The food here is fantastic. There really is an option for everyone if you’re going in a group. Quite flavourful and portions were perfect. Service was also great.

A friend recommended this place to me while in Toronto. Probably one of the best places I have eaten at in North America . The Ping Gai-chicken and rice is outstanding, awesome definitely a 9.5/10. When you dip the chicken in the secret sauce. 11.5/10. The atmosphere is great, the staff is awesome. Oh the fresh spring rolls. 9.2/10

45 years this year, congrats Queen Mother Cafe!!! I've had dinner here since 35 years ago, and the food, the service and vibe is still so great here.

I always walk pass this place as it's so dark, but the food surprised me. FOOD: • Khao Soi Gai: I love this one, the broth was full of flavor and creamy. The noodles was amazing. I couldn't stop eating the broth. • Ping Gai: The chicken was soft and juicy, but I prefer the Khao Soi Gai as there's not much flavor going on in this chicken. I had to dip my chicken in the khao soi broth to be able to finish my dish. SERVICE: it's not a busy day so service was fast, food came out quickly. VIBE: very dark, at first I thought this's a bar and I never wanted to walk in because the vibe seem very heavy.

Great food, great service, great ambiance. Looks can be deceiving. When we first arrived, the front of the store looked like a bar and the room was quite dark. We made reservations for a patio in the back, and when we got there, it was actually a really nice cute place - definitely not what I was expecting when walking through the restaurant. I also think you need to make reservations in advance because it can get quite busy - we almost wasn’t able to book a table, but luckily we were only 5 minutes away. Anyways, it’s an interesting place for Thai food fusion. I saw lots of people ordering burgers, but we ordered the Asian dishes. We got the spring rolls for appetizers, which was delicious. Whatever that dipping sauce is - it’s really good. We got the pad Thai, the Ping Gai chicken and khao soy. It was definitely lots of food and the portion sizes were a lot bigger than what was shown in the pictures from other reviews. So, our favourite was definitely the Ping Gai chicken - absolutely loved the flavours. It was marinated and then barbecued, so it was the married combination of juicy and crunchy/ charred chicken. It came with a little rice and some greens (mixed green salad). We also enjoyed the pad Thai; it was different than the authentic flavour, but still very delicious. There was shrimp and chicken in it. We got it mild which I personally found to be a little light - might go for the medium next time. The khao soy was good too - tasted like a curry mixed noodle, and less sweet (we had gone to Pai the previous night and found their khao soy to be too sweet over savoury), which is what we were looking for. There was thin egg noodles in the khao soy that was super bouncy and soaked up all the flavours of the curry. We got the medium spicy for the khao soy which I found to be pretty good. Either way, overall the food was great. Our waiter (I think I overheard her name was Sue?) was super nice and attentive. Service was great. Mood and ambiance was great. Definitely a hidden gem that I would come back to again. Don’t let the front of the store deceive you!

Been coming to Queen Mother Cafe over 30+ years and it never disappoints. The classic Ping Gai which is a Laotian dish that one can never find anywhere in this city, the dish looks so simple yet it’s so delicious, the food is always consistent and it tastes better every time I visit. My wife always have the Pad Thai mild, so mouth watering, and my son loves the Beefeater burger with fries, he loves it, the burger is made fresh and juicy and so does the fries, made to order. Not only the main dishes you should try, all the appetizers are pure gold, we had the Nam Dip, soft rice paper rolls filled with tofu, bean sprouts, …, and hands down the best Crispy Calamari in town. Also, don’t forget the desserts, classic cakes from Dufflet’s and Phipps. Lastly, the coffee is always fresh and the blend of beans they use, not overwhelming, just right. I highly recommend this restaurant, where you walked in the door, greeted, seated, from the appetizers, main dishes to your desserts and coffee/tea refreshments, you get the full ensemble. No need to go anywhere afterwards, just complete. Fantastic staff and service to the end. 5/5 definitely my Michelin ⭐️ restaurant 🙌

Queen mother Cafe is always a good time. With a pretty wide range of menu items, there is something for everyone. The ping gai is definitely a go to dish and probably one of the most ordered dish there additionally, you cannot go wrong with their Khao Soi nor their shrimp pad Thai. I will be back.

First time here and happy we stumbled upon this place. Very nice atmosphere, good beer pours on tap, and food was excellent. Service was friendly and good. Will be back. Definitely a hidden gem in an area that is all commercial and has quick fix gimmick foods.

Incredible food, absolutely flavourful and great portions. Diverse menu and a must try. They cook chicken like no one I’ve seen!!

