Ying Thai 2

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  5     

I'm convinced there are better options than this restaurant in Lygon Street. My partner and I visited this restaurant and when we asked for an extra chicken skewer to make it 6 per serve as were sharing, we were told "no that can't be done". As my partner and I are don't eat big portions, we quite often split a dish between us and this has never been a problem before in having an extra piece of a serving.

Also when we ordered, the waiter came back and simply dumped in the middle of the table, the plates, napkins and cutlery for us to set up. Strange! Needless to say, our first time and last.

May 06, 2011 

5.5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  3      Value  8     

With the price you pay and the sizeable amount you get, YT2 is definitely a great hangout worth going back. If only they had the tapioca dessert, I will so get one and stuff it down my already full lunch! Maybe I will try some other signature dishes and the famous tom yum soup in the future so as to boost my “resume” on Thai food. Hahah…

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Apr 29, 2011 

4.3 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  4     

Tasty thai food but nothing special. Hard to get the waiters attention, and the serving size is relatively small for a thai place. Maybe because of the location, the food isn't cheap either. But in carlton, this is one of the better thai places, so I keep going back.

Apr 14, 2011 

2 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  2     

This used to be one of the best Thai joints in Melbourne but there is now imitation crab in the seafood dishes and fish with three flavour sauce (while still really tasty) has shrunk to the size of a fish finger. Damn shame.

Apr 06, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  8     

Tom Yum soup with seafood is certainly my top-favorite here.

Dec 11, 2010 

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  2      Value  2     

The food was very bland, not creative nor inspiring and frankly quite unappealing. The decor was old and dirty and I could imagine an outbreak of food poisoning occuring here. I felt lucky to escape unscathed.

Aug 07, 2010 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  8     

I love the seafood tom yum and crispy pork skin! Green curry is not bad. Thai ice tea is a tad too sweet but still very nice. I've eaten Thai food in Bangkok, Krabi and Phuket. I must say Ying Thai II is as good as the original Thai food! For photos and more detailed, see here http://mira-o.blogspot.com/2010/07/probably-best-thai-restaurant-in.html

Jul 21, 2010 

3.8 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  4     

Service was aweful! can't understand why is the place always full, there are plenty other Thai restaurants with much better food in Melbourne.

Jun 28, 2010 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  9     

I'm always suspicious of restaurants with spruikers outside. "If the food were good enough they wouldn't have to beg passer-bys to eat there," I think to myself. And sure enough, YT2 is one of the few restaurants on Lygon that doesn't need to drag pedestrians inside because it's always full. And it's always full because it's really good.

The food is fantastic. Affordable and authentic, with generous portions and coconut rice to die for. To die for. There's a huge variety of food (which is normally a red flag, but everything I've tried has been good to excellent) and it particularly shines when you go with friends and are able to order a lot of dishes to share. The service is efficient and friendly. Unfortunately, it can get quite loud at times, so it's not the place to go if you want deep and meaningful conversation. Though you'll probably be too busy inhaling the food to say very much.

Dec 21, 2009 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  9     

This would have to be one of the best Thai restaurants, if not the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne! We have taken a couple of international visitors who have lived in Thailand and they have heard about Ying Thai 2 and that it is the most authentic thai restaurant to visit when in Australia. First thing you will notice is that the restaurant is always busy, even on weeknights.

I would suggest making a booking so that you are not disappointed if you just turn up. If you can't get a table you can always order take away and eat it in one of the nearby parks. The food is excellent, however, be careful of some of the dishes as they are very spicy, make sure you check with your waiter beforehand to see if they can do it mild if you can't handle hot. My personal favourites are the Thai green curry and the thai fried rice with duck, but everything's good.

The only fault I have with the restaurant is the service as they can be slow, but normally they are pretty good. You definitely must try this restaurant!

Oct 20, 2009