Our list of the best Thai in Melbourne goes like this.

Longrain has been resurrected by Scott Pickett after the iconic restaurant announced its permanent closure in 2020. Brought back to life, with a brand new facelift, this rustic-chic South-East Asian restaurant certainly still packs a punch. Both their modern cuisine and their Thai-inspired cocktails are up there with the best in Melbourne. It’s a bit pricier than your local Thai joint, but we think it’s worth it for the 5-star dining experience. From the crispy whole fish to the yellow and green curry it’s a favourite of ours for a reason.

Looking for Thai restaurants outside of Melbourne CBD? Look no further than Paradise Road. This elegant restaurant, in the heart of Glen Waverley, gives you a little bit of time to relax on a busy day. The decor is striking – traditional red and gold monastery doors and Buddhist monk prints (from an actual Thai Monastery nonetheless) laden the restaurant’s feature walls. The food is just as exquisite, sizzling dishes, hawker-style satay chicken and an assortment of flavoursome curries. And if you don’t fancy one of the many beers on offer, wash it all down with a refreshing homemade Thai iced tea.

Sister venue of The Toff and Cookie, Magic Mountain Saloon is a buzzy late-night bar and Thai eatery in Melbourne’s CBD. We’d call the menu a mix of ‘Thailand meets Australia’, full of creative, bold new ideas mixed with traditional South-East Asian flavours and the creativity doesn’t just stop at the food. The drinks list is packed with beers, spitzes and an incredible cocktail selection. It’s a pretty casual atmosphere, so why not sit back, relax and enjoy a couple of their popular boozy Thai Coladas?

Craving some bold, South-East Asian flavours with a modern twist? Chin Chin is the place to be. Queues form around the block most days since the day it opened more than a decade ago. And rightfully so, the food here is DELICIOUS and each and every dish is a flavour explosion. But this place isn’t just a party in your mouth, the atmosphere in the restaurant is too, with Neon lights, DJ music and a casual funky vibe all around. It’s no wonder Chin Chin has become a modern Melbourne institution.

“Fresh fragrant and fun” is the philosophy behind Melbourne’s funkiest Thai restaurant, Bangpop. Overlooking the river, this casual restaurant is full of colour and an atmosphere of not taking itself too seriously which is very refreshing. Something they do take seriously, however, is the food and flavours – serving up unconventional hawker-influenced dishes, made with exceptional Australian produce and fresh Thai ingredients. We can’t go past the Bangkok chicken ribs with Thai black pepper caramel, toasted rice, cucumber and lime – we love how it’s equal parts fresh and naughty.

Inspired by the energetic hustle and bustle of Bangkok’s hawker eateries combined with Thailand’s famous Full Moon Party, Rock Sugar is a playful Thai restaurant with a rockin’ twist. Pick from the menu or choose a “Feed Me” banquet, picked by Phi Phi the lucky cat, you can’t go wrong with the food here. Cocktails aka. #rocktails are a mix of traditional sips and tropical flavours, from fairy floss martinis to Full Moon Party buckets. Perfect for a night out with all your friends, now all we need is the Full Moon.

Just inside St James’ Mall in the heart of Melbourne CBD, Pok Pok Junior is known for its delicious street-style Thai street food that tastes exactly as if it were made in Bangkok. Escape from the bustling crowds of Bourke Street into a modern Thai-style resort, with decor that mixes Melbourne laneway street art and the hawker-style eateries of Bangkok. Expect pink stools, industrial interiors and flavours that transport you straight to the streets of Thailand. A simple, contemporary menu that works. We love the crispy barramundi salad with green apple, cashews, coriander, red onions and sweet-sour dressing.

Looking for a funky night out and a delicious feed? Welcome to Ladyboy, a fantastic fantasy land and Richmond’s latest hawker-style diner, bringing Bangkok’s frivolity to Bridge Road. Graffiti wall art, colourful paper lanterns and large neon signs adorn the walls and ceilings of this bustling bar and dining room, set up to reflect the buzzing atmosphere on the streets of Bangkok. Like the decor, the food is fun and creative, share-style with mid and large-size plates alongside some of the best desserts this side of the river.

Step away from the bustling crowds on Bourke Street into this lively two-storey eatery – a local favourite and one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne. Staple dishes from the region of Isan, pack a flavoursome punch, combining extreme heat and sourness to create a harmony of flavours. Try the crispy pork, the massaman curry and the crying tiger. This is a feast fit for a king.

Dodee Paidang is a no-nonsense authentic Thai-style food eatery in the heart of Melbourne CBD. The flavours are to die for and for some quick and tasty grub, you can’t look past their grilled meats and seafood selection. It does get busy, as it’s very popular with locals, but if there’s a line you’re in luck because just pop around the corner is the sister venue on Swanston Street. This menu does not disappoint – the soft shell crab salad is our go-to.

