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Set on Soi Romanee in the heart of Phuket’s historic district and designed by Bill Bensley— the award-winning, globally renowned designer known for his theatrical, story-driven hotels—this bar-restaurant pays homage to the island’s tin-mining past and the owner’s grandfather, who once lived here. Outside, a river of selfie-takers flows down the street, but inside Coolies Club the décor and cocktails pull you into another world—even another era. Built on the bones of an 1883 shophouse, the design reinterprets <a href="https://staging.destinasian.com/travel-guide/thailand/phuket">Phuket’s</a> history with a nod to the former pleasure hub where tin miners spent their hard-earned wages in gambling houses and opium dens. Bold colors, louche soft-console seating, and the occasional risqué cabaret thread the past into the present.
Even the drinks are nostalgic. Miner’s Whisper, a wood-smoked Negroni, carries a subtle smokiness that evokes the heat and wood fires of mining days long gone. Each cocktail has a backstory linking it to local history, whether tin mining, or the salubrious past of Soi Romanee. —<a href="https://destinasian.com/contributor/christopher-wise">Christopher Wise</a>
<a href="https://www.cooliesclub.com/?DestinAsian">Cooliesclub.com</a> 
+66 63 454 6966 
<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/COOLIES+CLUB/@7.8847953,98.3869682,17z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1s11+Soi+Romanee+Tambon+Talat+Yai,+Amphoe+Mueang+Phuket,+Phuket+83000!3m6!1s0x30503199ece22915:0x9887097870af45a2!8m2!3d7.8852872!4d98.3891141!15sCkMxMSBTb2kgUm9tYW5lZSBUYW1ib24gVGFsYXQgWWFpLCBBbXBob2UgTXVlYW5nIFBodWtldCwgUGh1a2V0IDgzMDAwWkMiQTExIHNvaSByb21hbmVlIHRhbWJvbiB0YWxhdCB5YWkgYW1waG9lIG11ZWFuZyBwaHVrZXQgcGh1a2V0IDgzMDAwkgEKcmVzdGF1cmFudJoBRENpOURRVWxSUVVOdlpFTm9kSGxqUmpsdlQyNUtVVlZWUmt4WU1rNHlUMGQwV0U5SVdUSlZSMmhUVDFZNVNXVlZSUkFC4AEA-gEECAAQSA!16s%2Fg%2F11p0hspx0c?entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQwNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D">11 Soi Romanee Tambon Talat Yai, Amphoe Mueang Phuket, Phuket 83000</a>

A tablescape at Coolies Club Phuket featuring a bikini sandwich and smoked spaghetti alla bottarga.

Coolies Club: Designer Dining