Vegan
Organic
Thai
Beer/Wine
Asian
Fine dining Thai vegetarian restaurant offering many choices, all of which are now fully vegan (since spring 2013). Prices moderate to slightly expensive. Confirmed open, Apr 2017. Their less expensive version of the same food, Chuch (lunch express style), had shut in early-2014. Open Tue-Sat 5:00pm-9:00pm.
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Last update on 09 Nov 2022 by helterskelter
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105 Reviews
First Review by tragedia
JonJon
Points +20636
Nice food but high prices and small portions - Edit
I went there for dinner with maybe too high expectations. I've found the food relatively good but not really amazing in comparison to its price and the small quantity. However, it's great that the restaurant turned completely vegan. I would recommend it to discover thai food but I won't go back in priority when back in Montreal.
Read morePros: nice Asian food, 100% vegan
Cons: pricey and small portions, busy place
Guest
Babette
Points +2107
Vegan Thai Food - Edit
Excellent thai food. You can choose from a variety of deliciously prepared mock meats, but there is also a wide array of tofu and veggie dishes.
Read morePros: Terrace, Upscale décor, Friendly staff
Cons: Expensive, Small portions
Guest
aabuck
Points +56
Amazing Asian-style Vegan food - Edit
So glad we decided to stop at this place- definitely one of the food highlights of a trip to Montreal. The atmosphere was pleasant, with a nice outdoor seating area. We got a stuffed tofu appetizer, which was spicy and delicious and then had hands down the best Tom Kha soup EVER. The pad see ew (I think that's what it was- broad noodles with a sweet, spicy sauce) was really flavorful. The tapioca pudding dessert is one of the best things I've ever eaten. I ordered it reluctantly, never having been a big fan of tapioca pudding, but our waiter recommended it and it was fantastic. Definitely don't miss that pudding! The service was pleasant and efficient.
Read moreGuest
o0Carolyn0o
Points +863
Always deilcious!! - Edit
I've been going here for quite a few years, and it's always sooo good. my favourite entree is the breaded seaweed that has a sweet and tangy sauce. Like a lot of places, it's always so hard to stray away from my favourite dish, simple deep-fried tofu with peanut butter sauce and crispy spinach. Their crispy spinach is better than any other asian restaurant that I've tried. There's also a wonderful duck dish with coconut milk curry, pineapple, and other veggies. The only thing I wasn't so crazy about was the shrimp, but that's just me as the others liked it. The pad thai also isn't one of their stronger dishes. For dessert, the coconut tapioca pudding is really delicious. Yes, it is more expensive than a veggie burger, but not any more so than any thai place that isn't take out.
Read morePros: great sauces, delicious entrees
Guest
Parrie
Points +38
The best! - Edit
I am a thai girl who has been vegetarian for over 20 years. I can say that the food in this restaurant is really thai because all the staff in the kitchen are thai.my husband and I really love eating here. The owner is really nice.
Read morePros: Amazing food , Nice restaurant , Nice staff
Cons: Price, Often full
Guest
mars
Points +485
Contemporary, expensive, good - Edit
Get a reservation for the weekends for this uptown restaurant. The food is mostly organic, a good thing. This makes the price a little expensive.
Read moreThe flavors are good, but not enough to send you to the moon. The portions are true French portions, although the food is mainly Thai. When it says spicy, it is not that spicy. We ordered the medium spice and could have gone up a notch.
For three people - 2 appetizers, 3 main course, 2 glasses of wine, soda was over $100 and we were hungry an hour later. But it is a great date place and the food is clean without a lot of oil. Service was very good.
Parking is REALLY difficult on a weekend, so take a metro or cab and save yourself the headache.
Pros: Fun atmosphere, Clean food, Nice flavors
Cons: Pricey for portions , A little loud, No parking
Guest
Carrot_Stick
Points +95
Awesome gourmet food - Edit
Atmosphere is upscale and lively. Always packed. Selection of food is extensive and the quality of the food is great. Nice place to go for dinner.
