Review Saab Wer Thai Esan Restaurant - Newtown

Definitely the best Thai food we had throughout out trip on Australia. Authentic flavors, super tasty and large dishes, quick and kind service. This place made me miss Thailand 🇹🇭. Everything we tried was real good, just don't over order since the portions are really big

I tried the recommended menu Guay Jub. A bit disappointing, almost no meat inside just a bunch of rice noodle. The portion was big, a good deal for students. They also give free black been desert. Service was also nice.

Went there at night, the lunch special is cheaper and a noodle cost 12.9 dollars at night. Generous portion, good flavour. Will come back to try something else

Friendly and tasty restaurant. They do lunch specials for just under $10 and give you a small purple rice dessert with coconut cream (during the day only). Also if you present your student card you get 10% off. My friend took me here and in the same week I returned twice for their tom yum fried rice and spicy fried rice/fried flat noodles. The papaya salad was also very tasty, packed with the fermented crab flavour. I also tried the BBQ beef (crying tiger) but wasn't a fan after a while the meat got chewy. New favourite thai place in Newtown.

Very cautious about high rating place, but this one deserves it. Ordered Pad Kee Mao, very tasty and even the onions, beans and carrots are all fresh. (Most places aren't that fresh in those little stuff)

I gave a review for this restaurant yesterday because Google asked me to contribute a review but as I understood it google maps confused this restaurant with another thai restaurant nearby. Although I haven't eaten here recently, I must commend the management at Saab Wer Thai Esan Restaurant for their friendly approach and reply to my earlier review despite my error. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Delicious and good service! Really enjoy their small dessert.

This is my go-to Thai restaurant in Newtown. I've never been disappointed by the authentic meals and customer service here! They do amazing lunch deals and do 10% student discount in the evenings too. The staff are always happy to help and are willing to change a dish to suit your preferences.

Great value and good quality. Perfect for takeaway or quick eat in meal. This is our go-to for Thai. Sometimes we order it every week. You can't beat Saab Wer for value.

Saab Wer Thai is a small restaurant in Newtown. I went there for the lunch special. Before ordering, a free dessert “Coconut Sticky Rice” is given to all customers. <br/><br/>[Green Curry] $8.9<br/>Very plain green curry with many vegetables. Would be better if it could be more salty or more spicy.<br/><br/>[Thai fried rice] $8.9<br/>Traditional Thai fried rice. The veggies are a bit uncooked.<br/><br/>I would rate 3.5 if half marks are possible. This place is price worthy but would be better if they could make dishes more delicious.

Delicious food at cheap prices without lacking in flavor or content- the portion size is generous and the vegetarian dishes are packed full of fresh vegetables. The $8.90 lunch deal always hits the spot and even comes with a free black sticky coconut rice dessert, which is a real favorite of ours! The small are friendly and hardworking too

very quick during the lunch time,it's only need 5mins after u order. But the taste is just so so. Anyway,good place to eat lunch during the work day

Very poor service from an elderly gentleman and the quality of food 0.<br/>We ordered 3 dishes,the chicken satay was small, dry and tasteless. The two mains were all noodles, hardly any of the other ingredients mentioned. It used to be good but over time it has gone downhill.<br/>We wont be going back again.

Had Thai Tom yum noodle during lunch hour. It’s pretty good deal as you can get a meal for below $10. Tom yum was on the sweet side, not sour and not spicy. Not the type of tom yum that I like. Service was ok. Come with a free small dessert.

Good lunchtime deals and nice customer service. We stopped in for a quick lunch and were provided with a bottle of chilled water and a small coconut dish (which was nice) before we ordered. The lunchtime portions are quite good too.

Have came here for more than 5 times. Lunch specials are really cheap and have large portions. The green curry is great. I have tried green curry in several Thai restaurants, but this one is the best! Not too spicy and enough vegetables. Pad Thai is also a great choice.

Saab Wer Thai is next level Thai food cooked with love and respect. The venue felt more like I was eating with Bruce and Noi and their family than being in a Newtown restaurant. As I haven’t eaten at every Thai restaurant in Newtown I cannot judge if it is truly the best Thai in Newtown but it is one of my all time favourite Thai dining experiences and I wish Bruce and Noi all the best for their future. Kob kun krub.<br/><br/>Full review is now up on Spooning Australia

Been here 3 times recently, n I guess we got it good twice n once was so so. The Esan menu is worth trying as it is quite a way diff from the thai joints nearby. The Esan dishes were quite complex, often sour - which is good! - and intrigued us all. Make sure u ask for the Esan menu, coz they will just give u the stock standard red/green curry/tom yum menu if you don't. Anywho, a nice point of difference vis-a-vis other thai places on the King St strip, so give it a go.

