You think you know Pad Thai. You’ve ordered it hungover, you’ve ordered it as a “safe choice” on a first date, you’ve maybe even had strong opinions about whether it needs a lime wedge (it does, don’t @ us). But if you rock up to Krung, Haymarket’s brand new 85-seat Thai restaurant-slash-late-night-bar, prepare to have your entire Pad Thai worldview gently, deliciously dismantled.
Krung has just landed in the heart of Thai Town on Pitt Street, and it’s the work of Chayakorn Kulthanachaidech (the brains behind Abb Air Thai Cuisine 1982) who’s joined forces with Naruedom Nukraihong, formerly of Chat Thai – basically Thai food royalty teaming up to remind Sydney that Thailand is a whole country, not a single takeaway menu.
The concept is simple: Four regions.Four Pad Thais. Zero chill.
There’s the Sukhothai Heritage Pad Thai from the North – BBQ pork, crispy pork crackling, dried shrimp and peanuts, basically the version that skipped leg day never. Then the Classic Central, the one you already know and love, tamarind and tofu doing their thing in perfect harmony. Head south for the Chaiya, which throws coconut and deeper savoury flavours into the mix thanks to Malay influence and some serious coastal energy. And finally, the Chanthaburi Sen Chan, an East Thailand seafood situation using the actual noodles that started this whole Pad Thai business in the first place. It’s basically a geography lesson you can eat, and honestly more fun than anything you learned in Year 10.
“Most people know Pad Thai, but fewer realise how much it changes from region to region,” says Kulthanachaidech, which is the kind of quietly devastating fact that will have you side-eyeing every Pad Thai you’ve ever ordered from a food court.
But Krung isn’t just about noodles playing dress-up. The menu goes deep into charcoal-grilled everything, wok-fried favourites and curries that mean business, headlined by the Whole Bang Rachan Charcoal-Grilled Chicken – a free-range yellow chicken marinated overnight and grilled for a full hour, because apparently good things come to those who wait, and also to those who show up hungry.
Then there’s the bar, which has taken the classic cocktail canon and given it a very glamorous Thai makeover. The Mieng Kham Colada swaps out your basic Piña Colada for betel leaf, roasted coconut and tropical fruit – tropical holiday energy, minus the questionable resort wristband. Meanwhile the Sa-Thu Daisy floats in lotus, lychee and Khao Hom rice spirit for something that tastes like it belongs at a Royal Thai garden party you weren’t invited to but are absolutely crashing.
And here’s the plot twist Sydney’s night owls have been waiting for: Krung serves until 4am on weekends. Somewhere between the hand-painted mural tracing Thailand’s ancient capitals through to modern Bangkok (and, fittingly, Sydney), the live music, and the draped windows that make you forget you’re still technically in Haymarket, this place is engineered for the kind of dinner that quietly, deliciously turns into a 1am situation. No judgement. We’ve all been there.
Open daily from 11:30am, with restaurant seating, a proper bar and communal tables built for sharing plates (and gossip), Krung wants you for lunch, dinner, and then again later. Much, much later.
Krung Shop 137, 414–418 Pitt Street, Haymarket Monday–Sunday, 11:30am-late.
Leave a Reply