Viphalay

I had dinner here once and it was delicious. Great service. We ordered takeout from skip the dishes, a courier service, who messed up and ended up picking up the food from the restaurant after hours of waiting we had to cancel the order. Viphalay sent someone from the restaurant to deliver our food, which is not a service they provide. This was greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I love Viphalay! I can never really decide what to order when I’m there, I just want to have everything. I went with three friends last night and we each ordered a different curry, green, red and yellow. We shared a large bowl of coconut rice and the amount was just right. The curries never disappoint because they are always packed full of flavor. Highly recommend! Make sure you call ahead to make a reservation!

Went for dinner on a wintery night and came away not quite satisfied. The starter red wine shrimp were very good and a generous portion at $ 18. The tamarind chicken was OK, the favours were muted. The chicken satay were truly disappointing — no grill marks or char on the chicken and marinade was bland.
I was really wanting dessert but there was nothing that seemed fitting for a cold night.
Service was good, food came up quickly.
So it was a pleasant meal, but there is much better Thai food around.

This is a review of a take-​out dinner order from last Thursday that I placed through Skip The Dishes.
I ordered the Pad Thai, green curry with beef, penang curry with beef and a large order of coconut rice.
Pros: The penang curry was the best of the bunch — not too spicy and well rounded flavors.
Okay: Green curry with beef — Personally I found the level of spiciness overpowering, and more so than any other place I’ve ordered green curry from. But, the flavour was there and the beef was tender.
Terrible: Pad Thai was awful. It lacked any flavor whatsoever, and the shrimps that came with the dish were also tasteless. We couldn’t even finish the dish.
Overall, I would not order from here again.

I came here today for lunch with a colleague of mine. We arrived at 11:45 and were able to get a table right away even though it was already busy. If you are planning on arriving at noon or later, I would definitely make a reservation.
The restaurant has two stories and we were seated on the main floor. It is a small space but very cozy with lots of natural light.
The lunch menu doesn’t have as many dishes to choose from as the dinner menu but the selections are well thought out. You can choose a curry combo or a stir fry combo or a noodle dish for $ 15. Very affordable for the quantity and quality you get.
I ordered the red curry beef with coconut rice and my colleague ordered the green curry chicken with coconut rice. Both were equally delicious. The sweetness of the coconut rice with the spiciness of the dishes added a nice contrast. A guaranteed party in your mouth! The portions we received were more than enough to fill us up for lunch. I was able to take my leftovers to go for another meal.
The service was pleasant and efficient. We no sooner ordered and we had our meal. This is definitely an added bonus when you are on your lunch break. I will be coming back to try one of the stir-​fry dishes next. Mmmm looking forward to it already.

Great food. LOVED the tofu in the pad Thai and the coconut rice was perfect. Even with the construction going on, still great experience. Great service, just a limited seating. Check it out.

My family and I have been going to whatever restaurant is in this location for over 30 years. We may have just reached a new low point.
I’ve never been so disappointed with an Edmonton restaurant:
— Incredibly pricey for the portions compared to traditional Thai (I used to live there). I would reduce prices by 35% across the board to be fair.
— A lack of freshness bordering on criminal. They must have had everything pre-​made the night before (if we’re lucky) and thrown it all in the microwave upon being ordered. It took 2 min to chew a mussel or a piece of the hot beef.
— our to go order was short changed by a papaya salad
— everything is traditional Thai spicy. I loved it but everyone I was with had their mouths burned off. A warning or question about spice level on some of the dishes would have been helpful and normal for Canada.
— flavours were all over the map, but probably influenced by the lack of freshness. Their signature shrimp dish was a sugary disaster. Their hell beef was not hellishly spicy, but it was hellish to chew and microscopic for the $ 15 paid. The glass noodle salad was too tomatoey but had potential. The green curry was very good but too small for $ 15. I did enjoy the coconut rice at least.
Service seemed acceptable. Pleasant enough.
At these prices I couldn’t justify tipping on a to go order. Perhaps that was our problem? If so, let me show you where I can stick that tip…

Just what I wanted. Instant Noodles with half cooked vegetables and unseasoned chicken. Drunken Noodles is right. Thai just ain’t for me, take this review with a grain of salt.

