Siam Square — Restaurant in Brisbane City

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...

BEWARE DECEPTIVE PRICING!! Like a lot of people, I like to check out a restaurant’s menu prior to booking to see what’s on offer, and if the prices are reasonable. Checked this website, everything looked nice, and prices were reasonable, so we booked it. Food was very nice, but night was soured when bill came. All our dishes were priced at more than the advertised menu prices listed on their website. When questioned, staff claimed that the prices listed on website are the takeaway prices. Website was presented for them to see for themselves that when someone goes to their site and clicks on the Menu Tab, it clearly states '"Our Dine in and Takeaway Menu". Unfortunately, our complaints fell on deaf ears. The key to return patronage is offering excellent customer service, like listening to what your customers have to say. We won't be going back!

Nobody likes being deceived, either change the wording on the website to make it crystal clear you are looking at a TAKEAWAY MENU, or honour the prices listed on...

Still hungry and wrong order. Got take away with a wrong meal, that's not usually a big issue - everything tasted nice but unfortunately, they gave us a half empty take away container for each meal. A small takeaway container, filled with sauce to the halfway mark, with a dome of vegetables in the centre. Poor form, very disappointing. Paid full price for what looked like someone who has a restrained ability to conserve leftovers. Alas, no leftovers for us - what we were delivered scarcely passed as an entree. I highly recommend if you order takeaway from Siam Square, you have high quantities of toast and marmalade at the ready, to ameliorate the culinary...