Syphay Restaurant Downtown

Great little place! We usually hit the one on the South Side, because it’s way closer to us, but bought a Groupon for this location (thought it was for both. We were wrong. Our bad.) So, off we went!
The food is just as good, and the atmosphere is the same as the other location. If you like that one, then you’ll like this one! If you haven’t been there, go! It’s a smaller place, with an intimate feel. It has a charm to it, and isn’t fancy. The food was hot, fresh and tasty. I like that you can ask for different levels of spice on the dishes and everything is super fresh. Loved everything that came to the table and definitely didn’t leave hungry.
Trust me when I say try the Thai Iced Tea. It’s bright orange, but oh so tasty!
Parking is free, but there isn’t much room for the two restaurants on the lot. We were fortunate to get one of the last spots right on the end. A little percarious, but we didn’t get any damage!

This place is delicious and a lovely surprise! A friend had recommended it after he had gone there with his family, so I took mine there. Fish, chicken, noodles, the server was helpful with her suggestions and our meal was fantastic. Would come here again. Looking forward to it, actually.

I heard good things about this restaurant and happened to see a groupon for the downtown location. We went there on a Monday evening around 8 p.m. The parking lot is quite small and the restaurant is average size. The décor has a bit of authentic feel to it with a few potted plants in a corner next to our table. The tables were set up far enough from the next one so you can’t hear other people’s conversations.
We walked in and was not acknowledged by the girl at the till. I went up to her and was not greeted so I was expecting poor customer service. Another girl came out from the kitchen and helped her move a table where we would be seated. There were only four tables taken up so not sure why they seated us where they did.
We were given two menus for the four of us to look at. It took the girl quite a while to come take our drink order. She was not friendly nor helpful with the menu since it was our first time there. Quite disappointing so far so we winged it. We ordered the Tom yum soup with shrimp, pad Thai with extra chicken, curry beef and stir-​fried chicken with cashew and vegetables and two orders of steamed white rice.
The soup came out first and contained six shrimp along with mushrooms. It was quite tasty but only enough for a taste for four people. It had just the right amount of spice. The pad Thai was a large portion and one of the best I have tasted. The beef portion was a bit small but had lots of sauce to put onto our rice. The chicken with vegetables and cashews was not spicy and very good, I would definitely order this again. No one came to check on us and only came by to refill our water once but still not ask how everything was or if we needed anything.
I told the girl we had a groupon and she said she would take it at the till. Our bill was $ 75 and the groupon was worth $ 70. We gave her $ 20 and she asked if we wanted change. I thought a $ 15 tip she was expecting was a bit high especially for the service we received.
The food is delicious but a bit on the pricey side. I can’t say if I would come back to this location or try the south side but would consider take out by calling ahead to avoid the wait and poor service.

I’ve only been to Syphay once but I’ll definitely be a returning customer. Everything on the menu looked incredible and the dishes we tried were fantastic. I was most impressed with the phanang curry.
So, if the food was outstanding… why only 4 stars? While the service was friendly, it was incredibly slow. We thought leaving 2 hours for dinner before a concert was plenty of time but in the end we were rushed. The restaurant was moderately busy but it didn’t appear they were understaffed. Many tables were left empty and uncleared from previous guests. I couldn’t figure out what was taking so long. Next time I visit, I’ll be sure to clear my schedule.
One other let down, we took some of our leftovers to go and although it’s still standard in many restaurants I cringe when your take aways are packaged in styrofoam. I should probably just have tupperware with me at all times to avoid the guilt.
Overall, I can’t wait to get back to Syphay. I’ll go with a group so we can try lots of different dishes (and finish them all so no styrofoam is required) and we’ll ensure we have the whole evening to enjoy ourselves.

Went to syphay last night and it was great! Spring rolls, pad thai, and pynang curry was super good.
I wish that they maybe served with a bowl and chopsticks as an option. But super minor.
Staff was friendly and quick!

