Restaurant Pichai centers its culinary focus on the vibrant and bold traditions of Thai cuisine, prioritizing the integration of intense aromatics and precise heat levels. The kitchen specializes in authentic grill preparations that highlight the natural qualities of fresh seafood and premium fish cuts. Patrons encounter a direct approach to flavor where fermented seasonings and fresh herbs define each prepared dish. This establishment emphasizes a straightforward engagement with regional Thai cooking methods to deliver complex profiles in every bite. The environment remains dedicated to the delivery of these high-impact ingredients through traditional wood-fired grilling techniques. By maintaining strict standards for ingredient sourcing, the menu ensures that the specific textures and pungent profiles essential to this culinary style remain consistently represented in every portion served.
Restaurant Pichai is located at 5985 Rue St-Hubert, Montreal, H2S 2L8 in the neighborhood of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie (located in or near Plaza Saint-Hubert).
Online ordering is not directly available on this page for Restaurant Pichai. You can call (514) 419-1606 and see if the restaurant takes orders by phone.
Restaurant Pichai offers an exceptional and memorable dining experience, characterized by inventive, flavorful, and authentic Thai-inspired cuisine that stands out for its bold, complex, and spicy profiles. Guests frequently praise standout dishes like the raw scallops, grilled pork collar, mushroom salad, and the signature Thai tea tiramisu, noting the high quality and freshness of the ingredients. The atmosphere is vibrant, cozy, and intimate, creating a lively setting perfect for sharing plates with friends. While the popularity of the restaurant necessitates reservations well in advance, many diners appreciate the warm, knowledgeable, and attentive service provided by the staff, who are often highlighted for their ability to guide guests through the curated, rotating menu.
Had an incredible time here with friends! We did the $70pp menu & loved it (& had to take food home afterwards). The service was also great & they were able to easily accommodate my friend's peanut allergy. Strongly recommend!
My wife & I were looking for a unique place to have our 45th anniversary dinner & she spotted Pichai when reading through a magazine that listed the 100 best restaurants in Canada. It had an intriguing & tasty-looking menu, wasn't overly far away from our home in southwestern Ontario, & appeared to be one of the few that wouldn't cost us our first-born child just to eat there!
We started off sharing a sup pak vegetable salad from the specials list, featuring broccoli & thinly sliced mushrooms among other things. The combination of textures & flavour were amazing! We've never had anything quite like it.
For mains, we shared two dishes from the regular menu. The first was laab ped, a salad made with ground duck meat & grilled duck hearts. It was served with pieces of cabbage leaves into which you put some of the salad along with some sticky rice, then folded it & ate it. Wow! It was soooo good! Also somewhat spicy, which I liked just fine.
The second was naem moo yang, which featured fermented & grilled slices of pork, roasted peanuts, & lemongrass. This dish also came with pieces of cabbage onto which you could put a chunk of meat & some sticky rice, fold it, & eat it. My wife especially loved this dish, claiming it was one of the best dishes she has ever had. We've eaten in many ethnic restaurants in our lifetime so far, so this is really saying something!
For dessert, we shared a Thai tea tiramisu. A delicious way to end our meal!
Drinks were a mocktail & a glass of wine. Along with a tip, our bill came to just under $150, which we thought was a great price for such a nice dining experience. The restaurant is cozy inside & has a very lively atmosphere! Tables are close together & between the music playing & other voices raised in conversation, it was challenging to talk to each other at times. Not the place for a quiet, intimate dinner! But if you want to try some unique Thai fusion food in a happening place, we would highly recommend this restaurant! Be sure to make a reservation ahead of time. As you can imagine, it's a popular restaurant & is always busy! But so worth the effort!
Notes (flavor, freshness, temperature, presentation):
The food was exceptional & easily the highlight of the evening. The tofu practically melted in your mouth & was some of the best I've had in years. The Hed Nam Tok (mushroom salad) was beautifully presented, packed with flavor, & is an absolute must-order. Every dish was thoughtfully prepared, & the flavors really stood out. They also have an extensive wine selection with something for every palate.
👤 Service:
⭐ Rating (1-5): 4
Notes (speed, friendliness, accuracy):
We had reservations but did have to wait a little longer than expected to be seated. While we waited, we enjoyed a drink outside, which made the extra wait much more enjoyable. Once we were seated, the food arrived promptly after we ordered. During the meal, a bottle of wine was accidentally spilled while our plates were being set down. The staff handled it professionally by immediately replacing the plate & even brought us another wine to try, which was a thoughtful touch. Everyone we interacted with was warm, friendly, attentive, & made us feel well taken care of throughout the evening.
🌿 Atmosphere:
⭐ Rating (1-5): 4
Notes (cleanliness, decor, noise level, comfort):
The restaurant is tucked into a charming location with a cozy, intimate feel. The space is fairly compact, so you'll be seated close to neighboring tables. While it may feel a bit tight, it also adds to the restaurant's charm. It was clean, the lighting was warm & moody, & the noise level was moderate, making it easy to carry on a conversation throughout dinner.
