Isaan Der

Isaan Der is at the junction area on Dundas St W. The restaurant is pretty easy to find and is easily accessible via the ttc. I went on a Sunday around 3pm without a reservation, the restaurant was full of people but there were still some open seating. Ordering: there are 2 different menus (food menu, and drink menu) given to you when you sit down, as well as a picture of the monthly special. Cost: I paid $65 not including tax for my meal. I got the lamb shank curry ($28), starter platter ($24)*, and a Isaan Iced Tea ($13). I went with a friend and the starter platters full price was charged to both of us (instead of being split). So if you do go to Isaan Der please double check your bill and your friend's bill before paying. I had originally thought that the waitress had given me the starter to pay for instead of my friend (which was fine) but once conferring after leaving the restaurant we realized we both were charged for the full price of the starter. As we both did not get receipts and had already gotten on the TTC we decided not to go contend the cost back at the restaurant. Wait Time: Really slow, about 45mins - 1 hour to get food. There was one chef working that Sunday so the wait time was really long to get drinks and food. The starter platter was alright, the best tasting item on it in my opinion was the thai fishcakes. The fishcakes were juicy, served hot and had a great crunch to them with the breading fried just right. The calamari was tasty as well, it was breaded and served hot. The other starter items were just okay. I got the lamb shank curry and was pretty disappointed in it. I had requested it to be spicy. The spice was not really there it felt like it might've been medium or mild spice level. The lamb shank itself had a mild taste and was not fall off the bone. It was kind of tough in some places but soft in others. The curry had a mild taste as well. I didn't really think it complemented the lamb at all. The vegetables in the lamb shank were really tough to chew and not soft at all. It felt like the vegetables needed to be cooked longer. The jasmine rice was cooked really well, but I found it didn't really fit the meal texturally (hard vegetables, and soft and hard pieces of lamb shank, and soft rice). The drink was aesthetically pleasing and had a very refreshing taste. It did get watery really quickly so if you do get it be sure to drink it quickly. Overall: the seating area is alright, and the colours and atmosphere of the restaurant are great. The food was pretty hit or miss which is surprising given all the high reviews. Also please double check the bill with your friends if you are splitting starters.

So I’ve been coming to this place for the last 3 years. Such great food, so flavourful so consistent. Isaander always surprises you with great menu changes and recommendations. Although today the server that was serving us asked us to pay the bill in between of the meal because she wanted to sit on the next table and eat her staff meal and chat with another staff member. She also said she is gonna leave but didn’t. This behaviour felt very unprofessional and rude. She could have asked her fellow team mates to take care of the table. Cheers to Great food that isaander serves.

Ordered a pad si ew to go with medium spicy, it had no flavor and the ingredients were not fresh. Visited the restaurant first time and probably the last time.

We ordered the short ribs and pad see ew. The meat in both dishes were very tough to chew and had no flavour… we were told the meat was cooked fresh but we could tell it was old and reheated. Pad see ew also lacked aroma and flavour. It was definitely not worth $50.

I ordered fried rice, green curry and mango Salad Very average! Generous portions but not quality ingredients. Kind server There were also two servings of hair in my salad! I will not go back.

Isaan Der is not only the best Thai food in the city, but goes above and beyond for their customers. When there was a miscommunication about dietary restrictions, they re-made three dishes for me in record time, and personally got into their car and hand-delivered it to my home. The staff is friendly, the food is incredible and if you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out!

The pad see ew is amazing!!! Green curry is also very tasty too. Ambience and service great. Pricing is on the higher end but it’s worth it!

I order pad thai with chicken and added shrimp for an extra $4.50 on uber eats (total $26.50). The pad thai is way too sweet. I've had it many times in Thailand (north and south), and it's never that sweet. It's a great shame, because this pad thai would taste pretty authentic if they simply removed all sweet ingredients. Also, the shrimp were well undercooked, and the noodles arrived mushy. And yes, I have had pad thai packed for take out and delivery many many times, including in thailand, including eating it completely cold hours later. I also ordered a crab fried rice. It's pretty good, but the crab meat has soft crab "bones" . If they could use a better crab meat (ie. Lump crab), it would be excellent - perhaps comparable to the famous Bangkok crab fried rice vendor who has been Michelin rated (yes I tried it, ordered with app delivery to avoid lines and not expensive).

Isaan Der is my favorite restaurant in the city! I lived in Thailand for two years and I can safely say this is the real deal. As always, great atmosphere and kind staff. We had dinner there last Saturday night. The bartender made me a beautiful cocktail, the passion fruit mojito. Both bartender and server recommended the "Golden bags" as an appetizer. Absolutely delicious! Entrees consisted of Beef Panang and the Chicken Stir fry which were exceptionally good. Amazing flavours, authentic Thai food! Thank you Isaan Der for a wonderful dinner again!!

We went to almost closing time. Staffs are still friendly and food was nice :) Only reason I gave 1 less star was that Original Pad Thai noddle was run out and I had to have thick noodle instead of thin one.