First things first. They are way under staffed and service is very slow. We waited for 90 minutes and watched 5 tables sit empty uncleared for another 25 minutes after our 90 minutes. It was maddening and all I could do not to go help clear them myself. There is no where to wait without clogging the entrance and half the restaurant. The poor girls coming from the kitchen with heavy glass platters had to practically hurdle over the throngs of hangry ppl.
After we were finally sat, it took 20 minutes to get water. After ordering, it took more than 55 minutes to get our food.
So with a wait like this the food had better be great right?
We ordered the Pad Keauy Talay and Pad Paa Phit with a side of coconut rice. We had wanted to try appetizers but after waiting two hours, 30 minutes longer than they had promised, we ran out of time and patience.
I have lived in Thailand AND Laos, attending cooking school, so I feel I have a good baseline on what one should expect from a restaurant like this. The taste and cook on the food was great. Very authentic. Presentation was beautiful. But I was so hungry by the time it came that my stomach hurt. I couldn’t eat very much, sadly.
Here is the truth: the portions are adequate but no where near what you would expect for what they are charging.
Maybe we were just extremely unlucky. It was an experience I would not repeat if you paid me. I am still shocked that I waited as long as I did but they kept promising and I kept believing it would be «right away»…trust me, nothing here is right away. Wrong away is more like it.

This was my first try at a thai restaurant and overall the experience was awesome. A friend got a Groupon for four and I was invited to join in. We started off with the green papaya salad. This dish was a bit spicy for my taste so I was nervous about the rest of the meal but fortunately i needn’t have worried. The next dish we received was the Thai coconut chicken soup. Yum yum and yum. It was sweet and coconutty with a hint of Thai spice. With chunks of chicken breast and whole button mushrooms. We also had the curry chicken appetizer. A nice combo of savory sweet with a hint of spice.
For our main course we went with green curry stir fry with chicken. Very good dish with lots of greens and a sauce similar in taste to the soup broth. We also had the fried fish which was good but not my favourite. Now I am not a huge fan of rice but the coconut rice side order was so delicious I couldn’t stop. It was kind of like having a bit of dessert in the midst of your meal. Sweet and coconutty but not too sticky or dry.
I was so full by the end of this meal but we still had to try the sticky rice with sweet mango and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Definitely not something you want to miss out on. The mango was perfectly ripe and sweet. But best when eaten with a little rice mango and ice cream in each bite.
Overall I was impressed with my experience. The décor was a lot nicer then expected. Service was fast and spot on. The bathrooms were clean and we’ll lit. Parking was ample.
One last bit of info to take into mind that dishes here are served in family style so make sure to bring a friend or 2 or 3.

Great family style dining. Casual relaxed atmosphere. Great service. Good portion sizes for the prices. Authentic thai food.
This family owned restaurant is one of my go to thai restaurants in edmonton. It is slightly pricier than most thai places but the food never disappoints. All the dishes ive ever had are delicious and authentic.
Located on jasper ave in old chinatown. The outside is deceiving. It looks alot nicer inside. Theres lots of free parking and ive never had a problem midday during the weekend or at peak dinner times on the weekend.
Once inside. The décor is dimly lit with warm reds and browns. I like it. It gives the place a bit of a romantic feel without overdoing it. It still can be quite a casual place for dinner with family or friends too.
At lunch time. Its not that busy. So you get outstanding service. Although they dont have any special lunch menus. At least i was never given one. Just their regular large menu. The menu is simple. But the dishes are meant for sharing family style. I highly recommend starting with a soup, ordering a curry, rice, noodles and maybe a seafood stirfry. You get alot. So come hungry. But it will be very satisfying!
The chicken curry appetizer is outstanding. It basically curried marinated chicken battered and deep fried. Served with chicken sauce. Its delicious and surprised me on my first bite. It was very very good. So good i order it every time i come here now. Another great starter is the coconut chicken soup. They only got 3 types and i forget the real name. But its sweetness was rich and so so so good. It is one of my favourite thai dishes i ever had here. It was a crowd pleaser at our table too. And i crave it just writing about it. If u are in a group. This is another must order! Another starter ive tried is the papaya salad. It is fresh and satisying. It balanced the deepfried dishes we started with but be warned… its super spicy! My tablemates couldnt eat it and were sniffling and tearing up afterwards. Lol
For entrees. Ive tried the panang chicken, the red curry and the green curry. They can adjust the heat if you dont want it spicy. Otherwise if you dont say anything it comes out medium-​hot spicy. All of them had plenty of vegtables, meat and had a delicious broth that was great. I personally enjoy the red curry the most. But its a preference. The red is spicier than the green. And the penang has more of a peanut taste. Really they are all so good. To complete the curry. You gotta try the rice. The coconut rice is rich. I prefer the steamed plain rice. Bc it offsets the spiciness of the curry.
The noodles i had were subbed with seafood. It is definetly worth it. Splurge bc you get quite a bit of scallops, squid and shrimp in the entrée. Way more than if you got beef or chicken!
The basa fish filet is a thai version of sweet and sour fish. It was light, crispy and fresh. There were about 9 large pieces of fish. So the portion sizes were large considering. One tablemate mentioned she enjoyed this dish the most despite it not being typical thai food. It was made better than the chinese version.
All washed down with a thai iced tea. Delicious and creamy… i save this for the end of my meal so the ice melts down bc i find it too strong when initially served. But its a yummy dessert drink. I also tried the mango sticky pudding. The mango was ripe and sweet. There was about 3 tablespoons of sticky rice. Not much. But it was decently good. But the dish was mostly mango and vanilla ice cream.
Overall the restaurant is fantastic. Food is good. And tastes authentic (with the exception of spiciness toned down). Service is good.
Although be warned. On weekends lately the place has been packed. With lineups out the door. So make a reservation in advance to minimize waiting. And dont forget they are closed on sundays!

