A number of Sydney's best Thai restaurants are conveniently located near one other. There are many excellent Thai restaurants to pick from, serving both authentic and creative takes on Thai cuisine. We've compiled a short selection of our top picks so you may sample authentic Thai cuisine without leaving town. Read on for a list of the top Thai restaurants in Sydney if you have a need for something hot and aromatic.
Sydney has a great reputation for its dining scene due to the abundance of excellent dining options. If you're craving some authentic Thai cuisine, look no further; we've got you covered! To save you the trouble of travelling outside of Sydney in search of your prefered cuisine, we have compiled a list of the finest Thai restaurants in the area. If you're hungry, prepare to eat some delicious Thai food.
These Are Sydney's Finest Thai Restaurants.
Immigrants from South and Southeast Asia have helped make Sydney a global centre for some of the finest Asian (and fusion) cuisine. In results, there is a great deal of parity in the Pad See Ews and curries served at different places, especially among those specialising in Thai cuisine.
To get a true taste of Thailand's fiery, sour, salty, and savoury cuisine, you need to find a restaurant that goes above and beyond in its pursuit of authenticity, which is why GQ has compiled a list of restaurants across the city (no Longrain) that serve you authentic Thai fare.
Alphabet Street
Alphabet Street, a bar in Cronulla, is well-known not only for its cocktails, which draw crowds of Shire locals on the weekend, but also for the refined Thai meal it serves. Price-wise, it's a little higher than the normal Thai restaurant, but the generous servings and authentic, flavorful ingredients are well worth it.
Bangkok Bites
The lively atmosphere of Thailand is brought to Sydney by Bangkok Bites. The fiery hot open kitchen takes centre stage at this restaurant, where authentic Thai street cuisine is cooked to order, filling the room with the aroma of its exquisite preparation. You can tell the meal is good because this eatery is always crowded with customers. There is overflow seating onto the sidewalk, so you can people-watch as you enjoy your meal.
You can always count on finding what you're craving on the large menu, which features all your favourite Thai meals and then some. What more could you want from a weekend supper than a lively ambience and the option to bring your own alcohol for a little corkage fee of $2 per person?
There's an incredible variety of options on the menu. There were literally dozens of pages worth. Plenty of gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan alternatives are available, and everything is made from scratch to order. The Massaman beef curry is a must-try—the slow simmering in coconut broth, palm sugar, and massaman curry paste results in deliciously delicate meat that is perfect with roti.
Green Peppercorn
The Green Peppercorn was founded by the Inthavong family, who take great delight in providing guests with an experience reflective of their Southeast Asian roots. It's in the family's blood to celebrate good food and other cultures.
There are a variety of classic Thai and Lao meals available, all of which are prepared with the highest quality ingredients and blended with a modern twist to create an experience that will leave you craving more. Subtle and unpretentious, where the food takes centre stage.
Dishes like the "Banana Flower Salad," which features chicken, coconut cream, spices, and aromatics tossed with thinly sliced banana flowers, and the "Crispy Pork Belly," which features Asian water spinach stir-fried with chilli, garlic, and topped with crispy pork belly, are just two examples of the many tantalising options available.
Holy Basil
This restaurant will feel familiar to patrons of the Green Peppercorn in Fairfield, since it is also run by Tony and Tona Inthavong, who draw inspiration for their delicious dishes from their native Laos. When in need of a satisfying fried ice cream dessert, many people still head to the original restaurant location in Canley Heights.
The traditional Thai cuisine and lovely Laotian flavours on the menu are a nod to the family's Southeast Asian heritage. Fried fresh snapper is the house speciality, and it's served with a green mango salad and a house dressing. After that, you must get some of their world-famous fried ice cream, which consists of ice cream that has been wrapped in pastry and fried, then topped with a special coconut crunch and caramel sauce.
Long Chim
Long Chim, a Thai restaurant in Sydney that has been hailed as one of the city's most anticipated openings in recent memory, brings the flavours of a Bangkok street market to the next level for local diners. By flying in the greatest ingredients and sparing no expense in the pursuit of Authentic flavour, Chef David Thompson has ensured that the quality of cuisine coming out of his kitchen equals that of his famed Bangkok diner Nahm.
