Madre Pasta Box Cafe

Madre Pasta Box in Phuket (Rawai) is a small Italian café set slightly away from the busy road. It’s quiet and relaxed, and the food is made quickly without unnecessary fuss.

Their main focus is fresh homemade pasta. You can choose different shapes (including rigatoni) and pick between two portion sizes — though even the “medium” one is often quite filling. There’s a wide range of sauces and combinations: carbonara, gricia, bolognese, options with gorgonzola or “three cheeses,” vongole, plus ravioli and tortellini (including versions made with cuttlefish ink), as well as gnocchi and risotto.

The menu is genuinely extensive, so it’s easy to come back multiple times and order something new each visit. Beyond pasta, they also serve salads, bruschetta, and pizza, and they’re generous with both sauce and cheese. The drinks list isn’t huge, but they do offer wine by the glass.

The café has been expanded and there are more tables now, but if your group is larger than four, you may still have to wait. Overall, the place stands out for its combination of a big selection and good value, though a few items can be hit-or-miss: the seafood in truffle sauce may not match the quality of the rest of the menu, and the ingredient list in some dishes can occasionally raise questions.