The Best Thai Restaurants in Sydney for Your Noodle Fix
Broaden your horizons and start your own foodie adventure with this edit of the best Thai restaurants in Sydney.
Thai food is a serious business in Sydney and everyone has a local favourite they swear by. But by sticking to just one restaurant, you're missing out on an array of flavour sensations. From modern fusion restaurants to old-school institutions from Newtown to the Sutherland Shire, we have sampled our way around town hunting for the best Thai restaurants in Sydney.
Ready to broaden your horizons and try something other than your go-to? Read on.
Thai Riffic
One of the most stylish spots on the King Street strip is Thai Riffic, a BYO eatery that adds an Aussie twist to Thai classics. The space is warm and welcoming, and the food is on the more expensive side, but well worth it.
The menu is filled to the brim with options, including Newtown-only specials such as chilli jam soft shell crab. Yum.
224 King Street, Newtown
Alphabet St
Set in a pared-back, contemporary space, Alphabet St delivers delicious Thai food in a modern venue. Open for lunch and dinner, patrons can expect minimal decor and food bursting with flavour, presented impeccably and served promptly.
The traditional Thai dishes we all know and love make an appearance on the menu, but so too do Peking Duck Pancakes, Salt-and-Pepper Squid and Betal Leaf-wrapped Prawns and Peanuts. Positioned just off the sand, this is the perfect place to watch the sunset.
Sitchu Tip: Order the Apple Martini, you won't regret it.
5/8 Kingsway, Cronulla
Bangkok Bites
With good food, drinks and vibes, all you need to do is bring the company. Bangkok Bites is inspired by the street food of Thailand’s busiest city, and boy do they do it well.
Every dish is bursting with flavour, but if you’re stuck, opt for the crunchy kung fu fritters, and the tom kha chicken soup. Otherwise, create your own plate by choosing items from the mix ‘n match menu.
Bondi Beach, Cronulla, Newtown and St Ives
Yok Thai
Tok Thai in Manly is a compact, glass-fronted Thai restaurant with a welcoming, buzzy vibe. Known for its creative take on classic Thai dishes, this vibrant spot is perfect for a quick bite or a leisurely meal.
Menu standouts include the pad cha crispy John Dory with apple eggplant, wild ginger, green peppercorn, kaffir lime, basil, chilli and garlic, the red King fish curry, the traditional papaya salad, and the vegan cashew nut stir-fry.
11/21 Wentworth Street, Manly
Viand
There's Thai, then there's Viand. Named after the archaic English word for “an unlimited assortment of foods,” Viand offers a dining experience akin to a theatrical performance. The mosaic-wrapped kitchen serves as a stage where ingredients come together in a sensory feast with epic music, fabulous drinks and an unmatched atmosphere.
Award-winning chef Annita Potter, recently named Good Food’s 2023 Oceania Cruises Chef of the Year, curates dishes that celebrate the joy of dining. While the menu is ever-changing, expect dishes like palm sugar peppered shallots with crispy soft-shell crab, braised spatchcock with sweet salted radish, a lemongrass salad with baby squid, Gregory Island tiger prawns, Hokkaido scallops, and southern turmeric curry of market fish.
41 Crown Street, Woolloomooloo
Spice I Am
With a slew of awards to their name, you know the food at Spice I Am is bound to be good. Bringing the flavours of Bangkok to the Surry Hills foodie scene, all the dishes here are bursting with flavour and as their name suggests, they like their dishes with a bit of spice.
The restaurant runs its own micro-farm that provides the ingredients for their homemade curry paste and more. This petite eatery is easily one of the best Thai restaurants in Sydney!
90 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills
Khao Pla
Translating to rice and fish, Khao Pla is home to mouthwateringly authentic dishes, served with Notorious B.I.G. playing in the background and an illustrative collage of Thailand’s street culture across the walls.
This vibrant restaurant sets itself apart with slow-cooked portions that are all fragrant and melt-in-the-mouth, and the desserts add that touch of sweetness to the end of the meal.
