Best Thai Restaurants in Darwin

Hanuman restaurant has developed a devoted following in no less than three Australian cities. The Darwin restaurant continues to pick up awards, year after year, for its sensational menu of Thai and Indian cuisine. While the menu does its bit to lure the crowds, the Hanuman dining room also plays its part. With dramatic high ceilings, mood lighting and Hindu iconography peppered around the room, this restaurant knows how to make a meal special.

A popular Darwin hotspot, Nirvana Restaurant and Bar will put you in a trance with its combination of tasty Asian cuisine, sumptuous, eclectic décor and live entertainment. Split into multiple sections, Nirvana features a cocktail bar, jazz lounge and relaxed dining area which serves a melange of Thai, Indian and Malay flavours. A creative cocktail should help to tame the spicy cuisine on offer, while the live belly dancing is bound to make your night a memorable one.

A small strip of shops in Casuarina plays host to Thai Thai, a cute little restaurant that leaves no doubt about the cuisine it serves. The menu offers all the south-east Asian dishes you'd expect from your local Thai restaurant, from pad Thai to massaman curry but Thai Thai is best known for its laksa, which the kitchen sends out steaming hot and piled with fresh veggies.

A Thai restaurant that serves all the expected curries, stir fries and noodles, Mellow Thai is unique in that you can drop in at any time of the day for a feed. Breakfast is more of an Asian fusion menu, with regular cafe favourites and sweet treats available. At lunch and dinner times, the south-east Asian menu kicks in and you won't be disappointed by the freshness or flavour of the dishes.

At Bamboo Lounge, fresh and exciting Asian cuisine is served in a casual relaxed setting. Chill out on their lounges with an exotic imported beer or wine. Try the fragrant Thai duck curry, or fresh locally sourced Barramundi all with a creative and exotic twist. Flavours are inspired by the exotic flavours of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia & Nepal taking the best from each and using fresh produce, most of which is sourced locally.

Rendezvous Cafe is exactly the place you'd hope to have a secret meeting; it's low-key and out-of-the-way, tucked in a small mall, the Star Arcade, in Darwin's CBD. The no-frills eatery has an authentic approach in the kitchen, which churns out traditional Thai and Malaysian-style street fare. Rendezvous Cafe boasts some of Darwin's best laksa and fragrant massaman beef curry at excellent prices.

This is a public service announcement: If chilli mudcrab is on the menu at Bangkok Hut Restaurant, order it. This is a dish Darwin locals will travel across town for, it's that good. Set on the retail and dining strip leading up to the Mitchell Centre, Bangkok Hut is a Thai restaurant with plenty to like about it. All the produce, but particularly the seafood on offer here is fresh and treated with zingy flavours.