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Tha Phae Tavern, chef Nuit Regular’s new Thai bar, has karaoke rooms and a claw machine

Plus massaman curry brisket on a bun and boozy buckets

By Liza Agrba| Photography by Jelena Subotic

| April 28, 2025

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A spread of Thai snacks and drinks at Tha Phae Tavern

Name: Tha Phae Tavern Contact: 221 Richmond St. W., thaphaetavern.com, @thaphaetavern
Neighbourhood: Entertainment District
Previously: Selva Owners: Nuit and Jeff Regular, Oliver Geddes, Ben Geddes, Janet Zuccarini Chef: Nuit Regular (Sukhothai, Pai, Kiin, Chaiyo) Accessibility: Not accessible

At the eastern edge of Chiang Mai’s Old City stands Tha Phae Gate. Once a main entrance to the walled city, it’s now a square buzzing with food vendors, performers and backpackers en route to or returning from journeys around northern Thailand. It’s this spirit—of shared energy, multicultural collision and happy chaos—that Nuit and Jeff Regular seek to capture with their latest project.

Inspired by that liminal space, this spot is less about serving textbook recipes and more about recreating the experience of Thailand: markets, mingling and meals with a strong sense of place and memory. Jeff met Nuit while he was backpacking in Thailand, so hubs like Tha Phae hold extra significance for the couple.

Jeff and Nuit Regular at Tha Phae Tavern, their newest Thai restaurant in Toronto

Each of their restaurants has offered a different take on Thai cuisine. Sukhothai focused on the familiar flavours of central Thailand—rich curries, stir-fries, crispy spring rolls. Pai took a turn north with bold herbs, chili and the funk of fermented seafood. Kiin showcased the techniques of Thai royal cuisine. And Chaiyo is a homage to Thailand’s street markets.

Tha Phae Tavern gathers all of those threads and weaves them into something loose and lived-in. “Everything in the world is feeling increasingly uncertain—and expensive,” says Nuit. “We wanted Tha Phae to be affordable, set up for mingling between tables and—most of all—fun. I think we all need a place like that right now.”

The Food

The menu is a mash-up of bar snacks, regional Thai staples and playful dishes designed for grazing and sharing. Think fried chicken with fresh chili sauce, northern-style pork jowl with toasted rice and tamarind, and papaya salad with layers of fermented funk. Chef Nuit has a soft spot for cheese—a rarity in traditional Thai cuisine—but she makes it work, layering cheddar and provolone into a massaman brisket sandwich with pickled vegetables. The flavours here are generally strong—sour, spicy, salty, sometimes sweet—and built to cut through booze and keep your palate sharp.

Thai fried chicken with two dipping sauces — Gai Tod Tha Phae brings crispy, juicy bone-in chicken thighs with two house sauces—sweet-sour and hot chili. ($14 for three pieces.) It goes best with an order of rice, steamed in banana leaf and sticky enough to eat with your hands ($6)

Catfish that's grilled, fried, mixed with bread crumbs, then fried again, and served under a tangle of julienned baby green mango, dressed in lime and tamarind, with shallots, chili and fried redskin peanuts — Yum Pla Dook Foo is available only once in a while because it’s such a labour-intensive dish. For it, catfish is grilled, fried, mixed with breadcrumbs, then fried again to yield “fish floss,” airy and crispy melt-in-your-mouth shreds—it’s like the love child of cotton candy and chicharrón. It’s served under a tangle of julienned baby green mango, lime, tamarind, shallots, chili and fried red-skin peanuts. $20

From the sort-of secret menu, the Soop Nor Mai pairs shredded bamboo shoots with lime juice, shallots, coriander, mint and crunchy little morsels of toasted sticky rice — From the sort-of-secret menu, the Soop Nor Mai pairs shredded bamboo shoots with lime juice, shallots, coriander, mint and crunchy little morsels of toasted sticky rice. It’s sour and salty with a delightful chew. $17