Almost as good as it gets. Pretty neighbourhood, very cool 2 story restaurant in a converted house, incredible food. It was a little pricier than usual but I loved the ambiance of the house. I found it didn’t have the selection of dishes that other Thai restaurants have but what we did have was delicious. Salad rolls, Pad Thai, spicy beef stir fry… yum!
The only issue I had and the reason I’m not giving it 5 stars was the service. Everyone we came into contact with (and there were 3 – 4 young people) was disinterested at best. No smiles, no eye contact, questions were answered brusquely. We were on time for our reservation and the restaurant wasn’t that busy (not to mention we were super excited to be there, we had heard great things!) so I’m not sure what the problem was.
Would I goi back? You betcha, I will be dreaming of the spicy beef for a while. But a simple «how was your meal? Thanks for coming!» would have been great.

I’m surprised that I haven’t gotten around to a review of Viphalay yet.
This popular Thai spot is a regular in my downtown lunch rotation. I’ve tried most of the curries (the green and yellow are particularly delicious!), Drunken Noodles and of course, the Pad Thai. All are flavorful and perfectly prepared.
I like that there is a daily lunch special offered for $ 15. You get a stir fry or curry (these rotate daily), as well as a ton of rice and a small appetizer/​side. There’s always enough to take home for your next meal, and it’s great value.
The servers here are great. They’re always super friendly and accommodating and I’ve never had an issue with their approach.
If you’re targeting to eat at a peak time, make a reservation because it does get quite busy. Their kitchen must be efficient, though, because even during rush hours they produce your food quite quickly. You can also order for delivery or pick-​up online, which is a feature that I find particularly handy.
Definitely give Viphalay a try if you are remotely interested in Thai food!

Viphalay is one of my favourite places in Edmonton for Thai food. Whether I am ordering take out or coming in to eat, the wait is never long and the food is always perfect.
I’ll usually order a curry dish with a side of coconut rice. They have a few curry options that vary in flavour profiles and levels of spiciness. You can choose chicken, beef, fish, seafood, or shrimp to add to any of them if you please.
I’m also a huge fan of the coconut soup!
The service is always attentive and friendly. One time, after we placed our usual takeout order, we had forgotten to add our side of rice. When we arrived, they let us know that they threw in a side of rice into our order just in case we’d forgotten– which we did! Good to know that they have our backs!
Also: on a hot day, try the thai iced tea or coffee! Delicious!

I’ve been here many times, and the food is always great! Nice atmosphere, and a great place for lunch and dinner. I’ve taken food to go and it is just as good. The daily specials are great if you want to try something new, the Basil Chicken has great heat to it. My go to Thai food is usually either a curry, or Pad Thai. At this restaurant I’ve had the Green, Red, and Yellow curries, and they never disappoint! Definitely get the coconut rice if you’re coming here, you won’t regret it.
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because it is usually very busy, the service tends to fall back a little. Even then, that’s not a big deal, I’ll be back many more times!

Love this place. I come to this rest every time I visit Edmonton for work. It’s conveniently located just 3 mins from my hotel. I order the Tom yum phở and papaya salad every time! Def better than the Thai food/​Laos we get from Vancouver! It is quite spicy tho! So if u can’t take spicy get them to tone it down a bit.
Service is fast and friendly and they decent price for alcohol.
I def recommend it!

Walked here from our hotel, The Matrix. Just 2 blocks. Would have walked 200 blocks!!! Had the Drunken noodles with chicken 9/​10, Kwah Puk Ba som (veggie stir fry with beef) 10/​10, coconut rice ¹¹⁄₁₀. The flavours were all so different and complex. We also had the Thai papaya salad (⁵⁄₁₀). Maybe it’s just not our thing. Will definitely be back next time in Edmonton.

Get the Coconut Soup.
I make people come here with me. I make them eat the soup. One friend disavows all knowledge of eating previous soups because this is the soup that all soups should be measured by. It is the gold standard of soup.
The Coconut Rice is also mind blowing. But, I think everything on the menu is amazing except the Pad Thai. My lady friend claims it is the finest Pad Thai in the known universe and I am dead wrong, though.

