Sabai Sabai Kitchen and Bar

Had the Khao Soi with beef. Too much coconut cream (or something equally sweet) and the beef wasn’t as melt-​in-​your-​mouth soft as it is at PAI.
Wouldn’t recommend.
The interior, décor, and staff are amazing! But the food lacks originality, flavour and a reason to come.

1 star and here is why: their service sucks. I’m never one to judge a restaurant based off of one bad staff, but their entire staff this evening was terrible.
1. We had to stand around by the front unattended for 5 minutes before someone even came and seated us (keeping in mind there were several seats available). Bartender and several staff cleaning tables made eye contact with us, but no one bothered to even acknowledge we were standing there waiting to be seated. Would it kill you to just say «sorry we will be there in a minute?»
2. Food did not get delivered to both me and a friend at the same time. My food came 5 minutes before my friends, and when I asked our waiter, he went back to the kitchen to check and never came back to us to explain the situation. I had to call another waiter to find out, while the 1^st waiter pretended like I never asked him to check.
It’s actually such a shame because the food here is really good. But unfortunately among other amazing Thai places in Toronto, you cannot afford to just have quality kitchen staff, and lacklustre waiters and hostesses.
Would not recommend this place at all, especially when we have such amazing service and equally great food elsewhere.

Arrived before 12 on a weekday because I had seen the crowd during lunch on other days as I walked past. Cool funky eclectic and street are words that come to mind when describing this place. The décor is a breath of fresh air compared to the usual traditional Thai restaurant themes of dancers elephants and wood carvings. Here you will find festival lanterns graffiti and comic art all strategically placed for maximum effect. Green curry chicken with a singha beer was perfect. I was glad they provided enough rice for the curry and the chicken was ample even generous. Comfortable and quick. The waitstaff ate thankfully aware of the lunch time crowd and they know that the clock is ticking. Will be back soon.

I had the chicken wings and pork belly Lao sausage. The wings were cooked just right. The environment is relaxed and service was fast and efficient.
The pork belly Lao sausage were a bit on the sweet side and too lean to be called ‘pork belly’; almost dry. They also didn’t have crushed fresh chilli with fish sauce when I asked for it.
I would visit agian to try other small plates they have on the menu. Looks very interesting. I’m very surprised they don’t serve papaya salad; I was looking forward to a Lao style papaya salad; it’s way better than the Thai version.

For anyone who loves the food at Sabai Sabai but not so much the prices/​sizes of the dishes in the dinner service, I highly recommend going for lunch. Most of the favourites are available in generous, filling portions for about $ 12 each. Bonus: A friend and I went on a weekday at 1pm and had no problem getting seated.
This time we ordered Green Curry and Street Style Rice Noodles. They both had a good ratio of ingredients (meat/​veggies) to carbs. The green curry was flavourful but not too rich, and the rice noodles had a pleasantly complex mix of spicy, sour, and savoury.
They’re gearing up for the restaurant’s move to a location on Bloor St. so the lunch service may be discontinued soon. Get it while you can!

Visited this quaint little place for the first time. The food is fabulous and served quickly.
Delicious
Squash fritters
Chicken satay
Panang shrimp curry
Street style noodles
Sticky rice
Mango salad
Wow! The best ive tasted!

This was a young and hip kind of place that I found through Unilocal,after painstakingly looking for an interesting dinner spot to cater to vegetarians in my group of 15. We were set upwind one long booth bench that took up about a third of the floor space, thank goodness we had booked weeks in advance! The place was quite loud and stuffy-​especially the further into the store you got. The bathroom is downstairs, so that may be limiting to some patrons.
The large group cost us 18% gratuity included, and no-​show would be a charge of $ 50 flat. This was told clearly to me in advance when I called, an improvement I’m guessing from some earlier reviews. We brought cupcakes to celebrate the birthday, and confirmed in advance there was no plating fee or knife fee. When we arrived our server was quick to spot the cakes and whisk them away into the fridge.
The draw into this place was their selection of vegan plates — they sounded good and are priced a dollar or two compared to like-​sized meat plates. The diet-​friendly option was a plus for Sabai Sabai.
My sub-​group within the 15 ordered a pitcher of red sangria to share — it splits well into about 6 small mason-​jar glasses that were provided. The size would equate to a regular sized drink, so it was a good deal. The passion fruit juice and wine made a flavour that reminded me of blackcurrant, so that was interesting. Garnish was mint leaves and dragonfruit — an interesting combination.
The menu is set up tapas-​style, with a moderately sized list of options as well as some larger plates featuring rice or noodles. We found the tapas to be on the small side, appropriate for groups of four to each have a piece with no leftovers. The chicken wings, pork skewers, and fried fish were nothing to rave about — they tasted pretty good but nothing made me ask for seconds. Combine that with the tapa-​size portions at $ 10 per plate, I got the idea to not come back. It was a good experience, but a low quality/​price ratio. Further, I strongly recommend getting at least two larger plates to share on top of ordering about one tapa per person. If you have some big eaters, more larger plates would be cost effective compared to tapas, or get more rice.
I was looking forward to the coconut rice and was not disappointed by the flavour, though it was a bit dry for my preference. The curries we tried were more like stews — flavourful but not lingering, and had a more watery consistency. Nothing about them made me want to come back for more. Other options for rice were white jasmine, brown, and sticky. One curry portion goes well with two bowls of rice.
The meal ended up around $ 30 – 40 per person after tax and the 18% gratuity, mostly varying based on drinks.

