Best Thai Takeaway In
Bristol

Top Picks:

Everyday Thai

Giggling Squid

Jean’s Bistro

Discover more of Bristol’s best Thai takeaways

Thai Food

Thai food is easily one of the most popular choices when it comes to dining out or ordering in. To us, Thai cuisine is all about bright, freshly prepared dishes with great aroma and a little touch of warmth. For Thai chefs, the food of their native country is more intricate than that. Focusing on texture, colour, taste, ingredients with medicinal properties, attention to detail and, of course, flavour, is what produces the food nations across the world have fallen in love with. With constellations of Thai restaurants dotted across Bristol, let alone the country, we thought we’d do what we do best and compose a list of our favourite ones. Unfortunately, a number of long-standing establishments, like Koh Thai and Siam Harborside, have recently closed down, but there’s still a great selection open for the best Thai takeaway in Bristol. Let’s get to it.

Everyday Thai

This little Thai restaurant in Fishponds might look unassuming, but it is actually renowned for it’s very authentic Thai experience. Earning itself a Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2018, 2019 and 2020, Everyday Thai has been branded the ‘Travelers’ Choice’ by the world’s largest travel platform. With good reason. The selected ingredients are of the finest quality and the food is prepared with a great amount of care, resulting in a consistently  dining experience, albeit from home. 

After refining her culinary skills in North East Thailand, owner and executive chef Pickky partnered up with Sami to open Everyday Thai in Bristol over six years ago. The combination of passion, talent, experience and acumen between the two of them not only got them off the ground, but really ensured the restaurant’s success. 

Well that and the delicious thai dishes served here. The menu spans lands and sea with a wide array of chicken, duck, beef, seafood and veggie dishes on offer here. Scanning through, you’ll see gai priew wan – chicken, onion, peppers, tomatoes and pineapple wok-fried in a thai sweet and sour sauce – panang nua – beef in a rich, aromatic thai panang curry – and goon prig glua, which is tempura king prawns seasoned with sea salt chilli and almonds. 

There really is a cornucopia of curries, all representative of different regions of Thailand and with different spice levels to make sure it’s suited to your palate, so you’re able to enjoy it instead of worrying about steam coming out of your ears. 

There’s starters of fish cakes, crispy chicken toast and spring rolls, but it’s another section of the menu that particularly catches your eyes. Pickky’s specials is a unique curated list of favourites including som tum, one of Thailand’s national dishes, made up of papaya, peanuts and Pickky’s delicious dressing – careful though, this one’s spicy, but SO worth it.  

Giggling Squid

Giggling Squid was born in a leaky fisherman’s cottage where Pranee and her husband Andy dreamt up their first Thai tapas menu. That same menu is still available now, years and many restaurants later. The leaky cottage became their Brighton shop and now there are a whole host of locations across the country, each as vibrant as the next. The Clifton one in specific is lined with plush green benches and warm wooden tables. There’s a trellis with hanging flowers and patterned wallpapers brightening up with quirky space. 

Pranee and Andy probably couldn’t have imagined the success of Giggling Squid all those years ago, but with a menu like theirs, how could it not be an absolute success? In Thailand, mealtimes are about sharing lots of little dishes and so to make your experience as authentic as possible, GIggling Squid emulates that. 

Grab a couple of favourites like chicken satay, spring rolls, pork dumplings or salt and pepper squid and mix it up with Phuket mussels (it’s recommended that you order roti with this to mop up all the rich, red curry juices) a speciality in the Esan Province, mushroom larb or Som Tam papaya salad. 

That’s only to start! For mains, there’s lamb shank massaman, stir fries and curries – including a gorgeous green thai curry – pad thai and a royal fishing boat curry consisting of all the seafood your heart could ever desire; fresh mussels, prawns, squid and whole salmon. The thing we love most on this menu, however, is the tapas sets. Each is made up of a variety of authentic Thai food that’s infused with robust flavours and cooked to perfection. At Giggling Squid the idea of more is less goes completely out the window. More is always more and with food as good as theirs, more certainly won’t be a problem either. 

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Jean’s Bistro

When you come across a sign that reads cakes, noodles, BBQ, you might not immediately come to the conclusion that inside you’ll find what food critic Mark Taylor in 2020 described as “authentic regional cooking” and “the best Thai food in the city”. So if you’re after the best Thai takeaway in Bristol, then this is surely it. 

This modest restuarant’s story began when owner Jirarat first realised there weren’t that many local places serving her native Thai food, after a move to England. She took it upon herself to start cooking, finding that she both loved and had a natural talent for it and eventually worked her way into a head chef position at Budokan. From there Jean’s Bistro came into existence where Jirarat worked hard to keep her focus on those original Thai recipes she missed so much when she first arrived. Authentic ingredients, solid cooking and a phenomenal balance of flavours, achieved without a single artificial flavour or colour. 

The menu is extensive with a dedicated vegetarian section so that everyone is catered to at Jean’s. You’ll find red and green vegetable curry, veggie stir fry and tofu, mushroom and vegetable stew among the meat options of crispy fried chicken in spicy sweet basil, spicy pork thai salad and beef with oyster sauce and mushroom. There’s also BBQ, seafood platters, stews, broths and soups – including Tom Yum chicken and seafood. 