Read morePros: excellent food, excellent selection, lively
Cons: noisy, expensive
Guest
philjdomm
Points +945
Our Spot - Edit
so dang good
Read morePros: location, seating, food
Guest
veganmiss
Points +540
Amazing Mock Meat Fare - Edit
For the two nights I was in Montreal, I went to ChuChai, a Thai vegetarian restaurant. This restaurant is a bit pricey, but worth it! They have a whole line of mock meats including shrimp, fish, beef, chicken, and duck. They also have only vegetable dishes and vegetable dishes with tofu. The menu is truly extensive. Since it is Thai, most of the dishes are influenced by the cuisine. For example, they have several varieties of Tom Yum soup with various types of meat and/or coconut milk, several types of dumplings and spring rolls, and each section of mock meat has their own specialty entrees.
Read moreMy favorite dishes were the wonton soup and the vegan duck. The duck surprisingly tasted a lot like real duck from what I remember... which was odd, but interesting. Other dishes we tried were bok choy with shiitake mushrooms, Chinese chicken salad, pan fried dumplings, and lychee for dessert. Overall, I am excited to go back to Montreal and try new restaurants!
For a complete review, please see my blog here: http://veganmiss.blogspot.com/2010/08/vegan-montreal.html
Pros: extremely vegan friendly, great food, mock meat fare
Guest
ajl902
Points +40
Asian inspired Veg Restaurant - Edit
Most items vegan but watch out a few contain milk/eggs... The peanut dumplings on brown rice are a particular fave (a meal in itself). Traditional Thai dishes don't taste patricularly Thai so beware of that but putting that aside will allow you to enjoy a great Asian inspired meal.
Read morePros: consistent quality, peanut dumplings, Take-out options
Cons: price, a little light on spices
Guest
TRaeCH
Points +384
Thai Restaurant with Excellent Mock-Meat Offerings - Edit
ChuChai is one a of a very rare breed in Montreal: a vegetarian dining establishment that is rather formal. From the white-on-black decor to the attentive wait staff to the inspired menu, this is fine dining.
Read moreThe menu, offering plenty of moderately priced options, while arguably mock-meat heavy, has something for everyone. Among the starters, the fried mushrooms are out of this world and, eating them, even mushroom lovers like myself and my dining partners would never know what they were. Try them!
Serving sizes are very reasonable - nobody eating an entree should be going home hungry. Soups and salads are non-traditional and each sound very appetizing. The wine selection is limited but very good; is usually quite pricy, even by the glass.
Not much more to say about ChuChai than it is Montreal's #1 fine dining vegetarian restaurant. The food isn't necessarily any better than at a handful of other veggie hangouts in the city but, for the most part, you get what you pay for at ChuChai.
Pros: Nice atmosphere, Good food, Love the mushroom appetizer!
Cons: Somewhat expensive
Guest
Veronica01
Points +168
This is NOT Thai food, bland and nothing special - Edit
My husband and I have been to Thailand and eaten Thai food all over the world and Canada, and this is by far the WORST imitation of Thai food we've ever tasted. I'm very disappointed that people give this place good reviews, you must really not know what Thai food is supposed to taste like.
Read moreThai food is supposed to have 5 flavors, sweet, sour, salty, spicy and tangy and this food had hardly anything about sweet and salty.
It tasted like chinese inspired Thai food, nothing special and their portions are very small.
We ordered: Won ton soup - bland the wonton filling tasted like nothing, broth very bland
Peanut Sauce Dumplings - just tasted like dumplings in peanut butter, no tangy thai spices
Massaman curry - my all time favourite curry I have had many places and this tasted nothing like Massaman curry, it was a little salty and coconutty and not delicious at all, they also only give you 3 different vegetables in small quantities... not worth it.
Crispy duck - was ok, but tastes like American barbecue sauce is on it, and no thai flavors at all
We paid $60 for the most disappointing Thai meal we've had. My husband has has their pad thai before and it's not even the right noodles, they use thin little noodles and so much peanut butter it's like peanut butter noodles. Gross.
