Soi 38

The ground-floor car park that until the end of 2024 housed Soi 38 was never meant to be a restaurant. But Owners Chavalit “Top” Piyaphanee, and his wife, Phawinee “Tang” Suwankamnerd made do in the former office space, outfitting it with an all-electric kitchen and metal tables and chairs meant to emulate the street food stalls of Bangkok.

Despite, or perhaps because of, its unconventional location, the restaurant thrived and became an institution. And its fiery salads, raw seafood and moo kata (Thai barbeque) helped kick off a new wave of Thai dining in Melbourne. So when the venue relocated to 235 Bourke Street, it left many wondering what the venue would be without its iconic setting.

Anticipating those concerns, Piyaphanee and Suwankamnerd have equipped the new location with the cooking facilities they lacked in the old car park, while preserving its original feel.

The new dining room can fit up to five times as many diners as the old 60-seat space. The walls are covered in swirling, star-studded murals by Melbourne-based Thai artist Bundit Puangthong, and a stainless steel bar anchors the room, allowing for an expanded drinks menu that includes Thai beers on tap, natural wines by the bottle, and a signature cocktail menu that features gin infused in-house with Thai ingredients like lemongrass, chilli and makrut lime.

At the back, a custom-built, commercial-scale kitchen features gas stoves for the first time in Soi 38’s 11-year history. This upgrade allowed Piyaphanee and Suwankamnerd to introduce new menu items such as pad krapow and other stir-fries.

The new equipment also means that the deep-fried and grilled favourites from the old menu – like fried pork jowl, crying tiger Black Angus steak and moo-ping (grilled pork skewers) – have gotten even better.

While lunch at the old spot was limited, the full menu is now available all day. Desserts have also made their way onto the menu: including mango sticky rice and khanom thuai, a coconut custard that’s steamed in moulds imported from Thailand.