Best Thai Food in Calgary: Top 5 Thai Restaurants You’ll Love
- September 9, 2024
- By Cody Battershill
Top 5 Thai Restaurants in Calgary, Alberta
Where will you find the absolute best Thai food in Calgary? Our highly diverse city, where residents come from more than 240 different ethnic origins and speak 165 different languages, has seen our Asian community grow rapidly over the years and, alongside it, the list of best Thai restaurants in Calgary.
Whether you’re looking to enjoy an authentic pad see ew stir-fried noodles, indulge in some sweet and sour coconut tom kha kai soup, or perhaps enjoy the cultural experience of dining at an authentic Thai restaurant altogether, below we list off the top Thai food restaurants in Calgary for you to discover. Also see:
White Elephant Thai Cuisine
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- Northeast Calgary
- Address: 1808 19 Street NE (at the back)
- Phone: 403-457-1172
Our favourite dishes:
- Green papaya salad (Thai spicy)
- Thai green curry
- Tom yum soup (chicken)
White Elephant has long been one of the best Thai restaurants in Calgary. Found in an unusual location at the Airport Traveller’s Inn off the Trans Canada Highway, it serves up family-sized dishes, making it a great spot for sharing your favourite Thai cuisines.
Originally, White Elephant was located at the front of the hotel but moved to a bigger space at the back of the same building. We’re very glad they did because it was very difficult to get a table at their old location—that’s how good this place is!
We highly recommend trying the tom yum or tom kha; they come in a large metal bowl and can easily serve the whole family. We also love the green papaya salad at a Thai spicy level (hot, hot, hot), which is any spice lover’s dream.
White Elephant is reservation friendly, but you probably won’t need to make one given just how massive their new space is. Also, when it comes to the best Thai food in Calgary, this restaurant gives you the best bang for your buck because of the dish sizes.
Chili Club Thai House
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- Southwest Calgary
- Address: 1904 36 Street SW
- Phone: 403-217-8862
Our favourite dishes:
- Crying tiger
- Chicken cashew
- Pad Thai
Next on our list of the best Thai restaurants in Calgary is the Chili Club Thai House. This small but in-demand establishment has been around for many years, a true testament to its delicious Thai food.
If you visit this establishment and happen to be a steak or beef enthusiast, you MUST try the crying tiger. Cooked to perfection, this steak is cut into small strips and marinated in a spicy ginger and black pepper sauce. Each bite melts in your mouth. But be warned, because it is spicy. Quite honestly, sometimes we visit this restaurant just to eat this dish --- it's that good.
We also love the stir-fry dishes at Chili Club Thai House. The cashew chicken is a hearty and delicious option, cooked with pineapple that gives it that sweet and tangy taste. But perhaps our favourite dish is the pad Thai noodle, which has the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and spicy—the three tastes you should have when eating the best Thai food in Calgary.
If you’re looking to eat at Chili Club Thai House during peak hours—on weekends or at dinner time—your best bet is to make a reservation. This place gets busy, and seating is somewhat limited compared to some of the other best Calgary Thai restaurants on our list.
Thai Siam Restaurant
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- Northeast Calgary
- Address: #15 – 4127 6 Street NE
- Phone: 403-680-0366
Our favourite dishes:
- Thai crispy fish
- Tom kha kai
- Thai pho
This unsuspecting Thai restaurant shares a space with a gin distillery in the Highland Park commercial area of the city. It is easily reached via Edmonton Trail, McKnight Boulevard, or 32nd Avenue NE. But lo and behold, it might just be our favourite Thai restaurant in Calgary.
Not only do Thai Siam’s meals pack incredible taste, but they also, for the most part, come family-sized for very reasonable prices. We couldn’t get enough crispy Thai fish topped with spicy chilli sauce; you get three or four large pieces of fish lightly battered and fried, and you should pour the sauce over when served. Just thinking about eating this dish last time is making my mouth water.
We also love the Thai Pho beef noodle soup. It’s a great option for lunch or a quick meal and is packed with high-quality beef. Another favourite is the Thai coconut chicken soup (tom kha kai), which could very well be the most flavourful tom kha kai soup we’ve ever had in Calgary. It is served in a reasonably sized bowl.
If you want to check out Thai Siam, you should make a reservation to eat during peak hours. We’ve been there at lunch too, and it can get pretty packed. Thankfully, this best Thai restaurant in Calgary does have a loft table section that can handle overflow, but it isn’t the most comfortable place to sit in the restaurant, so keep that in mind!
Pad Thai Restaurant
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- Northwest Calgary
- Address: 3106B 4 Street NW
- Phone: 403-800-0567
Our favourite dishes:
- Salad rolls
- Signature shrimp cake
- Pineapple fish
Pad Thai is a safe bet if you want to indulge in authentic Thai cuisine in Calgary. Located on Fourth Street and 31st Avenue NW, this best Thai restaurant is still a bit of a hidden gem. You might get lucky to get a table during peak hours, but reservations are always recommended to be sure!
A favourite appetizer at Pad Thai to start is the thick salad rolls, which come with a tasty house lemon dressing with peanuts that you’re supposed to pour on top of the roll before every bite. The house-special shrimp cakes are out of this world; served on a bed of lettuce, they come with their own tamarind sauce with crunched peanuts and have five small cakes, making them a great starter dish to share.
Pad Thai’s main entrees are also great for sharing. The curries are quite thick and heavy (but absolutely delicious) and jam-packed with meat and veggies of your choice, so you don’t need much to fill up. Also, dishes like the prairie fire and pineapple fish are unique creations that will leave a lasting imprint on your taste buds—we highly recommend both, although we must say the sweet pineapple fish is out of this world.
If you’re looking for a top Thai restaurant in the northwest of Calgary, Pad Thai is your best bet. It is close enough to the inner city, which makes it easy to get to, especially for residents living in the northern part of town.
Zab Der Authentic Thai Restaurant
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- Northwest Calgary
- Address: Unit 1, 936 Northmount Drive NW
- Phone: 587-351-3322
Our favourite dishes:
- Waterfall beef salad
- Chicken satay skewers
- Ginger chicken stir fry
Zab Der has quickly made a name for itself as one of the best Thai restaurants in Calgary. Its dishes are very reasonably priced (slightly more affordable than most of its counterparts) and have delicious flavours.
Some of the best Thai food dishes we had at this establishment include the waterfall beef salad, chicken satay skewers and ginger chicken stir fry. The beef was cooked to perfection, reminding us of a delightful medium-rare steak salad. The satay chicken skewers are served with a delicious peanut dipping sauce which we couldn’t get enough of, while the ginger chicken stir fry had an enjoyable marinated garlic flavour and was gone almost as soon as it was put down on the table.
Vegans and gluten-sensitive restaurant-goers will enjoy the options at Zab Der Authentic Thai. It also has a monthly special, which for September includes crispy egg noodles and spicy chicken or pork basil stir fry on steamed rice.
If you’re looking for a unique soup not seen at many other best Thai food restaurants in Calgary, you’ll want the Mama Je Mod --- noodles served in hot and sour soup with Thai herbs and seafood, shared straight from the chef’s family recipe.
Where is the Best Thai Food in Calgary?
Don’t settle for less than the best when looking to eat the best Thai food in Calgary! Remember that many restaurants may sell Thai food, but the cuisine may not be authentic or cooked according to the appropriate methodologies.
The next time you’re looking for the best Thai restaurants in Calgary, we highly recommend checking out any of these establishments on our list. All of them have superb food that will not disappoint. Wishing you the best in your search for Calgary’s top authentic Thai cuisine!