Few Toronto restaurants are as synonymous with celebrity spotting as Entertainment District star Pai, which begs the question (and not just because it rhymes): Why?
There's no getting around it: celebrities love Pai. From Maple Leafs and Raptors to Oscar winners, a quick glance through the restaurant's social media feed reveals a seemingly endless revolving door of stars stopping by to get their fill of Thai.
Even less of a secret is the fact that the food in Pai is good. Really good.
The restaurant was founded in 2014 by Chef Nuit and Jeff Regular, who also ran the now-closed Sabai Sabai and Sukhothai restaurants at the time, and currently also operate Kiin and Chaiyo, as well as Pai's sister eateries Yonge and Eglinton. The restaurant specializes in Northern Thai cuisine in a cozy, casual atmosphere.
In the years that followed, Chef Regular earned accolades (aside from the constant word of mouth surrounding the restaurant) when Pai received a recommendation in Toronto's Michelin Guide.
So perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that the who's who flock to the restaurant, but at the same time, Toronto is full of great restaurants, and few see anywhere near the same concentration of star power on a regular basis.
What makes Pai so special?
When portraying such an unassuming star magnet in the city, it's easy to stray into conspiracy territory when it comes to understanding how exactly this reputation came about.
Do they invite stars to visit and pay them? Do the Regulars have some sort of deep insider relationship with Hollywood? Are they playing a frequency over the speakers that involuntarily attracts celebrities?
According to Bonita Mok, marketing and communications manager at Pai, it's actually much simpler.
“No, we don’t invite celebrities,” she tells blogTO.
“They come on their own, either through word of mouth or because they read about us somewhere and really want to try our food.”
The word-of-mouth that connects Pai's celebrity fans can actually be tracked to some extent through the restaurant's social media presence, which dutifully documents every celebrity who stops by.
Take, for example, Toronto resident (and possibly the city's biggest fan) Guillermo del Toro, who has been a staple of Pai audiences since Pai opened and later brought the cast of his various Toronto films over to eat.
Toronto-based celebrities like Simu Liu and Shawn Mendes have also been known to frequent the restaurant, seemingly passing on the restaurant's refreshingly casual atmosphere, charming service, and delicious dishes to their contemporaries whenever they come to town come.
According to Bonita, Jeff, Nuit and the Pai team's favorite visitors to the restaurant include the cast of Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Frankenstein adaptation, which included stars like Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac and Christoph Waltz, as well as national treasures Simu Liu and Los Angeles Clippers point guard James Harden.
“We are always happy when the players and coaching staff from our home teams Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs come by,” she added.
While Bonita doesn't discuss whether the restaurant foots the bills of celebrities when they visit, she adds that the team behind Pai isn't just excited when famous people come through the doors.
“Whoever comes through our doors,” she tells blogTO, “we are always happy that they decided to come eat at Pai during their stay in town!”