Pichai is widely praised for bold, creative Thai flavors and a shareable, neo-Thai concept that shines in dishes like scallops, pork collar, fermented pork belly, tapioca dumplings, and a memorable Thai tea tiramisu. Several reviews highlight standout plates such as papaya salad, tom yum, and the egg dish that became a showstopper, with many diners calling the flavors authentic, lively, and deeply satisfying. Portions are often described as small for the price, though the quality and variety invite tasting across multiple dishes. Service ranges from impeccable and knowledgeable with excellent wine pairings to rushed or inconsistent, with reports of staff miscommunications and, in some cases, a less welcoming atmosphere. The ambiance is noted as vibrant, cozy, and stylish, sometimes loud, occasionally a bit too dark for reading menus. The menu includes weekly specials and a chef tasting option, with vegan and vegetarian choices appreciated by many. Overall, Pichai stands out as a top Montreal Thai option and a memorable dining experience, worth a visit for those seeking bold flavors, while reservations are advised and expectations should account for occasional service inconsistencies.
Excellent resto thaï ! Il faut aimer les plats épicés. Nous avons partagé, le tartare de boeuf thaï (photo), la salade de champignons, la salade de papaye verte (très spicy), l'espadon grillé, le poulet sauté & le porc grillé. Tout était savoureux. 6 plats pour trois personnes étaient plus que suffisant. Il y avait deux cocktails disponibles & plusieurs options de vins
Première fois pour nous chez Pichaï & ce sera la dernière. Notre serveur était vraiment désagréable & a gâché notre moment. Il était tres arrogant, moqueur, & n'était pas capable d'expliquer correctement les plats (quand je lui ai demandé la différence entre tel plat & tel plat il m'a juste répété exactement ce qui était écrit sur le menu). A la fin quand je lui ai fait la remarque sur les plats que j'avais trouvé vraiment épicé, il m'a répondu avec un air arrogant & moqueur'c'est thaïlandais'…
(tiens donc je pensais que c'était portugais!)
bref il était vraiment très désagréable & nous étions contents de partir rapidement!
Quant aux plats, ils étaient bons mais loin d'être exceptionnels, les prix sont trop élevés & les portions vraiment petites. Nous sommes pourtant habitués à Pumpui & ses portions vraiment généreuses donc on pensait que ce serait la même chose mais pas du tout.
Mar 3, 2026
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Went to Pichai for dinner with a friend, & had a bunch of dishes to share that were all delicious! Loved the Som Tum Thai papaya salad & the Phai Mamuang Tod (pictured here) was flavourful, not too sweet & a delicious way to end the meal! Would recommend ordering a couple things to share ✨
I have to say this experience was far below my expectations.
I came here with a friend after seeing it promoted on social media as one of Canada's top restaurant menus. We arrived with high expectations, but unfortunately, the food did not live up to the hype.
First of all, every dish was overly salty. The seasoning was so heavy that we couldn't taste the flavors of the meat. All the meats tasted very similar because the seasoning overpowered everything. Even the tom yum soup was excessively salty.
The portion sizes were relatively small as the staff suggested. However, despite the small portions, I couldn't even finish my meal because it was simply too salty to continue eating, I had to drink so many water after every bite.
The sticky rice that came with the dish was cold & hard, as if it had been sitting out for a long time.
Service was average. The staff did briefly introduce the dishes when serving them, which I appreciated. However, no napkins were provided throughout the meal, & we only received them after asking at the very end. They didn't check on us during the meal time, the water ran out & then I stopped eating (I really can't eat more without my water because they are way too salty 😭😭😭). The chef should definitely try what they are cooking.
Overall, this experience was not pleasant & it will be my last time here.
We ordered three dishes, pork ,duck salad & Tom yum soup, & they were either too salty or too sour. All of them had a very strong, overpowering spice flavor. I've had many other Thai meals before, but the seasoning here is very unbalanced.
The lighting at our table was also very poor - it was so dark we could barely see what we were eating.…personally really don't understand why this place has such a high ranking.
Mar 1, 2026
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I visited Pichai & had a very disappointing interaction with the staff.
I simply asked whether takeout was available. The server immediately took the menu away & responded with a blunt'no,' without any explanation or courtesy. I fully understand that some restaurants don't offer takeout. However, the dismissive tone & body language were unnecessarily rude.
