Victoria’s best Pad Thai: Somervillethai, Thai Ute, Toun‘s Kitchen
Sweet, sour and salty. It’s one of the most popular noodle dishes on the planet. Check out our guide to Victoria’s best Pad Thai.
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Pad Thai has been around since the 1930s and became popular after World War II because it could be created at a street stall using cheap ingredients.
Today it is one of the most popular noodle dishes in the world and is a staple take away dish across Victoria.
We’ve searched the state for some of the best examples of Pad Thai.
Check out the list below and find your favourite on our map.
Thai on the Island
5/38 Thompson Ave, Cowes
The Bass Coast is spoiled for choice when it comes to Thai food however, the pad thai from Thai on the Island takes the cake.
The traditional dish is a mix of delicious noodles, veggies and your choice of protein.
Peanuts are sprinkled on top and lemon is served on the side.
This go to dish is perfected by the chef and served with love by the family who own the business.
Plus you can feel good supporting the restaurant knowing they donate directly back to causes close to their heart in Thailand.
Thai @ Point Cook
Shop 2/47-57 Tom Roberts Parade, Point Cook
Within four years of moving into Melbourne’s west, ‘Thai @ Point Cook’ has become the go to place for pad thai.
Their secret? Experimenting. Lots and lots of it.
While the special secret sauce remains a constant, a supplier and ingredient shortage means the chefs at Thai @ Point Cook are always brainstorming ways to keep their pad thai as tasty as ever said co-owner Kitty Choeng.
“It can very challenging because ingredients can run out or there could be problems getting supplies,” Ms Choeng said.
“That’s why we always test everything and brainstorm how we can keep that consistency.
“Part of that also involves listening to customer feedback around what works and what doesn’t”.
The pad thai served at the restaurant is one developed by the chefs, who are “very well trained” in the art of making a delicious pad thai.
Thai Ute
34 Railway Ave, Ringwood East
First cutting his teeth at his mum’s food stall on the streets of Phuket when he was seven years old, Thai cooking is in Ute Klangruk’s DNA.
And these days, he’s pumping out about 500 serves of Pad Thai every week, with the dish easily one of the most popular on the menu at his Ringwood East restaurant, which featured in an episode of MasterChef a few years ago.
Mr Klangruk said his restaurant’s version of the dish is set apart by ingredients he says are hard to find in Australia including tamarind sauce and roasted shallots, and a homemade sweet chilli paste.
He also likes to include as many traditional elements of the dish and includes roasted chilli smiliar to how he says it is served in his homeland.
“My mum taught me well … I try to keep the flavours authentic but modernise it to make it more appealing for customers,” Mr Klangruk said.
“Sometimes when you get street food, everything is mixed up together at is, but we twist it with decorations and make it well presented.”
Pad Cha
319 High St, Preston
Pad Cha labels itself as a contemporary Thai restaurant, offering a “unique, delicious and unforgettable experience”. Despite leaning into modern cuisine, the traditional Pad Thai is still absolutely a feature on the menu. Their version has rice noodles, red onion, snake beans, bean shoots, egg and peanuts. The most expensive seafood version of the dish is only twenty dollars. The restaurants namesake, Pad Cha, is a traditional sizzling seafood stir fry dish. It's a great spot for seafood lovers, with many of the dishes featuring fruits of the sea in unique ways.
Aksorn Thai
1/72 Main Hurstbridge Rd, Diamond Creek
7/90 Hazel Glen Dr, Doreen
With two restaurants in Melbourne's north, Aksorn Thai is a popular place to dig into a plate of classic Pad Thai. Their take on the dish is described as stir friend rice noodles with egg and vegetables in their Pad Thai sauce, topped with crushed peanuts. Along with the usual meat options to add, customers can also choose to include pineapple on their noodles. According to Aksorn Thai, the key to success is food that’s genuine. Their menu also includes fish dishes such as Hor Mok Pla, a steamed fish curry dish and meals cooked in traditional clay pots.
Thai Cottage
20 High Street, Cranbourne
Thai Cottage on High St takes out the grand prize for Cranbourne’s favourite Pad Thai spot, and is not just limited to the locals.
The small family owned restaurant delivers to a number of surrounding suburbs, including Dandenong South, Carrum Downs, Skye and Clyde.
With reviews calling the classic favourite “perfect” and “outstanding”, it’s easy to see that Thai Cottage holds a monopoly over Cranbourne.
Thai Cottage offers a vast array of Thai dishes, including Tom Yum soup, pork spring rolls and other various curries, noodle and rice dishes.
Cattleya Thai Restaurant
142 Timor St, Warrnambool
Owner of Cattleya Thai Restaurant Katie Potikul said Pad Thai is characterised by rich, vibrant flavours from tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar.
“Recipes for Pad Thai vary, but there’s almost always a base of wide rice noodles, a sprinkle of crushed peanuts on top, and a lime wedge served alongside,” Ms Pokikul said.
The restaurant receives about 50-100 a day for Pad Thai.
“Not only is it rich in taste, but its origin is also a source of fascination as well — that makes Pad Thai dish the best noodles in the world,” she said.
“People love the tasty flavours that Thai cuisine offers.”
Toun‘s Kitchen
Shop 10/1-13 South St, Wodonga
Famous for its delicious Thai and Vietnamese cuisine from a food truck on the corner of Elgin Boulevard in Wodonga, VIC, Toun‘s Kitchen makes the perfect spot for border residents to get their Thai Fix.
The owner, Ms Toun Sisouk, is also the chef and has managed the popular food truck since she opened the humble food truck in 2017.
Toun‘s Kitchen is most famous for its delicious yet pocket-friendly Pad Thai, followed by the extra spicy papaya salad with crispy chicken and green chicken curry.
Thai Lotus
610 Dean Street, Albury
Located at Albury‘s busy CBD street – Dean St, Thai Lotus has been an all-time local favourite since 1989.
Family-owned and operated, Thau Lotus brings traditional Thai food to locals and visitors.
Most famous for chicken pad Thai, green and red curry and chef-special the Volcano chicken, Thai Lotus offers a variety of Thai food and a diverse list of selected wines.
Somerville Thai
8/49 Eramosa Rd W, Somerville
Those in the know always choose to dine in at this Thai eatery.
Staff at Sommervillethai are extra generous with customers opting to eat at the restaurant instead of taking their food home.
Plates are piled high with authentic ingredients and traditional sauces and sometimes even a free spring roll finds its way to the table.
The eatery is located within the busy Somerville Plaza but don’t let the urban setting fool you.
The food served at Sommervilletahi could just as easily come from a street stall in Bangkok.
OTHER TOP PICKS
Uthong Thai Restaurant
216 Main Street, Mornington
Chin Chin
125 Flinders Lane
Ying Thai 2
110 Lygon Street, Carlton
Thai Deli
195 Clarendon St, South Melbourne,