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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 <a href="https://www.cooliesclub.com/?DestinAsian">Coolies Club</a> 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://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. —Christopher Wise
<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

Phuket Dining