Remember what came first on the sign? Yup, she’s got a selection of cakes available, so you know, you should probably save space for some pudding. When you do head in to Jean’s, remember to take your own drinks as it’s ‘Bring Your Own’. Whilst at home though, you don’t have to think about that, only about how you’re going to finish all the food you’re planning on ordering

More BEST Thai Takeaway in Bristol:

Bauhinia

You’ll find this independent pan-Asain bar and restaurant in Clifton where it’s one of Bristol’s best kept secrets. From the outside, you might mistake it for a french cafe with the slate grey awning and the two-seater tables out on the sidewalk. The inside tells a different story though. The boxy windows give it a Japanese feel, as though they’re screen dividers, and the lighting lends itself to create a relaxed atmosphere as it washes the room in warm yellow. The service is exceptional across this two story restaurant and the food comes quickly - always a winning combo. Unfortunately, we all know it’s not possible to experience the service at the restaurant, but two things that you can rely on, is for the food to get to you quickly and for it to be as tasty as it would be dining out. The menu encompasses Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Thai food, so you can treat it as a tour of Asia. For small plates, they have everything from tom yam and spring rolls to tempura, satay, dumplings, duck wraps and five-spiced ribs. There’s an incredibly fragrant nasi goreng to be tried, as well as Singapore fried noodles, pad thai, teriyaki, crispy chilli beef, sampa and rendang. If you fancy a curry, Bauhinia has Thai green and red curry, as well as kari, a medium malaysian curry with sweet and white potatoes. And then there’s dessert; sweet, glorious dessert. Kuih Dadar - a pandaan flavoured crepe with a rich coconut filling, served with ice cream - Fire Crackers - deep fried pastry parcels filled with chocolate, dates and orange and served with ice cream - or if you want a bit of everything, invest in the dessert taster which will include Fire Crackers, chinese toffee apple, kuih dada and a matcha green tea ice cream. Yum
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JP Destiny

If you’re looking for your takeaway destiny - yes, we said it and no, we don’t regret it - this Asian fusion restaurant might be the one for you. Offering breakfast, lunch and dinner with a focus on Singaporean, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, JP’s specialises in fresh, flavoursome food for anyone. Started by Mantanee Lewis who grew up in Thailand, inspired by the classic dishes of her home country. With a hunger to know more about Asian cooking, she started dabbling in Malaysian and Chinese dishes and now effortly fuses them all together in a beautiful way. For dinner, you could start with Vietnamese prawn crackers, wasabi peas or edamame peas with sea salt before you get into your mains. The latter might be a tricky decision, because of the broad variety, every dish sounding better than the last. Some of them are massaman chicken curry, sweet and sour chicken, thai green curry, black bean beef and shredded chilli beef, pork with garlic and pepper sauce and prawns with tamarind sauce. For vegetarians, there’s really tasty options including spinach and potato stir fry, thai yellow vegetable curry and stir fry vegetable satay. Elsewhere you’ll find prawn pad thai, nasi goreng and singapore noodles, as well as a special chow mein made from stir fried beef, chicken vegetables and crispy noodles. Their set meals for two are a really great way to sample a lot of what’s on the menu and the JP menu, as an example, will give you a taste of chicken dumplings, crispy seaweed, sesame prawn toast, sweet and sour chicken, sizzling black bean beef, prawn pad thai and egg fried rice. With a lot of rave reviews from critics and customers alike, JP Destiny Thai Corner needs to make it onto your list of the best Thai takeaway in Bristol.
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Siam Smile

Bright green, you might mistake Siam Smile for an Irish pub from a distance, but you’ll find, upon closer inspection, that it’s actually a Thai and Malaysian restaurant serving Bristol with some of the tastiest food. With the distinct Thai roofing style just under the sign, it promises to deliver on authentic Thai food inside and that’s exactly what you get when you visit this family-run restaurant. Of course we can’t at the moment, so let’s talk about takeaway. It will take you a few scrolls to get through the extensive menu, but as you pause along the way you'll notice incredible starters of curry puffs, spring rolls, deep fried corn cake and steamed Thai dumplings. There’s Tom Yum and wonton soup, prawn salads and speciality steamed fish. The Nasi Goreng comes with prawn or vegetable and so does the Pad Thai (with the addition of a chicken option). You’ll also find sweet and sour, chicken or beef cooked in a thick red curry sauce malaysian chicken curry. If your head’s spinning right now, we don’t blame you, because there really is a lot to choose from. Take comfort knowing that every single thing on the item here at Siam Smile is always fresh and full of flavour. With reviews citing Siam Smile as the most authentic Thai feeling restaurant, this is a little gem that’s well worth visiting when the time comes. Until then, dig into the takeaway menu and when you find yourself unable to decide what to have, retreat to the safety of the set menu. They’re all for a minimum of two and the River Kwai option, as an example, has a taste of spring rolls, stuffed chicken wings, sesame prawn on toast, crispy noodles, prawns green curry, stir fried chicken with cashew nuts, minced lamb with basil leaves and steamed, fragrant rice.
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With all of these restaurants offering a unique experience, it’s well worth really digging in and seeing how they fuse menus together to present traditional Thai with a fresh twist to the masses.

Enjoy your Thai Takeaway!

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