The menu at Long Chim Sydney is the kind that might make you feel overwhelmed or compelled to order a little bit of everything. But if you go for the $45 set meal, you can forget about all three of those issues at once. It's a delight that won't break the bank and comes with generous amounts of all the best parts.
If you're in the mood for delicious Thai food, Long Chim is where you should go. Each item is not only reasonably priced, but also tastes fantastic and is quite fresh. From their fish cakes to their nong's eggplant, everything at this restaurant is some of the greatest Thai in Sydney. The restaurant can accommodate your gastronomic whims with its a la carte and fixed-price menus.
Lucky Thai & Lao
If you're looking for a hidden family restaurant that prioritises flavour and home cuisine, look no farther than Lucky Thai & Lao. The food's huge servings and powerful flavour make up for the lacklustre atmosphere. The restaurant has picture menus so that customers can see what they are ordering before they place it.
A solid clue that the food at Lucky Thai & Lao is excellent is that the restaurant is always crowded with diners. The selection of drinks and food here is quite impressive. In addition to the famous chicken stir fry, we recommend tasting the crispy egg noodles or one of the curries (the red is particularly potent).
Chin Chin
A meal at Chin Chin is an extravagant treat. It's a hip, new restaurant with a sinister edge. Chin Chin's "mistress," Gogo, is open at night and features dim lighting and a different menu than during the day. We give it our enthusiastic endorsement because it's both high-quality and affordable.
While Sydney may have been the birthplace of the "hour-long wait for a table at a trendy new restaurant" dance, it was perfected by Melburnians at Chin Chin, a Modern Thai restaurant on Flinders Lane that demonstrated that all you need to become a local favourite is a sizzling wok, a stash of spicy peppers, and a well-stocked bar.
Boon Cafe
When you're craving Thai food with a modern twist, look no farther than Boon Cafe. The cafe serves brunch-inspired meals during the day, and later in the day, it switches to a menu that pays homage to Northern Thai cuisine by featuring dishes with more robust flavours and more vegetables. Boon Cafe is focused about celebrating Thai culture and dining like a true Thai. Each dish can be paired with one of their many speciality cocktails.
Located in Sydney's Haymarket, Boon Café is a stylish city café, a restaurant, and a Thai supermarket all rolled into one. It is part of the tireless (and constantly great) Chat Thai franchise in Sydney. While the menu's length can be intimidating, it's relieved somewhat by the abundance of accompanying photographs.
Jarern Chai's enormous, well-lit supermarket is a great place to stock up on nutritious and healing Asian groceries, including fresh produce and products imported from Thailand. Boon café (inside the store) serves western fare such as burgers, spaghetti and sandwiches,without fusing Thai and Western flavours; rather, it recreates the two styles as if they were always meant to coexist.
Each day begins with freshly squeezed cold-pressed juice, a pinch of pennywort, a turmeric shot. Guests can start their day with a choice of toast, some classic congee, or a Thai egg dish. Toast with fig and mascarpone, walnut spread, and jam; pan-baked eggs with smoked fish sausage; shiitake mushrooms with crab congee.
Boon's rice bowls and sandwiches epitomise the team's commitment to making everything from scratch. The crab and prawn cake burger's mayo and rustic chilli relish are created fresh daily, and so is the cashew butter used in the chicken cashew sandwich. Boon's handmade sausage stuffed with spicy Thai herbs is the star of his Sai Ouah kamut spaghetti.
Our dinner tonight will feature dishes from the Isaan region of Thailand's north-east. The menu features a variety of warm salads, curries, and soups, such tub gai yaang (chicken liver skewers), dtom leng (a sour and hot soup of braised pork bones), larb gai (spicy minced chicken), and multiple versions of som dtum (a tamarind-based salad) (green papaya salad).
Boon's food is best enjoyed with a variety of mixed Thai red tea, fruit drinks, or traditional Thai sweet soybean drinks.
