Head Chef Jason Margaritis is a legend in Australian-Asian cuisine, and was the brains behind Melbourne’s Spice Temple before he moved to Brisbane. Now, the River City is blessed with some of the country’s most interesting, innovative Thai cuisine. A highlight of the menu is the slow-cooked brisket with green guava and roasted coconut rice which summons a mix of rich, hearty flavours and delicate notes of mint.

One of the best things about dining at this modern Thai James Street restaurant is ordering your favourite cocktail – which you can still do from home!. sAme sAme is helping us through lockdown yet again with their classic takeaway cocktails to add a little glamour and goodness to dining at home. At $15 each you’ll find: sAme sAme spritz with Beefeater gin, Aperol, Massanez Crème de Peche,
 white peach puree, and lime juice, Tommy’s margarita with Olmeta Altos Plata Tequila, lime juice, and agave, Espresso Martini with Absolut vodka, Kahlua, and black coffee, and Negroni with Beefeater gin, Campari,
 and Cinzano Rosso vermouth.

Head to one of Brisbane’s coolest diners: sAme sAme in Ada Lane (just a stiletto toss from The Calile Hotel). This modern Thai restaurant takes cues from the flavour and energy of Southeast Asian dining culture with its lively open kitchen and gimme-more menu of creative Thai-inspired raw bites, creative snacks, wok-seared mains, curries and desserts from head chef Arté Assavakavinvong. It’s a wonderful second act to Tyron Simon‘s popular LONgTIME restaurant, with a fresh energy and a sophisticated Richards & Spence fit-out.

This modern Thai eatery in Fortitude Valley is known for its street food-inspired dishes, like soft shell crab baos, grilled Bundaberg Bay bugs, and roasted pork belly pad see ew. The wine list is designed to complement the menu's fiery tendencies with refreshing rosés and rieslings, as well as organic and biodynamic wines from across Australia. Alternatively, head upstairs to Los bar (open Fridays and Saturdays) to sample their extended wine list, more than 100 tequilas, and Thai-inspired cocktails.

It doesn’t get more Brisbane than flavour-packed modern Thai in designer digs.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland. Snappy Thai share plates in glam surrounds, backed by an epic drinks listA richly layered Penang-style curry of slow-cooked beef cheek brightened with tamarind; tender grilled squid with garlic shoots; a fiery stack of beef larb showered in toasted rice: this is the kind of Thai food you dream about. Same Same’s airy designer digs are fancy too – with a capital F.

Same Same’s main room provides dining drama aplenty: flames flashing, woks hissing in the central open kitchen, communal tables channelling Thailand’s streets through a glamorous lens. The window bench seats facing Ada Lane, by contrast, offer unparalleled opportunities to observe well-heeled Brisbanites at play. Both are good options, made all the better by excellent, on-theme cocktails and fresh, clean-lined Aussie-Thai food served by a truly impressive floor team.

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.

Not just an establishment to eat Thai food, but to experience the dynamism and intricacies of Thailand’s flavour aesthetic, sAme sAme thrives on its own atmosphere and attention to detail. With so much goodness to choose from, it’s lucky that the chef’s selection is curated for the indecisive diner, but the grilled squid with chilli paste, garlic and snow peas or the tumeric curry with prawns, baby corn and relish are both great places to start.

If Hellenika is your favourite eatery in Brisbane, Greek or otherwise — or you can't go past sAme sAme's Thai dishes and two-storey venue, ESSA's moody space, the wine and people-watching at Cru Bar, or the frosty sweet treats at Gelato Messina — you'll already be a fan of the area and its impressive culinary options galore. Now, it's time to celebrate everything that makes the precinct one of Brisbane's go-to places for a bite and a drink.

sAme sAme is one Thai restaurant that people flock to for good reason, from its authentic style of Thai cuisine and fantastic drinks list to its amazing atmosphere. You’ll find all your favourites here as well as new ones to try. On the menu, you have the option of grilled pork neck served with toasted rice, spring onion, chilli and fish sauce or grilled chicken with lemongrass, turmeric, garlic, ginger and shallots.

By name, by nature… This James St take on the original LONgTIME has everything you loved about the first iteration (so, the beef red curry) in a gorgeous new interior with a cute bar to match!. Start your stay with betel leaf, crispy eggplant, snake bean relish, star fruit, mint and coriander, before diving into a grilled chicken panang curry with pickled cucumber, coriander and peanuts.

What better place to start our Brisbane Thai guide than with Same Same (previously known as Longtime). Situated just around the corner from our favourite Ann Street restaurant hub, Same Same is tucked away in an elegant bustling home down Ada Lane. The restaurant opens up into a cavernous space, with dramatic arches, an open kitchen, high ceilings, and contemporary furnishings.

Take a street-inspired Thai menu, put it in a chic James St restaurant and you’ve got Same Same. When all the curry, salad and stir-fry options become too hard to choose from, a handy chef’s selection option will get you the best combinations for $75 per person. We can’t all be connoisseurs, so they’ll even pair wines with your meal for an extra $50 per person.

sAme sAme is another beautifully designed venue from the team behind Honto – and it’s anything but ordinary. They’ve managed to take the heat, flavour and pace of classic Southeast Asian cooking and shake it together with a liberal dose of personality and hospitality. The result is a bustling, enigmatic restaurant that comes alive every night of the week.

A favourite dining destination within the popular Calile precinct, sAme sAme delivers a mouth-watering share-style menu combining the fun and flavour of Thailand with the best local ingredients and traditional cooking methods. Sample the restaurant’s most popular dishes via a chef-determined banquet or order your favourite authentic a la carte dishes.

It has to be hands down the best Thai restaurant in Brisbane. With the most elegant dining setting and delicious cutting edge menu, this place is a must. Located across from the Calile Hotel on James Street, its smooth jazz music and dim lighting create the perfect atmosphere to enjoy a broad range of beautiful Thai dishes, cocktails and craft beers.

Address: Shop AM3 Ada Lane, 46 James St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, Australia. This thai-inspired restaurant is also located in the Fortitude Valley and is currently offering takeaway only. They have compiled some of their signature dishes for takeaway which includes the Longtime Chicken Burger, grilled short rib, turmeric and coconut bug curry, etc.

This upscale institution puts a fusion twist on Thailand’s world-famous street food. Ravenous diners should stuff their bellies with the mountainous Thai-style banquet, where hearty dishes hail from Chang Mai to Hat Yai. If you fancy a light bite, the crab boa buns and Moreton Bay bug rolls always go down a treat.

Location: The Calile Hotel, Shop AM3 Ada Lane, 46 James St, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006 Ph: (07) 3188 1418. From the ashes of much-loved Thai eatery Longtime, sAme sAme Restaurant has risen like a polished, concrete phoenix. Design-wise, this venue is striking to see the least.

The successor to Longtime, one of Brisbane’s most celebrated Thai restaurants. As the name suggests, the site’s DNA hasn’t fundamentally changed – but the service is sharper, the space is more beautiful, and the food is more vibrant than ever.

Best for: Insanely good food, industrial-chic interiors, slinky cocktails before dinner. Open: Monday–Sunday. This is my favourite restaurant in Australia, and I don't confer that title lightly.

sAME sAME - Swing by Ada Lane and stop at the Valley's best Thai-Pan-Asian restaurant to get your order delivered to your car