I have no idea how this place can stay in business so long making such a shadow of Thai cuisine. Surely people in Montreal are smarter than this and know what real Thai food is, since it is available elsewhere.
The decor is a dark room, with crappy industrial carpet blocks and the tables are spaced a foot and a half from the next. So you can hear your neighbours entire conversation over dinner. Not very romantic and it feels like you're sitting in a dark cafeteria and people have to squeeze in and out just to walk around between the chairs.
Pros: vegan friendly
Cons: worst thai food ever, so bland and overpriced, small and cramped
Guest
button_boxer
Points +34
Delicious food, beautifully presented - Edit
I had a meal here with a group of colleagues on a business trip. I'm vegan, and of the other 7 there was only one vegetarian. But the approval was unanimous - ChuChai food will satisfy even the most hardened meat eater.
Read moreThe menu is mainly mock meat dishes, there is also a good selection of tofu- and vegetable-based dishes if you're not keen on mock meats. Most of the menu is vegan apart from the fried rice dishes and those where the description includes egg. If you're unsure the staff will happily give details of any particular dish. Between us we were all able to sample most of the varieties, and the 'duck' in red curry sauce and the 'fish' dish were particular favourites with meat eaters and vegetarians alike. If pressed to find a negative point I'd have to say the lack of vegan dessert choices, but I didn't have room for dessert anyway.
It's not cheap but you get what you pay for and then some.
Pros: excellent food, plenty of choice
Cons: limited vegan desserts
Guest
Bean_A_Broad
Points +151
A nice surprise - Edit
This was our fancy dinner on a recent trip to Montreal. ChuChai a bit more hip than some veg restaurants, but not at all snooty. They have a large dining room along with a nice outdoor patio in the front area. The place is located in a cool neighborhood (Saint Denis), full of shops & other restaurants. We enjoyed the ambiance greatly.
Read moreThe food was delicious. We had an appetizer that came on edible leaves. Nothing at all like we're ever tried before--sooooo good. My meal had a faux chicken while my husband's was faux beef. Both were fabulous. Beautiful presentation too. We took photos of our food!
The service was wonderful: fast & friendly.
We would go back for sure.
Pros: Beautiful & tasty food, Nice ambience, Great service
Guest
jedzen
Points +108
Nice dining experience - Edit
I went there a couple of times. The menu features a lot of fake meat. But they also have lots of other options that are worth trying. I like their apetizers a lot. The best one : fresh ginger, toasted coconut, cashew, jalapeno pepper and lime all wrapped on a kaffir leave. You chew all that together and it does create a really unique taste. Their curries are excellent, as well as their spinach chips. I also recommand to try the cocktails ; my favorite was the basil infused strawberry martini. The only negative point is the lack of vegan desserts. I was a bit disppointed by that because i have a sweet tooth and i love finishing a meal with a dessert, especially when i love the food and the experience in general. It can be expensive to eat there. The apetizer i described is almost 10$. I personnaly don't care paying when i get good food, but this is a chance to take. You might think it's overpriced. Since i've always been satisfied from what i got, i don't see it as a bad thing. The service was great, our server was friendly and seemed happy to work and to explain the menu to us. I will definately eat there again.
Read moreGuest
veganbackpacker
Points +69
Don't miss the hors d'oeuvres! - Edit
After taking our seats and looking around to see what other guests were enjoying, we couldn't help but admire our neighbours platter of small bite sized creations. We asked our server and learned they were enjoying the multiple course chef's menu. Not wanting to miss out but not interested in going for the full out chef's menu, we asked if we could start with the hors d'oeuvres platter our neighbours were enjoying (not listed on menu). Thankfully, they kindly agreed.
Read moreThe platter included five small items: a salad with mango and cashews, dumpling with sweet and sour sauce, "fish" cake with salsa, rice paper roll with peanut sauce, and roasted coconut, cashews and chutney wrapped in a pepper leaf. I have uploaded a picture so be sure to check it out.
For our main course we had Red Vegetable Curry and Pineapple and Peanut Vegetable Curry. Both were excellent.