📍:  | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📸: ping gai, sri lankan vegetable curry roti i came here spontaneously with a friend visiting from out of town and the food was delicious. the ping gai was a massive portion; enough for another half snack post-workout and so so delicious. the meat was tender, juicy and the skin was perfectly flavourful. my friend got the roti which was also a crazy portion and the curry was quite yum. they have many vegetarian and gluten free options! i definitely want to be back to try some of their other dishes! check out @cherriechomps on ig for more food content :)

Delicious and good fusion food. Menu is quite eclectic but food was delicious. Price is a tad bit expensive for what you get. Servers were very nice, the place is really dark with creak floors, typical old Toronto buildings.

Surprised to find the food so ordinary, based on all the good words I'd heard about the restaurant. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, but it also just felt a bit bland and unremarkable. Our server and the service in general were very lovely though, and the atmosphere was buzzing.

Super cozy atmosphere, very warm restaurant + bar to dine in during colder weathers! Food portions are really large. Each dish is enough for two.

Huge portions for a decent price. Their food is really authentic and tasty! I’ve had so many friends ask me about this restaurant after I posted a photo of it on my social media!!

the khao soi gai was pretty salty and didn’t taste much of coconut which was disappointing… the ping gai chicken is quite tasty though, and the patio was very lovely!

Queen Mother is an institution. Global flavours, comfort food, super friendly, warm and helpful waitresses. This restaurant always makes us feel so happy. They have a roasted eggplant with naan appy that’s flavourful. Their ping gai is succulent and delicious. The dipping sauce of the ping gai is legendary, they even sell the extra because so many customers want more ☺️ What’s awesome is that over the decades, the flavour and portion size never changed. Yes the price may have increased but what was served years back is the same ping gai one would get today. We finished off with a slice of their cappuccino chiffon cake - so delish we had to order a 2nd slice. Perfect with coffee.

Second time visiting the restaurant. Have to be honest Ping Gai chicken is a must try! Really flavourful, similar to lemongrass chicken but totally different taste. Really enjoy the music, the vibe and the interior design.

Wanted to grab a midnight dinner and most places on this street were either closed or had about 2 hours wait time! Came across this Cafe which was open till later in the night and had seating available on their Patio as their restaurant was full. Their Patio is not a usual Patio scene - you gotta go down stairs, walk thru a covered but shady passage for about a minute & then climb upstairs & voila! The Patio is pretty tho! Coming to the food, the place doesn't seem to have a cuisine - they serve different things from different cuisines on their menu - very unlikely of a "Cafe" but that's alright because whatever we ordered was pretty great taste wise! The Khao Soi Gai was perfect for the slight breezy weather at midnight! Our calamari appetizer was fantastic too! The drinks however at this place were straight up Horrible! The Guava Margarita was pretty awful so definitely don't recommend the drinks! Parking will be a huge problem here as they don't seem to have a dedicated spot but its also right in the middle of Downtown!

Queen Mother Cafe is a cozy restaurant. It was late at night and they were still open. Ordered Pang Gai Chicken which was absolutely delicious. It came with a sweet spicy(mild) sauce, jasmine rice and green salad. What I loved the most was the portion of chicken of this dish. We also ordered Raspberry Cheesecake. It was tasty but a bit too sweet for me. I highly recommend this place and will definitely come back.

Came here for lunch after having this spot on my list for ages. Their menu is very intriguing with classic western fare like burgers and salads but has lots of SE Asian items including Laotian dishes thanks to the long time Laotian chef. I tried the spicy chicken samosas and the ping gai. The samosas were hot and freshly fried, served with a fresh cucumber raita. I wish the filling had more body and spice since the raita really mellowed out the flavours. The ping gai was what I was most curious about and it was marinated in a beautiful green marinade with fresh notes of coriander. My personal preference would be to have a more allicin garlicky punch. The dipping sauce it's served with is excellent. My only objective complaint is that one end of my chicken was burnt which I wish they had removed (see pic). My friends spicy peanut noodle bowl had overcooked broken up noodles but good flavours. Portions are great. Staff are friendly and the location is buzzing with energy. They accept reservations.

A cozy restaurant on queen Street. The portion size is good. A nice warm bowl of khau suey was perfect on a chilly fall afternoon. This one was not as thick and creamy as you would find in a typical Thai restaurant. Chocolate cake looked more moist than it tasted.

