Walkabout Sports Bar & Restaurant

Walkabout Sports Bar & Restaurant in Phuket is a laid-back Australian-style sports bar — an easy place to spend the evening with a game on and a drink in hand. The venue is spacious, with plenty of fans to take the edge off the heat, and most seating is on high stools. There are two restrooms and everything is kept clean. A nice extra touch: staff bring chilled towels and a bowl of water for rinsing your hands, which makes the whole experience noticeably more comfortable.

The standout feature is the wall of screens: around a dozen TVs showing live sport, so you’ll often find European football, AFL, rugby, F1, tennis and more playing at the same time. If you ask, they can switch the sound to the match you want. There’s also a free pool table (sometimes with a short wait) and a few simple board games, so it works well for families too.

The drinks menu is a strong point: Guinness at a fair price, cider (including varieties you don’t often see in Thailand), non-alcoholic beer, and well-made cocktails and mojitos. And for a hot day, the real winner is ice-cold beer served in a frozen mug. Food is available by ordering from the neighbouring restaurant — your dishes are delivered straight to your table, portions are generous, and the selection is broad. In the evenings, live music sets the mood with well-known international hits. A couple of things to note: it’s cash-only, and some alcohol prices run a bit above average.