Decent portion sizes and their lunch special is good value for money! I had the cashew noodle stir fry which was extremely tasty and flavoursome. I also decided to order a pink milk tea but was not a fan of it...was too sugary and I couldn't even finish the whole thing. Overall, not bad.

Familly run restaurant where everything is super fresh - try the prawn coconut rice & the BBQ pork neck - yum !! Nice courtyard out the back.

Don't be fooled by it's humble exterior. Saab Wer is the home of extremely delicious Esan delights! <br/><br/>"Saab wer" in fact means "extremely delicious" in the Esan dialect from North-Eastern Thailand and the food definitely lives up to this namesake. <br/><br/>We leave our dinner choices in the hand of owner Noi who recommends we begin with a series of entrees: Saab Wer Prawns ($9.90 for 4), Golden Bags ($7.00 for 4) and Moo Ping ($8.90) – Grilled marinated pork skewers with a serve of sticky rice. The Golden Bags are Saab Wer's take on traditional Moneybags and are wrapped in a glassy, crunchy wonton wrapper. Far from the stock-standard pork and and prawn offering – these are filled with a sweet, savoury and crunchy mix of minced chicken, corn, coconut and peanuts. Trust me...YOU NEED TO TRY THESE WHEN YOU COME HERE!<br/><br/>I cannot lie, I'm a green papaya salad freak. I couldn't think of a better way to liven up the palate than with this humble offering – Son Thum Thai ($16.90) – of shredded green papaya, shrimps, peanuts, tomato, carrot, green beans with lime dressing and four grilled king prawns on the side. Noi tells us the best way to eat this salad is with sticky rice. You make a ball with the sticky rice and use it to mop up the spicy lime dressing. The salad is so popular that Saab Wer have six different versions made with everything from seafood to whole prawns and even prawn crackers.<br/><br/>We also tuck into the Kana Moo Grob ($14.90) or Crispy Pork Belly that has the best crackling and a the Red Duck Curry ($16.90) which is sweetened by lychees and pineapple. The duck just melts in your mouth. <br/><br/>We're halfway through our main when Noi's eyes light up. Checking if we're still hungry and have room for more (not gonna lie, I'm stuffed, but how could I say no?) he offers a special treat – mixed seafood with rice, chilli sauce, eggs, cashews, coconut meat, herbs and more served in a coconut shell. I don't believe this particular dish is on the menu but it seems to be a fusion of the Saab Wer Pineapple ($18.90) and Saab Wer Fresh Coconut ($17.90) but I'm sure that the team wouldn't mind recreating this for you. As an added bonus we even got to have a glass of fresh young coconut juice from the same coconut the dish was later served in!<br/><br/>Review by Brendon The Smiling Chef. Full review on my blog: brendonthesmilingchef[dot]com<br/><br/>@brendonthesmilingchef

(As seen in Ciao Magazine, Edited by Sharon Gerrard):<br/>EXTREMELY DELICIOUS is the english translation of the North Eastern Thai expression (The Essan Region to be exact) for “Saab Wer"<br/><br/>Sticky rice runs wild in this region, a distinct characteristic to its neighboring Laos, but a cuisine all it’s own. Another feature is the heat you will find in these dishes, and where the much loved GREEN PAPAYA SALAD (Som Tam) originated. Sticky rice is commonly rolled into a ball, eating with your hands, dipping the sour hotness of that dressing. A number of protein versions available and we opted for the Tiger Prawn one.<br/><br/>The colder weather makes for a perfect dish of comfort from the family of Chefs and service staff here adding to that extra feeling of fondness you will feel for the cosy and hot pink setting. The RED CURRY WITH DUCK and CHEF’S SPECIAL RICE showcase another staple, the coconut. The milky sauce from the curry is a winter pleaser alone over rice! The presentation of the the SAAB WER FRESH COCONUT RICE (Chef’s Special) is so striking with a mix of eggs, vegetables, chicken (choice of proteins available) and scrapings of coconut through it and packed into the coconut shell! So tropical and flavorsome.<br/><br/>Also noticeable are the intricate details which appear so subtlely in their entree selection. A number of these could be a light meal on their own. From the MOO PING (street-like pork skewers drenched in marinade flavor) to the hand tied wrapper strings on the PRAWN & CRAB SPRING ROLLS and MONEY BAGS.<br/><br/>For me the love in this food comes not only from the rich history of recipes and ingredients, but from the owners, Bruce and Noi and their large team of friends and family that hand their love for food and family into a bowl/plate to your table! Deliveries are also done personally by Bruce so if you can’t drop in, chances are they will literally come to your door.

