Restaurant

Social Thai

Name: Social Thai
Address: 399 Bank St, Ottawa, ON, K2P 1Y3, CA
Telephone: (613) 230-0084
Price range: value

Thai•Centretown•value

Social Thai is one of the best thai restaurants in Ottawa for dinner, especially if you want a strong option in Centretown.

Social Thai on Bank Street is doing something quietly contrarian in a city that has plenty of Thai spots content to coast on familiarity.

Editorial review updated•Jul 28, 2026

Social Thai on Bank Street is doing something quietly contrarian in a city that has plenty of Thai spots content to coast on familiarity. The room runs pastel pink with a playful, café-forward layout — kiosk ordering, a bakery counter where croissants apparently coexist with rice noodles — and by all accounts it reads less like a restaurant concept and more like a space a family actually wanted to spend time in. That distinction matters. Centretown's lunch corridor doesn't have a shortage of places to eat; it has a shortage of places that feel like someone gave a damn about the room. At price level one, Social Thai is making that case without asking you to justify the bill afterward. The Pad Thai is the anchor, and the dish that keeps pulling repeat visitors back according to consistent online chatter — which is a more reliable signal than any curated blurb. The menu runs it gluten-free with chicken, shrimp, or kimchi tofu, and that kimchi tofu variation is the kind of small, specific decision that suggests a kitchen with opinions rather than one just filling slots. Pad See Ew is a regular-rotation order among diners as well, built around wide rice noodles and the kind of wok-driven technique the dish depends on. The Tom Kha — coconut-based, lemongrass-forward — is reportedly the right bowl to open with, particularly in the colder months when Bank Street offers nothing in the way of comfort and you want something that actually earns that description. Practical notes: the kitchen runs Tuesday through Friday at lunch and closes at 9:30pm on weeknights, 9pm Sundays, so the window is tighter than it looks. Kiosk ordering means you control the pace. Start with the Tom Kha, follow it with the Pad Thai, and if the bakery counter still has anything going, that's how you finish.

Carlos Mendez, Food & Drink Editor

Methodology•Ottawa guides•Editorial team•Report outdated information

Cheap EatsThai fooddinner takeout boldlively

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Taste ID

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Start with one score. Add details or a review when you want to help other diners.

Taste Score 7.0/10

Rating (Google) 8.6

524 reviews

Ottawa

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

7.0/10

Taste Score

Google 8.6 from 524 reviews

Best for

dinner and Cheap Eats

Price and pace

Good value

Neighborhood

Centretown | 399 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y3, Canada

Price

Good value

Taste Score

7.0/10

Phone

(613) 230-0084

Inside the restaurant

Photos of Social Thai

1 photo

What to order

Signature dishes at Social Thai

Pad Thai

Pad See Ew

Tom Kha

Why go

What makes Social Thai worth the move

Social Thai is a clean first click in Centretown in Ottawa when you want a thai option you can trust. Pad Thai and Pad See Ew also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 8.6 rating across 524 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

8.6 from 524 Google reviews

Best for

dinner and Cheap Eats

Style

Thai in Centretown

Spend

Good value

Best for

Cheap Eats Thai food dinner takeout bold lively

Know before you go

Google rating: 8.6 from 524 reviews

Price point: value

Popular dishes: Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Tom Kha

Phone number available

TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Carlos Mendez for Social Thai

Google snapshot

8.6 from 524 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by Carlos Mendez

Govinda's has been operating in Ottawa, which means it predates the city's entire modern plant-based dining scene by several decades.

Plant-basedlunchdinner

327 reviews

Read restaurant page

Website Menu Rate

Plan the visit

Quick details

Call Restaurant Directions

Address: 399 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y3, Canada
Phone: (613) 230-0084
Price: value
TastyPals score: 7.0/10
Google rating: 8.6 (524 reviews)
Cuisine: Thai
Neighborhood: Centretown

Restaurants in Centretown

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Social Thai serve?

Social Thai is a Thai restaurant located in Centretown, Ottawa. Social Thai on Bank Street is doing something quietly contrarian in a city that has plenty of Thai spots content to coast on familiarity.

What is Social Thai best for?

Social Thai is best for cheap eats, thai food, dinner, takeout, bold, lively. Social Thai is a clean first click in Centretown in Ottawa when you want a thai option you can trust. Pad Thai and Pad See Ew also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 8.6 rating across 524 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Social Thai?

Social Thai is in the Good value price range (value). Google rating: 8.6 from 524 reviews

What should I order at Social Thai?

Start with Pad Thai, Pad See Ew and Tom Kha. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Social Thai worth visiting?

Social Thai holds a 8.6 Google rating from 524 reviews. Social Thai is a clean first click in Centretown in Ottawa when you want a thai option you can trust. Pad Thai and Pad See Ew also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 8.6 rating across 524 Google reviews.