Acqua

The story

Acqua Phuket: Italian Restaurant in Kathu with Andaman Sea Views

Acqua is a modern Italian restaurant at 324/15 Phra Barami Road in Pa Tong, Kathu, Phuket, and it was listed as Michelin Recommended in 2026. The kitchen draws on Sardinian roots within a fine dining room above the Andaman Sea.

Chef and cooking style

Chef Alessandro Frau trained in London, then cooked in Mexico, Sweden and Finland, Paris and Sardinia before arriving in Phuket in 2004. He was Executive Chef at the Sheraton Grande Laguna, overseeing 12 outlets and 130 chefs, before opening his own restaurant. His Italian cooking keeps close to tradition and his Sardinian background, updated with newer techniques and artistic presentation.

Ingredients and plates

The about page names Sicilian red prawns, Puglian burrata, Sardinian sea urchin, French oysters and American lobster among the ingredients the kitchen works with. Frau's approach is to source each product where it is at its best, so the menu shifts with the seasons. The result is a seafood-focused Italian kitchen that leans on produce rather than heavy sauces.

Room and wine

The black-and-white design gives the dining room clean lines, and the views reach out over the Andaman Sea. Frau designed Acqua as the first in a series of restaurants he planned. The wine list received Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence in 2017, the first time the restaurant earned that honor. A current wine list is published on the restaurant's website.