Had I written this review last week when I went, I probably would have given it five stars, largely because it was the first time in years that I had Thai food and was once again blown away by the flavours.
Having had a little time to calm down from my Thai Food High, I think four stars is more appropriate. The food is fantastic, the service super quick and the ambience very upscale. Its location in an old house downtown also means its pretty small, so make a reservation if you want to sit down and not get your food to go. The prices are bit high, but given its location and portion sizes understandable.
We had Drunken Noodles and Yellow Curry, both of which were great. I had asked how spicy the curry was and was told it was mild, at least compared to the Drunken Noodles. However, I found the noodles to be fine and the curry to be quite hot. We also got a Tamarind Chicken to go — when we re-​heated it at supper, it too was fantastic — and mild enough that our little ones could enjoy it too!
The only negative for me — but likely a positive for most others — is that most of the dishes on the menu have shellfish in them. Being allergic to them, probably 90% of the menu is off limits to me.
All in all, Viphalay is a great choice if you’re looking for Thai food and are downtown near the Legislature.

For over two and a half years we kept saying that we want to try this place out because it’s only a couple blocks away from our place. Finally my wife and I ate at Viphalay with another couple on a Wednesday night. As said many times before, this place is in a quaint heritage home and is a perfect setting for a date or for friends to catch up. On the Wednesday night that we visited, we were able to sit and chat after we finished our meal as it wasn’t too busy and we didn’t feel any pressure to pay and leave. Obviously this might be different during the lunch rush or on a weekend evening.
We ordered four dishes: pad thai, puht kieh mow mama (drunken noodles), gaeng kiew wan (green curry) and bah laht pihk (fish with chili sauce). We also got a large coconut rice to share (it comes in S, M and L). I don’t have any real complaints about any of the dishes. The pad thai was tasty and had perfect consistency. The drunken noodles reminded me of a dish I ate in Bangkok off the streets (the noodle guy at the Soi 38 food carts if you’re wondering, mmm sooooo good and cheap). The green curry was standard, nothing good nor bad to say about it. The fish was actually breaded and deep fried, which I was surprised when we received it. The description on the menu made no mention that it was deep fried. I thought it would be something more similar to what we had in Thailand which was more grilled. However the fish was good nonetheless; I suppose it was a more westernized version. The large coconut rice was more than enough for four people which I liked. Usually when you order coconut rice there’s barely enough for one person.
The only thing I can say is that the portions were just OK. For the price I would definitely expect more, and I’m comparing this to other Thai places around town, not to the $ 2.00 pad thai off the streets of Thailand. That being said, I was still stuffed by the time we finished.

Best pad Thai in the city! And their coconut rice is to die for! A great family owned and run restaurant with really good service! One of my favourite restaurants in the city!

Unreal food! I had the chicken stir fry. The sauce was delicious, the veggies were fresh and cooked perfectly, and the chicken was juicy and tender.
Couldn’t have asked for a better lunch meal. I’ll definitely be going back!

I wish Unilocal had half stars… This place is better than average but not quite 4 stars for me.
I had a take out dinner from them once and wasn’t totally impressed, on the expensive side — I hated having to pay separately for the rice — I feel that it should be included with curries! We had a red curry and a green curry and while they were both decent, with a good amount of spice, one of them was a lot sweeter than I prefer (sorry, can’t remember which one).
These days, I mainly go there for lunch, since it’s one of the few places within walking distance. They have a pared down menu for lunch, with four curry combos, a weekday special, some appetizers, and stir fried noodles. For the curry combos, you can choose your rice and meat, or substitute it for just veggies. The weekday special includes regular or coconut rice and an appetizer for $ 15. It is a ton of food — probably about 1.5 cups of rice and the other three-​quarters of your plate with the main. I’ve had the Basil Chicken — chicken breast with lots of veggies and thai basil (the creamn cheese crab wontons that come with it are forgettable — I don’t really like cream cheese in Asian dishes), and the Tamarind Chicken — looks great, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. Maybe not tart enough? The mini shrimp rolls were also over-​fried.
Otherwise, I’ve tried their pork crispy spring rolls appetizer — not on the menu but they will make you 6 of them (can also get veggie) — they are yummy but be careful not to burn yourself! The Drunken Noodles are ok — they were too salty for me, but the Spicy Noodles are awesome — flat rice noodles stir fried with tons of veggies and your choice of meat — great spicy flavour with lots of basil. I find that they cut their onions into really big chunks that don’t completely cook though, so that kind of bugs me — I love onions but I really don’t want to go back to work with onion breath.
They don’t skimp on lunch portions, but I think I would prefer less food for a lower price. The lunch service is very quick. I do recommend reservations, and arriving slightly before the noon rush. They do accept credit cards. Overall, I’d recommend it.