This little restaurant in downtown Toronto is A-mazing! For so many reasons. It's that "hole in the wall" type restaurant that you would never expect would serve such delicious food. I love Thai, but this place has so much more to offer than Pad Thai a million different ways. My hubby and I got the Price Fix which included a sample of 4 different appetizers (we chose the non-vegetarian): Green Mango Salad, Coconut Shrimp, Chicken Satay Skewer, & Golden Flower Chicken Piccaillis. Everything was delicious. I've had mango salads before but this had the right amount of onions and sweet red pepper to compliment the mango. The coconut shrimp was nice and crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. I think everyone can agree that overdone shrimp is not enjoyable. My husband had the chicken satay and could not stop talking about how tender and flavourful it was. Of the three appetizers I had tried the golden chicken flower chicken piccaillis was my least favourite but was still delicious. I found it a tad sweet for my liking, though it was served in a little wonton bowl had the perfect amount of crispness to compliment the chicken. The second course consisted of Crispy Morning Glory and Golden Pumpkin Soup. I never would've thought to deep fry spinach, which I enjoy already. But it was something different that I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. And the sauce it was drizzled with was the right combination or sweet and tart. And the soup, omg! Absolutely perfect. I love pumpkin soup and this was super creamy, sweet, and just a touch spicy you can feel a slight tingle. I wish I had ordered the single appetizers of it. The Third and final course we were able to choose from a number of things but decided on the Tender Pork Ribs. The ribs were also perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned! It was served on a bed of green beans with a black sauce that wasn't overly salty as some can be. We added the Drunken Noodles with Beef at the suggestion of the owner, Allan. The Drunken Noodles were another surprise, nothing at all like pad Thai, but also so much more delicious (and I love Pad thai). The noodles were cooked perfectly, tender but not too soft; saucy but not drowning in it; and the beef was so so tender. Everything was packed with so much flavour and far from disappointing. We had passed on dessert, but Allan provided us with these decadent red velvet cupcakes, two per couple to share. I'm not normally a fan of red velvet but these were so good and the perfect little treat to end a fantastic meal. There were leftovers and I can only imagine what they taste like the next day! As for the staff, everyone was so welcoming and friendly that at first thought I assumed it was because it wasn't busy. Only one other table was in the restaurant. But in fact, it's because of Allan and his personality. He's a very outgoing and somewhat eccentric individual but in the best way. He made an effort to remember our names and engaged us in conversation. He seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say. And when it came to speaking about the menu choices, he was very forthcoming and all of his menu suggestions were spot on. I find the difference between good restaurants and great ones are the people that work there. And Allan has created a very cozy and welcoming place where you don't feel like a customer, but a guest. Those places are hard to find but when you do, it keeps you coming back for more. My only regret (besides not taking pics) is not finding this place sooner. We cannot wait to go back and will be telling everyone we know to check this place out. If you're reading this review and you haven't been, GO NOW! You'll be happy and satisfied! read more

Came back and food was not as great this time. The mango sticky rice is possibly the worst I've ever had! Also, our server was nowhere to be found read more

Great Thai food, friendly service. Their red curry chicken with pineapple and lychee was one of the best curry dishes I have had. I think I also saw some kaffir lime leaves in the dish as well which is a nice touch. Curried pumpkin soup and pad thai were also good. Some dishes were just ok, but nothing wrong with that given many dishes stood out positively. read more

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Wow! We ate here last week visiting from Michigan. Allan spent a lot of time with us going through the menu and making suggestions. It was more like being interviewed that merely taking an order. Normally Thai is not my first choice but the food, and drink, and desert that we got were all delicious. To top that off, he gave us a ride to our hotel that was close by and invited us to work on one of his projects in Thailand. Some day one of us might take him up on it! Really made our night. Thanks Allan! read more

Strangest restaurant experience of my life! First off, the entrance is extremely "sketchy" - I thought I was going into an illegal speak-easy. Very grungy. Then, after getting seating, the server (owner? host?), Alan, greeted our party of 4 and launched into a 10-minute spiel to include telling us all about his son, showing us pictures of of son, how his son discovered the importance of simple living by being in Thailand, etc. Then, Alan decided he needed to explain almost every single item on the menu to include the nutritional value of various dishes - in a LOT of detail! This went ON, and ON, and ON!! It also included some tangent about how Mick Jagger ate there and loved the "crack fish" dish. What??? I'm sitting there asking myself "WTF is this????? I want to order a cold beer and some Thai Basil Chicken. Why do I need to listen to this???" It was SO STRANGE!!! After finally getting my beer and calming down, the food arranged - an appetizer platter and their famous "Divine Crispy Morning Glory" for sharing. I was not impressed with either of these dishes. Both were just "meh." I do have to say that the Basil Chicken was very good. Just the right amount of spice and fresh ingredients. But, the overall experience was just the strangest thing ever and there is no way you could ever get me back into this restaurant even though the entree was good. This restaurant needs to give Alan some serious coaching and feedback that customers are there to enjoy good food and beverages with some light interaction/banter, not 10-15 minute conversations including sharing family photos. I will NOT be back! read more

The quality of the food and the beautiful presentation with elegant flavors truly distinguish this restaurant from any other Thai restaurant I have ever eaten at. The atmosphere was pleasant and enjoyable, Allan the owner and his lovely Wife who is the Executive Chef are so hospitable, carrying and truly one of a kind, Amazing humans. My family and I recommend this restaurant very highly. read more