It still boggles my mind how many good Thai places there are in town. Syphay, with two locations is doing quite well for themselves. I’ve been to the OG spot before and while that location may look like a shack from the outside, the food is legit. Well, having never been to the downtown location before, a Groupon popped up and what better way to try it than to save some moola at the same time.
Located right beside Trang Tien, the inside is much more spacious and refined than their south side spot. We came on a Wednesday night and it wasn’t busy at all. Think there were maybe two or three tables max the whole time we were there. Have no idea why they’re not busy but must be because of the location? Well, don’t let that deter you because there’s two hidden gems right here. Plus you don’t have to worry about waiting/​making reservations unlike the south side location, which was packed the one time I went.
The menus are faaaancy. The prices are along the lines of Boualouang and Thai Valley Grill, which I find pricier compared to a couple other spots in town. Service is excellent — our waitress was so friendly and genuine. You’ll be in excellent hands.
The menu is split into appetizers, soups (tohm yum/​tohm kha) and salads to start. There’s also a good variety of curries, stir fries (noodles, rice and seafood).
— Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee ($ 3.95 each) — three of us ordered a Thai iced tea while Mapledip went with an iced coffee. Good stuff but I found the iced tea a bit on the sweet side. Had a sip of my bud’s iced coffee — awesome. And I don’t even drink coffee!
— Syphay platter ($ 12.95) — 4 meat spring rolls, 5 pineapple shrimp wraps and 8 garlic shrimp rolls. I’m never a big fan of ordering platters as they never seem to be worth the price tag but Mapledip loves them. Lightly deep fried and crunchy, it’s decent enough but I would spend my money on another entrée over the platter.
— Tohm yum with chicken ($ 11.95) — mushroom, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. The slightest bit of heat but good flavour. Everyone liked it.
— Gang dang ($ 16.95) — red curry with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, green and red bell peppers, basil and kaffir lime leaves. So the waitress asked what spice level we wanted and we opted for SPICY. Like, she had to come back and ask us twice if we were sure we wanted spicy. I’m assuming the double confirmation was because two of them were not Asian? Well, we got our wish because it was SPICY (hence the capitals) but it was a tolerable heat. Well, that’s assuming you can handle it because ironically enough, our other friend was struggling. Might have seen a few tears slip out. ;)
— Gang keauy ($ 16.95) — green curry with coconut milk, green and red bell peppers, snap peas, broccoli, basil and kaffir lime leaves. This one was more mild in heat level but only a notch or so over the red curry. The way Syphay did it had me/​us reminiscing about Thailand, it was that good. Both curries were thoroughly devoured.
— Pad sieu ($ 16.95) — stir fry thick rice noodles in a light soy sauce, egg, bean sprouts, carrots, chives, peanuts and cilantro. This one was mild in heat compared to the curries but the pad sieu was probably my favourite dish of the night. Super flavourful and the noodle texture was spot on.
— 2x Coconut rice ($ 4.00 each) — two orders was enough to fill the four of us.
— Mango sticky rice ($ 5.95) — I’ve never really understood people’s obsession with mango sticky rice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tasty but it’s not that unique, at least not to me. The mangoes were fresh with two generous scoops of vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle.
— Coconut ice cream ($ 2.95) — really light and refreshing, you could taste and see coconut flakes in it. This was my favourite of the two desserts we ordered.
Syphay is another excellent Thai restaurant in town. Add it to the ever growing list. You can’t go wrong with either location so give them a shot if you’ve never been before. Take advantage of the Groupon while it’s still there!

