Thaï Sep might be tucked along a stretch of Jean-Talon East that’s easy to overlook, but the moment the sai krok hits your table—Laotian sausage laced with kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, coriander, and ginger—you’ll understand why people fall hard for this place. A family-run restaurant with a modest but cheerful space, Thaï Sep bridges Laotian and Northern Thai cuisines with a menu that steers well clear of the usual pad thais and General Tao.

The house-made sausage is a standout, but so is the nême kao, a crisped rice salad with bits of fried pork and crushed peanuts, scooped up in lettuce leaves like edible origami. There’s sticky rice, mango salads, green curry shrimp with basil, and that unmistakable feeling you’ve stumbled into someone’s best-kept secret. It’s BYOB, cash only, and a rare reminder that food this transportive doesn’t need frills—just flavour and soul.