6 Best Cafes in Hua Hin for a Beachy Bangkok Escape

If you’re looking for a fantastic escape from Bangkok, one of my favorite options is Hua Hin. This chill little beach town is a great city break, and for a small town, it punches above its weight when it comes to having a good variety of coffee shops.

Since Hua Hin is more about unwinding than hustling and working, the cafés here are small, focused on serving up good coffees and nice atmosphere. In other words — they aren’t designed for hours of laptop time. If you need a solid workspace setup, skip the Hua Hin cafés and head instead to a coworking space, like Hua Hin Workspace.

If, however, your goal is getting your caffeine fix — preferably paired with pretty surroundings — here are my favorite coffee spots in Hua Hin — from beachside brews to lemon-zest lattes (yes, you read that right and yes, they are delicious!).

Best Cafés in Hua Hin

Velo Cafe

Best for: Serious coffee drinkers and pastry lovers

Velo is small, always busy, and you’ll quickly see why. Their coffee is excellent, with a variety of roasts to choose from, and they also sell beans if you want to take a little cup of Hua Hin home with you.

I had a cappuccino that was the perfect milk to espresso ratio, plus a canelé sweet which was perfectly dense with the right amount of almost mochi-like chew to it.

The combination of perfectly-prepared coffee and French-style pastries means this Hua Hin cafe is rarely empty, so grab a table if you spot one.

Gallery Drip Coffee Hua Hin

Best for: Artisanal and unique coffee lovers

Part art gallery, part coffee shop, Gallery Drip offers drinks you won’t find in your standard beach town café.

I couldn’t pick, so I let the staff guide me, in a unique direction I likely wouldn’t have picked myself but certainly wasn’t mad about. I ordered their blended lemon white coffee, which was topped with grated lemon zest.

The barista recommended skipping the straw so I could get the full hit of lemon aroma with each sip — and it was honestly genius. If you like your coffee a little creative, this is a must-visit.

Norm Artisan Tea Project

Best for: Matcha and tea aficionados

This cafe is focused on its tea offerings, so it’s great for those who prefer matcha and other teas to coffee. I am more of a coffee person, but later in the afternoon, I prefer a quiet buzz of a matcha to a coffee, so I really loved my stop here, where I got an iced matcha latte.

Gorgeously aesthetic and purposeful in its offerings, Norm Artisan Tea Project deserves a mention even in this coffee-heavy post, thanks to its gorgeous range of matcha and hojicha drinks. The interior is stylishly Japanese-inspired, with shelves of tea-related goodies that are tempting to take home with you.

A-Kin Coffee Club

Best for: Courtyard vibes and banyan tree shade

Tucked away in a quiet courtyard, A-Kin Coffee Club is set underneath the shade of a banyan tree, with a tiny green house serving up some delicious coffee from a small counter.

I did feel like service here was a bit slow, so I don’t suggest you come in a rush. Also, temper your expectations based off the Google Maps. I saw all these pictures of people’s coffee right on the beach, but this isn’t a beachfront café.

A-Kin Coffee Club is about a two-minute walk from the beach, so you can absolutely bring your coffee with you to the beach, but don’t expect to be set right on the sand. But honestly, the courtyard’s charm makes it worth the stop.

Chaplu Cafe & Restaurant

Best for: Instagramming and ocean views

This is the dedicated “Instagram café” of Hua Hin — you’ll know it as soon as you see the staged photo spots and the camera-toting crowds. Yes, it gets busy here!

The aesthetic is gorgeous: you’ve got sweeping views of the beach, multiple seating areas, and the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to take photos basically everywhere. However, service here can be hit or miss. I have to admit that when we went, we hit a huge snag with the ordering process and it took a good 10 minutes for them to even take our order to take our money.

The coffee is supposed to be good here, but on my visit, I went for a refreshing lemon soda since I arrived late in the day and my caffeine cutoff is non-negotiable if I want to have any hope of sleep that night. Prices are on the slightly higher side for Hua Hin, but you’re paying for the location and the photo opportunities!

Drip Rim Lay

Best for: Beachside coffee

If “coffee with a view” means literally on the beach to you, Drip Rim Lay is where you want to be. The setup is simple, the coffee is solid (you can’t beat an orange yuzu coffee on the beach), and the location is unbeatable — you can sip your drink with your toes in the sand.

This is less of a specialty-coffee experience and more about the sandy beach vibes. And honestly? That plus caffeine is really all I need.