Moon
The motto of Darlinghurst's Moon Restaurant and Bar is "when traditional meets modern." Chef de cuisine Aum hopes that every taste of his Thai-European fusion food brings you nothing but happiness. In addition, for $95 you may enjoy a degustation menu that will more than satisfy your palate. You may expect a wide variety of meats, including fish, pig, boar, and more.
Is it possible to get people in a town where six-dollar Thai fuels bachelor degrees to shell out $39 for a Panang curry? It's a good start if it's served in a setting that could pass for a European wine bar at night. Located in the former Onde building just across from the original Darlo Bills, the design brief called for understated elegance, with the bar giving the most obvious indication of the restaurant's premium take on Thai cuisine.
Joe’s Table
If you're looking for the best, go to Joe's Table. The proprietor, Joe Kitsana, is responsible for some of the best South and Southeast Asian cuisine in Sydney. His stir-fried pork hock is delicious, and his stir-fried prawns, which are so delicate and light, are worth the price of admission alone. It's the perfect spot to kick back with a fantastic meal and some quality time.
One man's display, Joe Kitsana, is a sight to behold. When you worked in hospitality industry for over 20 years, the transitions deftly between roles as a warm and welcoming host, server, bartender, and chef (and also worked at Longrain).
Kitsana first established Republic Sandwiches and Salads, a lunch spot, in June of 2016. In 2017, he expanded to serve dinner there and changed the name to Joe's Table. It's clear that Kitsana cares deeply about his mains. The pork hock stir-fry also requires an overnight commitment. After being simmered for four hours, the pork hock is removed off the bone and pressed overnight. The end result is tender chunks of pork coated in a spicy jam and garnished with kaffir lime slices. The delightful flowery enamel plates on the walls match the ones on the tables, and a long mirror in the room gives the sense of more space.
Cheng Kitchen
Would you like to experience some Thai food that differs from the typical flavours? If so, you'll feel right at home at Cheng Kitchen. Khantoke, a spread of Thai condiments including curry, relish, and jam, is a regional speciality that is honoured. The prices are fair, and it's a convenient stop before or after a trip to Chinatown.
Yok Yor
Yok Yor, which was established in Bangkok in 1983, brings that same level of care and attention to detail to its Sydney location. The emphasis on using time-honoured techniques is palpable in every bite served at this restaurant. Our regular orders include Som Tum Pu Pla Ra and Pad Thai. Yok Yor, conveniently located on the corner of Castlereagh St, is an excellent choice for a laid-back Thai meal in the area.
We Thai Cuisine
We Thai Cuisine on Morrison Road in Putney offers authentic Thai cuisine with all the flavour, colour, and excitement you'd expect from a trip to Thailand. At your leisure, you can savour your meal in this classic eatery with its bright yellow accent wall, artwork, polished wood floors, and illuminating cane pendant lights.
You may get your fill of sweet, spicy, or savoury dishes like the restaurant's renowned Pad Thai or roast duck curry. To get things started, try the deep-fried prawns in coconut crumb with plum sauce. For the main course, try the char-grilled rack of lamb marinated with Thai herbs and the chef's secret sauce, or the salmon cooked in a chu chee curry of lime leaves, coconut milk, and fresh red chilli.
The Thai and I
The Thai and I, located on The Strand in Dee Why, serves up exquisite and occasionally offbeat Asian cuisine with a minimalistic touch. Outdoors, bask in the sun at wicker tables as salty sea winds rustle leaves; indoors, relax in the open space and see the mural of a rooster that dominates one wall.
Start your culinary adventure with pepper and salt soft-shell crab with sweet chilli sauce, or prawn and minced pork money bags and continue it with a main course of deep-fried whole baby barramundi with Panang chillies, curry paste, lime leaves, coconut cream, and basil. Try lamb cutlets cooked in a slow cooker with potatoes and Massaman curry, or crispy pig belly with double-cooked rice, oyster sauce, and broccoli.