The best Thai Restaurant in Toronto, and high chance in Eastern Canada. I've been to them all in Toronto and nothing quite matches up to Mengrai. Why? Doesn't matter if you come in a big group or come for a dinner date, the experience is exquisite. Great menu, well priced, and a good drink menu(which most Thai Places don't) Also celebrities comes here often such as Jessica Alba, Denzel Washtinon etc. If Celebrities with fantastic taste experiences are coming here, why aren't you? read more

Was looking for a downtown (east) Thai restaurant and just chose this place to try out. My wife and I loved it. Food was outstanding from chef Sasi (great flavours and choices) and the non-stop energy from Alan @ the door. Very comfortable and safe seating (no issue with social distancing) and offer both a-la-carte options along with a prix price menu (3 courses). Great pad thai, red curry and ask for the pineapple rice dish. All outstanding and will be back soon. Thanks Al/Sasi for the wonderful hospitality. Hidden little gem east of Sherbourne and Richmond on the north side (Ontario St.) Can't miss it! read more

If I lived downtown, this would probably be my go-to spot for Thai food. With awards going to the restaurant and to Head Chef Sasi, and celebrities dropping in for a delicious meal, it's no wonder that Mengrai Thai's food is top quality and authentic. My friend and I walked over to Mengrai Thai from the Christmas Market in the Distillery District, a 10-15-minute walk, on a weeknight and arrived around 8:30pm (closing time for Sun-Thur is 10pm; 11pm for Fri & Sat). We were seated quickly and it wasn't a busy night (we went on a Thursday). Service was quick and friendly though the server seemed tired and in a rush towards the end since it was the last hour before closing. The menu has a lot of options and looks busy but take your time with it (or ask the server for recommendations) and you'll be served a delicious meal no matter what you choose. We ordered Sasi's Pad Thai ($15.00: shrimp paste, tiger shrimps, chicken, tofu, egg, garlic, tamarind, green onion, bean sprouts, and topped with crushed peanuts) - a seafood-based pad Thai that isn't as sweet as others but is very delicious. My friend and I enjoyed it a lot and agreed that it's one of the best we've ever had. We also ordered Sasi's Red Chicken curry with lychee ($18.50). It was served creatively in a freshly carved pineapple and had spices, pineapple and lychee bits, and kaffir lime leaves to flavour the dish. The curry is coconut-based so it's thicker and creamier than other curries from other cultures. We really enjoyed this one too - the lychees are a unique spin and addition to a curry dish. Steamed rice isn't included with the meals so you'll have to order it as a side ($2.50 for a bowl - it was enough for the both of us but if we didn't have the pad Thai and had ordered another entree that goes well with rice, we might have needed to order another side of steamed rice). If you pay in cash, you get a 15% discount! If you're downtown and looking for great Thai food, you have to head over to Mengrai Thai. You won't be disappointed (and hey - maybe you'll spot someone famous though the chef and food are famous enough)! read more

Mengrai Thai - Sasi's Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The Thai food here is definitely one of the best I've had in the city, and the service was terrific. The restaurant itself is quite intimate and rustic. We started with the golden flower appetizer, that was reminiscent of a very light vegetable tempura, with a sweet chili Thai sauce. Delicious. For our mains we had pad Thai, chefs red chicken curry, and the bass. All of them were very tasty. Perfect level of spiciness. All in all a great Thai restaurant in Toronto. read more

OMG, the owner came by and taught us a lot about Thai cuisine and culture. Such an amazing experience and the food was out of this world. I'll definitely go there again! Best Thai in town! read more

I now have two favorite Thai food restaurants in the whole wide world. I wanted to thank our waitress Alice who was excellent and very attentive. I would recommend ordering... Lychee Martini Chicken Satai Pad Thai Cashew Chicken Tom Kha - It's not on the actual menu but I had inquired to see if that was what the coconut soup was. It wasn't but they said that they could make me some Tom Kha anyway. I pondered ordering it but I figured there was going to be too much food and I didn't want my eyes to be bigger than my stomach. Much to my surprise they made a little sample for me since my friends were having pumpkin soup and they "didn't want me to feel left out". Awww!!! That was so thoughtful of the waitress and chef. I really enjoyed my soup. It was AMAZING!!! I tried the pumpkin soup and while it was good, I preferred my Tom Kha and wish that I had ordered more. I had a great time here. This turned out to be my favorite restaurant in the city. I will return next time I'm in town. read more

Went for a business lunch here last week. Very cool location kind of tucked away from downtown. Not greasy at all, no heavy feeling after eating here. I like that. Too often in Toronto, our Asian and Asian-inspired cuisine is just oily and gross. This is one of those rare diamonds in the rough where you can experience accessible but authentic cuisine without breaking the bank. Our table of three ordered the following (with descriptions from the menu): 1. Sasi's #54 Red Chicken Curry with Lychee - artfully served in a fresh carved pineapple - The best curry dish! A highly seductive blend of spice & flavours with fresh pineapple, imbued w/kaffir lime leaf. The result is so harmonious, perfect in everyway. Chef Sasi received worldwide attribution from bon vivants & food writers ever since she created this dish in 1997... Find out why every referred customer asks for "the #54 dish". 2. House Pad Thai - Sweet red saucy version Pad Thai that half of Toronto's foodies love (the chicken version). 3. ME! I ordered V1 - Vegetarian Delight - Asian field greens, soy, garlic, onion, tofu. The dishes were $18.50, $11 and $11, respectively. Amazing prices for the portions AND the quality! All three presentations were gorgeous. Service was amazingly fast and attentive - you can tell they are used to the tight business lunch timeline. It was easy to talk shop across the table - didn't have to strain our voices at all. It seemed like most of the other diners were there with similar company. Chef Sasi won Harbourfront Centre's Iron Chef competition this past summer. I work there, so I saw her passion first-hand. It was awe-inspiring. read more