It was a delicious meal and we left very satisfied and full. I can't remember the exact cost of our meal but it was a bit pricey. However, it was worth it for all of the elaborate food.
If you're not a fan of mock meats, don't be scared away from eating here. They have enough vegetable dishes that you'll be able to find something you like.
Pros: unique food, great ambiance
Cons: pricey
Guest
thelink
Points +165
Great night out - Edit
We had a great night out with friends at ChuChai while on holidays in Montreal in June.
Read moreThe atmosphere is a bit upmarket so this is really a great place for a special occasion dinner and getting a bit dressed up.
It was a really warm evening so we enjoyed sitting outdoors on the terrace. We sipped cocktails and enjoyed the atmosphere on Rue Saint-Denis while we waited for our food.
We shared starters, salads, curries and stir - fries and also had some desserts. All the dishes were excellent.
So get dressed up and head for ChuChai on your next special night out in Montreal.
Guest
cookiemonster
Points +1173
Fancy, Pricey - Edit
This is the place I often suggest when we are going for a fancy dinner, especially if I am not the one paying! They have some very good dishes and I love the salad rolls and the tapioca/coconut cream pudding.
Read moreFor the rest, it is mostly faux-meat dishes. There are about 8 basic choices (like red curry, basil and peanut sauce, roasted cashew, etc.) and you select which type of faux meat you want (shrimp, beef, chicken... don't think too hard about the frozen faux-meats you have seen for sale at the place down duluth). The price is about $14 a dish and you will want to have a soup or an appetizer to go with it as they are a bit small. I find the dishes good but not spectacular. I honestly go for the fancy decor and ambiance - if I am taking someone out for dinner.
The Table d'H'te is overpriced but fun. You get 5 fancy little appetisers and a few dishes to share and try. It is a great thing to do on a date.
Check out the tapioca pudding for dessert!
Pros: Ambience, Fancy
Cons: Pricey
Guest
iansnyder
Points +37
Really good!!! - Edit
My wife and I went here for dinner a few weeks back and really enjoyed it. There is a good variety of foods, even for vegans, and it tastes phenomenal! The only let down was that we ended up paying about $50 for the two of us and we didn't get THAT much food, just a side of rice (which isn't included with the meal) and two sodas.
Read moreI really like the food, but the price has made me a little reluctant to return. I haven't tried the lunch menu/ to go area, which I've heard is a bit more afforable.
Pros: Excellent food, Good service, Nice selection
Cons: Can be expensive, *, *
Guest
pradipd
Points +347
Minimal meets Conventional! - Edit
This is the first vegetarian Thai restaurant I have come across any where outside Thailand, and even there they are a rarity. While it is a great idea for those of us who like Thai cuisine but cannot stand the fish sauce and shrimp paste in almost all items in the so called 'vegetarian' section of the conventional Thai restaurants, let me voice my peeve about these vegetarian South East Asian restaurants in North America that use meat as a reference point. Chuchai had its menu full of beef, duck, chicken, shrimp and what not. Of course, in the introduction it says that these are all 'mock' meats made from seitan etc. But what they forget is that these restaurants are frequented and sought out by non-carnivores. I do not need meat as a reference point for ordering from the menu. Even the mention of these meats makes me feel I am eating the flesh of dead animals.
Read moreHaving said that, Chuchai is definitely a fine dining experience with white linen, black uniformed waiters, minimal decor and a good selection of wine. The food was well prepared, full of flavor and presented very attractively. However, I thought the pricing (specially for the entrees) is on the higher side. Service was excellent.
Pros: Food, Service, Location
Cons: Unimaginative menu, Prices
Guest
kennyp353
Points +1674
Dull and overpriced - Edit
So I went there armed with the HappyCow reviews to help in my menu choices, but I really wish I didn't.
Read moreI had the crispy breaded seaweed appetiser. Someone said they'd never tasted anything like it before. Nor me, really - but not in a good way. It was like sticky sesame fried pretzel slices - not exactly unpleasant, but not an experience I'd care to repeat. The hot and sour soup with vegetarian chicken and lemongrass was adequate despite a slight taste of dishwater, with three small slices of an acceptable fake chicken.