A Thai papaya salad — Fans of funk will love Som Tum Pu Pla Ra, a flavour bomb of a salad. Papaya is laced with pla ra (a fermented freshwater fish paste) alongside fish sauce, tart wild hog plum, salted crab, long beans, tomatoes, sawtooth coriander, lime and Thai bird’s eye chili. Spicy, deep, sour and crunchy, it’s hard to stop eating—even when your eyes start watering (though the spice level, as with many dishes on the menu, is customizable). $12

Crunchy, deep-fried morning glory is tossed with minced pork, shallots, and a tom yum–inspired dressing of chili, fish sauce, shrimp paste, lime, and a touch of evaporated milk — Crunchy deep-fried morning glory is tossed with minced pork, shallots and a tom yum–inspired dressing of chili, fish sauce, shrimp paste, lime and a touch of evaporated milk. $16

Brisket braised in classic massaman curry spices is piled onto a banh mi bun with provolone, pickled carrots and cucumbers, chili and deep-fried shallots — Brisket braised in classic massaman curry spices is piled onto a bun with provolone, pickled carrots and cucumbers, chili, and deep-fried shallots. A reduction of spiced braising liquid comes on the side for dunking. $17

The Drinks

There are slushies spiked with pandan and coconut, rum swizzles in the colours of the Thai flag and an electric-blue mocktail served in goblet. Also, buckets—a word that fills anyone who has backpacked through Thailand with nostalgia (or regret). The plastic pails, loaded with enough booze and mixers to fuel a beach party, are a fixture at Tha Phae Tavern and should prove popular during the bar’s full-moon parties.

The Fish Bowl is a tropical, booze-free delight made with Hale’s Blue Boy cream soda syrup, pandan syrup, butterfly pea flower, zero-proof white rum and a bevy of tropical juices including orange, pineapple, coconut and lime — The Fish Bowl is a tropical booze-free delight made with Hale’s Blue Boy cream soda syrup (which is extremely popular in Thailand), pandan syrup, butterfly pea flower, zero-proof white rum and a bevy of tropical juices including orange, pineapple, coconut and lime. $14

The Siamese Swizzle, a layered rum cocktail in the colours of the Thai flag — Here we have the Siamese Swizzle, a layered rum cocktail in the colours of the Thai flag. It’s made with butterfly pea–infused rum, St-Germain, hibiscus grenadine, coconut water, lemon and lychee. Guests should give it a stir before drinking. $16

Baan Hang Savan is a blend of Springmill Sour Mash whiskey, pineapple, lime, passion fruit, coconut demerara, Hale’s Blue Boy fruit syrup and Angostura — Baan Hang Savan is a blend of Springmill sour mash whisky, pineapple, lime, passion fruit, coconut demerara, Hale’s Blue Boy fruit syrup and Angostura. It’s served with a giant breadcrumb, infused with makrut lime and set ablaze just before it hits the table. $18

A bitter-sour Lillet martini spiked with ya dong, garnished with pickled Thai green mango and rimmed with spicy salt — This bitter-sour Lillet martini is spiked with ya dong (a crimson herbal spirit), garnished with pickled Thai green mango and rimmed with spicy salt. $18

The Space

The large, high-ceilinged room is anchored by a long bar and framed by brick walls textured to mimic the time-worn Tha Phae Gate. A bright-red songthaew—the region’s iconic shared taxi—juts out from one wall. Vintage Thai posters and trinkets add pops of colour, and claw machines provide entertainment (guests can get tokens from the bar and try to bring home a plushie). And in a separate space to the right of the foyer, is the Rod Daeng Karaoke Bar, two karaoke rooms serviced by a smaller bar with a short menu of snacks.

The entrance to Tha Phae Tavern in Toronto is lit with candles

Colourful bunting hangs from the ceiling of Tha Phae Tavern's ceiling

Bench seating by windows at Tha Phae Tavern, a Thai restaurant

A corner table in the dining room of Tha Phae Tavern

Looking from the dining room to the bar at Tha Phae Tavern, a Thai restaurant in Toronto

One of the karaoke rooms at Tha Phae Tavern in Toronto

The entrance to Tha Phae Tavern, a Thai bar and karaoke lounge in Toronto

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