Overhead view of a dark table set with grilled skewers, sliced grilled meat, a raw fish salad with herbs and morning glory greens in trays and bowls

Thai (Isaan and northern Thai) / Little Italy / Petite-Patrie

Pichai

TURN THE HEAT UP

Isaan and northern Thai cooking, spicy and made for sharing, with a natural-leaning wine list on Saint-Hubert.

From home: 16 min drive; 6.93 km. Walk 91 min
Spend: $$$$; est. $40-65 per person
Our dates: Open Wed, Thu. Mon holiday hours unconfirmed. closed Tue; Give it 1.5-2 hours

Mood photo, not this exact place.Photo: Ting Chen, Unsplash License

The verdict

Go. This is the Thai room Montréal's critics keep naming, and the menu rewards ordering too much: duck laab, fish balls, a mushroom salad, something grilled. Ask about the specials, which are where the kitchen gets playful. Bring people to share with and expect it to be loud.

Canada's 100 Best 2026, No. 36
Time Out Montréal 50 Best, No. 39
Reasonable prices for the quality

Order this

Tap the circle to want it. Tap again once it's eaten.

Pichai, the short list

Must order
Laab Ped
$26
Minced duck salad with grilled duck hearts, lemongrass and crudités.
Named by multiple sources as the dish to get.
On their menu: Official website
Must order
Luk Shin Plaa Tod
$4
Fried fish balls with sweet chili.
Cheap, repeatedly praised starter.
On their menu: Official website. Price is per piece.
Yum Hoi Shenn
$25
Raw scallops, nam jim talay, mint, pickled garlic.
Bright and spicy opener.
On their menu: Official website
Sakoo Sai Moo
$18
Tapioca dumplings with candied pork and peanuts.
Sweet-salty classic street snack.
On their menu: Official website
Hed Nam Tok
$24
Grilled Montréal mushroom salad, herbs, toasted sticky rice powder.
Vegan, spicy, and named in Time Out's Pichai entry.
On their menu: Official website. English column shows 24, French column shows 25.
Gai Yang
$29
Marinated grilled chicken, two legs, nam jim gai yang.
Easy crowd-pleaser for a shared table.
On their menu: Official website
Pla Lui Suan
$60
Whole fried Opercule arctic char, pineapple, lemongrass, cashews.
The big shareable centrepiece.
On their menu: Official website. English column spells it Pla Lui San; French column Pla Lui Suan.
Khanom Khai Hong
$15
Fried mochi donuts, salted coffee caramel, vanilla labneh.
Dessert worth saving room for.
On their menu: Official website

Menus change. Prices are from the posted menu, before tax and tip.

What people actually say

Recurring themes, not cherry-picked quotes.

Love

Bold, very spicy Isaan and northern Thai cooking rather than the usual curry-and-noodle list
Rotating specials with local produce are the main draw
Low-intervention, skin-contact-leaning wine list that suits spicy food
Duck laab and fish balls come up repeatedly

Know before you go

Heavy on heat and seasoning
Built for sharing, so go with more than one person
Lively room, mixed Thai families and locals
Closed Tuesdays
Oct 12 (Thanksgiving) hours unconfirmed: check OpenTable before relying on it
Dishes run spicy
Specials rotate, so the printed menu is only part of the picture

Dishes that keep coming up

Laab ped, Fish balls, Mushroom salad, Whole fried fish, Tamarind chicken

Room: Sleek, boisterous and busy, per Canada's 100 Best.
Service: Not covered in sources read.
Value: Menu prices are moderate for a ranked restaurant; an OpenTable band of roughly $31-50 was noted earlier, not re-confirmed.

Based on Canada's 100 Best, Time Out, Cult MTL and OpenTable summary. La Presse was blocked (403) and no community threads or platform reviews were read.

Vibe check

lively/loud/buzzy/wine heavy/design forward

Best fora group dinner, spice lovers, natural wine fans

How much we'll spend

$$$$Est. $40-65 / person

Official menu: small plates $12-25, grilled mains $25-29, whole fried char $60 to share, desserts $15, chef's menu $70 pp. Estimate assumes sharing 3-4 dishes plus one drink; drink prices not seen. OpenTable band of roughly $31-50 noted in first-pass research, not re-confirmed.

Our estimate from posted prices, CAD, before tax and tip. Québec purchases carry the 5% federal GST plus the 9.975% Québec Sales Tax (QST, TVQ in French): 14.975% combined on taxable items. Tourisme Montréal: it is customary to tip restaurant servers, taxi drivers and hairdressers 15% of the bill, before taxes. Bellhops, porters and doormen generally get at least $2 per bag or service; coffee and food counters often have a tip cup by the register.

On our dates

Wed-Mon 5-10:30pm (closed Tue)

Mon 12Maybe5pm to 10:30pmThanksgiving: holiday hours unconfirmed
Tue 13Closed
Wed 14Open5pm to 10:30pm
Thu 15Open5pm to 10:30pm

Thanksgiving MondayRegular Monday hours are listed, but no Thanksgiving notice found on the official site as of Oct 8. Confirm via OpenTable availability for Oct 12.

Full week

Mon	5pm to 10:30pm
Tue	Closed
Wed	5pm to 10:30pm
Thu	5pm to 10:30pm
Fri	5pm to 10:30pm
Sat	5pm to 10:30pm
Sun	5pm to 10:30pm

Official Info page states Wednesday to Monday, 17h to 22h30. Tuesday inferred closed from that range. Re-checked Oct 9: still reads Wednesday to Monday, 17h to 22h30; no holiday notice.

Hours from the venue's own listing, checked Oct 8, 2026.

Make a night of it

Dinner, drinks, late night. Real walking times between.

DinnerPichaiTurn the heat up
11 min walk (0.75 km)
DrinksMamieGet the board, order the litre
7 min walk (0.47 km)
Late nightNuméroBrown, dim, seated

Pair it with

Pumpui, Pichai's sister casual Thai counter in Little Italy, for a lunch or lighter option on another day

Where

5985 Rue Saint-Hubert, Montréal, QC H2S 2L8

91 min walk (6.69 km) / 16 min drive, no traffic / 39 min by bike

From 216 Rue Young. Routes from OpenStreetMap data; transit times are in the maps app.

Show on our map pichai.biz Call

Groups over 6 and events: email info@pichai.biz. Walk-in policy not stated. OpenTable page could not be re-fetched on second check (timeout); URL slug matches the venue name but not re-confirmed.