The Ten Best Thai Restaurants in Sydney

It's official: Pad Thai has replaced pizza as Sydneysiders go-to dish of choice. As our culinary tastes reorient to the East, Concrete Playground explores some of Sydney's best Thai eateries, from the stalwarts to the style-setters and everything in between.

1. Senyai

Regent Place has just given birth to its very own lan-caar bo-rancor (old Thai shop), Senyai. A laneway eatery resembling what one might expect to find in Bangkok's steamy back streets. Inside, the walls are scattered with colourful decorative plates, framed Thai pop stars and royal family, and cabinets full of vintage Thai paraphernalia. In the faux outside area you'll find a metal fence strewn with graffiti and posters. Yep, it feels just like the real deal.

Start with a serve of miang kham ($6) — betel leaves topped with diced lime, red chilli, dehydrated prawns, nuts, red onion, and coconut sauce. Next try the po pia jaan ($12) — crispy prawn pancakes covered in layers of super-fine deep-fried rice paper, with an almost spongy inner texture. Let your Thai eating journey begin ...

2. Chat Thai

Chat Thai is the worst kept secret amongst us Thai people living in Sydney. With a focus on Thai street food and dishes that are meant to be for Thai palates only, Chat Thai was meant to be a Thai person's Thai restaurant. But when you do the mainstay favorites pretty well, and at very, very reasonable prices, it's inevitable that the cat will get out of the bag.

Located across from the Capitol Theatre, the open desert kitchen welcomes you in, with the bare brick walls covered with crayon artwork by a famous Thai comedian. If you’ve arrived during the dinner rush hour expect to be waiting at least 45 minutes or longer for a table; try and get in early and they might be able to offer you dishes still made from the lunch menu as well.

3. Spice I Am

Spice I Am? It almost sounds like a challenge, or at least a state of mind. If there's anything to assist you reaching that state, it's red-hot Thai food. Where are you going to find it? At Spice I Am in Darlinghurst. And it's not just the food that's hot. This place is all style: exposed brick walls, another wall of expertly arranged clay pots, and a black and gold leaf bar. Drawing from north-eastern Thai cuisine, head chef Sujet Saenkham has concocted dishes away from the stir-fry stereotype.

4. Thai Pothong

A Newtown institution since the '90s, Thai Pothong has gone from a cosy diner to a cavernous 350-seater restaurant with a quirky gift shop attached (anyone fancy a miniature model of the Predator?). Now offering dedicated gluten free and vegan menus, this inner-west stalwart only goes from strength to strength and continues to impress with its speedy service, group dining and authentic Thai cuisine.

5. Tapioca

It's a far cry from the sandstone walls of Sailors Thai Canteen in the Rocks and the inner-city buzz of Sailors Thai Potts Point, but chefs Pacharin Jantrakool and Krongthong Akkachitto are still weaving their magic. Only this time they're doing it north of the bridge in Cremorne. On any given night Tapioca's smart, airy diner is filled with families, couples and canoodlers all clamouring for northern Thai favourites like the miang kum (betel leaves with smoked trout and roasted coconut).

6. Sailors Thai

The doyenne of the Thai dining scene, Sailors Thai ushered in a wave of stylish Thai diners the likes of which Sydney hadn't seen prior and spawned a generation of talented chefs. Go back to where Sydney's love affair with classy Thai dining started at this heritage listed building in The Rocks where Thai favourites like Gang ped yang (red duck curry) continue to delight the palate. Want something casual? You'll find Sailors Canteen downstairs, renowned amongst other things for making communal dining de rigueur.

7. @Bangkok

Stumble into @Bangkok late on a Friday or Saturday night and you might mistake it for a karaoke bar. You wouldn't be entirely wrong either. Late in the week this Capitol Square restaurant, launched six years ago to cater for the city's growing Thai community, doubles as a karaoke bar and pays homage to Thailand's favourite pastime. Sweet, sour, salty and spicy, you'll find your favourite Thai dishes alongside some lesser known but equally delectable offerings.

Shop G 11, Capitol Square, 730-742 George Street, Sydney; 02 9211 5232; www.atbangkok.com.au

8. Longrain

If Sailors Thai brought style to Thai dining, Longrain made it achingly hip. Set in a 100 year old converted warehouse with a sleek basement bar, the vibe is contemporary and upmarket. Head chef Martin Boetz has created a modern menu which reflects Longrain's inner city locale to a tee. Cocktails are sharp and zesty, like the lemongrass martini, whilst dishes like the crisp caramelised pork hock with chilli vinegar once sampled, are rarely forgotten.

9. Alphabet Street

The folks who brought Thai fusion diner Rambutan to the Oxford Street strip — Oriana De Luca and Joe Natale — have headed south to work their charms on The Shire. Just like Rambutan, at Alphabet Street offer gorgeous cocktails like the spicy, kaffir lime-flavoured Thai Bloody Mary and a menu that straddles the staples and fusion dishes with ease. All set in a white-washed, industrial-chic venue with Cronulla Beach crowing distance away.

10. House

You can't go past a north-eastern Thai diner that promises a dessert called Better than Sex, can you? A slice of a fried bread covered in sugar and caramel and covered with coconut ice cream, we're not sure how Better than Sex fits into House's Isaan-style cuisine but it definitely offsets the spicy heat of the menu. With the culinary backing of Spice I Am's head chef and co-owner, Sujet Saenkhan, this is one Thai experience not to be missed.