Terrible experience on my most recent visit.
Ordered the squash fritters appetizer. From my tamarind dipping sauce, out came and baby COCKROACH, which crawled all over the fritters, and then our table, until we killed it with a napkin.
We advised our server who apologized and ordered another for us. A 2^nd server dropped off the order, and not very sincerely, apologized again for the issue.
I’m writing this poor review for two reasons: ONE that they really quite seemed unphased by the COCKROACH issue and so it must be a regular occurrence, and TWO, they did not comp ANYTHING on the bill! What kind of customer service is that?!
I can’t believe we paid full pop for our disgusting roachy experience. I’m not even sure why I tipped — creature of habit I guess.
I will NEVER return.

Finally got to try them out Saturday night and I totally get the hype!
First I must say thanks to the hostess who accommodated us despite us not having Reservation so call ahead people, they get busy!
Since it was our first time here, with some help from our server we ordered the squash fritters, Tom yum soup, massaman curry, green curry and morning glory all from their vegan menu. With the exception of the squash fritters everything else is super delish! My fave was the soup though, perfect balance of sweet and spicy!
The ambience is super chill and the staff is stellar! Very quick service and they checked on us multiple times throughout the meal. We will definitely be back!

Was craving good Thai food so my friend recommended this restaurant. From start to finish, it was an amazing dining experience. Basically we ordered roughly 7 tapas. We ordered the Khao Soi, Green Curry with Chicken, Fresh Shrimp Rolls, Rice Noodles, Crispy Fried Fish, Crispy Fried Taro Roll and Grilled Chicken Satay Skewer. All the dishes were shareable dishes and was impressed by all of them especially the fish dish, taro roll and the chicken skewers. Also loved their Thai Ice Tea. Staff were friendly and it does get busy during weekday evenings. Overall, great dining experience and loved their Thai food. Highly recommended

Just came on a random day at 530pm. We had:
Khao sol: dish was good but felt like it was missing something. Enjoyed pai a bit more.
Stir fried morning glory: this was really good, could eat it all day. Wish all my veggies tasted like this.
Pork skewers: it was an okay dish, not too memorable.
Squash fritters: this dish is huge and heavy. Pretty good comfort food.
Crispy fried fish: twas okay. Doubt I would order it again, would rather try something else.
Overall it was a good experience, would recommend to try it. The artwork is great.

Food: Greasy, over-​powering flavors. The satay was dry, oily and really gross. The curry was a puddle of oil and way too sweet. The only thing we liked were the squash fritters.
Ambiance: Great!
Service: Slooow
Price: Way overpriced
Verdict: Would not go back

Great atmosphere with excellent service. We were visited by several different staff members who made sure we were always happy, but they never came for what felt like too often or for too long. Our waiter Michael selected all of our tapas based on a few simple requests (no pork, no sea food, and a good variety) and we loved them all.
We will certainly be returning.

The House-​Made Spicy Lao Sausage was a pork belly sausage seasoned with fresh lemongrass, galangal, lime leaf, shallots, and spices. I thought this was delicious! I am a huge fan of pork sausages and since this was made with a pork belly, this was a little fatty — but which made it so juicy as well. I really enjoyed it. It arrived freshly made to the table so it was quite hot when eating it. The sauce that it arrived with also brought a light and refreshing taste to the sausage. Yum!