The best Thai restaurant I’ve been to in Edmonton. Awesome Groupon find. The papaya salad was really good and had a hint of fish sauce but it also has quite the kick. I eat spicy food all the time but these little red chilli peppers in the salad are deceiving. I got a Thai iced tea and the waitress brought some cucumbers and ice for me. She was super nice. The tomyum soup with fish was to die for! Everything else we got exceeded expectations too — chicken pad thai, seafood Phuket, Phanang curry — all delicious! Will be back soon!

We normally frequent a Thai restaurant in Chinatown, so we decided to come try this place after purchasing a Groupon, and was pleasantly surprised.
We ordered the Penang and pineapple curries, along with a side of coconut rice. The portion sizes are comparable to other restaurants. No complaints with the curry. Our only disappointment was the pad thai, but only because I prefer my pad thai to have that tamarind taste, whereas theirs tasted more ketchup-​based.
The place was pretty busy (most likely due to the Groupon), but even then, we got our order in fairly quickly, and our food arrived shortly after.
Prices are comparable to other restaurants.
The parking lot is small and fills quickly, but with Mirama gone now, we just parked in their empty parking lot.

Had dinner with my parents and fiancée. We ordered the Goong Krateum, Tohm Kha shrimp, spicy seafood and vegetable stir fry and a Pad Thai with chicken. To accommodate these dishes, I also ordered coconut rice and green tea. All dishes were absolutely delicious! Our server Shawna was fantastic! Highly recommend Syphay restaurant and will dine back there again! 5 stars =)

I am giving 4 stars because :
— the food is so authentic, I have been to a lot of places within Vancouver and Edmonton and this place is great for food.
We ordered :
1. The appetizer platter. Which consists of deep fried pickets thay contain pineapple and shrimp, 3 spring rolls, and tiny shrimp deep fried in a thick batter. I have to admit I was a little disappointed, as it came out on a plate.
2. Pad Thai. Can’t get enough of it
3. Coconut rice
4. Yellow curry. Wow it was so rich and flavorful and sweet. Impressed.
5. Chicken stir fry in a sweet spicy sauce.
— service was a little slow.

My mistake, I thought I was posting for the south side location. It won’t let me delete it
DO NOT JUDGE FROM THE OUTDOORS! Sure its a shanty on the outside, but the inside is quit nice, good ambiance, very clean, my wife went with her friend and loved it so much she went back not long after, its a 40 min drive so I thought it must be good, we later went for our anniversary, we had the spring rolls which were delicious, then we both had the green curry, it is soooo fresh and flavourful, spicy curry with coconut, yum yum, we’ve recommended it to all our friends and family, we will be going back soon. P. S parking is difficult.

We went there last Friday evening with the groupon. Ordered Syphay platter for appetizer, i liked the pineapple triangle thing, but the whole dish was a bit too heavy (they are all fried) and I think it was over-​prices, like $ 12.50. My boyfriend really liked the sea food stir fry. It looked almost like curry, but not soup, with coconut flavor, really nice. We also ordered pad Thai, it was just so so. We tend to order pad Thai in every Thai restaurant just to compare. So far, the best pad Thai is the restaurant on 97^th St just beside Sai Woo.
We ended up paying another $ 20. So with Groupon, we for total spent $ 42. Fair price. But I expected something a bit better.

I was going to the «pink palace» next door when I noticed that one of my old dim sum restaurants did not exist any more.
We than noticed the Syphay on Jasper Ave and decided to try it. We started with the «Meat» egg rolls which were delicious.
The hostess when queried recommend our choice of pad tai #28 — we chose chicken and # 58 stir-​fried shrimp as two choices that people ordered often. Both choices were excellent and very tasty, and along with a bowl of sticky rice was ample for us. We were too full for the house specialty dessert but the table beside us ordered 5 for a table of 5 adults and two children and they looked delicious.
Excellent first visit we will be back.

