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Pai Northern Thai Kitchen

4.4 (4k reviews)
ModerateThai
Open • 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

Order Pai Northern Thai Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

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PAI NORTHERN THAI KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Classy
Loud
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Pai Northern Thai Kitchen

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Ashley C.

Loved this spot and was well worth the wait. Service did take a bit long to start but once we ordered, food came out quick. Everything was very fresh and tasty. Highly recommend getting the beef salad, khao soi, and pad pra grow. If you're in the area, definitely recommend visiting.

Jasmine M.

This is my second time visiting this lovation, and this time was just as good as the first time I came here. This time, we got the chicken wings, which we didn't get last time, and they were amazing! The flavor on them was We got the exact same entrees as last time: khao soi and pad see ew. Both were very flavorful and honestly complemented each other well. We were stuffed by the time we finished, so portions were also perfectly sized. For a Michelin restaurant, the dishes were also super affordable! We will be back again!

Panang curry
Sheel S.

Dearest Vegetarian reader, Overall have been to better Thai places, unfortunately. Got the garlic tofu (basic flavourless tofu with good, but basic, sauce). Panang curry they did well, better with our own added spices on top. Next time would maybe not happen again? Or will go to try Massamun and/or Green curry!

Pad see ew with fried egg and roasted pork
Phuong P.

Makes sense why they got Michelin recognized! That wholesome authentic Thai flavour comes through in every dish from apps to mains! Be prepared they can get busy.

Vanessa A.

Was really looking forward to trying this spot since I've heard so many good things, but honestly, I was a little disappointed. I've had better Thai food in the city. The Pad Thai was missing some flavour for me, and my friends thought the curry and Khao Soi were just okay. The service was great though! Everyone was really attentive and friendly, which I appreciated.

coconut sorbet
Sia B.

WOW! This place was exactly what was needed to start our trip in toronto. I heard about this place from locals and was definitely not disappointed! We ordered so much food (*not all pictures because we were insanely hungry & devoured). The entire atmosphere was such a lovely and cozy vibe and our server was the sweetest and most welcoming person. We ordered spring rolls, green curry, panang curry, pad thai, pad see ew, and mango sorbet. Everything was soo delicious but my favorites have to be the pad see ew and the mango sorbet. The mango sorbet had a crunch from the peanuts with a balance of the sweeter flavors. I'd you're ever in the area, i can't recommended it enough!

Nat L.

walking into pai feels a little like stepping into a northern thai dining room that somehow landed in the middle of downtown toronto. the space is big, atmospheric and full of character, eclectic with exposed brick and rough stone walls, warm wood, strings of lights, and paper lanterns. then there's the wall of framed photographs, with portrait after portrait packed together like a scrapbook of people who have passed through the restaurant over the years. it gives the room a lived in, almost cinematic quality, and you can't help but look around and wonder who has eaten here before you. i arrived as a solo diner and was put on the waitlist, but thankfully only waited about five minutes before being shown to my table. and i was very happy with where they put me. the elevated solo seating gave me a proper little perch overlooking the restaurant, which was considerably nicer than being parked at the bar simply because i was dining alone. as a solo diner, those details matter, and this felt like a thoughtful touch rather than an afterthought. once settled in, i started looking through the menu and immediately spotted something i don't see on a thai menu every day: northern thai laab. that was the moment my decision was basically made. before the food arrived, i ordered the sober sangria, a non alcoholic option made with guava juice, lychee, pineapple chunks, with a splash of ginger ale. it was fruity, bright and refreshing, with enough tropical sweetness to make it feel like a proper drink rather than an afterthought. it also made a nice opening act for the more savoury, aromatic flavours that followed. then came the northern thai laab, made with a house made paste of peppercorn, garlic, shallots, galangal, lemongrass, dried chillies and fennel, with a choice of protein. i went with the pork, which arrived with crispy pork rinds, mint leaves and scallions, alongside sticky rice, cucumber, long green beans and lettuce leaves. this was the kind of dish that made me glad i had spotted it. the flavours were earthy, aromatic and layered, with the galangal coming through clearly alongside the garlic, herbs and dried chillies. the pork was savoury and hearty, while the northern thai spice paste brought that distinctive warmth without overwhelming everything else. the pork rinds added a lovely crispy, salty richness, and the fresh cucumber, long beans and lettuce brought plenty of crunch and freshness to the plate. i especially liked the way everything worked together rather than simply eating the laab on its own. a little sticky rice, some laab, a few herbs and vegetables, tucked into a lettuce leaf, messy in the best possible way, and exactly the sort of meal that encourages you to keep building one more bite. there's also a certain sense of occasion to eating here. pai is recognized by the michelin guide as a northern thai restaurant, and its reputation has clearly travelled well beyond toronto. the walls covered in photographs are a pretty entertaining reminder of that, with plenty of recognizable faces among the collection. it feels less like a restaurant trying to tell you that it's famous and more like a room that has accumulated its own history over time. and clearly, the popularity isn't just photographic evidence. when i was leaving, there was still a lineup of people waiting to get in. pai intentionally keeps a good portion of its seating available for walk ins, so the waitlist system seems to be very much part of the experience. i had arrived after a late start to the day and wasn't particularly hungry, so i honestly wasn't sure how much enthusiasm i would have for a full meal. somehow, the northern thai laab changed that. between the warm, atmospheric room, the thoughtful solo seating, the refreshing sober sangria and a dish that felt distinctive enough to be worth seeking out, this turned into one of those meals that ends up being much more memorable than you expected.

Laab Salad - beef
Linda H.

Loved. The space is beautiful and filled with energetic people having a great time with their friends and family. You can't help but smile in anticipation and then smile from how wonderful your meal is. I sat by myself in the back with all the other table for ones for dinner during a weekday. No wait for me because it was just for one. (At around 6pm, a table for two was around 30-35 minutes.) I had the morning glory with crispy pork and the beef larb salad. I had both dishes, fully. It was fabulous. I've already texted friends about this place.

Pad Gra Prow and Khao Soi
Emily G.

Yummy Thai food with fresh ingredients. For two people we got the papaya salad w/dried shrimp, Khao Soi w/shrimp, and pad gra prow w/crispy pork. We ordered medium spicy for the papaya salad and it only had a slight kick. I wished the salad portion was more as it was gone pretty quickly. It comes with shrimp chips, pork rinds, and 2 small bundles of rice noodles. The dried shrimp in the salad was very chewy though, which made it a bit less enjoyable. I ended up picking them all out. We ordered spicy for the pad gra prow but it wasn't spicy at all. I think you can ask for the Thai chilis/ Thai chili fish sauce thing on the side but we decided we were fine with no spicy. Unfortunately the crispy pork was not crispy at all and was also very chewy. Overall it was still delicious! The Khao soi mightve honestly been the least favorite, but it was still good. It is on the sweeter side. The egg noodles were cooked al dente and had a nice chew. Sometimes when I get Khao soi it ends up being too heavy or creamy, but the curry for this one was thinner and easy to eat. The shrimp was the best part - super fresh and bouncy. In the end I thought the portions and quality were good. The service was also super nice, and it was impressive to see our waitress cover so many tables. The restrooms were also clean.

Vermicelli Yum Kanom Jeen 'Rice Noodle Salad' with tofu and a
Diane Y.

After a busy day of sightseeing, we wanted some yummy food to take back to our hotel and eat in the room. After looking on Yelp, we decided on Pai Northern Thai. The menu had several vegetarian/vegan options plus all other options. I ordered online and it was ready when we got there. I asked for some bowls and cutlery and got some. Everything was packed well and still warm when we got back to our room.

pad thai
Elaine S.

My favorite Thai food place in Toronto!! Came on a Saturday night and expected a long line, but they said it was going to be a 30-45 minute wait for a party of 6. We actually got called in around 20 minutes though, which was great. They asked us if we were okay with a shared/communal table, so maybe that's why it was faster, but the shared tables are not bad at all. We ended up getting seated right in front of the TV while a FIFA game was going on, so the vibes were great. The staff were also super friendly and would stop by to watch and chat for bits at a time. Every time I come, I always order the pad thai and the khao soi. The pad thai is amazing and not too sweet or sour. The khao soi was also delicious and the braised beef was so tender. For drinks, I ordered the Thai iced tea, which is a little on the sweeter side, but was great once the ice melted a little bit. Overall great food, great vibes, would definitely come back!!

Alcove where they seat single people
Olivia L.

Randomly found this place when searching for Thai food, showed up and it was an hour wait but I knew it was gonna be good when I saw the amount of people waiting and the Michelin Guide sign. so I came back another night at 8pm by myself and got seated right away. Although I was seated in an awkward alcove area that felt like sitting in a crevice behind the wall to the rest of the restaurant. Very odd placement for seats but it worked. I got the pineapple shake and Massman curry and it was so flavorful and delicious!! Highly recommend

Pad thai
Ania D.

Very yummy. Usually a wait. Food is very flavourful. Quite busy and bustling and loud.

Chef Nuit's Pad Thai

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21 days ago

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29 days ago

Overall, a good experience. The food was excellent, the ambiance was pleasant, and the service was decent with some room for improvement.

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Lao Lao Bar - Mango with pandan sticky rice

Lao Lao Bar

4.3(168 reviews)
2.0 km•Bay Street Corridor, Downtown Core

Been here twice and had two very different experiences…read more I was here for the first time on March 15, 2025, for my birthday dinner. I'd made a reservation for four which was great because the restaurant was very busy. My group ordered several different full-sized entrees and shared the meal family style. The dishes were all executed flawlessly. I came here again for a work team lunch in August 2026. It was easy to book a reservation for a large group; the restaurant was not busy at all on a weekday afternoon. Most of the group ordered from the lunch special menu offered at the time which allowed diners to pick around three menu items from the special menu for around $22. The server was honest and explained that the items on the lunch special menu are not made to order and are prepared in bulk. I really appreciate this honesty, as I ended up ordering from the special menu and experienced the difference in quality. The waiter was again honest and courteous when the bills came out, reminding us that gratuity was already included. He was also friendly and helpful when we asked for a group photo before heading out.

For many in our party of five, this was their first meal in Toronto (it was my first dinner). Most…read moreof them said this really set the bar high for meals in Toronto especially since we were going to Niagara the next day and they expected mediocre touristy food. We ordered the tapioca dumplings, papaya fritters, beef massaman curry, nam khao, drunken noodles w chicken, mok pa, and watermelon salad. Overall I think the food was good although some items were a skip (drunken noodles and watermelon salad). For a cheaper price I've had more delicious drunken noodles, these were just fine. The watermelon salad was literally cut watermelon lol please. However, the rest of the food was really good. My top three items were the tapioca dumplings, nam khao, and beef massaman curry, in that order. I have had delicious tapioca dumplings in Madison, WI and have been chasing those item for years now and this really delivered. I love nam khao and have had various versions - this isn't the best I've had (I had a phenomenal one in Chicago) but it was still sooooo good. Beef massaman curry exceeded my (low/neutral) expectations. Service was incredible, the waitress was so nice and helpful. It is a fun decor in there as well and so much bigger than I thought it would be (tbf I didn't have a specific expectation, but it does have many rooms).

Photos
Lao Lao Bar - Main dining room

Main dining room

Lao Lao Bar - Green Papaya fritters. Must order.

Green Papaya fritters. Must order.

Lao Lao Bar - Cocktail and glass of Cabernet Sauvignon

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Cocktail and glass of Cabernet Sauvignon

Koh Lipe - Pad thai

Koh Lipe

4.1(398 reviews)
1.0 km•Downtown Core
•$$

This place is amazing every time I go. We sat on the patio, which was lovely. It's even decorated…read morebeautifully with this kayak filled with roses. And it seems like they've bought the place next-door and that has a sort of under the sea theme, which is really cool. Our server was really quick to come over and help us get her order and give us some good suggestions. We got the appetizer with The wrapping being made of tofu. They were delicious! Very flavorful. Khao Pad was delicious with nice baked chunks of pineapple in it and these little crispy bits that I don't know what they were, but they were delicious. We also had the Pad Gra Prao which was spicier which I love, and the egg was cooked perfectly and the green beans have such a nice crunch of them. This is for sure my favourite Thai restaurant in Toronto.

Ate here a few months ago on a whim and really enjoyed it. I ordered the chicken pad see ew, mango…read moresalad and Diet Coke. I was absolutely blown away; I'd never had pad see ew this good. Coke was from a can and crisp. I came here again last night with a friend and we ordered the poh pia tod (spring rolls), chicken pad see ew, khao neow gaeng (stir-fried pineapple chicken with coconut curry sticky rice) and a Coke. I've never had anything like the khao neow gaeng before and encourage anyone to try it. I enjoyed myself just as much as the first time and will absolutely be back again.

Photos
Koh Lipe - Hanging fish in the interior.

Hanging fish in the interior.

Koh Lipe - Luok Jhim  (Steamed Shrimp, Mussels, Squid & Fish with Chili Lime Saucehttps://www.instagram.com/the.wanderin.foodie/)

Luok Jhim (Steamed Shrimp, Mussels, Squid & Fish with Chili Lime Saucehttps://www.instagram.com/the.wanderin.foodie/)

Koh Lipe

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Som Tum Jinda - Tum Mae Jeab

Som Tum Jinda

4.3(92 reviews)
1.6 km•Church-Yonge Corridor, Downtown Core

So busy on a Thursday! Not a big place but filled with people. Their known for their papaya salads…read moreand get ready for some heat! Lol Food is good here. But when it gets busy, service is lacking.

We made a reservation for a weekday lunch. The restaurant was busy but not packed…read more I definitely recommend ordering to share rather than eating only one of something. I found the dishes to be quite heavy-handed on the seasoning (borderline too salty), so the variety helps. Panang Curry - very flavorful, slightly sweet, and very savory. Had a nice kick to it! Som Tum Tod (fried papaya salad) - ordered it because it was their signature but I thought it was too salty and crunchy. And I got kind of tired of the fried aspect of it. Wished I ordered the fresh papaya salad instead. The heat and garlic is nice though. Decently sized portion so you can share it with the whole table. Pad Woonsen Cha-Om (Minced Pork & glass noodle, egg, garlic and acacia leaves) - my first time trying this dish! It was really good! It kind of filled the role of "fried rice" to me, mellowing out all of the stronger flavours of the other dishes. Still quite flavourful on its own too. Felt like a Thai-spin on the Korean dish, Japchae. Kai Yang (grilled chicken) - oh my gosh the sauce this chicken comes with is TO DIE FOR. I want to buy it or learn how to make it. It's so fragrant, fresh, spicy, aromatic, and just the right amount of fishy and acidic. We were very full sharing these 4 dishes between 3 people. For the fact that this is Michelin Bib Gourmand, I think it is well-priced and a great place to try!

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Som Tum Jinda - Interior

Interior

Som Tum Jinda - Fried frog legs

Fried frog legs

Som Tum Jinda - Mango mojito

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Mango mojito

Khao San Road - Green curry

Khao San Road

3.9(1.8k reviews)
0.4 km•Entertainment District, Downtown Core, Waterfront Communities-The Island
•$$

Toronto's Thai food scene never fails to disappoint. Whenever I'm there, I got to try a new Thai…read morerestaurant to see how it fairs up to the other ones. This time we ended up at Khao San Road, which was busy from the get go. We got there a couple minutes before opening at 5pm, and before you knew it, there was a line waiting behind us. Inside was quite spacious between tables, and they were playing throwback tracks. We ordered a mango salad to share, which was okay but not my favourite. It got really sour near the end but next time I would try the papaya salad instead. For my personal main, I got the Pad Thai with no spice. It was still very flavourful and the noodles were cooked perfectly. One thing I appreciate is that the portion size is huge!! For me, this could've easily been 2, if not 3 meals. The Thai iced tea was also really good but on the sweeter side. A good restaurant to try if you're coming from out of town, wouldn't be disappointed.

Khao San Road is a staple in Toronto for sensational, bold Thai food! The atmosphere is dark, cool,…read moreand lively, making it a go-to spot for dates or nights out with friends. The food is undeniably rich, fresh, and authentically spicy. Standout dishes like the Bangkok-Style Pad Thai, rich Khao Soi, and crisp Squash Fritters deliver incredible depth of flavor every single time. Portion sizes are generous, and the spice levels are no joke--if you ask for Thai spicy, they mean it! Expect a bit of a wait during peak hours, but it remains one of the best Thai dining experiences in the city.

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Khao San Road
Khao San Road - Khao Soi with Chicken (~CAD$22)

Khao Soi with Chicken (~CAD$22)

Khao San Road - Bangkok-style Pad Thai (~CAD$22) with Beef (+CAD$1.50)

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Bangkok-style Pad Thai (~CAD$22) with Beef (+CAD$1.50)

Pai Northern Thai Kitchen - thai - Updated October 2026

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