While Thailand has its own hot pot canon, for ours, the most exciting and interesting is moo kra tha: a blend of barbecue and hot pot that we scarcely deserve. Meat and vegetables are either cooked on the hot plate, or in the shallow moat of broth by which the hot plate is girt – or both. Another car park favourite, Soi 38 is located on the bottom floor of the Wilson car park just off the Parisian end of Bourke Street, and is Melbourne’s new plastic-stooled home ofmookata.

Pop-up store Soi 38 have settled down in the city and are spooning out $10 noodle bowls. Choose between boat noodles with beef or pork; Tom Yum noodles with giant pork and prawn wontons; or the braised duck noodle soup.

You’d be hard-pressed asking around Melbourne’s Thai community for recommendations on the cuisine, without being directed straight to Soi 38. As one of the most popular Thai restaurants in Melbourne, the CBD favourite almost always requires queuing up, but patience is certainly rewarded with spicy, delicious flavours that speak highly of Melbourne’s impeccable range of authentic Thai cuisine. A bastion of Bangkok street food, you can get all the dishes you’d want at this popular restaurant, from perfectly prepared green papaya salad and Thai style ceviche, to more adventurous fare like deep fried pork intestines.

Mcilwraith Pl, CBDSoi 38 is literally a piece of Bangkok that lives in a car park just off Bourke Street in Melbourne’s CBD, and it’s every bit as colourful and delicious as you’d imagine. They serve up Thai street food, with a focus on noodle soups and zesty salads, as well as some finer bits like Thai ceviche, pork belly, oysters and grilled skewers, as well as specials that pop up without warning and are always delicious. Being part-owned by Andy Buchan — the quirky winemaker behind Analog wine — Soi offers up an impressive selection of natural wines, that pair perfectly with the spices of Bangkok street food.

Is there any plastic stool in Melbourne’s restaurant galaxy more coveted than one at Soi 38?. The forever bustling Thai diner needs no introduction, but look beyond the signature boat noodles and find this behemoth of a dish that easily feeds two. A large stainless steel bowl holds a staggering half-litre of spicy-sour tom yum soup, which is topped with prawns, scallops, calamari, pork belly, minced pork, three egg yolks and a tangle of instant noodles.

One of Melbourne’s not-so-well-kept-secrets, Soi 38 seems to be on everyone’s must try list at the moment, and for very good reason. Previously a pop-up, and now here to stay, the Bangkok street food style eatery is situated in an above ground concrete car park, just off Bourke Street. Open for both lunch and dinner sittings, expect to dig into steaming hot bowls of noodle soups with Thai flavours that pack a punch, fresh salads and grilled meats.

We really enjoy Dao Noodle for Chinese handmade noodles or Soi 38 which is a Thai place in the Wilson car park. I think it’s a public secret, it’s usually really busy. But I think when we’re eating quick, what we really like is to eat-in with stuff that we really enjoy; we’ve inherited the German tradition of Vesper – so we really enjoy a quick meal of bread, cold cuts and wine that we get from Prince Wine Store or the Melbourne Wine House.

Soi 38 is an authentic Thai street food restaurant in the CBD with an atmosphere that echoes the vibrant hustle and bustle of a Bangkok market. With plastic stools and bright plastic tables, this is the kind of place you come to experience terrific Thai flavours with zero pretensions. The menu here, at one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne, never seems to end, staying true to the inventiveness of the country’s street food scene.

Soi 38, once a pop-up, has a permanent location in Melbourne's central business district and is open 7 days a week, serving up authentic street food in the style of Bangkok. Soi 38 is well-known for its Boat Noodles, a cuisine often found in central Thailand. These noodles are comparable to Vietnamese pho but have a much stronger flavour and are a traditional Thai food that is not well-known outside of Thailand.

With plastic red and blue tables, framed prints licked with the spicy oil that permeates the room, and steaming bowls of soup, Soi 38 is an all-sense experience. Housed next to a ticket machine inside a CBD car park, it became an instant Melbourne classic. Lunch is the time to go for hot pot where a slew of different soups from spicy chicken to the famed Tom Yum encircle the restaurant.

Best Fine Dining Restaurant went to Grill Americano (“A Rat Pack-worthy stage set of marble, velvet and terrazzo… bursting with brio”), Best Cheap Eat to Soi 38 (“a bona fide cultural moment”), and Tedesca, hot on the heels of being named the best restaurant in Victoria in the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards, took out Best Regional Restaurant (“taste the regional zeitgeist”).

