Olivia TaylorIn Thailand, family dining is integral to the culture. Thai cuisine, celebrated globally for its vibrant flavors, embodies the spirit of communal eating.
In fact, Thai families would eat the same food from a single bowl to emphasize that enjoying a meal is a shared experience.
When it comes to finding the best Thai restaurants in Ottawa, you’ll want to find places that exude that casual yet comforting vibe of dining at home with your loved ones. We narrowed down the best places that we think hit that mark!
Khao Thai Restaurant
Address: 103 Murray St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5M5, Canada
Contact Details: +16132417276
Operating Hours: Monday to Tuesday, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Wednesday to Friday, 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Saturday, 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm, Sunday, 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Khai Thai Restaurant is a family-owned establishment that has been serving authentic Thai dishes to Ottawans since 2004. The Chiturai family works day and night to ensure that every dish tastes straight out of Thailand.
The head chef is Nitaya Chiturai, a former chef for the Thai Embassy in the Netherlands and the United Nations Regional headquarters in Bangkok. Her four-decade-long experience making Thai dishes is the key to their success in Ottawa.
The Chiturais serve lunch and dinner menus, with star favorites including tom yum (hot and sour soup) with prawns, krapow gai sup (stir-fried minced meat and veggies), and salmon red curry.
| Tips: Khao Thai Restaurant has a patio for outdoor dining, but it’s usually very packed on weekday and weekend afternoons (starting at 1:00 pm). If you want to secure a spot outside, you’ll need to reserve a table in advance. You can make your bookings here. |
Siam Bistro
Address: 1268 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 3A5, Canada
Contact Details: +16137283111
Operating Hours: Monday, 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Founded in 1989, Siam Bistro is another Thai restaurant in Ottawa that’s been around for decades. The bistro specializes in traditional Thai cuisine with dishes curated by chef Pat, a native of North East Thailand.
The menu list is extensive, offering gluten-free and vegetarian options as well as meat and seafood-based staples. A few best-selling items are the Panang curry (red coconut curry), tom yum goong (hot and sour soup with herbs), and the pad gra pow.
You have the option to customize your meal by choosing your meat options between chicken, pork, or beef. Wash down the spice and flavors with a glass of their Thai milky iced tea (Ceylon tea with milk and sugar).
| Tips: Siam Bistro has a small dining area and can only accommodate guests of up to 40 people. To ensure you get a slot, it’s highly recommended to book a table in advance. You can adjust the spiciness level of your chosen dish! The lunch menu is only available every Thursday and Friday. |
Social Thai
Address: 399 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y3, Canada
Contact Details: +16132300084
Operating Hours: Monday, 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm
In this quaint spot located along Bank Street, customers can enjoy hearty Thai dishes such as curries, stir-fries, and noodle- and rice-based meals in a cozy and casual setting. Social Thai likes to keep things simple and focus on their Thai comfort food.
Here, you have the option to choose your own meat like chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu, as well as the level of spiciness, ranging from mild to “Thai spicy.”
The menu features Thai classics like curry (red, green, yellow, and their special Social Thai curry made with seafood), gluten-free pad thai, satay, and tom yum. We recommend trying them all with a cup of Thai jasmine rice.
| Tips: Social Thai serves their mains in takeout boxes instead of plates, making it easier to take home meals you can’t finish there. Although their menu isn’t extensive, they offer gluten-free options. Just ask the server about which items are customizable to be gluten-free (as the menu doesn’t really state this). |
My Thai Village
Address: 474 Hazeldean Rd unit#5, Kanata, ON K2L 4E5, Canada
Contact Details: +16138315099
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 11:00 am to 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm
My Thai Village used to only serve authentic Thai dishes for takeout and delivery, but they’ve now expanded to open their doors for dine-in customers.
The restaurant was featured in Restaurant Guru’s Recommended List for two years in a row, so if you’ve got spare time and gas, a trip to the Kanata suburb for My Thai Village’s dishes is a must-do.
