Restaurant in Toronto, Canada
Michelin-recognised Thai at an approachable price.
Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen holds back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) at a $$ price point on Baldwin Street in Toronto — making it the most credentialed affordable Thai option in the city. With a 4.4 Google rating across 2,600+ reviews and Easy booking, it is a reliable, low-commitment choice for quality Thai cooking without a special-occasion price tag.
If you visited Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen once and enjoyed it, the question on a return visit is not whether it holds up — two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) confirm it does , but whether you are ordering smart enough to see what makes it worth returning to. At a $$ price point on Baldwin Street in Kensington Market, this is among the most credentialed affordable Thai restaurants in Toronto, and it rewards repeat visitors who come with a plan rather than defaulting to the same pad thai they ordered last time.
The room on Baldwin Street is the first thing you will notice: a narrow, simply furnished space where the visual focus lands squarely on the food arriving at the table rather than any designed atmosphere. That restraint is consistent with what Koh Lipe is doing at the plate level. This is not a restaurant chasing a mood; it is a restaurant chasing accuracy. For a second-time visitor, that clarity becomes a feature rather than a limitation. You know what you are walking into, and the low-key setting means weekend traffic moves faster than at higher-production Thai spots in the city.
If your first visit was a weeknight dinner, a weekend visit is worth considering , not because the menu changes dramatically, but because Baldwin Street operates at a different pace on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The Kensington Market stretch around the restaurant is walkable and lively, which makes Koh Lipe a practical anchor for a longer afternoon out. You can eat here without the time pressure of a Tuesday dinner reservation, and the $$ pricing means a full meal with drinks does not require the kind of commitment that a four-course $$$$ restaurant does.
For those considering it as a brunch or midday option: Thai kitchens in Toronto vary widely in whether they serve lunch, and Koh Lipe's hours are not confirmed in Pearl's current data, so check directly before planning a daytime visit. What is confirmed is the price tier, the address, and two years of Michelin recognition , context that makes this a reliable lunch-adjacent option even if the exact service window needs verification.
A Michelin Plate is not a Michelin Star, but it is not nothing either. In Toronto's Michelin context , the guide launched in the city in 2022 , a Plate designation means Michelin's inspectors found the cooking worth flagging for quality. At a $$ price range, that signal carries more weight than it would at a higher price tier, because inspectors are not grading on a curve for affordability. Koh Lipe is being recognized as a competent, quality kitchen, full stop. That puts it in a different category from the many Thai restaurants in Toronto that are good-value but not drawing any external validation.
Across the city's Thai options, Kiin operates at a higher price point with a more formal format, and Favorites Thai and Som Tum Jinda compete in a similar casual register. Koh Lipe's dual Plate recognition is a differentiator in that peer group. If you want credentialed Thai cooking at a price that does not require a special occasion, this is your clearest option in Toronto right now.
Booking difficulty here is rated Easy, and at $$ pricing on a non-marquee block in Kensington Market, that tracks. You are unlikely to need more than a day or two of lead time on weeknights; weekends may require slightly more planning given the neighbourhood foot traffic and the restaurant's Michelin visibility pulling in new visitors who have done their research. The address , 35 Baldwin St , is walkable from multiple TTC lines and sits in a dense restaurant block, which means you have fallback options nearby if the timing does not work out. Specific booking method and phone are not available in Pearl's current data, so check Google or the restaurant directly for reservations.
Dress code is relaxed. At this price tier and in this neighbourhood, smart casual or even casual is entirely appropriate. No one at Koh Lipe is expecting a jacket.
If Koh Lipe is your anchor for a Toronto dining trip, consider building around it with the broader Toronto restaurants guide, or check out hotels in Toronto, bars in Toronto, and experiences in Toronto for a fuller picture of the city. For Thai cooking benchmarks internationally, Nahm in Bangkok and Samrub Samrub Thai in Bangkok represent the format at its most refined. Closer to home, if you are travelling across Canada, Kissa Tanto in Vancouver and Tanière³ in Quebec City are worth knowing about, along with Jérôme Ferrer - Europea in Montreal, Narval in Rimouski, The Pine in Creemore, and Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Lincoln.
