Worth the drive: why Adelaide crosses town for Rim Thang

19 July 2026 · 2 min read · Rim Thang Thai, Glenelg

Glenelg is a drive for a lot of Adelaide. And yet people keep making it — down from the city, across from the eastern suburbs, up from Brighton and Seacliff — for dinner at a small Thai kitchen on Jetty Road. We think that's worth explaining, because it says something about what people are actually driving past.

Genuinely good Thai is rarer than it should be

There's a Thai restaurant in most suburbs, but authentic Thai — pastes pounded fresh, curries cooked to order, heat that's balanced rather than just switched on — is harder to find. Once you've had the real thing, the sweet, gluggy, westernised version stops being worth the ten-minute trip, let alone the twenty-minute one.

That's the quiet reason people travel: not novelty, but the fact that the closest option isn't the best one. Our regulars from Brighton and Somerton Park worked that out a while ago.

The Jetty Road bonus

The other thing a drive to Glenelg gets you is a night, not just a meal. You're two minutes from the beach, the tram line runs the length of the strip, and the whole precinct is built for a wander before or after dinner. Come early, walk the jetty, watch the sun go down over the gulf, then sit down to curry under the lanterns.

It's a proper outing — which is exactly why it earns the drive in a way a quick local bite doesn't.

Or let us come to you

If the drive doesn't suit tonight, the food still can. We cater right across Adelaide — birthdays, office lunches, launches — bringing the same spread to your place. And if you're closer to Glenelg, there's always takeaway to carry down to the sand.

Either way, start with the menu and pick your battles. The drive's worth it. So is the delivery.