Great Food, I go here every few weeks.......................................................................................................

We went to have lunch in Newtown on the weekend. Our choice went to this bright pink restaurant that is closer to the University of Sydney than the Newtown station, Saab Wer Thai Esan. Their lunch menu is super cheap (by Sydney’s standards). Most of the dishes are $7.50. You will need to pay more for seafood or duck meat.  Just like most Thai lunch places, you order the dish you want with the meat of your choice.

Very very friendly staff and I love the ambience of this place. I dined in at this place several times ($7.50 lunch specials) and I must say their Thai Milk Tea is really rich and overwhelming.

Being a Pad Thai fan, I love their pad Thai- not only that A generous portion is being served, the food was pretty delicious- one of the best pad thai I had ever tried before. Plus, It's only $7.5--a very good deal. The only downside was that it's too oily. But you could always ask for less oil when you place the order.

I absolutely love this place! Yes, there are a million Thai restaurants in Newtown; with many catering to the Uni crowd with cheap lunch offerings, Saab Wer is something different thanks to the addition of some Northern Thai dishes on the menu.<br/><br/>Staff here are pretty friendly and efficient and the food comes out pretty quick which is good if you're on a limited lunch break.<br/><br/>I've enjoyed a (very large) Pad Thai here at lunch; but my favourite dish (at a bank breaking $10) is the Kana Moo Grob<br/>- stir fried crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli, soybean paste, garlic and fresh chilli. SO yum, and pretty light for the hot weather we've been having. Once the weather cools down I'm keen to try the Boat Noodle Soup - something else you don't see too often in Sydney as far as I know. I've also tried a mince chicken dish with a nice sauce and for $2 extra you can put an egg on it. Yum.<br/><br/>If you're lucky you might just be offered a free dessert of sticky rice with coconut milk which is so tasty!

A friend invited me to this place promising authentic Issan Thai food and admitted that the owners/chef were her friends. She managed to keep that promise.<br/><br/>We had a variety of dishes including the rad na (gravy noodles), tom saab (hot and spicy soup), sai oua (sausages), ox tongue, boat noodles, fried rice and som tum. All tasted authentic and great with healthy serving sizes without the sweetening that often happens in Thai cuisine when abroad.<br/><br/>Highly recommend visiting the place if you're looking for something close to the real deal without breaking the bank. Space is great for couples to families to dine, and staff were very friendly though I may be biased on that last bit.

Of all the Thai restos lining King Street in Newtown there is only one we've found that specialises in the spicy Esan food of North East Thailand. Look for the bright pink sign for Saab Wer along the strip.Thai restaurants in Newtown are as common as expensive coffee shops in Chiang Mai and are filled with pretty much the same sort of clean young white farangs. Along the student end of King Street, the Thai lunch special rules supreme. Further down it's birthday party balloon extravaganzas and somewhere for a nice dinner with your Mum and Dad, not too scary. While we sometimes grab a plate at a 'rice and one selection' joint when we feel lazy and need a quick dinner, lately we've been trying out the food at Saab Wer for something different.

Horrible. Three times I've ordered from this place and three times I've been disappointed. I gave them the benefit of the doubt as I ordered on their opening night. Never again will I order from here. Disgusting textures and flavours. Not sure what dish people are enjoying from here. Most likely noodles, or something equally as easy to make. Regardless. Don't bother you're better off buying a tin of Thai style tuna. <br/><br/>Gross.

Excellent Authentic Thai food. Som tum the best we have had in Sydney. As someone else has said go to the special Isaan section of the menu where the best dishes are located.

The best Thai restaurant in Newtown. I always order spicy noodle (pad kee mao?) from there and it is just PERFECT. Staffs are really kind, food is delivered fast enough. JUST PERFECT!

Most authentic on King St. Yeah it was great. Boat noodle soup was A+++.

Came here every single time and i am very satisfied with the service the food and the speed. Definitely will be coming back again. Loving the boat noodles dish.

Fantastic food! Cannot say enough good stuff abut it. Fresh, tasty, and cheap. Everything from this place is amazing just go down the list and get a different thing each time.

Red Curry Pumpkin with Chicken. Medium red curry with lots of pumpkin and chicken, served with rice. I never tire of it. :-) (PS. I'm a partner in the restaurant!)