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Rice, Spice & Everything Nice: The Best Thai Restaurants in Brisbane
Ready to discover the best Thai restaurant in Brisbane? Find it here in our guide.
Brisbane’s Thai scene is bursting with fresh and vibrant takes, from Big Boy Bangkok’s spin on street food, to sAme sAme’s pared-back yet traditional fare. Brisbane’s best Thai restaurants are responsible for some of the city’s favourite dishes, from Naga Thai’s DIY papaya salad to Lek’s Thai’s massaman pulled pork curry puffs. When our editors are craving fresh, spicy, sweet and sour all at once, these are the restaurants at the top of their list.
Best Thai in Brisbane for a Special Meal
sAme sAme
Pared-back, modern interiors and a textured aesthetic set the scene for a Thai meal to remember at sAme sAme. Here, Chef Arté Assavakavinong and his team embrace the diversity and breadth of Thai cuisine and honour the traditional style of cooking fresh, premium produce over hot coals or in a searing-hot wok.
On the menu, you’ll find seasonal specials along with tried-and-true diner favourites, which can be enjoyed banquet-style at the communal table, at a table facing the open kitchen, or on the bench by the window.
Suburb: Fortitude Valley
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Group dining, Long lunch, Locals
Short Grain
Short Grain is brought to you by co-owner and Executive Chef behind award-winning and twice-hatted Sydney counterparts Longrain Sydney (now closed) and Longrain Melbourne, Martin Boetz.
Boetz has returned to his hometown to open a warm and inviting space in a heritage-listed building that once housed an Asian food store in the nineties. Take a seat at the wooden tables or along the banquette as you order plates from the fragrant and exotic Thai menu that moves from roasted coconut braised rib to hot and sour mushroom larb.
Suburb: Fortitude Valley
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Locals, Families, Group dining
Need To Know: Short Grain has great gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options.
Best Thai for Group Dining in Brisbane
Vela
Combining energetic interiors (think suspended moons and LED wall art) with a jazzy cocktail menu, Vela is a great spot to head pre-night out. Skewers, noodles, curries, salads and fried rice are all yours to enjoy, before wrapping up with Vela’s caramel espresso martini.
Suburb: West End
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Group dining, Locals, Families
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Lek’s Thai
Paddington Social by day, Lek’s Thai pop-up kitchen by night! Housed in a lovely old Queenslander, Lek’s Thai is the brainchild of Alex, one of the three chefs behind Paddington Social. From massaman pulled pork curry puffs to crab meat fried rice, the dishes at Lek’s reinvent your idea of what your local Thai dinner should taste like.
Suburb: Paddington
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Locals, Families, Group dining
Need To Know: Lek’s Thai is closed on Mondays.
Big Boy Bangkok
The vibe at Big Boy Bangkok is playful, and the flavours are bold, with inspiration drawn from Bangkok’s iconic and dynamic street food scene. It’s all about sharing here, so gather a group and dive head-first into the abundance of fresh flavours on offer. Kick off your meal with starters like scallop betel leaf and roti canai, then dive into larger mains covering off your wok-cooked favourites, curries and larger protein-packed plates like Thai-spiced Black Angus tomahawk and Bangkok-style brown clams.
Suburb: Newstead
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Group dining, Date night, Weekend plans
Need To Know: Big Boy Bangkok is closed on Mondays.
Best Thai for Date Night in Brisbane
Naga Thai
Naga Thai serves bold Thai flavours, high-energy hospitality, and a drinks list that should be framed. The menu heroes local ingredients, served with the signature Thai flavour combination of sweet, salty, sour and spicy. Looking for recommendations? Try Moreton Bay Bug pad Thai, royal flower dim sims, 180-day Jack’s Creek Black Angus pad see ew and a DIY papaya salad.
Suburb: South Bank
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Date night, Locals, Weekend plans
Need To Know: Naga Thai is Halal-certified.
