Sabaidee! Welcome to Sep Lai! We serve traditional Laotian food using many local ingredients to create unique and authentic dishes. As is the norm in Laos, all our dishes are made to be shared! Although you may find similarities with other Southeast Asian dishes such as Thai or Vietnamese dishes, Lao cuisine is a distinct cuisine with its own complex and exciting flavors. Full of fresh herbs, raw vegetables, flavorful meats and always accompanied by a basket of sticky rice, we are proud to share this cuisine with everyone, including vegans, vegetarians and those sensitive to gluten! We hope that the dishes of our parents and grandparents will inspire you with the same comfort and joy as they do us, and that you will exclaim: "Sep lai! It was delicious!"
Our Specialties
Spring rolls, Imperial rolls, Khao Poon soup, Papaya salad, Laap, Som Pak, Lao burger & Winter melon noodle soup.
Sep Lai is a charming Laotian spot where sharing plates and aromatic notes of citronella, coriander and ginger set a travel inspired mood, especially on the cozy back terrace. Dishes like khao poon, nem khao, laap and a fragrant coconut curry showcase fresh ingredients, generous portions and good value, with many noting the option to bring your own wine adds to the relaxed vibe. The atmosphere is warm and unpretentious, with friendly service that suits dinners, dates and groups alike, and the terrace is a favourite in nicer weather. Occasional comments mention saltier preparations or slower service when busy, but the overall experience is consistently praised for tasty, well balanced flavors and a welcoming neighbourhood feel that invites return.
Quelle belle soirée avons-nous passée pour notre première fois chez Sep Lai! Le service a été attentionné, chaleureux & sympathique, les plats sont arrivés dans un délai tout à fait raisonnable malgré un achalandage hors du commun en ce mardi, & tout était savoureux & raffiné. Une très belle découverte.
Bémols: le bruit & la chaleur, explicables par l'achalandage & la température extérieure.
I was really excited to try Sep Lai for my first taste of Laotian food-& while the food itself was delicious, the overall experience left a lot to be desired.
We waited over an hour to place our order, even after telling the waitress multiple times that we were ready. When the food finally started arriving, it came in waves-so people at our table were eating at totally different times. Some were still waiting while others had already finished, which made things pretty awkward.
I had the dried meat with a super tasty sauce, the chicken spring roll, & the soup. All of it was genuinely delicious, & I was very happily surprised.
The biggest downside: we were seated on the back terrace, right next to a pile of garbage that smelled strongly of dead fish & cat litter. It was disgusting. We had to step away several times because the stench was unbearable. That really ruined the vibe.
Food was great-but bad service & a gross setting made it hard to enjoy.
Jul 15, 2025
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Excellent experience at Sep Lai. We were 3 & ordered 4 dishes & they were good potion. All of them were very good & nicely presented. The waitress was nice & friendly & we loved the terrace. It is really great to be able to bring our own wine or beer. I will go back.
Assez déçu ce soir de l'ensemble du restaurant mais plus particulièrement de la serveuse qui ne fait guère d'effort pour être sympathique. Service très ordinaire. Côté bouffe c'était bien mais pas sur la coche comme d'habitude. Bref vivement d'être servie par la serveuse plus sympathique & souriante.
Great neighborhood treasure ...creative, delicious Laotian cuisine. Dinner last night was so good I thanked the chef. Everything she prepared was delicious & fresh, with great combinations of flavors. The tapioca & taro pudding with coconut cream & black sesame seeds is one of the best desserts I've ever had. Charming terrace out back in the summer.
Une magnifique terrasse où les soirées d'été sont festives & agréables. La cuisine magnifiquement réalisée avec des ingrédients très frais & des goûts hyper satisfaisants.
Une bien belle soirée avec, ensuite, le besoin d'y retourner encore 😊
Jul 12, 2025
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Nous avons visité ce petit restaurant à plusieurs reprises, & à chaque fois, c'est toujours la même qualité, la même ambiance, pour un prix très abordable. Le menu est simple mais tout ce qu'on y trouve est de qualité. La terrasse à l'arrière est vraiment superbe & la déco générale à l'intérieur est trèscoquette également. Il s'agit de spécialités laotiennes, mais rien de trop extravagant pour le néophyte. Bref, nous recommandons. En plus, c'est un apportez votre vin, mais on n'y trouve plusieurs options sans alcool au menu pas très cher, & également de qualité.
They have a very cute yard. We didn't sit in the yard because it was supposed to rain but we checked it out after. It was really cute. The food was good. I liked the soup with meat & noodle better (the non creamy one). The beef skewer was good too. Not a big fan of the steam sticky rice tho. Overall we had a good time there!
The food was delicious & the service was prompt & helpful, the decor was great, my only gripe is that the prices for the appetizers on the printed menu were not the same as what was written online, they were $1 more.
Un de mes restaurants préférés à Montréal, j'ai l'impression de retrouver la cuisine de ma Maman. J'adore faire découvrir la cuisine laotienne à mes amis & cette place est l'endroit parfaite !
Malheureusement très déçu… pourtant tout semblait promettre le contraire. Le lieu est vraiment cute, avec la petite terrasse, le restaurant est magnifique !
Nous n'avions pas réservé & nous étions pressés, donc on nous a placé à une table que nous devions libérer pour 19h30.
Installé à 18h40, commande passée à 18h45 & le premier plat est arrivé à 19h40.
Donc je ne sais pas si le fait d'avoir une longue attente & donc d'être en retard a gâché mon expérience & donc biaisé mes sensations mais j'ai trouvé que dans l'ensemble les plats manquaient vraiment de saveur.
À noter quand même le geste commercial de la serveuse pour l'attente. Je m'attendais à beaucoup mieux au vu des notes, je n'y retournerais pas.
So delicious & the service was so friendly & accommodating & knowledgeable, i had so many allergies & they were really patient with it! I very much recommend going
A gem in the neighbourhood, I really enjoy this little spot!
Limited indoor seating & with a quaint garden area in the back, the restaurant is located a stone's throw from the metro & plenty of street parking can be found. BYOB with generous portions for sharing, even with the two exceptions noted below, I would not hesitate in recommending nor in returning!
pros:
- intimate & great for comfortable conversation
- convenient location
- generally tasty flavours
- efficient reservation system
- lovely garden/exterior dining space
- mango salad
cons:
- Heat level of spice: I thought perhaps an oversight in our order especially as the server stressed it would be spicy. Bizarrely undetectable, including in the chili oil offered.
- Tam mak hoong (padaek): unfortunately unpalatable to my party. The padaek & salt overpowering all other flavours & excessively pungent, the papaya lacking crunch, the chili sorely absent.
this place offers the Laotian food. We ordered papaya salad, nem khao, kua mee, fried chicken skin. I love fried chicken skin, crispy & a bit salty. Very hard to find here. I wish the papaya salad would be more sep, its still not hit. Kua mee & Nem khao is good tho. When we went there, it was only one serveuse so the service was really slow.
But the serveuse is really friendly & attentive.
