Bikini Barbecue Bar

Looking for the three ingredients to happiness? You’ll find them at Bikini Barbecue in Koh Samui.

The older I get, the easier it is to make me happy. In fact, it’s the simple things that give me a smile and appreciate each day. And there are three things that consistently will put me in a great mood (ok, there are four things, but we won’t cover the fourth here!). They are, no particular order:

1. The beach
2. Reggae music
3. Barbecue

While those may seem obvious, let me break them down for you. Of course, the beach makes me as happy as a pig in…. Well, you know where a pig is happy. Any time I can be at the beach and feel the ocean breeze and hear the waves go in and out, it’s virtually impossible to be in a foul mood.

The older I get, the more I appreciate reggae music, too, not only for its amazing musical quality but its universal appeal and chill, friendly, and ever-positive vibe. I appreciate reggae music (or any establishment that plays it) even more since I’m living here in Asia.

And, last, give me some barbecue. Get in my tummy! Sure, I like to eat clean and healthy every chance I get (very easy to do so here in Thailand but very difficult other places), but, sometimes, you just need a big ol’ plate of barbecue!

Lucky for me (and the rest of the world,) I can find all three of these things that make me happy at Bikini Barbecue Bar in Koh Samui, Thailand. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Koh Samui is a fantastic, fun, and picturesque island in central Thailand – and perfect for anything from a Bros’ party trip to a honeymoon to a family vacation. And while Samui is popular on the tourist scene, Chaweng Beach is way more commercial and crowded than lesser-visited and more laid back (but still plenty full) Lamai Beach.

Speaking of Lamai Beach, that’s exactly where you’ll find Bikini Barbecue Bar, at the northern end of that strip of sand and ocean. In fact, if you’re following the small beach road that runs parallel, right where it takes a sharp turn inland is where you’ll see ‘Bikini on the right. You also will probably notice it because they have big steel drums out front that serve as wood-fired barbecue pits, and there they roast their chicken, ribs, and other delicacies every day.

Step inside, and you’ll find a very chill and spacious restaurant/bar based around the – you guessed it – reggae theme. There are plenty of the requisite photos of Bob Marley, of course, but also photos, flags, slogans, and other memorabilia from Jamaica and the musical genre it created. You can even sit right out by the beach on their deck that overlooks the water a few stairs below, or they have beach seating if you request it.

Even with this super Vitamin Sea setting, the highlight is the barbecue. I always opt for the ribs (they sell them ½ kilo, full kilo, etc.) but the BBQ chicken is great, too. You can also try their Cubano sandwich and the jerk chicken wings – a Jamaican tradition – are fantastic. Wash it all down with plenty of cold San Miguel Lights (Philippines), Chang (Thailand), or Heineken (Europe), and you have an amazing meal.

You can even hit ‘Bikini for breakfast and eat right out by the sand, jumping in the ocean as you wait for your food to come out.

Related reading:  things to do in Koh Samui.

Enjoy Bikini Barbecue and make it one of your Koh Samui traditions – and the key to your happiness!

About Norm Schriever

Norm Schriever is a blogger, Amazon best-sellling author, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. His work appears in the Huffington Post, Business.com, Good Morning America, The Anderson Cooper Show on CNN, NBC, MSN, Yahoo, Hotels.com, and media all around the world.
Norm grew up in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Connecticut, where he was never accused of overstudying. After expatriating to Costa Rica in 2011, he started traveling the world and documenting what he saw. He now lives in Southeast Asia, writing his heart out and working with local charities.