Shop 7 370-374 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood
Chon
Focusing on dishes from each of Thailand’s four regions, Chon is offering up a whole country's worth of dishes, showcasing the best of the best. If you’re dining with a large group of people it won’t be difficult to find something everyone will love.
The northern flavours are less sweet and feature sticky rice over jasmine rice, southern flavours feature more seafood and coconut turmeric-based combinations and the north-east flavours have nutty highlights with barbequed meats. Relax in the fresh space featuring hanging white lanterns and pastel blue hues.
300 Darling Street, Balmain
Atom Thai Restaurant
Stroll into this relaxed restaurant, and you’re in for a treat. Atom Thai serves traditional Northern Thai cuisine and a dedicated vegetarian menu.
To start, get the duck pancakes, followed by the papaya salad, panang curry lamb shank, and pad kee mao. Our advice is to go with a group so you can sample as many delights possible – the menu really is huge!
Newtown and Balmain
Porkfat
With a chef hat from the Good Food Guide to its name, this traditional Thai eatery is on everyone's lips when it comes to the best Thai restaurants in Sydney. The incredible menu champions flavours from Saraburi and goes well beyond your standard Thai items. Porkfat's larb (pork fat, smoked chilli, roasted rice, sawtooth, mint, cabbage and cucumber), tamarind wings and papaya salad with salted duck egg are just a few standouts.
33 Ultimo Road, Haymarket
Chin Chin
With a hat to its name, Chin Chin provides the ultimate destination for lively group dinners. Everything in this trendy Asian fusion palace is intoxicating, and their inventive take on Thai cuisine is the icing on the cake.
The menu is extensive and full of hero dishes, making the decision process a tough one. Save time and money by ordering the ‘Feed Me’ banquet to indulge in all of Chin Chin’s favourites, including the massaman curry of braised brisket, which, in our books, is absolutely essential. In true Chin Chin fashion, it can all be enjoyed with a range of cool cocktails and disco tunes playing on a loop.
69 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills
Thai Pothong
The glass-fronted restaurant filled with traditional Thai décor, Thai Pothong, is one of our go-tos in Newtown. The staff are efficient and friendly; no group is too large to seat and the more you spend the more special ‘Thai Pothong dollars’ you will receive to spend in their eclectic gift shop.
The food is consistently delicious, covering all the traditional crowd favourites and served generously. Expect great customer service, comfortable seating, and constant rice refills to keep the banquet going all night.
294 King Street, Newtown
Long Chim
This basement space is funky and fresh and is one of two Long Chim restaurants, with its sibling located in Perth. This sleek restaurant serves up many of the same dishes you’ll find on the side of the road in Thailand (think grilled wagyu beef, barramundi and lemongrass salad, and pork belly curry) except here they’re on china plates. You can pick from a wide range of cocktails and alcoholic beverages to accompany your dish.
Enjoy the modern décor and excellent service whether you’re popping in for a quick bit or a long indulgent dinner.
Corner of Pitt Street and Angel Place, Sydney
Chat Thai
A Sydney institution, Chat Thai is a much-loved, family-owned eatery that serves up zingy, tasty meals inspired by the streets and markets of Thailand. With multiple locations throughout Sydney, a meal here never disappoints. Smaller and larger plates are on offer, and there are plenty of vegetarian options.
Our top picks would be the fresh spring rolls, the Panang curry of beef with kaffir lime and leaves and basil and the grapao gai sup with stir-fried minced chicken, fresh chilli and holy basil.
Manly, Randwick, Haymarket
Doytao Thai
The Doytao Thai restaurants that you may have spotted around Sydney are not your average chains. They pump out fresh, zesty Thai food at record speed and with friendly service.
Low-key and spacious, this is the perfect place to bring your family when the fridge looks bare at the end of the week. If you have fussy eaters, then the staple pad Thai and pad see ew are easy options. And if you are looking for more authentic flavours you won’t be disappointed by their soft-shell crab salad or steamed barramundi.
Croydon, Newtown, Drummoyne, Padstow
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