The country’s first three-in-one Thai experience is opening a location in Oakville
Pii Nong Thai is bringing its restaurant-market-spa concept to the suburbs
Pii Nong Thai—the place that ignited our shared taste for deep-tissue massage chased by saucy bowls of noodles—is opening a second location this spring in Oakville, where it will introduce its special brand of holistic hospitality to the affluent enclave.
“We are Canada’s first three-in-one Thai experience,” says Thomas Ha, who co-owns Pii Nong Thai at Yonge and Lawrence with its eponymous chef, Pii Nong. “What that means is that under one roof we have our award-winning restaurant, a massage parlour upstairs, and near the entrance we have a Thai market where we sell a bunch of our imported snacks, apparel and beauty products.”
Initially opening as a restaurant and market, Pii Nong Thai Oakville will debut its second-floor Lamai Thai Massage parlour later this year. Its arrival will signal the launch of the brand’s “Dine and Massage” packages.
The new restaurant in downtown Oakville will accommodate 120 guests, plus 40 more on a patio once weather permits. “I think it’s one of the biggest restaurants on Lakeshore,” says Ha. “That’s what we want—we want people to gather, smile, drink and enjoy Thai food.”
Guests can expect to find dishes from central and southern Thailand as well as those shaped by Chef Nong’s family traditions. “There will be a big focus on seafood,” says Ha, adding that popular items such as soft-shell crab curry, seafood tom yum and grilled pineapple fried rice will all make the move. For the more timid diners, there will be familiar staples like satay and pad Thai. The menu is designed to be halal-friendly, so pork is out. “We want to make sure that we cater to every customer,” says Ha.
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The cute-as-a-button beverages, which incorporate teddy bears made out of Thai tea, will be joined by other, equally Instagrammable drinks. “There will be more bears. More colours,” says general manager Fam Pantila. “We’ve kept this trend going. The Thai Milk Tea teddy bear is a signature. We launched a mango bear for kids. We also did a Blackpink bear with a frozen charcoal teddy bear.”
But Oakvillians will have to wait until April to stock up on Thai products or get a taste of Chef Nong’s papaya salad. The wait, assures Ha, will be well worth it. “We’re very value focused. We want people to feel like they paid $10 but got a $100 taste. This is a fantastic, cheap way to try Thai massage and Thai food at the same time. Everyone loves value, no matter how rich they are.”
