Choosing a favourite dish at this electric newcomer – brought to Chinatown by an expat crew casting off from Sydney’s Chat Tha – is like picking a favourite child, but a standout pad thai captures the energy of Bangkok street food in Melbourne. The classic version is pitch-perfect, but you can also see what regionality does to a crowd favourite with the pad thai sen jan. This stripped-back version from coast-hugging Eastern Thailand tosses chewy sen jan rice noodles with egg and king prawns, then finishes it with tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce for a sweet-sour-savoury assault that’s bracing but balanced. 11 Heffernan Ln, Melbourne; boonchoou.com

There’s a school of thought that the basic pad thai at Cookie is all a person could need – an oil-slicked tumble of rice noodles, garlic chives, peanuts and bean shoots with a wedge of lime to spark it all to life. In a word, yum. But for a few bucks extra you can customise it with tofu, prawn or chicken. Like most dishes at this beloved joint that has become part of the city’s soul, it’s cooked with enough aromats and chilli to keep you reaching for a drink – lucky then, that the beer list here is one of Melbourne’s best. 252 Swanston St, Melbourne; cookiemelbourne.com.au

For pad thai lovers, the version at Dodee Paidang is a hill to die on. Affordable, fast and served in all four Dodee Paidang venues (which are always reliably packed to the rafters with cheerful diners), this is pad thai as you’d find in Thailand, with a hefty whack of wok hei (the triangulation of oil, flame and steel which brings that unmistakably authentic smoky flavour) presenting itself as an additional ingredient on top of the usual suspects, including the umami whomp of dried shrimp melting into the wild tumble of thin noodles and the zesty hit of pickled radish. Multiple locations; dodeepaidang.com

When you’re hankering for the unofficial national dish of Thailand, it pays to think of Springvale. At this little shopping strip, you’ll find a faithful version delivering the stir-fried rice-stick noodles in a smoky, sweetish sauce humming with a dried shrimp backbeat and bolstered by a thicket of bean shoots, the subtle crunch of crushed peanut, spongy squares of fried tofu and the protein choices of pork, chicken and beef. But you should also consider dabbling in the family-run joint’s hotpot, which is a headline act and very, very good. It’s best not to get lost in the voluminous menu, or you’ll be there all day. Shop 13-14, 22-38 Queens Ave, Springvale; kaogaeng.com.au

Recently rebadged from Thai Baarn, this bright and busy joint in Bourke Street’s emerging Thai hotspot has inducted diners to a host of lesser-known regional specialties. But it’s also not above serving a damned good version of our old pal pad thai. Mark up the tick-a-box menu for a generous dish of thin rice noodles, dried shrimp, tofu, peanut and bean shoots at the kind of budget-friendly price that means you can also add the protein of your choice and leave room for moo ping (grilled pork skewers) and a fluffy crab omelette. Or just head straight for the dessert menu, where deep-fried ice cream and banana fritters await. 51 Bourke St, Melbourne; @manaaw_melbourne

Even its most ardent admirers will admit that pad thai is not the prettiest dish, but if you want to dress it up for a special occasion, draping it in a crisp egg net is a good place to start. As well as boasting good looks, the chicken version at the Smile Buffalo Black Rock OG and its glam Yarraville sibling also has its wok-smoke, lime and chilli credentials intact. If you’re drumming up other reasons to head out instead of staying home, the sweet-sour duck curry and tom yum seafood hot pots built for two are a good place to start. Multiple locations; smilebuffalothai.com.au

It’s almost unfair that this spot is ridiculously close to one of our other pad thai crushes, Jinda Thai, but those are the geographical breaks of Melbourne’s noodle economy. At this fun and squeezy space, the noodle dishes are the headline act. Their plucky take on pad thai goes full throttle, with a devil-may-care approach to citrus and a generous hand on the prawns – and wherever you fall on the chilli scale, they’ll be happy to accommodate. Balance out all those carbs by branching out into a papaya salad of distinction. They offer more than 20 varieties, so be prepared for some indecision. 241 Victoria St, Abbotsford; @tomtoon_thai

It’s hiding in an off-Victoria Street location, but follow your nose to this backstreet warehouse that’s the home of a fragrant Thai restaurant many swear is the best in Melbourne. A lengthy menu extends its welcoming philosophy to pad thai, which rolls off the sizzling wok production line in chicken, prawn or mixed seafood form – extra points for the pickled turnip addition, no matter which way you jump – or opt for the full vegan experience. While you’re here, expand your noodle horizons with yum woon sen (glass noodles in spicy salad dressing) and lad na with crisp egg noodles in rich soy-based gravy. 1 Ferguson St, Abbotsford; jindathaimelbourne.com

Relive those memories of your last jaunt to Phuket at this city spot, which was opened a few years ago by a group of homesick expats from Southern Thailand. Regional specialties are the focus here – think spicy crab meat curry with vermicelli noodles, mackerel fried rice or malindjo leaves (think spinach on a tropical holiday) stir-fried with egg – but they’re also happy to accommodate the less adventurous among us who just want to sink into the universal comfort of pad thai. Theirs goes straight for the pleasure receptors with an expert balance of the flavour wheel – squeeze that lime and let the sparks fly. 271 Flinders Ln, Melbourne; @patong_melbourne