Thai Barn Na — Restaurant in Toronto

Updating my review based on my recent experience. This was my 5th visit to this place and will be my last visit. Till date, the food here has not disappointed. However, service has been dropping since the last 2 visits.

My latest visit on Mother's day (May 12th 2024), I walked in the restaurant and queued up in the waiting area for a server to give me a table. There were folks ahead of me for the takeout. After 2 minutes of wait a white lady, just walked past me and approached the server for a table. Immediately I notified that server that I was already in the queue waiting at the "Please wait to be seated sign". A table for 4 was vacating. She enquired how many folks I need to be seated at table, to which I said 4, but asked to be waited as the white lady just wanted a table for 2. She provided an explanation that the recently emptied table is typically designated for 2 sets of table for two. So I agreed to wait a bit more until a suitable table for 4 gets vacated.

10 minutes later, when the white lady and her friend sat, they joined their table and had two more friends accompanied. Even more, the server brought in an additional table and two chairs and had another customer sat there.

Furiously, I asked her how they could now sit 4 at the same table. All she said was "sorry". Then she told me that have I tried their new location in Mississauga for availability? 40 mins later, I was seated. This felt like an obvious case of racism. I kept my composure and remained calm without creating a scene, but let this be a warning for any colored skin folks visiting the restaurant.

Prior to this visit (on April 20th 2024), we visited as 4 adults, 1 kid and an infant in its own infant car seat. When they brought the bill, it had a gratuity fee. They mention the gratuity fee is charged for 6 or more person. I enquired if was I charged a gratuity fee for an infant and she said YES. In my life, no restaurant has charged a fee for kids sitting on a high chair, let alone an infant who is in its own seat. I paid for the gratuity, but this too left a sour feeling about how they...

⚠️ Good food, but not worth the disrespect ❌️

We visited Thai Barn Na- Etobicoke with high hopes. While the food was decent, the experience was deeply unpleasant and borderline discriminatory.

✅ The Only Good Part: The Food

Yes, the food is flavourful and fresh. But is it the best Thai food in the GTA?-Nope. And it’s definitely not worth enduring what we went through.

❌ Rude, Racist, and Judgmental Staff

We walked in with our sleeping baby and politely asked to turn the music down slightly. The staff looked visibly annoyed. They reluctantly obliged only after we mentioned we had come from far.

Later, when our baby woke up crying, my husband stepped outside to soothe her — with his small bowl of food because we were running late. The staff? 👀 Gave dirty looks, followed him outside, and made us feel completely unwelcome.

As if that wasn’t enough, when we were still finishing our starters, the waiter just came and snatched the plate — WITHOUT EVEN ASKING IF WE WERE DONE. I was stunned.

Even worse, the difference in how they treated white customers vs. us was obvious — warm smiles for them, cold and curt service for us. Extremely disappointing.

❌ Not Child-Friendly At All

🚫 Music blaring 🚫 Loud open kitchen 🚫 No space for a stroller 🚫 No patience or understanding from staff

If you have kids — this is NOT the place for you.

❌ Poor Interiors & Hygiene

🪑 Cramped seating — you’ll basically sit with the table next to you 🥴 Water glass was scratched and had a weird smell 🍽️ Cutlery setup was impractical — large serving plate, tiny eating plate

The place needs a redesign, basic hygiene checks, and serious staff retraining in hospitality and cultural sensitivity.

👎 Final Verdict

Food? ✅ Good. Ambience, staff, experience? ❌ Terrible.

We left with a bitter taste — and it had nothing to do with the spice. Won’t be returning. Won’t recommend. Especially if you have kids.

#ThaiBarnNa #EtobicokeEats #FoodReview #FamilyFriendlyFail...

Thai Barn Na is a family owned business specializing in Thai food that opened up recently during the pandemic. The restaurant is small, with street parking in front of the establishment along Brown’s Line. I suspect one could also park on a nearby side street.

When my friend and I arrived on a Thursday evening there was only one patron waiting for a takeout order. My friend and I were the only ones dining in. We ordered the signature pad Thai and the chicken Penang curry. The signature pad Thai was amazing. I’m still thinking about how the noodles were perfectly chewy and al dente. There was plenty of flavour in the sauce without it being overly sweet. There were nice smoky pieces of tofu and perfectly cooked vegetables in our vegetarian pad Thai. The portion size was quite generous and between my friend and I we were only able to get through about a third of the dish.

The chicken Penang was also delicious and served with steamed rice. Although I would have liked the curry to be ever so slightly creamier/thicker, there was plenty of chicken and vegetables served with the dish. At mild spiciness it really wasn’t spicy but we were offered a side of chili paste which we didn’t end up using.

The restaurant is cozy and the prices are very reasonable for the portion sizes that you get. They also offer halal, gluten free and vegan options. I would advise that if you are to be seated near the window in the wintertime, bring a scarf as it can get fairly cool during the winter! The staff were amazing and checked up on us very frequently and kept refilling our hot water. I would definitely recommend checking out Thai Barn...