⭐ Overall Rating:
⭐ 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Would I return? What dish stood out?
Absolutely. The standout dishes were the tofu & the Hed Nam Tok mushroom salad. As someone who eats tofu regularly, I can confidently say it was one of the best I've had in over a decade. The shareable plates made for a wonderful meal with friends, & the excellent wine selection was an added bonus. Overall, Pichai Thai delivers outstanding food in a cozy, intimate setting, & it's a restaurant I'd happily recommend for a date night or dinner with friends.
On m'a recommandé ce restaurant populaire où il faut réserver en avance. Le personnel y était sympathique, le service très rapide & la nourriture excellente. Je recommande.
Great food, but the atmosphere & service fall short of the price point.
I had mixed feelings about my visit here. On the positive side, the food is undeniably delicious-if you are strictly looking for a good meal, it is certainly worth a try.
However, I would not recommend this place for a romantic date or a quiet evening out. The environment is extremely loud; between the music & the high volume of other conversations, combined with tables being placed very close together, it is almost impossible to have an intimate or relaxed conversation.
Furthermore, given the price point of over $100 per person, I expected a higher standard of service & dining experience. The staff seemed overwhelmed by the crowd, which led to significant delays in ordering & receiving our food. We even ordered dessert thinking the meal was finished, only to realize that one of our main courses had never arrived.
Ultimately, while the food is tasty, the overall experience didn't match the cost. It might be suitable for a loud, casual gathering with friends or family, but I don't see myself returning for a date or a relaxed night out.
Excellent creative Thai inspired (but not purely Thai) food. One of the best bang for the buck in a tasting menu in Montreal ($70 pp). Great, original wine list. Highly recommended. Many tastes you have not tasted before unless you are a seasoned world traveler. You will love it. Atmosphere is more'cool' than upscale, & the service is excellent. Highly recommended, can't wait to go back.
De manière générale, j'ai trouvé la nourriture délicieuse. Le tartare de boeuf & les oeufs me sont encore restés en bouche !
Petite attention particulière cependant : la nourriture est particulièrement épicée sur certains plats. Bien que ce soit un restaurant thaïlandais, j'aurais vraiment apprécié un'baromètre de piment' sur le menu, car nous avons carrément dû mettre un plat de côté tellement il était piquant.
Nous n'avions entendu que du bien de cet endroit, mais malheureusement, notre serveuse n'était pas des plus agréables. C'était notre première expérience thaïlandaise & le menu n'est pas le plus intuitif (certains aliments nous étaient totalement inconnus), mais elle ne nous a rien expliqué. Nous avons dû l'appeler à plusieurs reprises pour lui demander comment se mangeaient certains plats ou ce qu'elle recommandait, & nous avions vraiment l'impression de la déranger. Peut-être faudrait-il éviter les places au bar... Ce sont finalement les autres serveurs qui nous ont gentiment aidés.
Le plus grand point positif reste le dessert, pour lequel nous n'avons absolument pas été déçus. Une cuisine de haut niveau, mais un service au bar à revoir !
The dishes were loaded with playful spicy & subtle flavours & textures, light & fresh but also satisfying like comfort food. I was so full & happy after the corn salad & eggplant salad (which came with a nice portion of sticky rice to soak up the sauce) off the temporary specials menu. I'll be back to try more dishes soon :)
2026: I came back & had the special Galam Plee Pad Gapi (cabbage with oyster mushrooms) & a half portion of the pork collar which comes with sticky rice. Both were very good. The pork is salty but in a good way when you mix it with the rice & & eat the leaf in between bites. Also, maybe I'm just socially compatible with the staff but I think they give the best service in Montreal, maybe a tie or step up from mikado. They make you feel at home !
I came back a week later to have the Tom Som Pla soup (rockfish from Gaspesie, pineapple, tamarind). It was really wholesome but the red chilies are super spicy & they don't serve it with rice so this one I'd recommend ordering a rice to go with it. I think they should just include one tbh but I was lucky enough to be sitting next to someone who let me have some of her's ;)
A few weeks later I returned & treated myself to a mushroom night : 1/2 portion of Hed Nem Tok (grilled Montreal mushroom salad) that came with sticky rice, khanom jeeb tod (fried dumplings with stuffed pork, shrimp, Woodear mushrooms, Jimmy nardello sriracha), & 1/2 portion of the gaeng panang jaay (red curry, maitake mushrooms, celeriac, seasonal greens) that came with jasmine rice. Everything was exquisite & the service amazing as usual 🫠
Came back & had the nam Tok gai tod (lemongrass herb fried chicken that comes with dill & coriander & sticky rice). It was nice. There's a strong spicy salty kick. Similar flavour profile as their other dishes but not one of my favorites honestly. I sat on the terrace for a moment in the sun & it was chill.
Returned to have the pad normai farang & asked to get more of the rest instead of egg. The asparagus was sooo high quality & perfectly cooked. Nice fermented bean & garlic chive flavours
Always a pleasure talking to the staff, especially the manager Paras. She's such a sweetie!!! 🥺
