Baan Baan prides itself in serving homestyle Thai food that you can experience in a restaurant setting.

Their name means “comfort and simple” in Thai, and that’s exactly what they provide—familiar Thai food favourites served in a cosy place that’s filled with tropical wall illustrations and indoor plants.

What we appreciate most about their menu is how detailed it is when it comes to labelling food that can be served as gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian. 

They also label the menu items that have nuts in them, which makes us confident they’ll respect other dietary restrictions if you have any.

Of course, that wouldn’t mean much if their food isn’t good. We’re pleased to say that they are able to keep up with the quality of each dish they serve.

However, it is possible that your dish may arrive late, and we have heard a fair share of complaints about their slow service. 

This usually happens when the restaurant is busy on weekends, and you may get better service if you dine on a weekday. They do welcome walk-ins, but reservations are still recommended.

There was also mixed feedback regarding their serving sizes, with some customers saying they thought it wasn’t enough. But in our opinion, we think it all boils down to your appetite, but it wouldn’t hurt to check photos of their dishes online.

Wok & Ladle has no frills to their restaurant, and it’s best not to expect much when it comes to ambience, but if what you’re looking for is a good and affordable Thai meal, this is where you should go.

You can order dishes straight from their menu, or you can make your own stir-fry or curry. You have a choice between chicken, beef, prawn, or vegetables, and that already includes freshly steamed rice, unless you want to upgrade to coconut rice.

The prices for their make-your-own dishes are different for lunch and dinner, with dinner costing $4 more than lunch, but each dish is still under $20, so we can’t complain much.

As we’ve mentioned, this isn’t the best restaurant for you to dine in with your mates and bond over food, but they work best if you need a meal to take home or, as their regulars would say, a meal after having a few drinks.

Their servings are pretty generous relative to their prices, although the quality of the food they serve can be inconsistent. There are times when their dishes impress customers, but at other times they can turn out to be lacklustre too.

There were also a few complaints about how the Thai food they serve isn’t as authentic as it should be, but that’s not something we’re too worried about since all dishes are still identifiable.

Overall, we think they’re a good Thai restaurant but only if you’re forgiving about the ambience.

Saowanee’s Place aims to serve authentic Thai food with excellent customer service, and with their good record of customer loyalty, we’re confident in saying that they’ve been able to deliver on those promises.

They’ve recently redesigned their restaurant, but the menu and quality of their food have remained the same. 

Regular customers know which dishes to pick from their menu, but if it will be your first time dining with them, we highly encourage you to check out their extensive menu online before you dine in because they have a lot of items to choose from.

This isn’t a requirement of course, and the wait staff will be more than happy to help you order if you don’t know which dish to pick, although you can’t go wrong with classic Thai dishes like pad thai and tom yum.

Customers appreciate the customer service they receive whenever they dine in, and should you become a regular, we have no doubt that their staff would begin to recognise you too.

Their food is a tad bit expensive compared to other restaurants on this list, but given the quality of the food and their serving sizes, we think it’s worth it if it’s within your budget.

Despite their extensive menu, they don’t offer any alcoholic beverages, which can be a bummer if you’re coming in for a special occasion. You can bring your own wine, but you will have to pay the corkage of $5 per bottle.

S&T Thai Gourmet Cafe is another no-frills restaurant, but it remains to be a good place to dine in. The overall atmosphere is relaxed and casual, which makes them a popular choice for small groups and families.

The presentation of the food isn’t anything fancy, but in our opinion, it’s the taste that matters most, and fortunately, they’ve been able to deliver on that.

Their prices are good, especially with their serving sizes, so it might be best to order slowly because it is possible that you’ll get full just from one dish!

If you’re new to Thai or spicy food, you’ll be happy to know that you can adjust the spice levels here to the level that suits your tolerance. 

Their menu has a good variety of Thai food and drinks to choose from, but they don’t serve alcoholic drinks, although you are welcome to bring your own beer or wine with a corkage fee.

However, that isn’t too much of a concern as reports of inconsistent quality of food are. We’ve spoken with multiple regular customers who have claimed that they have had days when they thought the quality of the food was lower than usual.

If it’s any consolation, that didn’t stop these customers from coming back, which says a lot in itself. 

We can’t tell which days or dishes will have dishes of lower quality, but it is a good idea to ask the staff what’s fresh once you dine in.

Louder Louder is an Issan-Thai restaurant that mixes both classic and fun ways to serve Thai food. The dishes are still distinctively Thai, but you can tell that there is a cultural fusion in their menu, especially with their drinks.

This is the only restaurant on the list that’s known for its drinks as much as it is for its food. They do offer favourites like Thai milk tea and juices, but their drinks menu is noticeably Aussie, especially with their wine collection.

The atmosphere of the restaurant takes inspiration from Thailand’s tropical weather, and we think it blends well with the overall identity of the restaurant.

Each dish is not only served with excellent quality, but they’re all artistically plated as well. If Instagram-worthy food is one of your requirements, this is the place to go.

The median price for their dishes is around $25, which we think is reasonable in relation to their serving sizes.

Given their popularity, they do tend to be busy, especially for dinner on weekends. We won’t recommend you come on a weekend without a reservation unless you’re willing to wait.

When they’re busy, this does affect the quality of their customer service, with some customers reporting that the staff wasn’t as attentive or friendly as they would’ve liked.

Thus, it would be better for you to dine in on a weekday when there are fewer people around and the place isn’t as busy.