Ping Pong
Ping Pong is an Instagrammable wonderland tucked away in the Newstead Gasworks precinct. With a strong pink aesthetic on their main dining floor, the floating bubble lights also change colour to add to the experience.
Once you’ve finished taking in the visual feast of this restaurant’s decor, explore their punchy menu, packed full of plates that will tantalise your taste buds. The drinks list here is just as incredible, particularly the cocktail slushies.
Suburb: Newstead
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Late night, Date night, Weekend plans
Best Thai in the Brisbane CBD
Doodee Boran
Doodee Boran is named for their specialty spicy doodee tom yum noodles, which are a must-try for any new visitors. You’ll find a mix of your favourites on the menu, like pad Thai, green curry and pineapple fried rice, as well as a diverse mix of soups, noodle dishes and small plates to conquer any appetite.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Locals, Budget-friendly, Solo dining
Jumbo Thai
Jumbo Thai is a spacious Thai restaurant in the Brisbane CBD, ideal for a work lunch to escape the office, or Friday evening dinner to unwind and forget the week’s woes. The service here is quick and friendly, and the food is fresh and flavoursome. Expect your classic noodles/soups/curries/woks split as well as Jumbo’s famed dumplings.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Thai
Best For: Group dining, Locals, Families
Need To Know: Jumbo Thai is closed on Sundays.
FAQs About the Best Thai in Brisbane
sAme sAme in Fortitude Valley is a favourite for traditional, coal- and wok-cooked fare from Chef Arté Assavakavinong, while Short Grain, also in the Valley, brings Martin Boetz’s twice-hatted Longrain pedigree. For bold, playful street food, Big Boy Bangkok is hard to beat, and Naga Thai in South Bank pairs local ingredients with high-energy hospitality. Each offers something distinct, so your pick comes down to whether you’re after refined, riotous or somewhere in between.
The Brisbane CBD has several strong Thai options. Doodee Boran is known for its namesake spicy doodee tom yum noodles, alongside pad Thai, green curry and pineapple fried rice, making it a good budget-friendly and solo-dining choice. Jumbo Thai is a spacious spot ideal for a work lunch or a Friday wind-down, with quick, friendly service and fresh, flavoursome plates. Both deliver reliable, convenient Thai without straying far from the office. For street-food energy, Big Boy Bangkok also sits centrally, bringing Bangkok-inspired sharing plates and wok-cooked favourites to the mix.
Several of Brisbane’s Thai restaurants are built for sharing. sAme sAme offers banquet-style dining at its communal table, while Short Grain’s heritage-listed space suits long, relaxed meals with friends or family. Big Boy Bangkok is all about gathering a group and diving into fresh, bold flavours together, from scallop betel leaf to Thai-spiced tomahawk. Vela in West End brings energetic interiors and a shareable spread of skewers, noodles and curries. Lek’s Thai in Paddington and Jumbo Thai in the CBD round out the list, both well suited to group bookings.
For a Thai date night in Brisbane, you’ll want atmosphere and food. Big Boy Bangkok pairs bold, playful flavours with a lively sharing format, while Naga Thai in South Bank brings high-energy hospitality and a drinks list worth framing. Ping Pong, tucked into the Newstead Gasworks precinct, is an Instagrammable wonderland of pink interiors, colour-changing bubble lights and cocktail slushies. Vela in West End also works well pre-night out, thanks to its jazzy cocktail menu and energetic interiors.
Yes, Brisbane has Thai options that won’t stretch the budget. Doodee Boran in the CBD is flagged as budget-friendly and solo-dining friendly, with crowd-pleasers like pad Thai, green curry and pineapple fried rice alongside its signature tom yum noodles. Jumbo Thai, also in the CBD, offers fresh, flavoursome food with quick service at an accessible price point, ideal for a casual lunch or midweek dinner.
Now that you’ve discovered the best Thai restaurants in Brisbane, enjoy more of what the city has to offer with our guide to the best restaurants in Brisbane right now.
