Lakeside Thai Kitchen

Lakeside Thai Kitchen is a small, unpretentious family operation tucked next to an ice cream shop in Lebanon. They cook a wide range of Thai standards, from pad Thai and pho to curry puffs and pineapple cashew stir fries. Locals and travelers who find the place come back for dumplings that rival what you'd get in Toronto, and the kind of food that makes people buy extra to take home.

• Housemade dumplings with thin wonton and generous filling
• Crab Rangoons and curry puffs made fresh daily
• Customizable spice levels on fried rice and curries
• Huge portions at reasonable prices

Start with the fried pork dumplings or fresh rolls with your choice of protein. The crab Rangoons are housemade and worth ordering. Get the pork fried rice (request level 3 spice if you like heat) and ask for the fried shallot topping. The shrimp pad Thai and pineapple cashew with fried pork belly round things out. Chicken satay is crispy and juicy.

Small, casual dining room with a homemade feel. There's also outdoor seating. It reads as genuine family operation, not trying to be anything other than what it is.

This is the kind of place you can drive past for years without noticing. Once you eat there, you regret the wait. Families, takeout regulars, and people hunting for specific dishes (the dumplings are worth a trip) all find what they want.

Guests consistently praise the freshness and care in every dish, from the dumplings to the Rangoons. One visitor compared the pineapple cashew with pork belly to home-cooked meals from his mother's kitchen. People end up ordering extra to take home because they know they'll want it later.