I would have given this place a higher score if service was any good. Came in on night where there were only 2 tables being served. I waited like a schmuck for 13 min to be seated (only because my coworker told me this was a great Thai spot).
The young waitress/​host spent 7 of those minutes flirting with a muscle-​bound customer. When the hair twirling finally ended, I had to wait for a customer ahead of me to make a takeout order. Then when I was next, the waitress seemed puzzled by my presence and lost the ability to express a basic instinct known in the service industry: «how may I help you?» I had to spell out that I wanted a table.
I ordered egg noodle Pad Kee Maow and it was served pretty quickly. It was very delicious, a balance of spice, heat, salt, and textures. One thing that puzzled me was the noodles resembling Thai instant noodles, I didn’t complain at the time as I never had the dish before.
When I was ¾ into the dish, the waitress came up and asked «Would you like that to go?» May I ask a fork laden with food indicates that I want a doggy bag?
I would come back if a friend wanted to go. Be forewarned on the service.

A friend and I stumbled upon this place randomly after the crushed ice event. I wasn’t expecting much because I usually research the place I want to invest my measly earnings on. However, Syphay surpassed my expectations and the three things we got were delectable. We had the garlic shrimp rolls which are mini spring rolls with a shrimp inside. The dipping sauce coated the rolls nicely. We also shared a pad sieu dish which was flavourful, saucy and yummy. For dessert, we shared mango sticky rice with ice cream and my only pet peeve was the texture of the sticky rice. My opinion is that sticky rice should always be steamed (and not too long) so that it’s not mushy in texture.

Within easy walking distance of most downtown hotels, this restaurant was an obvious choice for me and my two companions. The vibe is typical of many Canadian Asian restaurants — low key, inexpensive ‘boardroom’ chic, with quiet music. The servers are pleasant and attentive, though wait times for food were just too long. The restaurant was busy, but not THAT busy.
We ordered the Syphay platter to start, I ordered the wonton soup with noodles, and my friends ordered chicken and shrimp pad thai and shrimp pad ped mee. There was a pretty significant wait time for the first dish to arrive, and strangely, it was my wonton soup. The server apologized, and the Syphay platter came out shortly thereafter. If you like fried stuff with chili sauce, you’ll like the platter (I liked it). My friends then waited about ten minutes to get their mains while my soup was on the table. Everyone enjoyed their meals immensely, they were certainly the best wontons I’ve ever eaten.
This review would be 5 stars but for the wonky food delivery. Overall, Syphay is well worth the visit for the excellent food and friendly service, but perhaps come during non peak hours.

I’ve raved about the Syphay on the southside, and I agonized about writing this review… The truth is that this downtown branch of the Sypahy is simply spectacular… in a way that you might just want to keep it to yourself, but that’s not very fair, is it?
Here, as down south, the Syphay produces some of the best Thai/​Laotian and regional cuisine in the city. Easily, as good or better than anything in Vancouver as well, and definitely the best Pad Thai in the city… nay, the province! The major difference is that the southside location is like eating in a family rumpus room, but downtown has all the ambience and décor that you’d expect of a modern restaurant.
We started with salad roll (more Vietnamese) and delightful crunchy green papaya salad, which was delightfully cool yet hot with spice at the same time… Heaven! Our main meal consisted of chicken penang curry (Malay infuenced), quintessentialy Thai beef matsa-​man, and that must order Pad Thai.
What makes this food great is that the spicing and seasoning is right on… absolutely authentic. I’m native to the region and every bite is a nostalgic mouthful of home. You can taste the sour notes, the bright notes, pungent curry, smoky nuttieness, creamy coconut; it’s all there! You can even ask them to make it like home for the heat, but if you’re not up to crying (tears of JOY) through your meal, I recommend «medium» which provided plenty of kick for my fellow diners and enough zing for me to be happy. Generous portions of streamed and coconut rice help dampen the fires.
I can’t recommend the Syphay (at either location) enough, and if you go… order the Pad Thai in any of the myriad of varieties that they offer. You will NOT be disappointed. Service was friendly, informed and prompt during a fairly busy evening.