A few must-try dishes on their menu are the Thai spring rolls, mango salad, tom yum, pad thai, and drunken noodles (fried rice noodles in chili sauce). Finish off your meal with a serving of their sticky rice coconut with lychee and Thai tapioca pudding!
| Tips: My Thai Village just recently opened its doors for dine-in customers, so the dining area is currently very small. It can accommodate up to 40 guests at a time and parking near the establishment is very limited. We recommend parking at 300 Eagleson Road or Hewitt Park then heading to the restaurant on foot. |
Phuket Royal
Address: 713 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K1R 6P7, Canada
Contact Details: +16132353134
Operating Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 am to 9:30 pm
Founders Kung Lim and Chhay Ngo moved to Canada over 40 years ago with a shared goal of owning a business in Ottawa. They first ran an Asian grocery for 14 years before founding Phuket Royal in 2014.
They wanted Phuket Royal to be a leading purveyor of not just Thai cuisine but Southeast Asian cuisine as well. They currently serve three different menus: lunch, dinner, and a speciality menu.
Bestselling Thai dishes include pad thai, yellow curry, satay skewers, tom yum, and por pia sod (fresh rolls with sweet peanut sauce). Their Vietnamese pho and Filipino lechon are also must-tries in their Speciality menu if you’re craving something different!
| Tips: Phuket Royal can accommodate guests with specific dietary restrictions. They can customize meals to be gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, and dairy-free. You’ll need to inform the restaurant ahead of time for these options, however. We recommend calling them in advance and informing them of your preferences. |
Thai Lanna
Address: 2401 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1V 8R9, Canada
Contact Details: +16132499524
Operating Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, Thursday to Sunday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm
Thai Lanna is regarded by locals as a hidden gem on Bank Street in Ottawa. While its exterior may not resemble the traditional Thai restaurant adorned with elaborate decorations and elephant motifs, its authenticity in cuisine is evident.
The restaurant specializes in daily lunch and dinner specials, with vegetarian options available. They offer spring rolls, satay, fish cakes and fried tofu as appetizers, and meals on rice like chicken with basil, fried rice, potato curry, and stir-fried vegetables.
Their dinner menu offers the same meals as lunch but with a bit more variety. For mains, you get options like cashew nut chicken, red curry, lemongrass beef, and herbal rice noodles.
| Tips: Thai Lanna allows guests to order ahead of their reservation or for delivery. They offer frozen food portions that you can easily prepare at home, but the frozen menu is limited to their curries. Some items on their menu are seasonal, so some dishes may not be available during your visit if certain ingredients aren’t in season. It’s best to give them a call and ask about what’s available. |
Sabai Thai Cuisine
Address: 4055 Carling Ave, Kanata, ON K2K 2A4, Canada
Contact Details: +16132718885
Operating Hours: Monday to Friday, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm, Saturday, 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
If you’re in search of a Thai restaurant in Ottawa that focuses on wholesome, vegetarian classics, Sabai Thai Cuisine deserves your attention. This family-operated eatery has been dishing out authentic Thai cuisine in the city for more than a decade.
Meals here are customizable, giving guests the option to choose their own protein, spiciness level, and other dietary specifications they may need. All of their mains like tom yum, red curry, and grilled protein are served with jasmine rice.
Sabai Thai also offers combo platters for those with hearty appetites and indecisive palates. These platters include a curry, a main dish, and two appetizers served together, allowing you to sample four items in one go.
| Tips: Note that Sabai Thai’s combo platters are only available for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm every Monday to Friday. Guests of more than 8 people dining in will be charged an 18% gratuity. You can make reservations in advance by calling their hotline, but this service is only available from Monday to Wednesday and Saturday. |
Sweet Basil
Address: 1585 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1H 7Z3, Canada
Contact Details: +16137318424
Operating Hours: Monday, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday, 11:30 am to 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Saturday, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Sweet Basil is a 100% halal Thai restaurant in Ottawa that’s been serving hearty Thai dishes like pad thai, red curry, and stuffed chicken wings for over 30 years.
Their menu features seafood, halal meat, vegetables, noodles, sizzling platters, and buns, along with specialty dishes like crispy duck, ginger scallops, spicy lamb, and fried fish salad with mangoes, setting them apart from other Thai restaurants in the city.
For dessert, Sweet Basil’s mango coconut sticky rice and deep-fried bananas with ice cream are must-tries. They’re light, decadent, a perfect palate cleanser after munching on their spicy curries.
| Tip: There’s free parking located right next to the restaurant but with limited slots. If all slots are taken, the closest parking lots near Sweet Basil are Vincey Park to the north and Impark to the south along Bank Street. |
