Soi38 was an eatery tucked away in a car park, serving traditional-style Thai boat noodles. I’d tried both their crispy pork and beef noodles with the boat noodle soup and the clear soup and they were both soo flavourful! Their pork crackle side was another favourite of mine. The portions were quite generous for the dish prices. Loved the Thai-themed decor all over the eatery also.
I came to Soi 38 one night keen to try the boat noodles only to find that they had switched to a dinner menu. We tried the some dishes instead and they were very spicy. The dishes are quite small in size though and not as much of a great deal as the boat noodles. I hope to come back at lunchtime sometime to try the boat noodles.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
My Rating 4.5
My mind floats back to my trips to Thailand whenever I visit Soi 38 for their infamous boat noodles. So delicious and full of flavour – very authentic!
🔆LOCATION🔆
The cute little hideaway eatery is tucked within Wilson's car park on Mcilwraith Place. You can enter via Bourke Street or Little Collins Street.
The restaurant is very colourful and has a set up that looks like you're in the side streets of Bangkok. The register/counter looks like a make-shift tuk tuk! So cute!
🔆SERVICE🔆
The staff at Soi 38 is very efficient and prompt in preparing customers noodle orders.
On each table there is a menu where you select type of noodle flavour base, noodle options and whether you want it to be soup or dry noodle. It’s very simple but easy to order. You select which options you want, and then take it up to the counter to pay. You then receive a number which you place on your table.
🔆MENU/PRICE🔆
All standard noodle bowls cost $10.00. However please note this serving is actually a small size, so if you’re not particularly hungry or might want to order side dishes or extra meat, then this would be a suitable size.,
However, there is an upsize option for $15.00 which is my friends and I tend to order, as it’s perfect size!
Noodle options:
Sen Lek (rice stick noodles)
Sen Bamee (egg noodles)
Sen Mee (rice vermicelli)
Woon Sen (glass vermicelli)
Sen Yai ( wild rice noodles)
Mama (instant noodles)
Gao Lao (no noddles)
Select option of : Soup Noodle or Dry Noodles with soup on the side.
🔆VERDICT🔆
On my most recent and last visit before dine-in was not an option we ordered:
Boat Noodle with Beef (upsize), $15.00
Beef Thai Laksa (upsize), $15.00
The beef boat noodle is very authentic and delicious, with the distinct intense flavour of the soup combined with sliced meats and meat balls, rice vermicelli noodles, water spinach, bean shoots and garnished with garlic oil, fragrant coriander, spring onions and some crunchy fried pork crisps. Delicious!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
My friends and I visited this restaurant over the weekend. It is so obscure you wouldn’t know it’s there from the street side. It’s a tiny restaurant hidden out of sight next to a carpark.
We ordered the mookata, which is a Thai style combination of a bbq and hotpot. The set comes with a few meats, some seafood and some veggies and noodles and is for 2 people at $40. To be honest I thought the price was steep for the amount we got. The mookata was nice and it was fun cooking our own food but we wished we got more. We also ordered the deep fried pork belly which was crazy delicious - order it, you won’t regret it. The pork was fatty and juicy and crunchy all at the same time. We also ordered the fried chicken which was fried the same style as the pork (with lots of garlic) but it was way too dry. We also ordered the papaya salad which was tasty and balanced with sour, sweet and savoury flavours. It could be spicier but that is personal preference. The Thai milk tea we ordered for drinks was creamy, sweet and aromatic. All in all we had a good time.
Cheap, fast, no-frills, tasty... exactly what you would expect from a grest hawker place!
Emerensiana Vitalis Handoko
+5
Very yummy authentic Thai street food style! Really love the hot pot, scallop ceviche and thai lemon tea. Will be back for more. Service was very good too.
Can’t get enough of the rich, punchy broth in the beef boat noodles. Enjoyed all the ingredients except I found the beef slices a bit chewy.
The parking lot location and unapologetically hawker-style interior are unglamorous but signify that the food does all the talking. Be aware they are cash only.
