Restaurants

16 Of Brisbane’s Best Thai Restaurants

By Ranyhyn Laine
11th Mar 2024

Here at Urban List, ours is a well-documented appreciation for Brisbane/Meanjin’s Thai restaurants, and in the past we’ve made no secret of our dedication to their piquant delights. We love the spicy kicks, the generous servings and the fact that Thai restaurants are cosmically gifted pun factories.

Amid the dense throng of Thai pleasures, a few spectacular venues rise above the others. If you're looking for the best of the best, these places are the delectable MVPs of Brisbane’s Thai restaurant scene with the power to ruin you for future feeds.

Doodee Boran 

46 Charlotte Street, Brisbane CBD 

Doodee Boran is definitely a top contender for Brisbane’s best Thai restaurants, partly for their signature noodles and partly for their quirky interiors, chill vibes and live music on Friday nights. Hidden down an alleyway on Charlotte Street, you’ll need to work to find it, but do and you’ll be rewarded with a bowl of soul warming tom yum soup that you can customise with your choice of noodles, topping and sides. The duck curry is also a winner, but really, it’s all good here—good luck narrowing down your choices.

Short Grain

15 Marshall Street, Fortitude Valley

Nestled within the heritage-listed brick walls of the Stewart & Hemmant Building, Short Grain is the creation of award-winning chef and cookbook author Martin Boetz, with plenty of nods to Melbourne's iconic Longrain on the menu for those who know what to look for. Dig into dishes like dry red curry with crisp pork belly, a salted duck egg, and lime leaves, and yellow curry of Five Founders grass-fed beef curry, kiflers, and cucumber relish. If you’re not so much of a sucker for spice, you’re covered too. Just order their fried whole market fish with caramelised turmeric, pineapple, and fried basil. Sweeten the deal with a duck egg caramel custard tart wrapped salted pork fat pastry. 

Same Same 

46 James Street, Fortitude Valley

a plate of pad see yew at brisbane thai restaurant same same
Image credit: Same Same | Facebook 

Combining atmosphere by the bucket load with your favourite modern Thai dishes, Same Same captures the flavours we know and love, but with serious attitude. The best seats in the house are undoubtedly the bar stools encircling the open kitchen, where you can watch the chefs toss, grill and plate up endless plates of mouthwatering feeds. The Same Same chicken burger is a must order, as is the red curry of angus beef cheek—we wouldn’t go past the pad see ew either.

Jumbo Thai 

Level 1/214 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane CBD

With its polished mix of traditional and modern design, Jumbo Thai is a step above your traditional Thai restaurant in Brisbane, but still with the same homely vibe—and a handy location for mid-week lunch ‘meetings’. On the menu, you’ll find all your favourite Thai feeds elevated to new heights, along with some potential new faves. Of course there’s crunchy spring rolls, creamy yellow curry and spicy tom yum soup, but they’re given a twist—those spring rolls are filled with five spiced pulled duck, the yellow curry is loaded with chunky local sand crab and the massaman curry comes with your choice of lamb shank or beef cheeks.

Pawpaw 

898 Stanley Street East, Woolloongabba 

You’ve no doubt been there for brunch, but have you made it to Pawpaw for dinner? Hit these guys up for some creative Thai dishes that you’ll want to treat your tastebuds to stat. Pawpaw plates up nothing that won’t leave you wanting more, and we mean this because we literally find ourselves there about once a month. Snatch up some of their crispy pork belly and do not, we repeat, do not miss out on their massaman beef cheek curry. Their sister venue Pawpaw Asian Kitchen in Balmoral is equally as good if you’re a little further east.

You might also like: 

Mons Ban Sabai 

12 Martha Street, Camp Hill 

plates of food at Mons Thai restaurant in Brisbane
Image credit: Mons Thai | Facebook 

An oldie but a serious goodie we just love the traditional and delicious Thai food at Mons Ban Sabai. Housed in a stylish corner spot looking out to the leafy street, this eatery has been serving up moreish pad Thai for years. You know what they say, if it ain’t broke! They also cater to gluten-free foodies, with most of their dishes gluten-free, and vegans, offering up delights like red curry with roast pumpkin and veggies or pad Thai with tofu. 

Tuk Tuk Thai 

21 Park Road, Milton 

For seriously fresh Thai food packed with flavour, look no further than Tuk Tuk Thai right in the heart of Park Road—it’s unmissable thanks to the Tuk Tuk parked out front. Handpicked ingredients are cooked according to ancient techniques and recipes, resulting in plates of food that are literally brimming with flavour. The salmon cakes are great for starters, then go for some curry or noodles for mains. They also have a great little list of desserts, which is an extra thumbs up from us.

Boo’s Kitchen 

1/12 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba

Sandwiched between the Best Western Hotel and Annerley Road in Woolloongabba, Boo’s Kitchen is one of the top contenders for the best Thai restaurant in Brisbane in our opinion and we reckon it will come out on top in your eyes too. The menu at Boo’s is loaded with food based on owner Boo’s family kitchen in Isan, the Thai region she hails from, with minimalist interiors where you can feel right at home.

Lek’s Thai 

Paddington 

pad thai and a stir fy on a table at Lek's Thai restaurant in Brisbane
Image credit: Lek's Thai | Facebook 

By day, this old Queenslander on Given Terrace is Paddington Social, but after 5pm from Tuesday to Saturday it turns into Lek’s Thai, a pop-up restaurant dishing up Thai feeds for dine in and takeaway. Now you can get your basic green, red and yellow curries here, but if you know what’s good you’ll be ordering the sticky pork ribs and sea salt and pepper wok fried pork belly with a side of crab meat fried rice instead. 

Thai Boy

41/192 Wellington Road, East Brisbane

Mekhong Thai may be gone, but creator Joe Kittiphat Adams isn't—and you'll now find him over in Brisbane running his new spot, Thai Boy. All about northeastern Thai dishes based on the recipes of Joe’s own grandmother elevated to new heights, with a few signature Mekhong favourites making their way over too, this isn't your usual Thai restaurant—it's practically fine dining level food dished up in a relaxed and friendly venue where you'll feel right at home.

Thai Ways 

346 Sandgate Road, Albion 

Thai Ways dishes up amazing traditional Thai food, including plenty of dishes you’ve probably not had the opportunity to try before. They’ve got everything from soups and stir-fries to curries and salads, cooked with love and a handful of chillies, too. Chef specials include the pad kanar ped (stir fried roasted duck with Chinese broccoli and oyster sauce) and deep fried whole barramundi. 

Ping Pong 

76 Skyring Terrace, Newstead 

thai dishes on a pink table
Image credit: Ping Pong | Facebook 

With hot pink interiors so bright they may just hurt your eyes, Ping Pong is definitely the most Instagrammable Thai restaurant in Brisbane and luckily, the cuisine matches up to the heights set by their interior designer. Kick things off with Sriracha and honey chicken bao, move onto sticky beef short ribs and tempura bugs, and make sure you order the banana and lychee fritters with condensed milk and sesame ice cream for dessert. 

Siri Thai 

2/24 S Pine Road, Alderley 

On South Pine Road in Alderley you’ll come this suburban gem that’s been feeding locals for over 15 years. On the Siri Thai menu are plenty of starters from coconut prawns to salt and pepper soft shell crab, and if you love the freshness of Thai cooking, you’ll love the long list of Thai salads, with lemongrass and lots of fresh herbs. There’s also a healthful ginger stir-fry with 25 vegetables, perfect for boosting that immune system. 

Kinn Thai 

Westfield Mt Gravatt, Mt Gravatt East

A shopping centre restaurant it may be, but don’t let that fool you—Kinn Thai is a firm favourite amongst the Thai lovers of Brisbane. In fact, it’s so popular that you’ll need a booking most nights of the week, particularly since it’s BYO (wine only, for $3pp). From duck pancakes and satay chicken to massaman lamb shank and pad prik khing, they do all the favourite, but their signature dish is a whole deep fried barramundi with sweet fish sauce that you’ll want to split with your crew (or not).

Phat Boy 

Brisbane Quarter, Brisbane CBD


Image credit: Phat Boy | Facebook 

Phat Boy's cheeky attitude combined with its on-plate delights and quirky cocktails, is ticking all the boxes for not just dinner, but a night out. If you’re willing to get messy, their signature dish is the kung tung—a spicy seafood fry up that’s poured directly onto the table for you to dig into. As for the drinks, well, between the beer towers and cocktails like the Khao San Road, with butterfly pea infused vodka, dry martini, yuzu sake, lychee and orange bitters, you’re set. We should also mention that their sister restaurant, Phat Elephant (also in the CBD), is worth a visit too.

Chilli Coco

Stones Corner 

Pairing Stones Corner’s vintage vibes (think mismatched chairs and antique doors) with Thai food worth travelling for, Chilli Coco has an extensive menu, with coconut prawns, fragrant salads, spicy soups, stir frys, curries, noodles and rice. Oh, and we can’t forget their salt and pepper soft shell crab, which is worth splurging on if you’ve got a hankering to branch out from your usual order of red duck curry (we know it’s hard to resist those lychees).

Special Mentions 

There are too many incredible Brisbnae Thai restaurants to possibly list them all, so if you really want to do a deep dive into the city’s best massaman curry, here’s where else is worthy of visiting:

If you're just looking for more international flavours, head here: 

Image credit: Doodee Boran | Facebook 

Urban List Best Of: has our highest stamp of approval—curated lists of the very best recommendations for you to eat, do, see, buy or book, carefully chosen by our Editors.

Get our top stories direct to your inbox.

Get our top stories direct to your inbox.