Khao Pla
Chef Pla Rojratanavichai, originally from Bangkok, has earned a reputation for his Thai food Working in Sydney's best Asian restaurants, including Mr Wong, Ms G's, and Spice I Am. His first restaurant in Bangkok, Khao Pla, is named after him (meaning fish and rice). Though small in size, this kitchen's black and white theme is energised by a colourful collage of Thailand's street culture.
Prepare to get sticky fingers from the twice-cooked tamarind pork ribs with palm sugar while listening to classic hip-hop from the '90s. Sea scallop sashimi with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf (Pra hoy dib) is a highlight of the varied raw area, but the wok-fried pippies with chilli jam and Thai basil (Pad hoy Lai) and the crisp soft shell crab with tom yum spice salt are also noteworthy. There are other renditions of great Thai works. To wit: a bowl of massamun beef curry, cooked low and slow with spices like cinnamon and star anise, served with a basket of warm, soft roti. The black sticky rice with dark sugarcane sauce, jasmine tapioca, and Thai milk tea ice cream is the undisputed champion of the desserts.
Caysorn
There are many traditional Thai dishes available at Caysorn, but the restaurant really comes into its own when it focuses on the aromatic, seafood-heavy cuisine of southern Thailand. Chalio, one of the restaurant's co-owners, has been a mainstay in the kitchen at the Haymarket for 40 years. He got his start in the industry at some of Bangkok's finest eateries.
Caysorn is renowned for its southern Thai food, which is fiery and flavorful. Many variations of the vermicelli-like noodle known as kanom jeen (often prepared with pounded fermented rice) are available. However, the signature dish is the kanom jeen tai pla, which consists of noodles doused in a complex, spicy, and dark salted fish curry.
Caysorn's co-owners emigrated to Australia in 1973 with the intention of introducing Australians to the bolder, spicier flavours of southern Thai cuisine. Two of Caysorn's most popular dishes, the blended flathead and kaffir lime namh ya pah, and the fermented rice noodle dish kanom jeen, both include fresh and balanced flavours. The latter is a milder version of the restaurant's signature curry, but it still has the sharp flavour you crave.
Conclusion
Sydney offers numerous amazing Thai eateries. GQ has produced a list of eateries (except Longrain) that serve real Thai food. Alphabet Street, a Cronulla bar, is noted for its cocktails and refined Thai food, while Bangkok Bites is recognised for its big portions and authentic, tasty ingredients. Bangkok Bites in Sydney delivers freshly prepared Thai street food. The extensive menu includes gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options plus all your Thai favourites.
The Inthavong family developed the Green Peppercorn and enjoys giving guests a Southeast Asian experience. Classic Thai and Lao dishes made with high-quality ingredients and a modern twist will leave you wanting more. Sydney's Long Chim Thai restaurant is one of the city's most anticipated openings. Tony and Tona Inthavong, Laotians, run it. Thai and Laotian dishes reflect the family's Southeast Asian ancestry.
The $45 set lunch features fried fresh snapper, the house speciality. Sydney has great Thai eateries like Long Chim, Lucky Thai & Lao, Chin Chin, and Boon Cafe. Long Chim, a fashionable, new restaurant with a menacing edge, has dim lighting and a separate menu at night. Lucky, a hidden family restaurant, prioritises flavour and home cooking, whereas Chin Chin, a Modern Thai restaurant, shows that all you need to become a local favourite is a blazing wok, a cache of hot peppers, and a well-stocked bar. Haymarket's chic Boon Cafe is a Thai store, restaurant, and café.
After brunch, it serves Northern Thai food. Cold-pressed juice, pennywort, turmeric, and a Thai egg dish start the day. Tub gai yaang, dtom leng, larb gai, and som dtum are among the warm salads, curries, and soups on the menu (a tamarind-based curry). Tonight's dinner will showcase northern Thai Isaan cuisine. Moon Restaurant and Bar in Darlinghurst says "when traditional meets modern." Chef de cuisine Aum hopes his Thai-European fusion food offers enjoyment, and for $95 you may enjoy a degustation meal.