Let me be totally clear: this one star review is not a reflection on the service or the ambiance of the restaurant, which were both top-notch. My friend had organized a group dinner here on Saturday night and there were a number of things that resulted in this review. This had absolutely nothing to do with our server, who was super attentive and extremely considerate. This had *everything* to do with the food. You see, I made the mistake of having eaten at Sabai Sabai and Khao San Road earlier this week. These are the only two Thai restaurants in Toronto. They happen to blow this place out of the water. As a result, the food here was really, really, unbearable. There was simply no making up for the great service, the friendly waiters, and the soothing ambiance. I will not come back here despite the hype and the photo of Jessica Alba at the front. I don't care how many celebs eat here, the best Thai food in the city is to be found at Sabai Sabai and Khao San Road. You have my two cents. read more

If we had to sum this place up in one sentence it would be "Top notch food and top notch service." It's fairly priced and has a very home-like ambience! It's our favourite thai place! read more

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Over the past year, Mengrai has easily become my favourite Thai restaurant in the city. It's really tough to find quality Thai places that are authentic, creative and boast a great ambiance. Mengrai hits all three. Food If the Head Chef (owners wife, I think) is cooking on the night you're there, you are in for a treat. She adds complexity to her dishes but still maintains a fine balance of Thai flavours. My favourite dishes are the following: Lemongrass Coconut Soup, Red Shrimp Curry with Lychees The Authentic Pad Thai, Ginger Chicken and Filet Stripe Bass Tamarind Coconut. My only negative comment would be that they sometimes skimp on shrimp and their appetizer's are a bit small. Ambiance What an interesting location for a Thai restaurant. The exposed brick walls add so much warmth mixed in with modern/traditional Thai furnishing and accessories. Try to get the booth in the back. It's adorned with decorative pillows and is very cozy. It's made for 4 but we've squeezed 5-6 of us in the past. Service For the most part it's usually right on, but at times you get the server who looks completely lost, or the one whose trying to add charges you've never seen before. The owner and his son are fabulous! I can be very hard to please and Mengrai Thai always has me leaving with a smile ** JUST DON'T ORDER TAKE OUT! It's not their strong point. Their food is meant to be eaten on plates, not out of a box read more

A long trek in search of food post Christmas market led us to Mengrai, we entered from the cold with empty stomachs in search of some spicy goodness, and we were not disappointed. A group of 4 of us came to Mengrai on a Saturday night; we entered to a fairly busy restaurant with no reservation and were seated rather quickly. We decided to share 3 main dishes and an appetizer, the break down of the meal is as follows: - Deep fried morning glory (appetizer): Our waiter recommended we order this to share; it was some sort of green leafy vegetable that was deep fried in a tempura like batter and served with a sweet and spicy sauce. This dish was quite good, the batter was not too thick on the vegetable and despite being deep fried it was not oily and perfectly crispy. The accompanying sauce was more sweet than spicy but was still good. The vegetable taste was unidentifiable as the batter and sauce overwhelmed everything. - Sasi's #54 Red Chicken Curry with Lychee: The presentation was quite cool as the curry was served in a hollowed out pineapple. The curry itself was rich and creamy with large pieces of chicken and lychee. The lychee imparted sweetness into the curry that was quite interesting. The lychee also served to mellow the spiciness of the dish and this turned out to be the least spicy dish we ordered. - Sasi's Pad Thai noodle: Chef's special Pad Thai was excellent, in my limited experience with Thai food this was easily the best Pad Thai I have had. Served with shrimp, chicken and tofu this dish packed a nice kick. I believe it was made with shrimp paste which imparted a nice seafood flavour. The shrimp in the dish was nicely cooked; the chicken was a tad dry. The noodles had a nice bite and the peanuts on the side added a welcomed crunch, excellent dish. - Crisp fillet whole red snapper with red curry sauce: A very nice presentation as the fish was served whole. The body of the fish was cubed and lightly fried. The batter was excellent, very light and crispy. A lot of the times when a fish is battered and fried I find the natural taste of the fish gets lost however this was not the case here; I could still very much taste the fish. The accompanying red curry sauce had a big kick and complimented the fish very well. - We also ordered some coconut rice and sticky rice which were key in sopping up all the curries and sauces we were served. - Coconut sticky rice with ginger ice cream (dessert): This was a nice dessert to end the meal. The sticky rice was creamy and had a nice texture, it was not too sweet. The ginger ice cream had a mild flavour, I am not a big fan of ginger but I still enjoyed this ice cream. The restaurant itself is very nice; it has a nice Thai décor with several Buddha statues and such kicking around. The restaurant is not too big and has an intimate ambiance. The service was excellent, our waiter was very attentive, gave us his recommendations and obliged our request to have all dishes cooked "Thai spicy." You could tell he was very proud of the restaurant which made me feel better about taking his recommendation. I really enjoyed my experience at Mengrai and I cannot wait to go back! read more