One of the most popular place for the students and locals to eat out cheap in Melbourne is Soi 38 restaurant. All the noodle soup bowls are $10 (right on our targeted budget). Some of the popular items on the menu include: Boat noodles with Beef, Pork and Vegetarian Thai Laksa.Decent portion sizes means it is a win-win for any student to save few dollars on the eating out.

It doesn’t get any more authentic than this lunch-only boat noodle specialist, unless perhaps you were dining in an alleyway in downtown Chiang Mai. A humble stall under a CBD car park, Soi 38 is hard to find (pro tip: follow your nose) but well worth the effort. Grab a tick-a-box menu, pick your soup, choose your noodles and meat and get down with an olfactory party.

For tasty and authentic Thai street food in a quirky, no-frills setting, Soi 38 is a must. And by no frills, we mean in an above-ground car park down a hidden laneway off Bourke Street. This unassuming eatery embodies everything we love about Melbourne dining – authentic, flavourful noodle dishes devoured on colourful tables and chairs in buzzing surroundings.

Best for: Thai street food hidden in an unassuming parking garage.Cuisine: Thai. If you’re asking for the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne, don’t be surprised if Soi 38 is the first recommendation. Lunch service is all vats of simmering broth and hand-cut boat noodles, but come evening and the kitchen fires up gas burners for each table.

You'll find it down McIlwraith Place inside the multi-level car park, right beside the elevators. The lunch crowd slurps broth at red and blue metal tables, while the evening menu expands into Thai-style ceviche, spicy larb salads and moo ping grilled pork skewers. Try whole, deep-fried pork knuckle and oom kai (spicy herbal chicken soup).

Soi 38’s menu focuses on capturing the essence of Thai street food. We absolutely loved the boat noodles, which are packed with rich, savoury broth and come with a choice of braised pork, beef, and crackling. The king fish ceviche was also a stand-out – super fresh and tangy, while the deep-fried pork belly is over-the-top greasy goodness.

You'll find it down McIlwraith Place inside the multi-level car park, right beside the elevators. The lunch crowds slurps $10 bowls of boat noodles featuring a rich broth, slowly simmered meat and springy noodles. While the evening menu expands into Thai-style ceviche, spicy larb salads and moo ping grilled pork skewers.

Hidden in a city carpark, this Thai street-food spot has become a cult Melbourne favourite. Once you get through the queue, choose from aromatic boat noodles, spicy papaya salads, crying tiger (slow-cooked and grilled beef brisket), a mixed Thai hotpot and more. Plus, you can bring in wines from neighbouring La Cave.

Tucked away in a multi-level car park, Soi 38 is one of Melbourne’s hidden Thai treasures. By day, it serves some of the city’s best boat noodles, and by night, it transforms into a Thai barbecue and hotpot haven. The diverse menu includes Thai-style ceviche, larb salads, and grilled pork skewers.

Soi 38 is a well-known Thai restaurant open six days a week for lunch and seven days a week for dinner. There are many affordable meals for less than $20 on their menu, including papaya salads, soups and spicy salads. Their generous serving sizes are also a win for students on a tight budget.

Soi 38 is an Issan Thai restaurant by owners Andy Buchan and chef Top Kijphavee. It’s sandwiched into what was the office near the elevators of a 1960s car park. It feels like a real street food spot in Thailand, and serves up delicious food to match.

Soi 38 is one of Melbourne’s best hidden-in-plain-sight eating spots. It’s down a laneway off Bourke Street, in an above-ground concrete parking garage. Soi 38 has lifted a piece of Bangkok and dropped it off in the middle of Melbourne.

Soi 38 is one of the most well-known Thai restaurants in Melbourne, and it almost always requires a waiting line, but the spicy, delectable flavors speak highly of Melbourne's outstanding selection of genuine Thai cuisine.

A hidden gem in the city serving Bangkok-style street food, especially boat noodles. Known for its rich broths and perfectly cooked noodles, Soi 38 offers a simple, yet flavorful dining experience.

services:Bangkok Street Food, Thai BBQ and Hot Pot, Thai Ceviche, Spicy Salad. website:https://www.soi38.com/. address:38 Mcilwraith Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

You can also choose whether you want it soup, dry, or half soup. You check all the correct boxes on your order form and pay $10, or $15 if you're really hungry.