The food was delicious! We got the hot pot. It came with all kinds of meat, noodles, veggies and an egg, and unlimited soup refills. All that only cost $30! It was pretty worth it. Would recommend. The environment of the restaurant reminds you of actually being in Thailand. It's a little warm in there but a good atmosphere.
Poor ventilation mean you and your clothes come out of the restaurant with cooking smell ☹️
We stumbled on this gem exiting the elevator of the parking garage. And we knew by looking at it that the food would be good. Proper Thai flavours. The real deal.
Do yourself a favour and jump in here for a meal. Extraordinarily fragrances woven into the wide array of authentic Thai dishes makes this hidden gem worthwhile.
Friendly staff, quick, efficient service and a modern, cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Reasonably priced as well. Will be back. Warning! Some dishes can be spicy!
You may need to wait for a table as this is quite a popular place, however, certainly worth it.
![4]( "Recensione")
With a queue as long as the dimensions of the store, I was pleased by the quality of the food. Authentic and full of spices and aroma - and spicy is an understatement (I was dying).
Ordered their most popular dishes and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Papaya salad was so fresh and full of flavour. And did I mention it was definitely spicy? I’m normally very good with spice but I was breathing fire and tasting nothing by the end of the meal.
The pork skewers were so juicy and bouncy, and that dipping sauce added a great kick to each bite.
The highlight of the meal was definitely the crying tiger steak. So succulent and aromatic. Would pair really wear with a bowl of rice or noodle dish.
The Thai milk tea was a great refresher with our meal, which helped relieve that burning pain. And it wasn’t too sweet surprisingly!
Expect a wait but the staff are working really hard and fast to bring out high quality and authentic Thai dishes. Definitely coming back to try their signature hot pot and boat noodles!
Food: 4/5
Value: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4.5/5
Definitely one of my favourite Thai restaurants in Melbourne. Aside from the unique location, the dishes are a big pull - there are many interesting options you won’t find at other Thai eateries in the area. Prices aren’t too steep but the quality is high. Glad to see several vegan menu items and a great natural wine selection. It’s also fun and cute that they use robot food runners. Be prepared that there may be a wait for a table but otherwise nothing should stop you from going here.
Really creative use of space, it feels like a restaurant in Thailand. The food is seriously delicious, really fresh ingredients, the flavours are amazing, it can be pretty spicy if you don’t have a very good tolerance. They don’t do reservations so plan accordingly at busy times but really worth the wait.
By far the best Thai restaurant ever. It's my favourite Thai restaurant of all time. It's the only restaurant that really reminds of Thailand. I love how flavourful everything is and how they don't hold back on the spice. Highly recommend this place!
Soi38 was an eatery tucked away in a car park, serving traditional-style Thai boat noodles. I’d tried both their crispy pork and beef noodles with the boat noodle soup and the clear soup and they were both soo flavourful! Their pork crackle side was another favourite of mine. The portions were quite generous for the dish prices. Loved the Thai-themed decor all over the eatery also.
They say don’t judge a book by its cover. This metaphorical phrase holds true here at Soi 38.
Soi 38 has the MOST affordable Thai dishes with great proportions for the price you’ll pay.
When I went here I felt like I was back in Thailand. And this definitely brought back happy memories.
The vibe and energy was AWESOME. Plus, the food was very delicious and tasted very authentic.
I would definitely visit again because I’d love to taste the other dishes.
And, without question, I recommend Soi 38 to my family and friends for the flavours, dishes, customer service and prices.
Went there for lunch and seems like only noodles are available for lunchtime. We ordered one boat noodle and one Khao Soi Kai, the boat noodle is okay but Khao Soi Kai is delicious. The soup base is very creamy and flavourful. Definitely would love to go back at night to try other dishes. Also, they have a robot that brings you food which is kind of cute.
Make a reservation
Order online
Find the best restaurant in Melbourne
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes