Khao Soi金面
The dish the restaurant is famous for. Curried egg noodles, crisp noodles on top, pickled mustard green on the side.
Thai · Entertainment District
Pai Northern Thai Kitchen
Khao soi in a basement that has had a queue since the day it opened
ThaiEntertainment District, Toronto$$Details being confirmed
The review
Pai has been busy every single day since it opened, which usually means a restaurant has stopped trying. This one has not. The khao soi is still the best in the city — a proper northern curry noodle, crisp noodles on top, pickled mustard green and lime to cut through it.
Order the gai zaap next to it rather than instead of it, and pad kee mao if you want the wok to do some work. The spice levels are honest: if you ask for Thai spicy you will get Thai spicy, and the kitchen will not check twice.
Honest notes: no reservations, a real queue, a windowless basement and tables you will get to know your neighbours across. Go at 11:30 or at 3pm and none of it applies.
What to order
Gai Zaap
Fried chicken with the northern spice mix. Order it alongside, not instead.
Pad Kee Mao
Drunken noodles with real wok heat and real chilli.
What works
- Khao soi genuinely worth the queue
- Heat levels are honest — ask for Thai spicy and mean it
- Good value for a downtown room
What doesn’t
- No reservations, and the wait is real
- Windowless basement
- Tables are close together and turn quickly
Verdict
Khao soi, gai zaap, off-peak. Ask for Thai spicy only if you mean it.