Same Same

Same Same is a Thai restaurant on James Street in Fortitude Valley, opened by Tyron Simon as the successor to Longtime, the Thai restaurant he launched in 2014 and which became one of Brisbane's best-known places to eat. In 2019 Simon announced that Longtime would become a function space and that a new restaurant would open on James Street, across the road from The Calile Hotel. Same Same is the result.

The building was designed by Richards and Spence, the architects of The Calile, and uses concrete, cream brick and vermiculite finishes. A central kitchen sits beneath a tall arched ceiling, with a long communal table running through the room. Compared with Longtime, the restaurant has 20 fewer seats, around 80 across the restaurant and bar, and a calmer pace, even on busy nights, while the street-level open kitchen is twice the size of the old one.

The menu draws on the flavours that made Longtime popular, with grilled dishes at its heart. Grilled chicken marinated in lemongrass, turmeric, garlic, ginger and shallots, and grilled pork neck with toasted rice, spring onion, chilli and fish sauce are among the dishes highlighted by reviewers, alongside beef short rib and som tum, the green papaya salad. Some Longtime favourites made the move across, including a lobster and turmeric curry and crispy pork belly pad see ew. The menu is best explored by ordering several dishes to share between the table.

The restaurant's wine list runs to around 140 bottles. Upstairs is Los, a green-tiled bar designed for drinks before or after dinner, with a tequila list of more than 100 bottles, so you can start or finish the evening there without leaving the building.

Same Same suits couples and small groups who enjoy bold flavours, and the communal table works for solo diners. Check the website for current opening hours and bookings before you go, as services can change.

Hellenika, on the pool deck of The Calile, is directly opposite, and Agnes, run by the same group as Same Same, is elsewhere in Fortitude Valley for another evening. Same Same's sister venues also include Bianca and Honto.