Siam Square

Overview Siam Square (SS) is a cute little Thai eatery located on the corner of Brunswick Street and Merthyr Road, just behind the Merthyr Village Shopping Plaza. It's in a lively, busy part of New Farm, with loads of other restaurants, cafes etc. We arrived around 6.30pm on a chilly Saturday night without a booking. To our surprise, the place was nearly empty, with just one other table occupied. However, as the evening wore on, it began to fill up, and by the time we left at 7.45pm, it was about half full. Atmosphere and Decor The vibe here is laid-back and casual, ideal for a relaxed meal. The decor is slightly dated but familiar for a Thai restaurant, with a few Buddha statues, colourful prints, dark timber furniture, and wooden floors. One minor annoyance was the heavy sliding glass front door. A steady stream of Uber Eats drivers and takeaway customers kept leaving it ajar, sending in blasts of cold air every few minutes. There are also no on-site toilets, which is a major drawback. Despite these issues, we were quite comfortable overall, even if we had to occasionally jump up to close the door. Service and Staff Being a small establishment, service is handled by the owners. On our visit, a quiet but polite and attentive lady took our order. While she wasn’t especially warm or chatty, she was professional and efficient. Drinks and food arrived quickly and in the correct order. No complaints here - the place runs like a well-oiled machine. I’d give the service a solid 10/10 for its smoothness and speed. Food We loved every dish we ordered. For starters, we had two Thai favourites: fish cakes and vegetable spring rolls. Both were generous in portion size. The fish cakes were chewy and flavourful, while the four large spring rolls were filled with a vegetable mix and wrapped in a crispy coating. For mains, we chose two stir fries, one vegetarian and the other beef with cashew nuts, served with a bowl of rice. Everything was fresh, tasty, and perfectly cooked. We enjoyed all our dishes. Cost The bill came to $90, which included one beer, two starters, and two main courses (one with rice). Given the quality and portion sizes, this felt fair. Still, it’s a reminder of how inflation has smashed the restaurant industry. What might’ve cost us $60 two years ago now sets us back $90. In this era of Albo-flation, that kind of price hike is unfortunately becoming the norm. Parking Parking is easy with the Merthyr Village car park nearby, which is free with no restrictions. There’s also a smaller lot directly in front of the adjacent Snap Fitness centre. Technically, it’s for gym patrons, but it was empty when we arrived at 6.30pm on a Saturday, so we parked there without issue. Toilets There are no toilet facilities on-site. The closest option is the shopping centre toilets, which isn’t exactly convenient mid-meal. Beyond the obvious inconvenience, it's odd to dine somewhere and not even be able to wash your hands afterward. It’s rare to find a restaurant these days, that doesn’t provide a bathroom. My recommendation to the owners is to invest in a renovation, modernise the venue, and install at least one toilet. Summary Despite the lack of toilets and some dated decor, SS does deliver high-quality food at fair prices, efficient service, generous portions, and a relaxed setting with easy parking. It's a good local Thai option.

Unfriendly staff, walked up to the counter and kindly said ‘hi’. Staff didn’t reply (that’s fine). I proceeded to order a FRIED RICE for take away. Without a single word took my order. Came back to pick it up and take it home only to realise they’ve given me some sort of flat noodles that I paid $23 for. Tasted like boiled chicken a bland noodles.

Amazing authentic Thai food!!! Great, friendly service! I recommend it 100%!!!

Good was tasty but sickly sweet. It was a shame. That was the red curry. I had the Thai beef salad. Heavy on the fish gravy.

So glad we chose this place. The food was absolutely delicious. We had Crispy pork with their special piquant sauce (and it was so tasty) plus a side of mixed vegetables (with added chicken), plus coconut rice. The veggies were snap fresh and cooked to perfection. The bill was very reasonable. The service was fast and very pleasant. I would highly recommend this Thai restaurant, especially if you're going to the Brisbane Powerhouse as it's conveniently close.