Followed by the vegetarian duck with hot chili and basil. Decently spicy, and decent-sized portions (rather than overly-huge American sized), but it was a really poor duck substitute - I've had far better fake meats than they use here. The sticky rice was crusty on the top, rather like if you'd left cooked rice to cool in the open air for several hours and then microwaved it - the worst rice I've ever had - it's astonishing how they could mess up rice.
Service was terrible, from a surly rake-thin Asian woman who has obviously chosen the wrong career having no interest in so much as saying hello to a customer, never mind smiling or attempting to build rapport.
I was really looking forward to this, given the reviews and the recommendation from one of the animal rights protestors. But it wasn't worth the trip, nor the $50 check.
Pros: ambience
Cons: disappointing food, terrible service, overpriced
Guest
veggiewoman
Points +374
Innovative Thai oh my! - Edit
Wow. I eat thai fairly often and ChuChai had some really interesting dishes. There were tons of mock meat dishes (not my thing), and it is maybe 95% vegan. We had a breaded seaweed that I had never seen or tasted anylike like it before, sauted eggplant with spicy sauce and INCREDIBLE peanut sauce covered tofu (among the best tofu I have ever had). Yum yum! Nice terrace and atmosphere too.
Read morePros: Delicious, Variety, Atmosphere
Guest
pandora_13
Points +80
Slightly disappointed... - Edit
I was really looking forward to trying out Chu Chai on my visit to Montreal last week. Based on others' reviews I was expecting something akin to a religious experience, and unfortunately it was several notches below that.
Read moreI think the thing that turned me off the most was the atmosphere. They're going for that sleek, trendy look that's so popular with the NYC SoHo types. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing... but Chu Chai's decor just feels steely and cold. The server's lack of enthusiasm didn't help either.
Still, what matters most to me is the quality of the food. The fried dumplings were sadly disappointing; they were miniscule in size, over-fried and hard. You really couldn't even tell there was anything inside them. If they had been steamed they probably would have been much better. The spring rolls looked very good though, and did get two thumbs up from our dining companions.
For our main dish, my boyfriend and I split the fried rice noodles with duck, chilis and basil. This dish was incredibly tasty. However, for $14 we really expected a much larger serving. (Obviously at Chu Chai you're paying more for the decor than for the food.) Other dishes we sampled were the chicken and broccoli, which was simple and tasty; and the fish with ginger, which was very delicately spiced but still flavorful. (Note: The pepper rating system is spot-on. Zero peppers means zero heat, unlike at many Thai places. If you find that boring, order something with a pepper or two.) And what's the deal with making you pay separately for rice? You'd think they could toss it in for free with prices that high.
It was a blessing in disguise, though, that our main dish was so small... because the desserts were very good. The fried bananas with ice cream were out of this world. I would probably return there just for that alone. The coconut tapioca custard was good too.
The food at Chu Chai is, for the most part, very good. For this reason alone I'm giving it four cows. Whether or not it's worth the price is up to the individual, I suppose. I don't think I'd go often, personally, when there's other great Thai food available in Montreal for a much more reasonable price.
Pros: Tasty food, Varied selection
Cons: Way too expensive, Cold, trendy decor, Lackluster service
Guest
tragedia
Points +43
Try it and you'll love it - Edit
Although the meals here are horridly expensive for the amount of food that you get, the food is to die for. For an appetizer, try the peanut butter dumplings (only as of recently have they been made vegan) and the breaded mushrooms. A friend of mine said they tasted like sesame beef, but I'd never tried sesame beef, so I couldn't compare. Their meals are very tasty overall, but they don't really offer that much (quantity) in terms of their "star" ingredients, ie. fake meat. For example, a meal of "shrimp" and veggies offers perhaps only 6 or 7 shrimp. Overall, however, this place is a must-try.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Friendly staff
Cons: Expensive, Small portions
Guest
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