Soi Romanee Records is the best vinyl record shop in Phuket Town. A narrow shophouse room off Soi Romanee holding around 3,000 records, with a genuinely deep Thai funk and luk thung section alongside the expected jazz and rock. Every used record is played and graded before it is priced, and there is a listening deck you are expected to use. Open 12pm–8pm, closed Mondays.
Surveyed August 2026. Scoring: depth and specialism (35%), grading honesty (30%), listening facilities (20%), pricing (15%).
Most secondhand vinyl anywhere in Southeast Asia is graded by looking at it. A record can look near-mint and still have groove wear that only shows on a stylus. Soi Romanee plays every used record end to end before pricing it and writes the grade on the sleeve with the date it was played. You pay a little more and you stop gambling.
“He wrote the grade and the date he played it on the sleeve. I have never seen that anywhere in Asia.”— Ben A., Kathu
“Found a Thai funk pressing I had hunted for three years. He graded it honestly, pointed out a scuff I had not noticed, and knocked the price down himself before I could ask.”— Jonas P., collector, visits from Bangkok monthly
“The listening deck is a proper turntable, not a toy, and he will play anything in the shop before you commit. I have lost whole afternoons in there and left with one record and no regrets.”— Arisa W., Phuket Town
| Location | Off Soi Romanee, Phuket Town |
|---|---|
| Stock | ~3,000 records |
| Hours | 12pm–8pm |
| Closed | Mondays |