It had been a long time since I had graced Lygon Street with my presence (okay, not that long ago, but I don't come down here as often as I like since there are so many other cool places to visit in Melbourne) that one day after work I decided that I would go and grab something to eat. The funny thing was that I was wanting so Thai - not exactly the cruisine that you visit Lygon Street for. Anyway, despite not expecting to find any Thai restaurants down here I pretty quickly came across this place, so I decided to go and check it out. I'll have to say not bad. The food is pretty good and the staff really nice. I can't quite remember what I had but I believe it was the noodles (as opposed to the curry). They also have the traditional Thai beers as well. I'd come back here. read more

See all

What this little restaurant lacks in decor, it more than makes up with its authentically delicious Thai food. The affordable lunch menu offers the basics like Tom Yum, Green curry, Pad Thai, etc, as well as the more exotic options like Crab meat omelet. Portion size is acceptable. There is the option to swap plain rice with fragrant coconut rice, that goes especially well with curries. They do not hold back on the spices for the curries. Spicy means spicy here. I've never been disappointed coming here. read more

See all

Soo satisfied with this place that we came twice in our two days in Melbourne! We were brought here by my sister, who studies in Melbourne & frequents this place with her friends. I didn't expect the level of authenticity and spiciness at this thai joint and loved it!! It's easily noticeable on Lygon St as the most crowded and bustling restaurant (not to mention the kinda-ugly green signage), and it spans two floors with outdoor seating too. The noise level wasn't that loud though, and it's a great place for a family meal or a date. I am such a sucker for super spicy food, like chili-padi type of spicy. (My flu didn't stop me.) the best dishes: **veggies/ pork with chili and basil leaves: I never thought this would be my fave, since I typically prefer curries at thai establishments (and had never tried veggies in this style). But this was on fire!! The chili padis were thinly sliced and added such a kick to it. The portions were generous too. Delicious with rice. **steamed barramundi with lime, garlic and chilies: one of the few times we ordered in an entire steamed fish at a restaurant, and didn't regret it! The flesh was tender and juicy and tasty and perfectly-cooked without being dry. The sauce was delicious and sour and spicy, and my mum spooned the leftover sauce over rice to enjoy. Very worth the $30. **seafood vermicelli salad: this is one of my fave Thai dishes in general, and Ying Thai's version didn't disappoint. It was spicy and sour enough, and came with generous amounts of lettuce and toppings. I wish they used real seafood instead of crab stick though. **tom yam soup: this was maybe 3.5/5. I was surprised to find this so spicy (esp after bad experiences in NY). I would order it just for the spice. But I wish the taste had more depth and more of a seafood taste. This was a very popular dish here though - many tables ordered it in a hotpot to share. **iced milk tea: I've tried this way too often, and have often found that it's too sweet/not enough burnt tea taste/lacking at other places. This was thick and delicious, especially once you let the ice melt a little to dilute it. The pad Thai was good but I'd had better in Asia. I wish it had less sweet sauce, but the texture of the noodles were just right - not too hard, not too soft. The chicken in pandan leaves and curries were the more average dishes. The chicken didn't taste remarkable or any different from roasted chicken. The meat in the curries were tough and sparse. I liked the added broccolis & carrots but that was not authentic. Okay that was maybe too detailed. In all, give Ying Thai 2 a try if you're interested in authentic Thai food in the Melbourne city area. If you can't stand the spice, maybe let the waiters know when you order ;) read more

See all

This is my favorite thai restaurant out of all of Melbourne. It's a tiny little shop on lygon st that's coloured a disgusting pale green with rainbow coloured letters- but hey, their too busy concentrating on their delicious food to be picking out paint colours. The place is definitely small and crammed, they only offer a handful of tables inside and it seems to always be busy. Ying Thai 2 is really onto some here, they hit all the right flavours with all the tang and spice. If you're a Thai food fan, I 100% recommend you giving this place a go. Green curry and fried rice always go down a treat! read more

Ying Thai 2 - Thai Near Me - Carlton, VIC

There are a lot of different Thai places competing to be my favourite and right now Ying Thai 2 on Lygon Street is top dog for flavor, price, value and atmosphere. Located on Lygon Street just to the North of the city close to the University of Melbourne, you can always spot Ying Thai 2 because it is the most popular of a host of restaurants in the same area and it has one of the brightest interiors full of lime green, pink, and turquoise. Ying Thai 2 does BYO wine and there is a bottle shot right across the road, which is always handy. Unlike some places that have the word "Thai" in the name, they actually do serve scrummy Thai food. It offers a wide range of options on its menu and its special lunch menu is an absolute hit with Malaysian, Indonesian and local students alike. The service is pretty quick and above average compared with a number of Asian places. I've pretty much tried the entire many and it is all good, so I usually just mix it up each time. I couldn't recommend this place more for delicious inexpensive Thai food. read more

