see references to Robinhood, a Thai delivery app that charged restaurants no commission. It ceased food-delivery operations, so Grab and LINE MAN are the three apps to rely on in Koh Samui today. Ignore older guides that still list it.

Tops inside Central Festival Samui in Chaweng is the island's main full supermarket for imported and everyday groceries, and it delivers via GrabMart and its own service in covered areas - convenient for a proper shop dropped at a condo or villa without the Chaweng traffic.

The big-box stores Big C and Lotus's cover groceries, household goods and cheap essentials, while Makro is the wholesale warehouse used by restaurants and villa households buying in bulk - large pack sizes, meat, seafood and dry goods at low unit prices. All offer home delivery in and around Chaweng, Bophut and the ring road, and appear as options in the apps for larger stock-ups.

Villa Market is the island's main premium/imported grocer - Western brands, deli, cheese and hard-to-find ingredients - with branches serving the expat-heavy north, while Wine Connection covers wine, cheese and deli goods. Both list on delivery apps and are the go-to for particular diets and home comforts, at an island premium over Bangkok prices.

GrabMart and pandamart pull from convenience stores and dark stores for a fast top-up of snacks, drinks, toiletries and household basics, and Samui's dense network of 7-Eleven and Family Mart branches means small essentials are rarely far away. Best for a single missing item rather than a weekly shop.

Delivery is fast and dependable across the developed east and north: Chaweng, Chaweng Noi, Lamai, Bophut and Fisherman's Village, Bang Rak (Big Buddha), Maenam and Choeng Mon. In these zones all three apps compete, restaurant choice is wide and waits are short - this is where most expats and long-stay visitors live.

Coverage weakens on the quieter west and south-west coast - Nathon, Lipa Noi and Taling Ngam - and in remote hillside estates set back from the ring road. Expect fewer restaurants, longer waits and higher fees the further you are from Chaweng or Bophut, and some far corners fall outside app delivery radius entirely.

In Samui's many hillside villas and gated developments, riders on scooters sometimes cannot find or reach the door up steep or unmarked lanes. Save a clear map pin plus written directions and a gate/villa name, add your phone number in the app, and be ready to meet the rider at the entrance or main road - especially after dark.

In built-up areas delivery fees typically run about 15-50 THB, a touch higher than the mainland because of the island's spread-out geography, rising further with distance and at peak times or in surge; some restaurants set small minimum orders. Apps regularly push free-delivery promos and subscription plans (pandapro, GrabUnlimited) that pay off if you order often.

In the main towns, expect roughly 25-50 minutes door to door depending on distance, weather and time of day - a little slower than Bangkok because journeys along the ring road are longer. Rain, weekend evenings and high-season crowds slow things down island-wide, and remote pickups add time. Ordering before the 7-8pm rush helps.

All three apps take cash on delivery and in-app card payment; linking a card (or a Thai PromptPay/wallet where supported) is smoothest for cashless ordering. Foreign cards generally work, though occasional declines mean it is worth keeping cash as a backup - handy anyway for tipping the rider.

The apps run in English, but some LINE MAN menus and rider chats are Thai - a translation app helps. The single most useful habit is setting an accurate map pin plus written landmark notes (nearest beach, resort or 7-Eleven), since Samui's unnamed sois and hillside lanes confuse riders far more than the app names do.

Grab (GrabFood) is the best all-round choice for coverage, reliability and an English interface across the island. Most long-stay residents run LINE MAN alongside it for cheaper local Thai food. Installing both gives the widest choice and the best prices, especially outside Chaweng. foodpanda ceased all Thailand operations in May 2025 and is no longer available.

No. Coverage is strong across Chaweng, Lamai, Bophut, Bang Rak, Maenam and Choeng Mon on the busy east and north coasts, but thins out on the quieter west and south-west around Nathon, Lipa Noi and Taling Ngam and in remote hillside estates. The further you are from Chaweng or Bophut, the fewer restaurants and the higher the fees, and some far corners fall outside the delivery radius.

Delivery fees are usually about 15-50 THB in built-up areas - slightly higher than the mainland because the island is spread out - and more with distance, rain or surge pricing, with some restaurants setting small minimum orders. Free-delivery promotions and subscriptions like pandapro or GrabUnlimited are common and worth it for frequent orders.

Yes. GrabMart handles quick grocery top-ups, while Tops at Central Festival Samui, Big C, Lotus's, Makro and Villa Market offer supermarket delivery in covered areas - useful for a full shop delivered to a condo or villa without the Chaweng traffic. Selection and prices in the quick-commerce apps are narrower than shopping in store, and imported goods carry an island mark-up.

Grab is fully in English; LINE MAN works in English though some restaurant menus and rider messages are Thai. All take cash on delivery and in-app card payment, and foreign cards generally work - keep some cash as a backup for occasional declines and for tipping the rider.