It really disappoints me to give this place a 3/5. I've been hearing rave reviews from Yelpers and friends about Mengrai for over a year since I moved into the neighbourhood. I had a huge craving for Thai food one evening so I decided to get take out. Called and spoke to a very friendly man on the phone. I mentioned it was my first time ordering and trying their food so he gave me quite a bit of information, recommendations etc. I decided to go with their small appetizer platter (6pc), their special red curry with chicken, lychee and pineapple, #54 house pad Thai with the shrimp paste, side order of coconut rice and mango sticky rice. First thing - I am usually so weary of ordering take out because the degree of deliciousness usually goes down once you take it home but it's usually good enough. My friend and I ate the apps. They were okay. I had nothing to report there. Then we tried pad Thai. It was good, I thought it was slightly dry tasting - maybe that is the style of the pad Thai since their menu did mention it was different. We thought this was good and maybe if eaten at the restaurant it would be better. We then tried the red curry with coconut rice. I asked for no spice at all and I found it was missing something for me. Duh - maybe the spice? I didn't want to not enjoy my food so I did ask for mild. My friend absolutely LOVED it. He loved the lychee, and the taste of the curry with the coconut rice. Mango sticky rice was also very good with little pieces of mango in it. Great texture and delicious tasting. You'd think at least I'd give Mengrai a better review. But, while I was eating the curry, I happen to eat something funny and hard. When I took it out of my mouth it was a piece of one of those silver pieces from a scrubbing pad (used the wash dishes). I've done that at home myself, but it was disappointing to order an expensive meal, and get that with the dish. Although I lived close by, my friend told me to just let it go and not call them about it. Still - I was kind of freaked that I almost swallowed it but somehow was able to spit it out. *Phew* Will I come back again? Maybe not for awhile. Based on the other Yelp reviews and pictures, I do want to give this place another shot but not anytime soon :( read more

Wonderful dining experience here! The food was delicious and lovely old building was charming. The highlight was the kind and attentive service. It is a family friendly restaurant for sure -we brought with our 3 month old baby in a car-seat for a 5pm dinner, and this was our best dining with a baby experience so far! (they even offered to warm up the bottle we brought). The owner Allan was very friendly and enthusiastic and gave us great recommendations, although everything on the menu looked good. We tried the lychee red curry in a pineapple, which was spectacular, and the panang curry which was very good, lots of chicken but we wish there had been a few more vegetables. The crispy morning glory appetizer was a perfect texture, very light and crispy. The chicken satay appetizer was delicious, but we wished that there were more skewers! Looking forward to our next visit! read more

So last night, in the cold, my SO and I decided to forgo a traditional romantic Valentines Day dinner and instead go for something more near and dear to our hearts. Thailand. having both traveled through the country extensively, Thai food has a special place in our hearts. Nestled on Ontario Street, South of Queen Mengrai is a beautiful Loft-Like restaurant with exposed brick, Thai furnishings, traditional axe pillows and servers in traditional dress. It is beautiful. Definitely a more formal restaurant, they operate on seatings.. meaning you can book for 6:00 or 8:30. Although the restaurant is large, they sat the couples side by side instead of spacing us out, meaning we had a couple 2 feet from us on either side, with an entire half the restaurant empty the entire time. We were practically involved in everyones conversations, would have been nice to have some space. Being a more upscale restaurant, They do serve alcohol including full bottles of wine. Mains are on the expensive side for asian fare in the $13-$20 range. We ordered vegetarian spring rolls for appetizers which were $6 and while clearly homemade, were more wrapper than filling. They paled in comparison to Sukothai's which offer more flavour and roll for half the price. We split the Bangkok Street Style Pad Thai which tasted authentic and had a generous portion of shrimp. Highlight of the meal. My SOs dined on the green curry (chicken) while I dined on the red (vegetarian). The bowls were beautiful and the rice came in little steel pots. Mine was OK. Overall I did not find the food to be all that spectacular. The curry was missing something, definitely heat. The server while attentive to plate cleaning etc, seemed confused. We had an issue with our bill, but it was settled with no problem. They added the gratuity. Food was OK, Service OK, Beautiful Space which makes for a really special time. Save this for an occasion though. Spring Rolls, Two Curry, pad Thai and Two drinks was $93. one full star for the ambiance. read more

