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· collected 2026-09-06 · by Karon Liu
Toronto's PAI Northern Kitchen is a popular dining spot for celebrities during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The restaurant, which serves Thai cuisine in a windowless basement space, has been a local favorite for nearly 20 years. According to co-owner Jeff Regular, A-listers such as Guillermo Del Toro, David Cronenberg, and Elijah Wood have dined there, often after being brought by other celebrities or word of mouth. PAI's celebrity clientele has grown organically through positive reviews and recommendations, with the restaurant receiving requests for private dinners during TIFF.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
When celebrities come to Toronto, people might imagine them settling into the private dining rooms at the Ritz-Carlton, surrounded by fine linens and expensive wines.
uncertain
them → come → linens
That certainly happens.
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That → happen → ?
There’s no dress code, tablecloths or wine pairings — just plates of pad Thai and bowls of khao soi where the golden coconut curry can splatter everywhere when you slurp the noodles.
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you → ’ → noodles
Torontonians have long known PAI Northern Kitchen in the Entertainment District, where many have been eating chef Nuit Regular’s khao soi since she opened her first SukhoTHAI in Regent Park nearly 20 years ago.
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she → know → Park
Increasingly, so have A-listers looking for an unfussy, comforting meal with more flavour than what an on-set caterer or sports nutritionist might typically offer.
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caterer → have → set
Stars, they’re just like us.
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they → ’re → us
”Guillermo Del Toro was brought here by M. Night Shyamalan, and then Guillermo brought Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth from ‘Frankenstein
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Guillermo → bring → Frankenstein
,’” said PAI co-owner and Nuit’s husband, Jeff Regular, as he scrolled through PAI’s celebrity-filled Instagram feed, trying to recall who had dined there.
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who → say → feed
A month later, “Frankenstein” co-star Oscar Isaac was at Pai’s nearby sister restaurant, Kiin, having Nuit’s tasting menu, around the time the movie was filming in Toronto.
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movie → have → Toronto
PAI isn’t chasing famous diners.
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PAI → chase → diners
Its celebrity clientele has grown organically, through word of mouth.
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clientele → grow → mouth
Ahead of this year’s festival, PAI has already received requests to host private dinners.
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PAI → receive → dinners
Kiin is also offering a $99 prix fixe menu with a glass of Prosecco during the festival, a promo that’s more in line with the ”People’s Festival” than, say, Lai Wah Heen’s more headline-grabbing TIFF offering of an $8,888 five-course dinner (with the option to add a $3,888 bottle of wine).
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that → offer → wine
Sometimes they’ll just walk in, as Eric Roberts did months after PAI first opened in 2014.
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PAI → walk → 2014
Other times, a representative makes a reservation on a client’s behalf.
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representative → make → behalf
The restaurant’s only request, Jeff said, is to give them more than a five-minute warning.
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Jeff → say → warning
Some celebrities are perfectly happy sitting in the main dining room with everyone else.
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celebrities → sit → everyone
Others request a quiet corner or a private room.
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Others → request → corner
“The restaurant is busy and it’s huge,” Regular said.
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Regular → ’ → ?
“Any given time we have more than 20 front of house staff that ranges from 17 to 50 (in age) and everyone has their own eras (of pop culture knowledge) and recognizes different people, so we have a wide array of eyes for athletes, comedians, actors, singers,” he said.
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he → give → athletes
A manager will usually stop by the table to make sure the meal is going well.
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meal → stop → table
“If they seem up for it, we might extend the conversation, and if they seem happy to take a photo, then we ask for one,” he said.
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he → seem → one
“If there’s any doubt, we leave them alone and give them the same service like any diner.
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we → ’ → diner
There are a few where it’s clear they want to be left alone, so we do that.”
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we → be → that
That low-key approach is one part of the appeal, but of course there’s also the food.
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approach → ’ → course
Thai cooking hits all the right notes of sweet, salty, spicy and sour, and Nuit believes explaining her relationship with the dishes gives people in the storytelling business another way into the food.
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explaining → hit → food
“It’s the story of the khao soi and the northern food that I grew up eating,” she said.
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she → ’ → that
“It just makes the dishes connect to them, instead of just dropping off the food and not knowing where it comes from.”
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it → make → where
Though the food is good enough on its own for Jason Momoa to order delivery for pad gra pow while dining rooms were shut down in 2021.
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rooms → order → 2021
Nuit also remembers a long conversation about Thai food with Francis Ford Coppola.
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Nuit → remember → Coppola
“I was surprised listening to him talk about green curry,” she said.
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she → listen → curry
“He travelled a lot and the way that he talked, he was kind of a foodie and liked spicy food.
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he → travel → food
I was worried he was going to choke on my food, but no.
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he → go → food
He ordered the green curry and we talked about tom kha gai, and it’s like, wow he knows his food.”
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he → order → food
The only time PAI actively tried to coax celebrities in the door was when it first opened.
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it → try → door
Jeff, a diehard Raptors fan, named cocktails after players.
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Jeff → name → players
Jonas Valanciunas was the first to come in, leading to PAI doing catering for the rest of the team (as well as visiting NBA teams).
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PAI → come → team
Years later, the restaurant has accumulated enough famous diners to fill an entire wall.
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restaurant → accumulate → wall
As Jeff heads to the main doors to welcome a line of about 50 diners waiting for a 4 p.m. dinner on a rainy Monday, he points to the collage near the entrance: more than 100 framed photos of actors, directors, athletes, singers and influencers smiling for the camera.
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he → head → camera
But none of the diners waiting in line stop to look at it.
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none → wait → it
…and 2 more, not listed.
