Best Pad Thai?

[lovelyoori]

Preferably in the North York area

[mtampoya]

If you are in Oakville - there is a place called Pad Thai (chefs used to be at Thai Satay & More) - they make a killer Pad Thai with real tamarid. YUM.

[artificialard]

I don't have pad thai often but have had it often enough (I don't think anyone that eats out hasn't had pad thai). In downtown but pad thai at Supermarket by Tempo on College is excellent. It's not too dry, has a great mix of different veggies and chicken, and a more complex tangy flavor.

[FresserGuy]

I had very good pad thai recently at this vietnamese place on Kennedy, west side, a bit south of Ellesmere -I can't recall the name, but it's easy to spot from the road. Similar vietnamese menu as PHo Hung and all the others but i'd say it's a slight cut above
I know it's ironic, as its not a thai place, but it actually was very tasty, and not cloyingly sweet.

Another good north york thai option is Thai Plate, on Bathurst, west side, between Lawrence and Wilson. The service is very slow, but they seem to make every dish with care, and most seem a bit nicer than the average thai places.

[squingy]

It's called Pho Vietnam with a big orange sign. I agree that they make good vietnamese fare but I did not like the pad thai, last time I ordered it was about a year ago, you could only order the chicken and shrimp separately but not together and they used carrot in their recipe.

[cupcakez]

Gingers pad thai is gross, I agree. I cant stand that PC one either, too dry and the tofu tastes like old sock texture or something.

I agree about Queen Mother, it is a favourite, and I also like Salad Kings, although it is a little inconsistant. Young Thailands was also excellent.

[bogie]

I have consistently had very enjoyable Pad Thai, with well-balanced flavours, from Lemongrass on Bayview.

[kasey j miller]

I love Lemongrass pad thai and really really really love Thai Magic's pad thai. Its more of a dry pad thai and not ketchupy at all.

[asiak]

180 off topic... but I got some pad thai from Ginger1 last night. Went straight into the bin. Inedible. I'm pretty sure the veggies were from a frozen bag.

[Negaduck]

Thai Bistro north of Empress. Please don't go when I plan on going though. It's tiny.

[pinkbuddhacookie]

Just Thai on Church St (just N. of Maitland)

[orangewasabi]

How does the food at Just Thai compare to Pi Tom's or Golden Thai?

[missmu]

Khmer Thai is my favourite, at St. Clair and Oakwood. It has a pad thai with a deep brown colour, which is definitely ketchup free, and I imagine the result of actual tamarind paste. I'm always wary of ordering pad thai from places I haven't tried it at, since it's usually incredibly cloyingly sweet.

[pescatarian]

This thread reminds me that I used to enjoy President's Choice Pad Thai. When they first introduced it over 10 years ago, while not necessarily "authentic", it was quite tasty, peanuty, good tamarind flavour, a good number of nice vegetables and nice soft (egg noodles, I believe) noodles. Then a few years after I found it, I bought one from the freezer case as usual and took it home to find out that they had changed the recipe - for the worse - it was (and is still) a ketchup-y version with noodles that never heat up right and just and inferior product that I couldn't eat more than a couple bites of. I hate when they mess with a good thing like that!

p.s. I have always enjoyed the Pad Thai at Thai Thai Cafe (aka Nachos Thai Thai Cafe) on King East of Yonge. Nothing else there is worth ordering (IMO), but I like their pad thai.

[orangewasabi]

you don't like the chicken curry from the lunch table at Thai Thai Cafe? I like that it's thicker than normal - the Double Pad Thai and the Chicken curry is my standard 3 choice order.

[pescatarian]

I have to say I haven't tried the chicken curry. I don't normally get the lunch buffet, but order a la carte off the menu. The other dishes that friends have ordered haven't tasted good to me and the mango salad is about the worst I've ever had (it has that gritty salty stuff all over it).

Perhaps I'm wrong though and should try the chicken curry.

[orangewasabi]

lol you don't like that rice powder on the mango salad, eh? the mouth feel of the chicken curry is a lot thicker than typical curries though, so if you're not so into the mango, you might not love the chicken curry. It feels like they ground up bamboo shoots to thicken the sauce. I love it but a texture person might not

[pescatarian]

It's the extreme saltiness, more than the texture that turns me off the mango salad. I love mango salad, in general, however, I like it with more of a balance of salty, sweet, etc. I actually haven't had it anywhere as good as at my place, lol
The curry chicken sounds good - I like bamboo shoots.

[MiniMom]

Spoon & Fork, Etobicoke/Mississauga/Oakville locations 2 different types of Pad Thai both amazing
Young Thai which seems to have moved to Dundas & Keele used to be DT has fab pad thai.
Ketchup Free zones here.

[squeaks]

Young Thailand absolutely uses ketchup. I had some today, and it was disgustingly noticeable.

[jonnybee]

I had a pretty decent pad Thai recently at Restoran Malaysia (not quite North York, but not too far). The last few times I have had pad thai it had been way too sweet and lacked a certain aromatic depth that I remember from when I first became acquainted with this dish, about a dozen years ago. Everyone who I was with that night commented that it was the best pad Thai they had in a while too. Actually, everything we ordered that night was pretty good.

[FlavoursGal]

It was probably not laced with ketchup, an unfortunate ingredient in many of the lousy pad Thais available in the city.

[pescatarian]

Amen. Pad Thai is one place that ketchup shouldn't enter the picture.

[pescatarian]

Was the service OK? I've read a few threads online that seem to praise its food, but complain about the service.

[laurelmcg]

The Queen Mother on Queen St has great pad thai!!

[Corrie]

I really like the pad thai from Thai One On which is on York Mills between Leslie and Don Mills.