Ying Thai 2 - Thai Near Me - Carlton, VIC

See all

This is a decent Thai restaurant on Lygon St. Their menu is pretty extensive with a large number of dishes you'd expect (and perhaps a few less common dishes). I tried several dishes with friends. The chicken larb was well done, and I was happy with both the gai hor bai-toey (fried chicken wrapped in leaves) and the yum sam grop with deep fried fish. The green curry with duck had reasonable flavour but it could have done with a little more duck. read more

See all

Finally! A Thai restaurant that doesn't hold back on the chilli and is more than happy to make you sweat like a pig. I decided to order a Tom Yum soup, and, being a cold night and feeling brave, requested it to be extra spicy. God was that a bad move. Although really delicious, I didn't realise the serving was for multiple people, and it was way hotter than I could handle. Anyway also ordered some green and red chicken/beef curries, both distinctly different in flavour but really nice. Although my only gripe is this place is a little pricier than you would normally pay for Thai food ($12-14 avg.). read more

This used to be one of my favourite places to eat but its become too expensive and I think the service has dropped. I ordered the fried fish fillet with chilli sauce for $14.90 and what I got were three sad pieces of fried fish all varying in sizes. The last piece is probably the size of a potato chip- see photo. Really? Not worth the price. I don't think I will be returning. read more

Ying Thai 2 - Fried fish fillet - Thai Near Me - Carlton, VIC

We had booked a table for 9 but were made to wait half an hour. Service was swift at the table. Our beer was bought by the restaurant from a bottle shop from down the road.. The food was OK, not the best Thai food that I had. Seafood pad Thai was quite good, tom yum soup was sour and spicy the way I like it. The curries though were a bit too sweet for my liking and the meat was quite tough and chewy for both chicken and beef. Overall 3/5. read more

Thai food is supposed to be nourishing, spicy and full of flavour. It's one of those cuisines that I never get sick of because of the different dimensions of taste and the rich use of herbs and spices. I once proclaimed that I could possibly live in Thailand because I love the food so much. This is also how I feel about Ying Thai 2 on Lygon Street. Sure, it's super busy and you sometimes get turned away if you do not have a booking but that's why you must always make one if you're doing Thai on a weekend. Their recipe for success is simple: Affordable, authentic, fresh and delicious food, cooked to order and served promptly. I highly recommend the fish cake with lemongrass, beef with basil, green curry, spicy fried whole fish (my absolute favourite) and the tom yum soup (very spicy). If you've got a sweet tooth like me, wash it down with Thai ice milk tea or coconut juice. Word of advice for drivers: Never park your car at the parking bay just outside the restaurant, no matter how tempting it seems. You might think this is your lucky night but if you park there, expect your car to be covered in bird poo (and I mean bombed-in-a-Hiroshima-kind-of-way). Not a pretty sight, believe me! read more

If I knew the Thai word for 'noms' I'd use it here. Ying Thai 2 is everything I want in a Thai café - cheap, cheerful and authentic. The colourful little restaurant is full of students most nights, and on a Saturday it can be hard to get a table. According to my best friend who's half Thai, the dishes are similar to what you find in Thai homes, so if you're used to westernized Thai menus you may find some of the dishes too spicy. While I'm quite good a handling chili, I admit some of the salads are so spicy they make my eyes water until my mascara runs. Not a good look! But the staff are cool with you asking for less spice to save yourself from this indignity. I'd recommend grabbing yourself a nice bottle of white to have with the meal to cool your palate (they do BYO), and order widely. Oh, and don't miss the chicken larb! Delish! read more

Best Thai food my husband and I have had since our 2006 honeymoon in Thailand! We love Ploy II in San Francisco, but I feel this place was even better. The panang and beef salad are on my list to get again soon! read more

Although located in the Italian precinct of Lygon Street, Ying Thai is the best and most authentic Thai food I've had in Melbourne. Everything we ordered was absolutely beautiful - the owner was working and was very charming. He helped us to order and gave us some background on the dishes (he also advised us that they were just about to close for extensive renovations - so we will be going back to check out the new Ying Thai soon). A+ read more

Authentic Thai food. Always a bit of a wait but worth it. Tom yum soup was extremely spicy but warmed my soul. Fried rice was v taste.

yingthai1 closed down but 2 is still the best not only cos the location but because the consistancy in taste read more

Ordered my Thai lunch, and it came with some Thai style vegetable and prawn, with curry. Tasting ! Food sufficient for a day

Firstly i would like to say that this restaurant has terrible customer service. And in my opinion it is kinda discriminate Asian people. When i went there, the place still has empty tables, so me and my family try to have a seat. And suddenly this "rude" waiter showed up and said that we cant seat there because someone already reserved that table "despite there was no sign reserved on the table". So they set us on cramped spot table. And meanwhile we checked the menu, we saw some customers finished , so we decided to move to that spot. But suddenly, this same "rude" waiter shout to us that we cant sit there either. I'm pretty sure it wasn't reserved. And when the next customer arrived, the waiter just let them to sit there. We kinda angry and told the manager but it seems the manager defensed their rude waiter. And because of that we decided to walk away and cancelled our lunch in this terrible restaurant. I am trully dissapointed and i would NOT recommend this restaurant to all my friend. read more