There is a lot of Halal food in Krabi (the population is 40% Islamic), so Muslim visitors to the area need not worry about eating out. All beef and chicken served will be dhabiha halal ذَبِيْحَة حلالا (slaughtered in the correct way), with the notable exception of steaks. This particular cut of beef is usually imported from Australia and so is non-Halal.
Because of the mixed local population, the vast majority of people you will meet are fully aware of the Islamic dietary requirements, so advice is usually honest and helpful and there will not be any explaining to do.
Most Muslim restaurants in Krabi will display a Halal sign in Arabic; at street food vendors and hawker stalls if no sign is displayed it is best to ask as covering hair is often done for hygiene, not only religious purposes.
Ao Nang village is predominantly Muslim, though the main tourist area down by the beach is not. Near the beachfront, you can still find quite a few Muslim-owned restaurants, however. Please note that although all the restaurants mentioned below serve Halal food, most of them in the tourist areas also sell alcohol (often through third party vendors, no profit is made), or allow it to be brought in from outside.
Highly recommended is De’Fish, which is in Ao Nang Fiore Resort (next to Tesco in Ao Nang). This serves excellent Thai Muslim food, as well as seafood and some western dishes in a glossy wooden pavilion. Another decent hotel restaurant is in Ao Nang Princeville Resort (Muslim-owned), called White Orchid. Again, they serve Thai food and seafood as well. It is located on the beachfront, with the entrance next to the Coffee Klatsch cafe.
Wannas Place, the oldest restaurant on the beach, serves Halal Thai & western food in a traditional roofed dining room at the far end of the beach road – this place is famed for its southern Thai specialty of Massaman Curry. Prices in all of these restaurants will be around 200 – 500 baht a head for a big meal, less if you are sharing dishes.
For cheaper Muslim Thai food, head out to the plaza next to Holiday Inn on Nopparat Thara Beach, where you will find several food court style eateries, including the excellent May & Zin. Drinks should be purchased separately, at another food stall, or at the Family Mart next door.
Several of the seafood restaurants along the so-called “seafood street” on the Ao Nang beachfront are also Halal – try Chaba Kitchen or The Crab Company. As well as seafood, they also serve excellent Thai cuisine, with exclusively chicken, beef, and vegetable dishes.
If you like pizza or pasta, there are (amazingly!) quite a few options for Muslims on the beachfront road. Though they may not be authentic Italian, they are definitely Halal. Places like Maharaza, Zaika and several others are owned by Bangladeshis, and serve very passable thin crust Halal pizza (any “ham” mentioned on the menu will be chicken meat), alongside good Halal Indian and Thai food.
Pyramids, opposite Sugar Marina Resort, describes itself as an “Arabian” restaurant, and serves a basic selection of middle eastern mezze such as falafel and hummus, and grilled meats: stick to this menu (rather than their Thai offerings) and it’s a good bet.
For cheap Halal ‘street food‘ (50 – 80 baht a plate), head into Ao Nang Village, or Klong Haeng village (both around 1km from the beach). At lunchtime and at night (until about 9pm), there are many small restaurants and stalls, run by the local Muslim women, along the main road starting at the mosques, and continuing up and further out.
Dishes include rice and curry, pad thai, fried rice, papaya salad, noodle soup, kebabs, roti pancakes etc. Take a motorbike sidecar taxi from the beach to either village for 30 baht per person, or walk (it is around 15 – 20 minutes uphill). Another good street food area at lunchtime and early evening is around Holiday Inn Express, where you will find stalls selling barbecued chicken, noodle soup etc. Note: this area does not operate on Fridays.
Please also note that although many street food stalls along the beachfront in Ao Nang are run by Buddhist Thai people from the north of the country, none serve pork out of respect for the local people. This is also the case in any of the local markets in Ao Nang and Klong Haeng only (NOT in Krabi Town), where all the food for sale will be Halal. Anyone selling pork meat is required to do so outside the main market area.
In Krabi Town, there are dozens of Halal options at breakfast and lunchtime – mainly small rice and curry shops – though in the evening choice is more limited. For a different breakfast try Abubak Halal Dim Sum on Luang Pho Road (there is also a branch in Ao Nang, near to Makro); if dim sum does not take your fancy, they also do fresh roti, rice porridge and other Asian breakfast fare. Further along the same road towards the river, Makan Tumsap is one of the few Halal restaurants open all day and in the evenings, and does tasty Thai food and elaborate desserts.
But perhaps the best option in town in the evening would be to visit one of the night market areas: opposite City Hotel; at Chao Fa pier; or (at the weekend), the walking street market behind Vogue department store, where there are many stalls run by Muslims. If you are staying in Krabi Front Bay Resort, there is a nice Muslim seafood restaurant directly opposite (Paknam), though it may be a little out of the way if you are staying elsewhere.
It is also worth noting that the majority of restaurants in Krabi will be able to serve non-pork dishes, though obviously there will not be a separate kitchen for Halal food.
Finally, some helpful phrases to print out in the very unlikely case you have any difficulties:
I am a Muslim: ฉันศาสนาอิสลาม
I do not eat pork: ฉันไม่กินหมู
Do you have Halal food?: มีอาหารฮาลาลหรือเปล่า