Araya Thai Restaurant in Lancaster

Booked on the basis of Trip Advisor recommendation this place did not disappoint. Quite busy, even on a Sunday evening. Service was initially a bit brusque, but probably because they were busy initially. As the evening went on they unbent a little and ended up being very friendly and helpful. Food was fabulous. Absolutely delicious. Highly recommend.

Full house great service, very caring and great food

Went in early-ish without a reservation and we got a table ok. Place was quite empty then, but quickly filled up. I think the place has a lot of regulars. Like some other reviewers have said, staff (the owner?) seemed keen to hurry us up. But we're old hands and we go at our own pace! We were happy with the food, no complaints on that score, and with the service too once we'd got over the hurdle of we'll-order-when-we're-ready. Good atmosphere, a nice buzz. Prices ok. Would return.

The food isn’t the worst, but I’ve had better. The owner is clearly racist towards other Asian ethnicities, he served me fine (A white man) but when it comes to other people he seems to have some sort of hostility towards them… barely even looked at the person I was with. (Can see other people have similar situations) The young boy who works there, is much nicer. Maybe he should serve everyone.

Food is okay but it is very rare to see a restaurant charges 10% service charge here in Lancaster, not to mention that the price is already higher than average. I spent 3 years here a few years ago and visited this restaurant frequently back then. Now I won’t recommend this place only as it is central London price but average taste in a town in north England.

Delicious food highly recommend

Highly recommended Thai in Lancaster. Ordered a takeaway for myself and my girlfriend who is gluten intolerant. They went above and beyond to ensure that all the food was properly labelled and double checked the ingredients with us. The food was absolutely delicious and we will 100% be ordering again soon!

Friendly and nice atmosphere, feel like it brings me back to Thailand. Staff very friendly and took a good care of us. The food was amazing!!!!

Excellent Thai restaurant in Lancaster with nice service.

The service was certainly as brisk as some reviews had indicated - we had one shared starter and two mains and these were delivered and ‘done’ in just 40 mins - disappointing on a Saturday night and also leaving almost 2/3 bottle wine to drink as we ordered a bottle and my husband had a Singha beer first. I had wanted to get the final sauce and salad off the starter when the plate was snatched away! However, the quality of food was ghastly. Usually I go for something traditional in a UK Thai place but as there were some really good choices, I went for something different. In essence, it was a mushy plate of beef with some pak choy in lots of gravy/curry sauce. At 19 quid it was a disgrace and although a big portion, extremely poor quality. I ate half. The fish cake starter was quite satisfactory but overall a very disappointing experience and the reason I decided to post. Just don’t go. How this is rated at 31 on trip advisor is beyond me for Lancaster restaurants is beyond me. It was a birthday weekend away and just a shame to pay what we did for something we could have done better at home. In contrast, for a foody treat which was superb, we had a beautiful meal at Quite Simply French. It was such quality, the service was impeccable with friendly staff and it felt special.

I would not recommend this restaurant at all. Unfortunately, it had the poorest service I’ve encountered, especially from the middle-aged Asian gentleman (who I assume is the owner). Additionally, the quality of the food is quite average. The fish cakes seemed pre-made and were not properly heated; you could find similar ones in any Asian supermarket freezer for a fraction of the price (I checked the prices at a nearby Asian supermarket after leaving the restaurant). The Thai milk tea was the least authentic I’ve ever tasted. I visited wearing white pants and politely asked the male owner for an extra napkin to protect my pants from oil splatters. However, he simply pointed and asked, ‘Don’t you already have one?’ I explained that it was for wiping my mouth 🙂‍↕️. He reluctantly handed me two extremely narrow kitchen papers from a drawer, which made eating throughout the meal quite uncomfortable, as I feared they would slip off. When it came time to pay, the bill totaled around £70, with a £6.80 service charge. I was hesitant to pay for such poor service and inquired if the service charge was optional. The owner confirmed it was, but became visibly upset when I declined to pay it, citing that others did. I stood my ground, but my friend, who is quite introverted, went to the counter, paid the bill, we left. THE WORST EXPERIENCE.

Just had a takeaway from here. Absolutely beautiful food we will definitely be ordering again

I opted for the Pad Phed Tofu. One of the most delicious Thai dishes I have had. The tofu was prepared in tasty slices and the dish included fresh young green peppercorns (a vegetable I don’t remember having experienced previously but adding great flavour). Staff were friendly and welcoming. My wife had the Pad Prid Pao Chicken, which turned out to be a bit too spicy but staff were happy to return to the kitchen with it for it to re-emerge a few minutes later ‘softened’. The only slight blot in the general experience was a large table of rowdy males. In fairness the restaurant had put them in a separate room but despite this their volume did remain a bit intrusive. Still, it wouldn’t seem fair to mark down the restaurant for something outside their control.

We ordered the vegetarian set meal for two. Really delicious food, we especially enjoyed the aubergine and tofu. Service was quick, friendly, and polite without being intrusive. Would definitely eat here again.