We came here last sunday for a special Mother's Day dinner for my mother, obviously. After trekking it on the 501 Streetcar/Bus combo, I got off at...Ontario Street? Thank gosh it was daytime is al I gotta say. Anyways, I walked a block south to Richmond and there it was, Mengrai. Inside it was awesome. There was a huge budda display that has some neat religious aspects to it. There also was like a elephant head-bust on the wall, which my niece was IN LOVE WITH. I'm pretty sure we convinced her tthat we were at the rainforest cafe. We had: Apps Thai Mango Salad - I'm not actually a fan of mango in my food, but this was good. I'm sure mango afficianado's would say its amazing, but to me it was just okay. Thai Spring Rolls - They were tiny, but good. Basic spring roll fare. Though, the sweet chili sauce that were served with it was PHENOMENAL. I'm not usually a fan of sweet chili, but it was SO GOOD. Mains Green Curry - Really good, but not spicy enough for me. Other people seemed to enjoy it too. It was gone first lol. The Tenderloin with a pomegranate and balsamic reduction - So um, here's the thing. I really was looking forward to this, but we had to desecrate it and orrder it well done. Our fault. So when it arrived, the meat looked well done, but as we dug deeper in to the meat, the middle part of it was rare? Weird, but I like rare so I was happy to eat that part. Also, the meat had a very distinct burnt taste. My guess is that it was thrown onto the grill when it was waaaaaay too hot and didn't get enough time to cook all the way through. The pomegranate and balsamic reduction was delicious on the veggies underneath, but really really brought out the burnt flavours of the meat. Bangkok Style Pad Thai - SO GOOD. ALL THAT CHICKEN AND ALL THAT SHRAMPZ. Sides: Jasmine & Coconut Rice - Good! Not burnt or anything. Deserts: Banana Fritters w Mango Ice Cream - SOOO GOOD. Loved the mango ice cream. I was too full though at this point so I just tasted the ice cream and a bite of the fritter. Still really good though. Mango Ice Cream tasted like it was made rather than bought, which is a huuuuuuuuge bonus. Desert Trio - It was like 3 squares, one was a brownie, the other looked like a coconut date square and I don't know what the third was. I didn't try them though, but my niece was all about the brownie! FINAL NOTES: The service was excellent here. My water glass never reached below half point, seriously. It was constantly being refilled. The servers were super attentive and checked on us an appropriate amount of times. At one point, we had asked for sambal and likee half an hour later they still hadn't given it to us. But when we asked the waiter, he apologized profusely and said that it had slipped his mind. He looked genuine so it was no biggs, He was a nice guy in the end. 3.5 stars for now, but hopefully next time the beef isn't burnt. read more

I have to say, for the price you're paying at this place, the depth of flavour is unparalleled to any other Thai restaurant. The service is excellent, fast, on point, and even if you only order a water, they're making sure that glass is always full. Everything i ate tasted as close to Thai food as i have ever had in Canada, and every bite had complexity of flavours. The interior and exterior is cute, and the place can really pack in a large number of people if you need to have a large dinner or something. Thus this is also a place i would recommend for groups because their special prix fix is extremely affordable and they can still provide you excellent service. You must try the 54 chicken. Mind blowing. read more

There are a lot of Thai restaurants in Toronto. There are a lot of good Thai restaurants in Toronto! But, Mengrai is definitely a restaurant that stands out from the others! For starters, it's not loud and trendy. You can hear each other talk! I like that you can make reservations here and have a nice dinner with amazing thai food! The restaurant has a few parking spaces in front, but it's not too far a walk from Queen subway station. The space is much larger and decorative than I expected. The gold buddha and elephant wall statue is a nice touch! Photo worthy! We were seated by the window and the owner was incredibly friendly and helpful. Okay, the lychee martinis are freaking amazing. Like, I want a pitcher of martini amazing. For an appetizer, I really enjoyed the Divine Crispy Morning Glory and pumpkin soup ($9.00). The soup was sweet with a nice kick. The fritters were crispy and delicious! The tenderloin with pomegranate tamarind reduction ($22.95) was sweet and savoury. I really enjoyed the flavours! However, they undercooked the beef. :( We also had the popular red Chicken curry with lychee and pineapple ($18.50). The presentation is really pretty since the curry is served in a carved out pineapple. The portion was large as well, I really loved this dish with coconut rice! For dessert, we had the pineapple cheesecake with coconut ($ 8.50) and the mango snowball with ginger ice cream ($4.00). Both desserts were excellent and not too sweet! I'd have to say that out of the two, I preferred the mango snowball. It was different and the ginger ice cream was surprising not too gingery and I really liked the textures of this dessert. Overall, we had a wonderful dinner here. However, there were a few hiccups with the service but the food was great! I'll be back for sure. :) read more

Wow, what a disappointment. This is rated the #3 Thai place in Toronto according to BlogTO. What are they thinking??? This was one of the worst Thai meals I've had. Bland and sugary. ON THEIR ACTUAL MENU they talk about their amazing, award-winning chef. If your chef is so good, why are you serving frozen spring rolls I can buy at Loblaws? Terrible chicken satay. The peanut sauce was decent, but the chicken was fatty and bland. Pad Thai was decent, but very sweet and inauthentic for a dish labeled "Classic Pad Thai". The "Stir fried basil beef" and the "Mushroom and Tofu stir fry" tasted EXACTLY the same. Basically just spicy and sweet. I could cook the same dish at home with tabasco and sugar. The drinks were excellent, and the servers were fine, but this is food court level cuisine at restaurant prices. If anyone reading this can recommend an actually good Thai place in Toronto, please send me a message. read more

I always recommend this place. The food is fantastic. Great place to eat, and very comfortable atmosphere. The best seats for a group is the booth in the back of the upstairs dining level. The Royal lemongrass coconut soup is fantastic, a highlight on the first page of the menu. Be prepared, for soup it's priced really high. I'm glad I ordered it, that soup was amazing! It's made for sharing, so it makes a nice appetizer, and a great way to kick off a good meal. Three types of pad thai to choose from. Street style is good, but I prefer the saucier ones. read more

