OUR STORY
From a Chiang Mai street stall to your table in Australia.
Khao Soi was built by a chef and an architect who couldn’t stop thinking about one bowl of soup.
The world's #1 soup
It beat ramen. It beat pho.
In 2022, TasteAtlas — the world’s largest catalogue of traditional foods — ranked Khao Soi as the #1 best soup on the planet. It beat ramen. It beat pho. It beat tom yum.
For us, that wasn’t news. That was Tuesday lunch in Chiang Mai.
But we knew most people in Australia had never tried it. Or had tried something labelled Khao Soi that didn’t quite hit. So we got to work.
The founders
Built by two people who couldn’t let it go.
Yuwat
Co-founder & Chef · From Chiang Mai
Yuwat grew up in Chiang Mai, where Khao Soi isn’t a special-occasion dish — it’s breakfast, lunch, and a midnight snack. He trained in Northern Thai kitchens, then spent years cooking in restaurants across Asia and Australia.
The recipe at Khao Soi is his — the broth, the curry paste, the balance of coconut and chilli. He still pounds the paste fresh, the same way his family did.
If you eat Khao Soi in Chiang Mai and then eat ours, you should feel like the same person made both. That’s the test.
— Yuwat
Pitt
Co-founder & Hospitalitarian · Architect by training
Pitt trained as an architect before falling in love with hospitality. He’s spent years building, designing, and managing restaurants — the kind of person who notices the height of the chairs, the warmth of the lighting, the rhythm of how a dining room moves.
He runs the front of house, the brand, and the growth. Every Khao Soi location bears his signature: a place that feels like somewhere you’d want to stay.
A great restaurant is a hundred small decisions. Get them right, and the food has room to shine.
— Pitt
Our philosophy
Northern Thai roots. Modern soul.
1. Honour the source.
The recipe comes from Chiang Mai. We don’t dilute it, fusion it, or “Australianise” it. The base broth is Yuwat’s family recipe, full stop.
2. Welcome the world.
We borrow from Japan (katsu, saba, matcha), the West (cocktails, brunch), and China (Melbourne’s Little Bourke is Chinatown for a reason). Every borrowing serves the dish.
3. Make it for everyone.
Vegetarian. Vegan. Gluten-free. Kids. Spice lovers. Spice avoiders. There’s a Khao Soi at our table for you.
The Khao • Soi — カオ•ソーイ identity
Why the Japanese on our logo?
If you look closely at our brand, you’ll see カオ•ソーイ — the Japanese katakana spelling of “Khao Soi”.
It’s a nod to one of the most influential food cultures of our generation, and to the way we serve our dish: with katsu, saba, matcha, and the same care for craft you’d find in a great Japanese kitchen.
Northern Thai at the core. Open to the world.
