Queen Mother Café
The Queen Mother Café has been dishing up quality Lao and Thai cuisine to Toronto residents since 1978, making it something of a local landmark. Popular dishes include the sticky rice, crispy calamari, argula and pecan salad, beef stew, pad Thai noodles and khao soy ghai (a traditional Lao dish with chicken in a broth of herbs, ginger curry, coconut milk and turmeric, which comes with egg noodles, sprouts and water cress, and is additionally garnished with coriander, shallots, bok choy and mint.) In addition, the Queen Mother Café offers an extensive Sunday brunch menu, with everything from a smoked salmon plate to eggs Benedict.
Queen Mother Café
208 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON M5V 1Z2
Canada
(416) 598-4719
queenmothercafe.ca
Vanipha Lanna
Vanipha Lanna is the restaurant project of Vanipha Southalack, a chef from Laos. Having received rave reviews from the likes of Toronto Life Magazine, Toronto Star, the Globe and Star and the Zagat Survey, Vanipha Lanna is a good bet for quality Lao and Thai food in Toronto. Specialties of the house include Laab Gai (grilled mixed chicken with herbs, garlic and lime chili sauce), Laotian sticky rice, Mhee Ubon (a rice vermicelli dish with chicken and shrimp in spicy coconut sauce) and emerald curry, which comes with your choice of chicken, shrimp or beef.
Vanipha Lanna
863 St. Clair Ave. W.
Toronto, ON M6C 1C4
Canada
(416) 654-8068
vanipha.ca
Rivoli
Run by the owners of Queen Mother Café, Rivoli serves an intriguing fusion of international comfort food, including a few Lao specialties, such as Laotian spring rolls, which are vegetarian and come with a spicy sweet peanut sauce. Every Sunday, Rivoli offers brunch with an ever-rotating menu. In addition to the restaurant, there is also a pool hall and nightclub on-site, where many famous celebrities have performed, including Barenaked Ladies, Iggy Pop, Beck and the Indigo Girls.
Rivoli
334 Queen St. W.
Toronto, Ontario M5V 2A2
Canada
(416) 597-0794
rivoli.ca