Oh. So. Good. Owned by the same gracious family behind the now-no-more Sasi thai restaurant (close to Ryerson), Mengrai Thai scores major points in all categories of service, atmosphere, and gets a freaking Oscar for food. My dining partner and I were seated next to a glimmering golden shrine featuring religious relics with a spattering of plastic figurines and what appeared to be a miniature grey Mazda model car. Hm. The place is relatively busy considering it is a little bit off the beaten path. Using a bit of triangulation, we suspect that our server is the owner's son. Either way, he, like all the other servers, are fresh-faced, smiling, and appear genuinely proud to be serving us. Starting with the appetizers for two, with an array of usual fare (spring rolls, cold rolls, shrimp triangles). Good, but nothing to get too excited about. This, of course, all changes with the arrival of the entrees. Their famous #54 Red Curry Chicken with Lychees is presented in a hollowed out pineapple. We get a bowl of rice with it. It is amazingly good. I initially didn't realize that there were lychees in it, and the taste of it brought about a pleasing floral taste to it. Tons of good sauce, we wish there was more rice on the side to sop it all up. We also tried their Pad Thai (Street Style) - and mmmm, it's good. A healthy serving of noodles with large shrimps, chicken, hot pepper flakes on the side, and a sprinkling of what appears to be freshly crushed peanuts. Delicious. Not as delicious as #54, but delicious all the same. We're stuffed. We are comfortable enough around our server to get chatting with him, and he's all smiles. We order their mango dessert with his recommended ginger ice cream. It is a perfect sweet treat to share at the end of a filling meal. To our surprise when we get the bill, he's been kind enough to give us the dessert on the house. Whaddaguy! I'll be back here soon, and hope to bring some friends with me next time. This is a real authentic family establishment that's got a whole lot of heart, and they deserve all the praise they are getting. (Note: the takeout menu appears to offer the same items at a relatively cheaper price. The extra cost to eat in the resto is worth it for the presentation and courteous service.) read more

You know classy Indian or Chinese food that you pay a premium for and you feel like you would have enjoyed it better if it were some hole in the wall or shack with some grandmother ladeling you massive portions of food? Well this is NOT the case here This is one of the nicer Thai restos- more fine dining feel. the price is definitely higher than a lot of the cheap thai you may be used to but I would say it is worth it for the quality- nothing about this place is your classic greasy fare. Is it better than Khao san? certainly not. But you can make reservations, and even if you don't there will likely be tables avail (huge resto), and it is a dimmer, more intimate setting for catching up with friends or on a nice romantic date. read more

My husband and I went there on Saturday April 13, 2019 for dinner (7:00pm). I made reservations off their website earlier in the week and included that we were "looking forward to the "All You Can Eat" Option." They emailed back my reservation confirmation and I assumed we were good to go. I was wrong... Arrived on time, 7:00 pm, and told the waitress we had reservations for two, gave my name she appeared to look for a table to literally squeeze us in. There was a small table besides a huge party (10+ people) and I asked if there was another option, noticing none of the tables for two had a reserve sign but other tables did?! She kept looking and we were stuck between a large party of 12 people and a smaller party of 6. We were the tiny table for two between these groups. Okay, I can understand you're a small place and your busy, I forgave this oversight that realistically they didn't reserve a proper table for two, despite my reservation. She hands us the menu, I mention we're here for the All You Can Eat (AYCE) - she looks at me and says "Oh, that starts next week!?" I mentioned that I included I wanted the AYCE in my reservation and no one contacted me to inform me it was not available. That was actually the only reason we wanted to go, to check out a Thai AYCE. She checked the reservation and confirms essentially that I did ask for AYCE and she's sorry but the owner isn't starting AYCE till next week - I find that awkward and hard to believe as I read reviews about the AYCE option with dates prior to Saturday April 13, 2019. So...not off to a great start. Some reason, against my better judgement we decided to stay. We order our food, we get an appetizer dish with 10 items ($14), my husband gets a beef with basil dish ($22) plus ($6) for rice and I get the curry Lamb with peaches ($22) plus rice ($6). The appetizer was mediocre at best - to be honest it was VERY SMALL portions and nothing that blew our minds. I should mention we are avid Thai food and Asian food fans in general. One place I frequent for a good all-encompassing Asian AYCE is Spring Rolls, something like $35/pp for AYCE. Anyways, this place was in par with Spring Rolls. I expected better. For the record this review is not a Spring Rolls advertisement, it will serve as my basis for comparison for the food quality. Main dishes arrive. They were served in these unique dishes, I see my lamb and peach curry and am looking to see if they will bring more! My goodness, what a tiny dish. My husband even commented to the waiter that it was disappointing this small amount. I had SIX 1" cubes of lamb in the entire dish, for $22!! And 4 slices of CANNED peaches. The flavour was good, but again, to be honest, very, very, very comparable to Spring Rolls - where may I mention, they have curried Lamp chops on their AYCE menu which are FABLOUS! For a dish costing $28 ($22 plus $6) I expected more then 6, 1" cubes of lamb and fresh peaches. After all, according the restaurant they are "the best"?! My husband's dish was slightly more robust with the beef and basil however it was terribly sweet and swimming in oil. You could see the oil floating above the gravy. I did not like his dish but he tolerated it. Again, let's compare to Spring Rolls, I have to say Spring Rolls does a better beef and basil dish on their AYCE menu with less oil and not as sweet. Overall, we spent about $80, no booze, no dessert and it was blah. After reading all the reviews I really expected to be blown away. In addition to going in expecting an AYCE, them all a sudden not offering it, the service was also okay. I had to keep asking for refills of water, to the point I asked for the pitcher to be left with us. Also, they originally brought the appetizers, and 3-4 minutes later we got plates to eat the appetizers. They brought the mains, and one rice, we told them we ordered two rice and again, waited 4 minutes for a second rice. So, personally, I felt we got completely ripped off. I was disappointed in the restaurant, the service, and the quality and quantity of the food. I am not sure this place even has an AYCE menu and if they do, I do not think they would be able to handle it and the various orders as they weren't very good with the a la carte menu. You want good Thai food, stick to Salad King and/or Thai Princess, at least you pay for what you get and not $22 for 6, 1" pieces of lamb! Side Note: They claim to be an authentic Thai place, yet, I heard them speaking Cantonese - I know as I also speak Cantonese - and this isn't a big deal but just found it interesting as they claim to be "authentic" Thai run place?! The manager was speaking in Cantonese to the waiter (who works at a Chinese restaurant called Kaka Lucky!!! HAHA, I recognized him) - to be very specific and saying how busy they were and how they were falling behind on orders & unbeknownst to him I speak the same language and understood everything. read more