Pleasant place in the heart of Toronto. The place is cozy with great service from our waiter that night. Our group had the Ping Ghai chicken as recommended by other reviewers and also Khao Soy. Absolutely delicious! The dipping sauce was just wonderful and compliment the chicken. Thanks for the staff for waiting for us pass the closing hour and letting us pickup the gloves we left that night. Definitely recommended!

Been here many times and never disappointed. The food is consistently good and the back patio was a nice surprise!

Wow. Great spot, excellent service and beautiful back patio. The food was just so well done. Everything from quality of ingredients to how it’s cooked and presented. If you’re reading this, yes, try this place!

I was craving some pad Thai, and when I saw it on the menu, I knew I had to order it. I went for the chicken and shrimp pad Thai, hoping it would satisfy my craving since it's my go-to comfort food. Unfortunately, the chicken had an unpleasant smell and lacked seasoning and was undercooked. On the bright side, the shrimp was fine. Overall, it didn't meet my usual standards, especially compared to the delicious pad Thai I've had in Vancouver. I also tried the Lychee cocktail, which was incredibly refreshing. I highly recommend it! That drink was the highlight of my experience at this place. As for the service, it was decent.

Highly recommend the Ping Gai Chicken! It was so juicy and delicious, the dip was a different kind of fish sauce that I'm used to but it was so tasty with the chicken. Open pretty late, it has a nice ambience inside. I would go again just for the chicken!

Great food. Cool place in the downtown area. Ping Gai was really delicious. The chicken was so tender. Calamari was also great. Super close to YukYuk’s for a date night.

Got the red curry seafood and it tasted amazing! Our server, Rahim, was very accommodating and amicable. Their food portions were also good. Would come back for more!

Very cute cafe, made all the better by our lovely server Ashley. She was sweet, personable and when I asked for sweetener for my iced coffee, she went above and beyond and melted it down for me! One of the best servers I’ve had and made a short experience a memorable one!

One of my favourite spots in the city. Backyard patio is heated and has a super cute and chill ambiance. Service is always quick and friendly. All of the martinis are delicious and the ping gai is the best thing on the menu!

Excellent food, beer, and service. The Ping Gai is wonderful!

Very nice staff, love the back patio, and the food was really good quality.

We ordered Khao Soy Gai$18.95, Chicken&Shrimp Pad Thai$18.95, Spicy Chicken Samosas$10.95. All of them were delicious and flavorful. Will definitely come back for more. (Strongly recommend to make rsvp in advance since Wednesday lunch time there’s only bar seats left.)

Quaint restaurant that has been around for decades. Nothing special, but definitely does not disappoint. Servers are friendly and the food is reasonable, tasty, with a range of variety that goes beyond the typical English pub offerings.

It has a super cute patio at the back, it’s a bit hidden away from the crowd of downtown. Love the food here and the portions. Tried the Ping Gai with chicken and it was almost enough for 2 people. Absolutely loved the taste. The ambience is very lively. Would recommend to anyone looking to explore patios in this summer.

A chill spot for good food! Lots of vegetarian options, lots of seating. I love coming here :)

Excellent hole in the wall that is open until midnight. The friendliest service by Melissa. I ordered the Sri Lankan Vegetable Wrap and it was delicious. A bit on the spicy side but I can’t handle spice at all. Most people would find it just fine. I also had some hot tea and love that they serve it in a small light bulb shaped kettle. Really cute! Take a look at their menu below!

Very cozy and welcoming restaurant! Staff super nice and kind and food, oh boy, delicious! Very taste and dishes are very well served, great cocktail menu too!

Queen Mother Café has a great vibe and atmosphere to it. They're open very late so I sometimes get to go there and chill with my friends until after hours. Their food is also amazing, I had their famous Pad Thai and it tastes great! Although I asked for the spiciest option they had, it was barely enough to make my nose a little runny, (not spicy enough! hahah). The other types of food are also great. Definitely recommend this place.

Since I live on the east end, I don't get to come downtown very often. So when a friend of mine recommended this place for what she called the best pad thai in the city, I knew I had to go and check it out. Best decision EVER!!! The food was incredible, the place was warm and inviting, and our waitress Mala was as kind and helpful as could be! You can bet I'll be coming back here the next time I'm in the area!

We chose Queen Mother Cafe for a team lunch. We ordered a mix Ping Gai Chicken and Chicken & Shrimp Pad Thai. I had the pad thai. I didn't love it because I found it a bit sour. It would have been nicer with a bit more chicken. My colleagues who had the other dish loved it. The chicken was apparently very tender and cooked to perfection. Overall we are quite happy that we came here. Portion sizes are pretty good, and service is excellent.