Joe Kitsana's stir-fried pork hock and prawns are worth the visit. Joe's Table is impressive as he seamlessly switches from host, server, bartender, and cook. We Thai Cuisine on Morrison Road in Putney serves real Thai food with all the flavour, colour, and thrill of Thailand. Khantoke, a Thai condiment spread, is a popular stop before or after visiting Chinatown. Yok Yor on Castlereagh St. serves casual Thai food.
The Thai and I, on The Strand in Dee Why, serves simple Asian food. Pepper and salt soft-shell crab with sweet chilli sauce, prawn and minced pork money bags, deep-fried whole baby barramundi with Panang chillies, curry paste, lime leaves, coconut cream, and basil, lamb cutlets slow-cooked with potatoes and Massaman curry, crispy pig belly with double-cooked rice, oyster sauce, and broccoli, and tamarind pork ribs with palm sugar are on the menu. Caysorn's spicy southern Thai dish is famous. For 40 years, co-owner Chalio has introduced Australians to southern Thai cuisine's stronger, spicier flavours. Caysorn's namh ya pah and kanom jeen tai pla are popular meals.
Content Summary
- The greatest Thai restaurants in Sydney are clustered together in easy to access locations.
- There is a plethora of first-rate Thai dining establishments, each offering their own unique spin on traditional and innovative Thai dishes.
- Sydney's position as a top food destination stems in large part from the city's plethora of top-notch restaurants.
- Avoid the hassle of venturing outside of Sydney in quest of your prefered cuisine; we've produced a list of the best Thai restaurants in the area.
- GQ has gathered a list of eateries across the city (no Longrain) that serve traditional Thai cooking so that you can experience the whole range of flavours that make up Thailand's hot, sour, salty, and savoury cuisine.
- Sydney's Bangkok Bites brings the energy of Thailand to the city.
- At the heart of this restaurant is a sizzling open kitchen, where guests can watch their food being prepared while enjoying the heady scents of traditional Thai street food.
- You can always find what you're in the mood for on the extensive menu, which includes all your usual and usual-plus-favorite Thai dishes.
- Options for those following a gluten-free diet, those avoiding animal products, and those who are vegan or vegetarian can all be fulfilled.
- The enjoyment of fine cuisine and the sharing of cultural traditions runs in the family.
- Authentic Thai and Lao dishes, as well as some more unusual dishes, are on the menu, and they're all made using premium ingredients and given a contemporary spin that will leave you wanting more.
- Mild and unassuming, with the focus firmly on the cuisine.
- Those who have dined at the Green Peppercorn in Fairfield will feel right at home here; owners Tony and Tona Inthavong also run this establishment, serving up delectable meals inspired by their native Laos.
- Many customers still visit the original restaurant site in Canley Heights whenever they have a craving for the fried ice cream delicacy.
- Nods to the family's Southeast Asian background can be seen in the menu's selection of classic Thai dishes and exquisite Laotian flavours.
- Sydney's new Thai restaurant, Long Chim, has been called "one of the city's most anticipated launches in recent memory," and it lives up to the hype by elevating the flavours of a Bangkok street market to new heights.
- Long Chim Sydney has the kind of menu that might make you feel like trying everything on the menu.
- Long Chim is the place to go if you're craving authentic Thai cuisine.
- Everything on the menu, from the fish cakes to the nong's eggplant, is among the finest examples of Thai cuisine in all of Sydney.
- Congratulations, Thais and Laotians! Find Lucky Thai & Lao if you're in need of a tucked-away family eatery that puts an emphasis on flavour and traditional dishes.
- The consistent high number of customers is a good indicator that the meal at Lucky Thai & Lao is delicious.
- Gogo, the "mistress" of Chin Chin, is a late-night eatery with low lighting and a separate menu from Chin Chin.
- Boon Cafe is your one-stop shop for authentic Thai cuisine with a contemporary twist.
- The cafe's daytime menu is inspired by breakfast, while the dinner menu pays respect to Northern Thai cuisine by showcasing dishes with heartier flavours and more veggies.