Hospitality should not disappear just because a customer asks a question.
We started off with the scallops which were a solid 8.5/10 but everything fell apart shortly after.
The tartare & the pork jowl were okay (maybe a 6/10 but the rice that it came with felt like cement rather than sticky rice)… the food was also way too salty
The duck dish & the noodle dish however were both irredeemably disgusting. Incredibly oily, bland & the meat feeling like the texture of pet food.
We were expecting a lot more from this restaurant based on the reviews we saw online.
Thai food is usually fragrant, spicy & delicious & honestly this joint should be shut down by the Thai embassy. (False advertisement)
We had a wonderful experience here. The food was absolutely delicious, & the wine selection was great. Our waiter was incredibly helpful & guided us to a fantastic bottle of wine & perfectly chosen dishes. Excellent service & atmosphere - we will definitely recommend this place & come back again.
Feb 6, 2026
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Everything about this restaurant was exceptional, from the food to the vibes to the service. We had:
- Beef tartare (seasoned perfectly & served with sticky rice & endives to make little wraps)
- Papaya salad (so fresh & exactly what you would expect)
- Tom Yum soup, which was one of the specials (high quality, imported seafood all cooked to tender perfection in a savoury broth that warmed us to the core)
- Tiramisu (the Thai tea flavour really shone through & it was delicious, but a tad on the sweet side. Loved the addition of coconut chips on top which added texture).
My only minor issue was the quantity of cilantro on everything, though I know this is a personal preference. The soup was also served in a vessel that was very cool (central flame to keep it warm), but felt a bit impractical for serving the soup since the ladle barely fit inside it.
There was a lovely selection of natural wines to complement the meal.
Overall, really nice ambiance & great flavours, you can tell a lot of love goes into these dishes. Would definitely return!
We asked for the chef's choice, which was 70$ on the menu. We were two people & were served 5 dishes total. At first, we thought this was reasonable at $70 (each dish averages 17-22$), but it was not explained that this price was per person, not for the table. That meant $70 each for essentially 2.5 dishes per person. With two drinks & tip, the bill came to over $200.
What was frustrating is that the dishes served were standard menu items & not larger or special portions. Doing the math afterward, it would have been cheaper to order the same dishes individually & share them.
When we brought this up, the waitress explained that the chef's choice costs more because it's a'curated experience,' even though the selections were identical to the regular menu.
Overall, we enjoyed the meal, but it was disappointing to pay significantly more for the same dishes without the pricing being clearly explained upfront.
C'était ma deuxième visite & j'ai tout aussi aimé! La plupart des plats sont délicieux (quelques-uns sont moins dans mes goûts personnellement). Mention spéciale au collet de porc grillé épicé : wow! Service super rapide. Ambiance très cozy & familiale : j'étais dans le fond complètement les deux fois & c'est peut-être un peu plus calme. C'est toutefois plus cher que dans mes souvenirs!
amazing. LOVE the scallops, fermented pork belly, grilled pork collar & thai tea tiramisu. all super flavourful super delicious.
one thing to note we got served the sticky rice with the pork belly so we thought it came with that dish & ate it all just w that but later realized it was just a sticky rice for the table :p shoulda kept some for the other dishes
Totally worthy of the hype! The flavors were unique & surprising, mouth watering deliciousness. Fun to share small plates, but oh so satisfying. My favorite eas thr tapioca dumplings, the beef tartare & the noodles. Would reccomend, snd I'll be back again soon.
Visited Pichai with a friend & I really wanted to like it, but got sick. I explained that I was celiac, which they seemed to understand & walked me through the menu. A fair amount of gluten-free options & most was dairy-free. However, they accidentally gave me the wrong salad. So, I confirmed salad was gluten free, but later came back to tell me it contained gluten after I started eating it. The main dish was also forgotten, so we had to wait a long time. Got a free cocktail for the salad issue & the other dishes were tasty, but not worth getting sick of course.
The food tasted like the one I had in Thailand, terrific. We had the beef tartare, the curry of the day & the papaya salad. Incredible 😱 I will return for sure.
Cozy & cute ambiance. The service was great & food was also pretty good. I think my expectations might have been a little high cause I heard great things & LOVE Thai. Favourite was the Tuna! Not a huge fan of the chicken & dumpling balls were interesting / original, which I liked. No Padthai & a few traditional foods you'd expect to see on the menu just FYI