I visited Mengrai thai knowing that it is one of the highly rated Thai restaurants in the GTA and my expectations were high. One of my best, if not the best food trip I've ever had was in Phuket , Thailand so if I can enjoy a meal even remotely close to that experience in Toronto I'd be a happy man. I had fish on curry, mango salad, vegetables, chicken but sadly, nothing really stands out. The food was good but it wasn't amazing as the prices would have you believe. I have a great (and I do mean great) Thai cookbook by David Thompson and the dishes I've concocted using its recipes are relatively more impressive. 3 stars because although the food is good, the prices sort of pull the rating down. read more

This is the best thai food I have ever had. Since my first visit I have now returned over 5 times and continually introduce it to friends who also fall in love with it. The food is exceptional and the front of the house service man is probably one of the best i've ever experienced. "Sasi's #54 Red Chicken Curry with Lychee" is delicious along with the golden pumpkin soup and crispy morning glory. read more

Was looking for a new Thai restaurant to try on Saturday night and first tried Sukho Thai, which had very good reviews. It was really busy so we ended up at Mengrai. This turned out to be great fortune for us. The ambiance at Mengrai is really nice, definitely a Thai feel, but without being overbearing. Despite the fact that I like pad thai I usually avoid it because it's not considered to be "authentic" enough in most circles, even though you can get it all over Thailand (and have been able to for decades). However, at Mengrai I went for the "traditional pad thai", which is different than the regular pad thai, thus solving my dilemma. It was very good, not too sweet and sticky, and was a large portion. My girlfriend got green curry that was extremely good and perfectly spicy. The only thing that was kind of underwhelming was the appetizer platter for two. It's just a bunch of dumplings that are all basically the same. Mengrai is sort of in a weird spot and you wouldn't stumble upon it unless you were looking for it, but make the effort. read more

As I head into a food coma, I just wanted to thank all of the yelpers who helped put me here. The place and even the dish tonight were based purely on yelp reviews and the meal did not disappoint. The number 54, aka Red Curry Chicken w/ lychee & pineapple is not something that I would traditionally order for Thai takeout without some major coaxing, and for that, I thank you. The food was delicious, though I am equally excited to visit the restaurant for a dine-in experience once I can master the art of chopsticks in public. Good night. read more

My brother and I were looking for a quick bite, and he recommended Mengrai for takeout. Once I saw the beautiful decor and we were greeted in such a friendly manner, I insisted we stay. I am so glad we did. The restaurant is spacious, nicely decorated and tables are well distributed. The food was delicious - not salty or over-seasoned. The service was impeccable. As a former concierge, I was astounded at the quality of service; our server showed all the hallmarks of having worked at a fine dining establishment. She was polite, funny and attentive, but not obtrusive. One thing I will remark on (having read many of the reviews below) is that the price is EXCELLENT for what you receive. For some reason, everyone seems to think that Thai food should be cheap. The food at Mengrai is miles ahead of your average Thai restaurant (sorry, Spring Rolls). The prawns are huge (because we were two, they gave us four prawns in an app. that was supposed to have three!), the meat is tender and the seasonings are expert. The chef, Sasi, even runs a cooking school which, when we were there, was just ending a session. The students sat at the table next to us and began to compare notes - they were all chefs and were talking about the various restaurants they worked at. Clearly, Mengrai has something to offer if other chefs are studying there? Mengrai is very reasonably priced considering the style of service and quality of food. For two people to eat until we were full, plus a bottle of good wine, we spent $74 before taxes and tip - a steal, in my books. Imagine what you'd get at Jack Astors for the same money? The only criticism I would have of Mengrai is the numbered menu. Maybe if people couldn't order by number they'd stop expecting food court prices? read more

This is the best thai food I have experienced in Toronto and quite possibly the best I have had...period. Both the food and service are amazing. The restaurant is deceiving from the outside, based on the restaurant location. However, the interior decor is warm, inviting and quaint. Suitable for a casual/friendly get together; yet would be a wonderful spot for a romantic dinner as well. Whether dining in or taking out, Mengrai will surely not disappoint. Great value for the money too. I suggest the mango salad, cold spring rolls and the green thai curry with chicken and basil! Of course, their signature pineapple dish is worth the experience as well. Great place for gluten free and dairy free diet requirements! read more