It works for a low-key celebration, particularly if the group values food quality over formality. Two Michelin Plate recognitions give it credibility, and the $$ price range means you can order generously without the bill becoming the story. For a more formal occasion with a dedicated tasting format, Alo or Enigma Yorkville are better fits. Koh Lipe is the right call when the occasion is celebratory but unpretentious.
Pearl's current data does not confirm whether Koh Lipe offers a dedicated tasting menu. At a $$ price range with a casual format, the more likely experience is à la carte ordering. If a structured tasting format matters to you, verify directly with the restaurant before booking with that expectation.
Kiin is the most direct upgrade: more formal, higher price, Thai-focused with a refined approach. Favorites Thai and Som Tum Jinda compete in a similar casual and affordable register. None of the other Toronto Thai options currently hold Michelin recognition, which is Koh Lipe's clearest differentiator in this price bracket. See our full Toronto restaurant guide for a wider view.
Casual or smart casual. The $$ pricing and Kensington Market location set the tone clearly , this is not a jacket-required room. Dress for a relaxed neighbourhood dinner and you will be fine.
Yes, clearly. At a $$ price range with back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, Koh Lipe is offering credentialed Thai cooking at one of the more accessible price points among Michelin-recognized restaurants in Toronto. The Google rating of 4.4 across 2,611 reviews is consistent with a kitchen that delivers reliably, not just on high-profile visits. It is worth the price.
Thai cuisine often accommodates vegetarian requests, and many dishes can be adjusted for common restrictions, but Pearl does not have confirmed data on Koh Lipe's specific dietary policies. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if a restriction is non-negotiable , do not assume based on cuisine category alone.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. For weeknights, same-day or next-day availability is realistic. Weekends warrant a few days' notice given the restaurant's Michelin visibility and the foot traffic in the Kensington Market area. Specific booking method is not confirmed in Pearl's data , check Google or contact the restaurant directly.
Pearl does not have confirmed bar or counter seating data for Koh Lipe. Given the $$ price range and casual neighbourhood format, the room is likely small and simply arranged. Check directly if bar seating is important to your visit , do not assume it is available.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen | Thai | $$ | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Alo | Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sushi Masaki Saito | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Enigma Yorkville | New Canadian, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Shoushin | Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Edulis | Canadian, Mediterranean Cuisine | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen and alternatives.
It works for a low-key special occasion — two Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025 give it enough credibility to feel considered without the pressure of a high-stakes booking. At $$ pricing on Baldwin Street, it suits a birthday dinner or date night where the emphasis is on good food rather than ceremony. If you need a grander setting with white-tablecloth service, Enigma Yorkville would be a better fit.
The venue database does not confirm a tasting menu format at Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen, so we cannot speak to that specifically. What is confirmed is $$ pricing and two consecutive Michelin Plates, which suggests solid value at whatever price point the menu is structured around. Check directly with the restaurant at 35 Baldwin St before assuming a set-menu option exists.
For Thai specifically in Toronto, the options at a comparable or higher price point are limited in terms of Michelin recognition — Koh Lipe is unusual in holding two consecutive Plates in that cuisine category. If you want to move up in format and budget, Edulis and Shoushin operate in entirely different cuisine categories but both carry stronger critical credentials. For neighbourhood dining at a similar price, Baldwin Street itself has several nearby options worth exploring.
The $$ price point and Baldwin Street location point toward a relaxed, come-as-you-are crowd rather than a dress-code environment. Comfortable casual is a reasonable read — this is Kensington Market adjacent, not Yorkville. The venue data does not specify a dress code, so there is no formal requirement documented.
At $$ pricing with two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025), Koh Lipe Thai Kitchen offers one of the clearer value cases in Toronto's Michelin-recognised restaurant list. Most venues at this recognition level charge significantly more. If you are weighing it against spending more at a starred venue, the gap in quality may not justify the cost difference for a Thai-specific dining occasion.
The venue database does not document specific dietary accommodation policies. Thai cuisine typically involves fish sauce, shellfish paste, and peanuts as common ingredients, so anyone with relevant allergies should check the venue's official channels at 35 Baldwin St before booking. Do not assume flexibility without confirming.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means you are unlikely to need more than a few days' notice for most sittings. Weekend evenings may require slightly more lead time given the Michelin recognition, but this is not a venue where you need to plan weeks out. A same-week booking should be achievable in most cases.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
