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Food & drink

Pupen Seafood Restaurant

Pupen (Pu Pen) is the grand old name of Jomtien seafood — trading on the beachfront at Na Jomtien since 1986 and claiming the title of the first restaurant built on Jomtien beach.

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About

Pupen has been serving seafood on the Na Jomtien beachfront since 1986 — a vast, unpretentious compound where crab, prawns and whole fish come off the ice, get weighed, and arrive at tables set directly on the sand. It is where Thai families and Bangkok weekenders go for seafood near Pattaya, which tells you most of what you need to know.

What to order

Curried crab (pu phad pong karee), grilled river prawns, steamed sea bass in lime and garlic, stir-fried morning glory. Big-ticket seafood is by weight — ask the price per kilo before it goes to the kitchen.

Details

  • Address: 62 Moo 1, Jomtien Beach Road, Na Jomtien
  • Hours: Daily, roughly 10:00–22:00 — confirm before visiting, hours change
  • Phone: +66 94 424 6966
  • Price: ฿฿฿ — mains a few hundred baht; seafood by weight
  • View on map

Location data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Detailed facts, cautions, facilities & reviews

Full overview

Pupen (Pu Pen) is the grand old name of Jomtien seafood — trading on the beachfront at Na Jomtien since 1986 and claiming the title of the first restaurant built on Jomtien beach. It is a huge compound at 62 Moo 1, Jomtien Beach Road: air-conditioned dining halls for the hot hours, and long rows of outdoor tables running down onto the sand where you eat with the tide a few metres away. The formula hasn't changed in decades — tanks and iced displays of crab, prawns, lobster, shellfish and whole fish, sold by weight and cooked to order in the classic Thai ways: curried crab, garlic-pepper prawns, steamed fish in lime, grilled squid. Prices are honest for the quality and setting, cheaper than tourist-strip seafood in central Pattaya, which is why the clientele is heavy on Thai families and Bangkok day-trippers as well as foreign visitors. It is genuinely popular, so weekends and holiday evenings mean full car parks and waits for beachside tables; weekday lunch is the relaxed slot. Service is functional at busy times, and don't expect craft cocktails or a wine list of note — this is a straightforward, high-volume Thai seafood house that happens to occupy one of the best beachfront plots south of Pattaya.

More planning notes

  • Peak meal periods can be crowded
  • User reports describe prices as high by local standards
  • Seafood availability and market pricing vary

The details

Prices

Google user-reported spend band THB 400-1,200 per person

As of 2026-07-25 (google.com)

Contact

Phone

094 424 6966

Website

https://www.facebook.com/PupenSeafoodPattaya/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/PupenSeafoodPattaya/

On site

Facilities

  • Sea-facing location
  • Outdoor seating
  • Indoor seating
  • Dine-in
  • Takeaway
  • Large seafood menu
  • Family and group tables

Listing details

Area
na-jomtien
Cuisine
thai, seafood
Prices
฿฿฿
Hours
Daily roughly 10:00–22:00 — confirm before visiting, hours change
Updated
July 2026

Recorded guest rating

4.3 on Google · 19,192 reviews · checked Jul 2026

Check recent reviews

Compare current visitor feedback on independent platforms.

Record highlights

  • Tables directly on the sand with genuine beachfront sunset views
  • Fresh seafood by weight at fairer prices than central Pattaya tourist strips
  • A 1986-vintage institution popular with Thai families — a good sign for quality

Check before relying

  • Weekends and holiday evenings get packed, with waits and rushed service
  • It's a 20–25 minute drive from central Pattaya, and by-weight seafood bills add up fast if you don't check prices first
Sources checked · 4

These are the pages used to check this guide. Opening hours, prices and other details can change after the recorded access date.

  1. Pupen Seafood — Tripadvisor · accessed
  2. Pupen Seafood Pattaya — Tourism Authority of Thailand · accessed
  3. OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · access date not recorded
  4. Google rating · accessed

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book at Pupen?

Weekday lunches are fine as a walk-in. For Friday–Sunday evenings and Thai holidays, book ahead or arrive before 6pm — the beachfront rows fill first and waits are common.

How much does a meal at Pupen cost?

Stir-fries and rice dishes are a few hundred baht; crab, lobster and whole fish are priced by weight, so a seafood spread for two typically lands around 800–1,500 baht plus drinks. Confirm the per-kilo price when ordering by weight.

Is Pupen the same as the seafood restaurants in central Pattaya?

No — Pupen is an independent institution in Na Jomtien, south of Jomtien Beach on the way to Bang Saray, operating since 1986. You need a car, Grab or baht bus to get there from Pattaya, and locals consider it worth the ride.

Can you sit on the beach itself?

Yes — alongside the air-conditioned indoor halls there are outdoor tables on the sand facing the sea. They are the most requested seats, especially around sunset, so come early or book if that's what you want.

Getting there

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