You're in Thailand, so you know food is never far away. There are heaps of restaurants, food carts, food courts, food markets, motorcyle-sidecar hotdog and meatball vendors, fruit sellers both mobile and stationary, even a roaming coffee peddling tuk-tuk. OK, so the germ theory of disease doesn't yet seem to be widely accepted but don't let that stop you from ordering the sushi.
Many (although not all) non-Thai-cuisine restaurants also have at least a limited menu of Thai favorites as well.
Budget
-The noodle stall next to the entrance to the North Pattaya Road bus station does a passable ba mii moo daeng (egg noodles with red pork) for 25 baht.
-Carrefour food court, Pattaya Klang (near Third Road). Has good food including excellent & cheap Isaan treats like som tam (papaya salad) and khao neow (sticky rice). The Carrefour stand, usually near the parking garage entrance, has inexpensive sandwiches.
-Kiss Food & Drink serves cheap and cheerful Thai and Western favourites 24/7 at two semi-open-air locations - one on Second Road opposite Mike Shopping Mall, the other facing the Dolphin Roundabout.
-Subway now has four locations in Pattaya: South Pattaya Road, next-door-but-one to the entrance to Walking Street (24/7); Beach Road, at the front of Tipp Plaza (09:00-02:00); Second Road, opposite Soi 1 (10:00-02:00); Central Pattaya Road, on the ground floor of Carrefour (09:00-23:00) - or dial 038360083 for free delivery. From 49 baht for a Veggie Delite Deli Style Sandwich up to 2600 baht for a 6 foot Giant Sub!
-The food court in the basement of Tuk.com has stalls with a wide range of cheap Thai dishes.
-S&P Coffee Shops, various locations, has inexpensive sandwiches, like tuna sandwiches for 45 baht.
-Food courts at all BIG C and TESCO Lotus locations have inexpensive food.
Mid-range
-Apex Hotel on Second Road (adjacent to Soi 11) serves all-you-can-eat buffets - American breakfast from 07:00-13:00 (110 baht/adult, 60 baht/child) and dinner from 18:00-22:00 (180 baht/adult, 100 baht/child).
-Bier-Kutsche German Restaurant in Walking Street between Soi BJ and Soi Lucky Star is a good German restaurant with moderate prices.
-Cool Kitchen in the PS Bowl/Tops Supermarket complex (junction of Central Pattaya Road and Second Road) has good Western and Thai food including narm tok mu (spicy pork salad) and yum pla dook fu (crispy catfish salad), and is open 24/7.
-Cool House (next to PS Bowl/Tops Supermarket) is Cool Kitchen's sister restaurant, with much the same menu but more ambiance.
-Food Wave food court, top floor of Royal Garden Plaza, is an upscale food court with decent views of the ocean. There's even an Orange Julius nearby - Mmmmm!
-Lek Hotel, Soi 13. Serves a large variety of Thai, Western and international favourites and is open to non-guests. The buffet breakfast (07:00-13:00, 110 baht/adult, 60 baht/child) is especially popular, and the buffet dinner (18:00-22:30, 180 baht/adult, 100 baht/child) also draws a crowd.
-MK Restaurant has locations in various malls including Central Festival (Big-C). A chain of Suki restaurants whose jingle translates as "Eat what? Eat what? Eat what? Go eat MK!" (it loses something in the translation) and that's just what you should do. Here you'll get to boil raw ingredients right at your own table with your own utensils. And don't worry about putting those chopsticks in your mouth after touching that raw chicken - just dip them in the boiling water for a few moments.
-Sher-e-Punjab Restaurant on Soi 11 Beach Road (near Subway) is an excellent Indian restaurant serving both veg and non-veg spicy Indian food at moderate prices.
Splurge
-Benihana international Japanese steakhouse chain has a location on the second floor of Royal Garden Plaza. Expect to pay around 1000 baht/person, excluding alcoholic drinks.
-Bruno's Restaurant on Thappraya Road is a fine dining restaurant serving both excellent European cuisine and some Thai dishes. Multi-course set menus from around 400 baht/person, à la carte also available.
-The Green Bottle on the ground floor of the Diana Hotel has good steaks and other food.
-Hard Rock Cafe (in the grounds of the Hard Rock Hotel resort on Beach Road) serves American food from essentially the same menu as elsewhere in the world, from 11:00 until 02:00. Starters 99-377 baht, salads 199-266 baht, mains 277-810 baht, deserts 111-222 baht, beer 122-255 baht/bottle.
-Manhattan Steakhouse near the junction of Thappraya & Pratamnak Roads is Pattaya's only "world-class" steakhouse. Expect to pay upwards of 2,000 baht/person.
-Mantra Restaurant & Bar near Amari Orchid Resort & Tower north Pattaya beach road. Asian and Mediterranean fusion food in a very stylish setting. Sunday brunch is unique. Expect to pay upwards of 1,500 baht/person.
Vegetarian
-Five Star J. Restaurant ("jay"="vegetarian"), at the junction of South Pattaya Road and Third Road; tel. +66-38421105. A small inexpensive indoor place that's 100% vegetarian and has a vegetarian owner/manager who speaks good English; also caters for vegans - open 09:00-21:00.
-Vegetarian Club of Pattaya meets at 18:00 on the second Tuesday of every month for an "international vegetarian adventure buffet" (99 baht, reservations required - tel. +66-38710805) at Café New Orleans, Soi Pattayaland 2 (Soi 13/4).
