Epicerie Pumpui earns high marks for flavorful Thai cooking and generous portions in a cozy, intimate setting, making it a go-to casual spot in Montreal. Dishes like pad Thai and various curries are repeatedly praised, with many calling the pad Thai among the best they've had and the yellow curry and fish balls curry standout choices; mango sticky rice, sometimes paired with a tangy tamarin sauce or a seasonal pear variation, is frequently described as divine. The menu feels authentic yet approachable, and service is described as friendly, efficient, and attentive, even when the small space fills up and lines form. Reviews highlight great value for money and quick service, though a few note inconsistent elements such as occasional grittiness in noodles, overly salty pads, or not fully authentic notes for some tastes. Overall, Epicerie Pumpui is seen as a reliable, beloved neighborhood Thai spot with a loyal following, ideal for a casual meal, takeout, or a lively dinner, with the caveat of limited seating and possible waits.
I've spent a few months in Thailand & my all time favorite is the red curry. First time going to Pumpui yesterday & I've tasted their fish ball green curry, tofu red curry, shrimp & tofu pad Thai, the cabbage salad & the potato appetizer. I'd recommend the green curry sauce, but the kind of daikons in it were just weird & huge. Once removed, there wasn't much left beside the fish balls. Pad Thai was alright, but the tofu was quite dry. I didn't like the red curry that tasted too much like tomatoes - We were 3 & no one wanted to finish the dish. The potatoes were good. The salad was very unbalanced (super strong smell of coconut, big chunks of ginger, just not fun) & no one wanted to finish this one neither. I will not go back.
Thai person review: Dishes we ordered: Pad Kaprao (beef) & Peach Sticky Rice (mango was out of season) Overall: 3/5 Went there in December 2022, just a few month since I arrived in Montreal. Pad Kaprao was my usual go-to meal when I was in Thailand, so I started searching where I could get one. Stumbled upon a recommendation of this Épicerie Pumpui, & the picture of Pad Kaprao in the review looked nice. So we went there, & came back uncertain how we should feel about the meal. Pad Kaprao tasted somewhat better than what you can expect from other westernised thai restaurants, & it could have been an okay/decent dish had it been something else completely. The dish did not taste like any Pad Kaprao that I knew. Key flavours were not there. Fish sauce - garlic - hot peppers in hot wok, none of it was strong enough to represent a proper Pad Kaprao. Still, it was not a bad dish, you just have to get your expectation right. & please note that I am rating this with a thai palette, I don't know if foreigners, especially westerners who usually eat food with milder flavours, would like it better than me or not. Also, I am sure that other dishes that are easier to nail such as Gaeng Gai (Chicken Red Curry) or more neutral dish would be fine. (Pad Kaprao is a very simple dish, but when done incorrectly, it can be far off.) For peach sticky rice (no photos, sadly), I have to say that it's not bad at all. The portion might be a little bit too modest for the price, but well. It is what it is, I guess. Atmosphere was very nice. The place was very tight & cozy, & there were a lot of people when I went there. I guess that helped boost the coziness. Service, on the other hand, was not impressive at all. It was not too different from any service you could get elsewhere in Montreal, but they just didn't seem to care that much (they're also busy, I get that, still, could be a bit nicer). Most of other thai restaurants in Montreal would offer better services (with some exception, of course).
Have been here 3 times. Green & red curry, Pad Pak Kanaa Moo Grob, Pad Kaprao with Pork, & pad thai all fantastic. I was unsure yesterday so I asked the server at takeout line & was given great recommendations. Best I have tasted in the city. Service friendly & courteous
Mar 2, 2024
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Absolument délicieux, un festival de saveurs ! Je ne recommande pas le PadThai en revanche, les autres plats sortent davantage de l'ordinaire & sont encore meilleurs. L'unique dessert à la carte est fantastique également. 10/10
J'ai commandé un pad Thai aux crevettes, c'était savoureux, un peu cher pour une portion pour une resto principalement de take out (23$ avec taxes). Notez qu'il y a autant sinon plus de tofu que de crevettes dans le pad thaï aux crevettes. Mais c'était bon
Excellent takeout experience! They forgot to give us the wine we ordered at pickup & after we called them, they delivered the wine to us even though we were slightly out of their delivery zone. Oh, & the food was so delicious! The shrimp pad Thai & the greens were highlights.
The chicken wings were so crispy & delicious, & come sitting in a killer sweet chili sauce. Very good pad Thai, flavourful & packed with crunchy peanuts. & we absolutely loved trying the different lime+chili fish sauces sitting on the table. The pear sticky rice did not hit the spot we were looking for with the mango one, mainly due to the star anise/cardamom/cinammon spice blend that the fruit was poached in. Seating was a bit cramped if you are assigned to the window seats, especially with our winter coats on our laps. Whoever sits by the curtains to the left of the entrance is sure to get elbowed a couple of times by patrons walking in.
Jan 7, 2024
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Excellent pad thai au tofu, portion parfaite & service sympathique pour emporter je n ai jamais été déçu depuis leur ouverture. Si vous aimez la nourriture goûteuse c est à essayer & oui ils sont bien occupé!
Went here with great expectations from reviews & unfortunately was a let down. First this place is kid friendly as they don't have high chair or boosters seats & don't have a teaspoons either for kids. Second, we wanted to sit for our comfort. as we have a 3 year old, on the big table for four & was told that we would have to move if there's a big group. We decided to sit on the small table as who honestly wants to move while we are trying to enjoy our meal? Also there was already a group of 3 one of the 3 tables while there was 2 other tables with 3 spots. Not sure why they would tell us that they would have to move us instead of them as I'm sure they were'warned' also. Other than that, service was great. Now I really wanted to like the food however I've eated in many Thai restaurants & I don't know how this place has a high review as our main 2 meals were salty which was the Pad Thai Tofu Shrimp & the Stir Fry Pork. The Stir Fry Pork was suppose to be spicy & there was hardly any hint of spice. I asked the waiter just to check if they made it not spicy because I have a kid & he said no & also said that it's suppose to be spicy. Chicken wings was okay & the only thing I enjoyed is the pumpkin fritter. All in all I was very disappointed on the food & what they said about moving us to the small table which was very tight btw for 2 main meals & 2 appetizers. This is honestly the first restaurant that ever told me that they would tell us to move if there was a group of 4 or more. I honestly should have left after they said that but really wanted to try their cuisine which was also a let down.
Nov 19, 2023
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Walk in experience.
We waited 20 min for spot, they actually sat others before us despite being first.
Guess what Who cares life is too short to make a deal out of it.
We did get complimentary cabbage salad for the wait :)
We also tried Pad Thai , chicken wings & peach sticky rice dessert.
Everything was spot on amazing with my leaning towards the wings.
Will be back sooner rather than later.
Staff & service is on point
Came here for lunch & sat out on there terrasse. Really great service with a cool vibe. It’s the sister restaurant of pichai so I had high expectations. We ordered the crispy pork, yellow curry, cabbage salad & the special of the week which was this corn salad with fish cakes. All the dishes were well balanced, fresh & delicious! I wish the vegetables in the yellow curry were cut smaller & were a bit spicier but all in all really good! Highly recommend the crispy pork & will be back to try their pad Thai.