Great food and staff. I ate with a group of friends, and we loved the lychee curry chicken. We also ordered the yam taro rolls, chinese broccoli, original chicken pad thai, and steamed vegetables. Everything else ranged from OK to good. The owner/manager and his staff were also really friendly and welcoming. One of the servers spoke Cantonese and Mandarin with us when he recognized us as Chinese, and one of the other servers explained to us how to make the lychee curry. read more

What a pleasant experience for a group of first timers in Toronto AND trying Thai food for the first time! I picked this place out based off of its reviews and availability on Christmas weekend. The service was amazing! They were very helpful and attentive! The owner even came and introduced himself and the chef since he knew we were from out of town. We ordered the pineapple fried rice, the glass noodles, the pomegranate beef tenderloin, the pad Thai, the Sai Thai, and for appetizers we got the tempura spinach (was everyone's favorite!) and the spring rolls. I highly recommend the tenderloin and the fried rice! The pad Thai was a bit underwhelming and needed some more veggies but everything else really made up for it! The rest of my party that was having Thai food for the first time was satisfied and pleased, so my mission was complete! :) read more

Mengrai Thai - Thai Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Situation: Wanted to organize a reunion type mean for my MBA crew; 14 people; set menu served family style Service: They took care of us well - reservation process was super easy, Allan (part owner) was excellent in setting up everything from the menu to the timing and was equally willing to correspond via email; ambiance was cool: exposed brick, large rooms and lighting lent to an atmosphere of easy conversation (I wanted to sit in the 'Thai' room with the triangular pillows but our group was too big). Food: Excellent, the spices and seasonings enhanced the taste of the main ingredients. The food came at the right time and in more than sufficient quantities to satisfy us. My Faves: 1. Green mango salad - not usually a fan of mango in salads since restaurants usually use unripe mangoes which create a tartness in salads I don't like but Mengrai did it the right way; 2. Golden pumpkin soup - I expected pumpkin soup to be pretty boring but the spices and texture of the soup made me forget it was pumpkin. It tasted more like a mild curry than a soup and it worked! 3. Red curry chicken - loved the addition of lychee and pineapple although it made it more Malay-like than Thai. Nonetheless, I thought the flavours worked. Regrets: We didn't get to try the Mango snowball and the substitute of creme-brulee with 3 kinds of crust (ginger, lemongrass, and another ingredient I could not identify) were disappointing (but I like basic creme-brulee so it's not surprising that I didn't like it). Next time I get the Mango snowball :) read more

Came on a Monday evening ~ I didn't need to make a reservation. INTERIOR: I was stunned, it's cozy and cute! It's quite dim in there, but I do like the atmosphere. SERVICE: The service is EXCELLENT. Phenomenal, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars. Everyone is well-mannered, polite, and the service is fast. FOOD: We ordered.. Sasi's #54 Red Chicken Curry with Lychee (I loved the curry, but wasn't used to eating lychees with curry). Original Thai Style Pad Thai Noodles (Best Pad Thai I've ever had--better than the one at Pai Northern Thai). Highly recommend this! Thai Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice w/ Fresh Mango (I would not recommend because it had to much coconut milk so it turned out slightly watery and not a lot of mangos were in it). Overall, I approve! We had a lovely experience and I will def be coming back before I move to SF :) read more

As always, Mengrai exceeds expectations. Last night I arrived with a couple of girlfriends from out of town at 7:30pm with no reservation. In hindsight, that probably wasn't the best idea, because it was packed on a Saturday night, but it was a last minute decision to go. We took a chance and it all worked out. The friendly staff did some shuffling and critical thinking to find us a table, and we only waited about 5 minutes. We ordered the shellfish-free version of their mango salad to start, and all 3 of us shared. The portions at Mengrai are generous, so "family style" eating is the way to go. For dinner we ordered coconut rice, #54 Curry (out-of-this-world), chicken pad Thai, & a veggie red curry. Every dish was top notch (5 stars). They asked us how hot we wanted each dish on a scale of 1 to 10 and they nailed it for each one. I have to give a call-out to our waiter, Brendon. He was excellent. Asked if we had visited before, took time to fully explain the menu to the one in our crew who had not, made suggestions for must-have items, was patient, accommodating, timely and had a good sense of humor. Another mention is that service is generally fast at Mengrai because they have a flurry of hands available to help with running food, sweeping tables and generally just getting things done efficiently. All of the staff are friendly and helpful. Total for 3 people was ~$100 plus tip. Very reasonable considering we each had 1 alcoholic beverage, and brought home leftovers! read more

Mengrai Thai is a typical non-offensive Thai restaurant They have the Thai offerings that you would expect to see, such as Pad Thai and Curries, and they do them justice. But there are just too many high quality Thai restaurants now in the city thanks to the Khao San Road/Sukho Thai people that it's hard to stand out. I opted to get the Red Curry Chicken Lunch special, because they are known for their Red Curry Chicken Lychee. It tasted good, and had a good amount of heat to it. Just nothing I haven't had before, and it didn't taste as bright and fresh as some Thai places I've been to now. If I had never had Thai food before I would have been blown away. I would eat here again if it was convenient, but as of right now I won't be rushing back. A solid lunch option in the area. read more