Looking for an authentic Thai experience? Head to Thai 29, a small restaurant in South Melbourne that packs a big punch when it comes to flavour. With menu items ranging from the staples such as Green Thai Curry and Pad Thai to some more unusual dishes such as Pork Neck Salad, there’s something here for everyone. If you’re not local to South Melbourne, head to the outpost in Carlton.

A cosy little Thai restaurant with an eclectic dining space and a traditional tatami ceiling, we love this little hole in the wall. As expected in the heart of Sydney Road, Tom Phat offers a fun and vibrant dining experience. All the dishes are designed for sharing, with small, medium, and large dishes on offer. The chilli caramel pork belly is without a doubt one of the best in Melbourne, so bring your friends and try the punchy Asian-flavoured delights that this little Brunswick gem has to offer.

Head upstairs at Melbourne’s well-known nightclub spot, Revolver and you’ll find street food kitchen Colonel Tan’s. Great for big parties and Thai-inspired banquets, this is Thailand meets hipster American diner, (sounds crazy, but it works, trust us!) Complete with retro furniture and pineapple tablecloths this is one of Melbourne’s best Thai Restaurants and is full of South-East Asian flair. Open Thurs-Sat, the venue switches from grub to club at 11 pm…so why not stay for a boogie?

With their flavours representing the heart of Thailand, ‘fierce, deep and sweet’, Mango Tree is truly one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne. A simple and authentic dining experience, using fresh Thai ingredients. Just walking into Mango Tree you feel as though you are on the streets of Bangkok and those hawker-style smells are almost as good as the dishes you are about to devour. Try the Kao Pad stir-fried rice for the full experience.

Named after the popular Thai dish, son-in-law eggs (kai loug kheuh) this popular eatery is great for the young folk in the family and also for Instagram lovers. This chic, modern Thai restaurant is decorated with pink walls and fluro chairs. On the menu are cartoon gau bao (actual edible bao made to look like your favourite cartoon characters) and even a drink topped with hello kitty and a mountain of fairy floss! Don’t worry though… this isn’t just for the young at heart. They do a mean Tom Yum Soup and an incredible savoury menu of traditional small and medium bites, noodles and rice dishes, without a Pokemon in sight. One of Melbourne’s most unique Thai restaurants.

Previously a pop-up, now with a permanent home in Melbourne’s CBD and open 7 days a week, Soi 38 produces authentic Bangkok-style street food. Famous for their Boat Noodles (associated with central Thailand) they’re an intensely flavoured, but little-known traditional Thai dish, similar to a Vietnamese Pho with a punch. Once you’ve tried them, we think you’ll be hooked.

One of Fitzroy’s original South-East Asian restaurants, Thai Thani on Brunswick Street offers a street-smart hawker-style menu in its heritage-listed building. The space has a mainly monochrome theme with luscious indoor greenery and a large mural wall. Stand-out menu items come in the way of the Tom Kha Soup (one of the best in Melbourne) and hawker favourites such as Braised Pork Hock (Khao Kha Moo) and Muslim Chicken Rice (Khao Mok Gai).

In true Thai style, family-run, Jinda Thai is a treat for all the senses. Enter into the atmospheric dining room, full of warm red exposed brick walls and low-hanging lights, with fun pops of colour. The flavours are popping, with dishes jam-packed with fresh Thai herbs and spices, inspired by grandma’s recipes. If you like your Thai curries traditional, this certainly is one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne. The massaman beef curry goes down a treat, as does the red curry with roasted duck.

This buzzing Thai diner has some of the best Thai food in the CBD, and the good vibes to match. The focus here is on classic Thai BBQ, so you can expect mookata, the signature hotpot-barbeque hybrid, as well as every curry under the sun and more than a dozen kinds of papaya salad. You can’t go wrong with a lunch stop here, or a long dinner with mates.

Looking for a late-night Thai eatery? Cookie has you sorted. Headed by chef Karen Batson, this restaurant beautifully blends traditional Thai cuisine with a subtle Aussie influence. We love the option to roll your own rice pancakes to fill with either duck or Chinese sausage as well as the banana fritters, vanilla ice cream and honey for dessert. We also suggest ordering some of their yummy cocktails while you’re here too, because why not?

With more than 10 years of experience reviewing bars and restaurants, Man of Many’s team of editors has selected a list of the Thai restaurants in Melbourne we love. They’ve taken into account price, atmosphere and menus when compiling this list, while also leaning on author Aimee O’Keefe who is a North Melbourne local who loves Thai almost as much as you. As our resident Melbourne team member, Aimee is the perfect person to decode Melbroune’s many Thai establishments to bring you the very best.

If you’re looking to explore some more Asian cuisine, why not check out the best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne? Alternatively, you can also check out our list of 100 Fun Things To Do in Melbourne or if you’re looking to keep the party going, we can also help you with your search for the best Live Music Venues in Melbourne.