- The mission of Boon Cafe is to promote authentic Thai cuisine and culture.
- Boon Café is a contemporary city café, restaurant, and Thai grocery located in Sydney's Haymarket.
- It's a Sydney outpost of the ever-present (and ever-great) Chat Thai franchise.
- On the premises, at Boon Café, you may have Western staples like burgers, spaghetti, and sandwiches without any weird mash-up of Thai and Western flavours; instead, you'll get a recreation of the two cultures as if they were always supposed to live.
- Boon's homemade rice bowls and sandwiches are representative of the team's dedication to cooking from scratch.
- Moon Restaurant and Bar in Darlinghurst advertises itself as a place where "traditional meets modern."
- Aum, the chef, hopes that each bite of his Thai-European fusion food would fill you with joy.
- Dinner at Joe's
- Joe's Table is where you want to go if you want the best.
- Joe Kitsana, the owner, is responsible for some of Sydney's finest South and Southeast Asian fare.
- The performance of one man, Joe Kitsana, is a sight to behold.
- If so, Cheng Kitchen is where you should be eating.
- It's a good place to rest your weary feet before or after a stroll through Chinatown, and the costs are reasonable.
- "Yok Yor" Thai restaurant chain Yok Yor opened its first store in Bangkok in 1983, and its Sydney outpost features the same high standard of service and quality as its original outpost.
- If you're in the mood for some casual Thai food, Yok Yor, just on the corner of Castlereagh St., is a great option.
- Eat Thai Food Morrison Road in Putney is home to We Thai Cuisine, where you can get all the true Thai food flavour, colour, and excitement you could ever hope to find outside of Thailand.
- A wide variety of sweet, spicy, and savoury meals, including the restaurant's namesake Pad Thai and roast duck curry, are available.
- Located on Dee Why's The Strand, The Thai and I is known for its sophisticated and occasionally eccentric take on Asian fare.
- Chef Pla Rojratanavichai, who hails from Bangkok and is known for his Khao Pla, is a culinary celebrity in Thailand. Doing time at some of Sydney's most acclaimed Asian dining establishments like Mr Wong, Ms. G's, and Spice I Am.
- Khao Pla, the first of his restaurants in Bangkok, is named after him (meaning fish and rice).
- In addition to these, there are other translations of excellent literature from Thailand.
- Caysorn Although Caysorn serves many classic Thai dishes, it truly shines when it spotlights the fragrant, seafood-heavy cuisine of southern Thailand.
- Co-owner and head chef Chalio has been at the Haymarket for four decades.
- Famous for its hot and savoury southern Thai cuisine, Caysorn is a must-visit for any foodie visiting Thailand.
- But the kanom jeen tai pla, a dish of noodles smothered in a rich, spicy, and black salted fish curry, is the restaurant's calling card.
- The co-owners of Caysorn originally came to Australia in 1973 to introduce locals to the stronger, spicier flavours of southern Thai food.
Frequently Asked Questions About Thai Foods
Some of the popular Thai dishes include Thai curries, Som Tam Salad, Tom Yum Soup, Pad Thai noodles, Satay, among others.
Thai food is notorious for its fresh herbs and spices particularly lemongrass, mint, galangal, lime and chili. These ingredients give each dish layer upon layer of zingy freshness and intense aroma. Thai cuisine is quite healthy and largely based on vegetables, lean proteins, and fresh herbs and spices.
Green curry is considered the most popular curry in Thai cuisine. The green color of Thai green curry sauce has become more vibrant over the years with the addition of fresh coriander (cilantro), makrut lime leaf and peel, and basil.
While some may see these two different cuisines as interchangeable, they're completely different from one another with very little in common. Both Thai and Chinese foods make use of noodles and rice in their dishes, and that's where their similarities begin and end.
Pad Thai is a Thai noodle stir fry with a sweet-savoury-sour sauce scattered with crushed peanuts. It's made with thin, flat rice noodles, and almost always has bean sprouts, garlic chives, scrambled egg, firm tofu and a protein – the most popular being chicken or prawns/shrimp.