Tapas styled Thai resto. Not the cheapest Thai place but of the «trendy» ones (Khao San Road, Pai) that I’ve tried, while all good, Sabai Sabai was my favourite with the tastiest menu. (And in the end, I basically spent the same as the other restaurants and just as full, if not more).
Also good friendly service that keeps things moving.
And considering how busy the place is, was able to accommodate our large group very well (with speedy service too).

Nice ambience and welcoming servers.
I had the Khao Soi and the squash fritters which were really yummy. Since those two things tasted good, makes me want to come back to try other things on the menu. It is tapa style which is unique for a Thai spot but the portions were bigger than I expected. 2 tapas for myself were more than enough, it left me full.
I would come back again.

Great service and ambiance! Staff was very friendly especially the bar tender.
I ordered spicy coconut noodles and Thai iced tea.
The coconut noodles was flavorful, combined the hot taste and sweetness of coconut, loved it.
Thai iced tea was more sweet than the ones I had from PAI and khao San road. I preferred it to be less sweet and not premade.
But overall I highly recommend sabai sabai for some authentic Thailand tapas n a variety of drinks

Coming to Sabai Sabai, it’s always consistently providing a night to remember. The atmosphere, vibe, flavourful tapas and friendly service, all come together perfectly and with just enough alcohol in your system you can literally be transported back to the bustling parts of Thailand. Sawadee Krap -=3.5=-
As with any downtown «tapas» establishments, don’t come starving however there are items that’ll keep those young hungry sailors at bay, such as the Curries selection along with an order of steam rice. After the hunger subsides, it’s to those little amazing snacks and yes, the Grilled Chicken Wings are good enough to order twice.
If you happen to READ my reviews and I bet not many will, the little secret here is when you get seated, ask what desserts they have and if they have any left. That could make or break your night with any guy/​girl you come with. Desserts go fast around here, and the best desserts don’t last.
I’m quite surprised I remember this much to write anything about this place, not the biggest selection of drinks but enough to pair the foods flavours. The hospitable owner (s) are frequently around to ensure everyone’s enjoying their stay and they keep busy running around back and front as much as the staff.

The place to be on a Saturday Night. Yeah you have the Guu couple of blocks away, but you can have delicious food with minimal shouting. We (4 Merry bros) went there around 8.00pm ish, we were seated right away. Interior had a low light ambiance with a hue of red and the walls were decorated with photos and decors from Thailand. They were going for a Bangkok street food stall vibe with the modern twist.
We ordered Chicken Panang Curry, Masamam Curry, Fried crispy fish and bunch of chicken skewers. Of course, this is a tapas style restaurant, so you shouldn’t be complaining about the portion sizes. The food was delicious. Period. Masamam Curry was on point and the crispy fish was out of control. They have some good collection of beers from southeast Asia. I would definately visit again.

Located in what appears to be a seedier less cleanly street area of Toronto not far off the «Gayborhood» section of Toronto, it attracts a rather young mixed crowd of gays, lesbians and straights. Though the areas is definitely safe, you do have to be careful walking as the area seems to huge sidewalk traffic number of those electric wheelchairs drive at rather high speeds by people who seem to be more mentally than physically handicapped. Indeed I saw them having a number of close calls with pedestrians.
The food offerings are Thai in orientation. They have a standard menu along with a good number of daily specials. The portion sizes are, even referred to on their menu as «tapas» (not surprisingly a term I’ve never seen or heard of being used in Thailand), with various curries, a couple of fish, a simple Thai basil shrimp, a few meats and good number of vegan dishes. Though the portions are small, tapas in size, it affords a good opportunity to sample and share in their dishes.
They have a full bar and an offering of various Thai inspired signature drinks. I had their Thai Mojito, a combination of dark rum, coconut sugar syrup, mint, lime leaf, lime and lemongrass which I found to be rather refreshing.
The place is very popular, gets crowded quickly, the seating is cramped and the noise level gets to be loud, as in LOUD. When crowded you may indeed find conversation difficult of not near impossible which is rather ironic in that the name of the place, «Sabia Sabia,» roughly translates to meaning a place or feeling of peace and tranquility. As they also offer take-​out, there is a lot of confusion between those looking for tables and those standing around waiting for their take-​out orders.
I had their eggplant stir-​fry with Thai basil, red pepper and lemongrass, their «Grilled Satay Chicken» with peanut satay sauce and cucumber vinaigrette also with a couple of rice and noodle like dishes. I found each to be very good, prepared in authentic Thai style, and though the ingredients somewhat on the cheap side, fully flavorful and tasty. Four Stars.