Beautifully balanced flavours, fresh ingredients...this humble place is a real treasure for folks who enjoy Thai food! Highly recommended.

What a lovely find! I've been to Thailand many times and Siam Square reminds me so much of both the lovely flavours and the environment in Thailand restaurants. Highly recommend the Three Flavours Fish and fried bananas for dessert.

Awesome restaurant. Food here is amazing, especially like the crispy pork and duck dishes. Staff and owners are always lovely. Now they're back open, we'll be going here more often. Setting up a delivery option is the only recommendation I can make to improve this fantastic Thai experience.

I love coming in here. You can't see much of the inside from the corner of the busy intersection outside, but when you cross the threshold you're surprised by how lovely it is inside. The decor is much nicer than most of the suburban Thai places I've been to. A bit more modern and fresh, maybe. There are comfy banquettes to sit on, and the menus have pretty carved timber covers. I always order the jungle curry. Unlike a lot of curries, the jungle curry contains no cream or milk so it's very refreshing and light. They also do a mean vegetarian Tom Yum here at Siam Square (and I haven't been able to find anywhere else that will do that). The service is always attentive and efficient and there a lots of little touches about this place that make it special. The elephant statues, the way your rice comes out in the shape of a love heart, the crisp air-conditioning. All the little simple things that make a meal so much nicer, and that a lot of suburban takeaways forget about, come together at Siam Square Thai. You can BYO wine, and they are also licensed. The prices are standard for thai food, but the food itself is of a much higher standard than a lot of the other Thai places around Brisbane. Siam Square is a niche in Thai restaurants with its more contemporary style and dishes that offer more variety than typical Australian Thai fare. Remember, jungle curry!

Siam Square is a lovely place to eat before or after a performance at the Powerhouse, being only a 15-20 minute walk away, beside Merthyr Village. The interior is decorated with traditional Thai furnishings (paintings, statues, and plates printed with pictures of the royal family), which makes eating here feel like you've stepped into a little pocket of Thailand. If you order rice as a side with your main meals, the rice is set in a heart shape, which I found very endearing. Siam Square does traditional Thai cuisine perfectly, but their stand out for me is their Roast Duck Salad, which comes served with a giant portion of fresh vegetables, warm duck, and a spattering of home made dressing and lychees. Take away is also a popular option and you'll often see diners in their jogging gear waiting outside for their meals.

I'm lucky where I live that I have two Thai restaurants within walking to distance from me. Even luckier, they are both excellent! Siam Square Thai is a tiny little place on the corner of Brunswick and Merthyr Streets. The restaurant itself has a traditional Thai fit out and is gorgeous and cosy. Perfect first date material! The cuisine is more or less what you would find on most Thai restaurant menus. When dining in recently with a friend we ordered the Money Bags and Spring Rolls to start, both of which were golden brown and perfectly cooked. For mains I ordered the Laksa and my friend had the Yellow Curry. Both of these were fantastic. Beautifully balanced flavours, generous amounts of meat and lots of great Thai spices! My only qualm is that the entrees often come in odd numbers, making sharing that touch more difficult, and being a total glutton I always hope the other person will say "Oh you go ahead and have that last one". Siam Square also offer takeaway so if you don't feel like getting out of your pajamas but are still in need of a good Thai fix you can organise it all from the comfort of your couch.

I'm not as big a fan of this place as everyone else seems to be. It's good, but it never blew my mind, and I was much more likely to head down the road to one of the other nearby Thai places. I've never eaten in, always gotten takeaway, and there's not much standing out on my tastebuds about the dishes. I do like a lot of spice, but even ordering hot here didn't satisfy. Look, don't get me wrong, if you're after Thai in New Farm this place is perfectly satisfactory, I just never rated it as one of my favourite local restaurants.

It's like Thai from an 80's country town. It is passable, but there are many better options around. Ok in a pinch, but plan something else if you can.