Had the pleasure of dining at Araya last week and we had fantastic food and even better service The tom yum soup was to die for and the quality of the ingredients (especially the prawns) was exceptional We were lucky enough to meet the owners on the night and they were so helpful and friendly Outstanding!!

Can be disappointing, but on this visit 4 of enjoyed a good range of dishes. Good to see a Thai restaurant in Lancaster back on track.

It was one of the best Thai meals I have ever had. The staff were very friendly and the food came out very quick. The owner and his wife greeted us and they asked if we would like anything else. The restaurant manager explained us about the food and the ingredients. We will definitely go back soon !!

Great place and great service , great food

Best Thai in Lancaster, without a doubt. My husband had the Thai hot beef salad - he said it was stunning & very spicy. I had chicken phad Thai, which was beautiful - as always. ARAYA THAI never dissapoints us - it's always busy whenever we go; be it lunch or evening. So make sure you book!

Great service and lovely Thai food. The bottle of wine I ordered wasn’t available so we were offered a more expensive one for the same price.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at this restaurant. We arrived without having previously booked, and were shown to a nice quiet table. The food was delicious, served with a smile. Prices were reasonable.

my papaya salad was mostly carrot it's a shame because it was really really tasty with more green papaya it would be a winner other dishes were underwhelming

Romantic meal out for Valentines. Advised upon making reservation that partner was gluten free. Disappointed with choice, only one starter available, and not much choice for mains. Only ice cream for dessert! The food we chose was good, but shame of lack of choice and availability on the night. Manager was apologetic.

This is about to be put on our keep for a treat list. Beautifully presented surroundings. Impeccable service. Unhurried atmosphere, well balanced by timely food intervals. We love lunchtime meals. So somewhere that opens every day is to be treasured and visited. The flavours and variety of meals both traditional and less well known. Can't wait until they reopen after the winter break on the 23rd January

My daughter and I had a fabulous meal here on 29th December. We didn't book but arrived early so it wasn't a problem. We had the classic starter for two which was superb and a beef in coconut milk dish and a giant prawns in chilli with a noodle side. We will definitely be eating here again.

Very good Thai food in Lancaster. I have been a couple of times with friends and family. We even were gifted special chopsticks once (I assume because we'd been there a lot?). The dishes are flavourful and the staff is always very kind. Not a halal place AFAIK, but they offer a range of seafood and veggie options.

Food 6/10 Service 1/10 Overall - good food but not the best front of house.

Authentic taste of Thai food in UK

Way too expensive while food is just okay.

There's one man who works there who is the star of the show. He was in salmon pink velvet last time and he was super speedy... Food was amazing as well

We travel from Blackpool to eat at this restaurant, I lived in Thailand for 20 years and my wife is Thai. We both agree that this is the most authentic Thai food that we have eaten in a restaurant since we returned to the UK. Not only is the food excellent the service is also very good, the restaurant is clean and spacious and there is a car park right opposite. Visited again after a couple of years. Still the same great service, still the same great food, still the same high standards. Impressive.

Utterly disappointing. If you’ve never had Thai cuisine don’t come here. My other half and I visited on 5/11/2023. £75 our meal came to. The vegetarian sharing starter was just a selection of soggy deep fried vegetables. Lacking in flavour and any sort of creativity. Main courses bland and boring. The Thai sweet and sour pork dish I had was so bland that I’ve had supermarket value sauces that bag more flavour. Also it was all under seasoned. The curry my partner had lacked any imagination. Certainly not the fragrant fresh dishes you’d expect. They put what we left in containers which they kindly charged a pound for. In the bill was a £6.80 service charge. Totally unjustified. If your going to charge the prices of a fine dining restaurant then it should really produce the quality.

At Araya Thai, there is a variety of different Thai foods to try, and exceptionally delicious meals. Recommend this restaurant for a fancy night out, but is quite expensive.

Absolutely delicious food, friendly and efficient staff and a lovely atmosphere. I've enjoyed it so much I've organised meal for 20 later this month - can't wait

I'm more of a fan of Indian food than Thai. My daughter persuaded us to come to this restaurant to try it. I did enjoy the meal but felt it was aimed at an English clientele rather than authentic Thai food. I thought it was a tad expensive too.

Lovely meal at Araya yesterday evening before going to the theatre. Excellent location 5 minutes walk to The Grand Theatre. Can recommend the sharing platter as a starter & the Chicken with cashew nuts for main. Will certainly visit again when next staying at Lancaster.

Absolutely amazing food! Tasty, fresh and authentic. Would recommend to everyone!

Having wanting to try this restaurant. Decided tonight we're going to book Was not disappointed food and staff definitely worth 5. Will definitely return our meals we're tasty and plentiful loved the freshly crunch of the vegetables served in all dishes with a great choice of food found our new place to go.

Really good food and top service. Recommended

The food was nice and the waiter today was very welcoming and made very good recommendations, even though today was busy day but the waiter still smiling to all along with our requests. Will come back again!

The price is fair and the taste is great. I especially recommend the Tom Yum soup, pineapple rice and Thai milk tea, which can be given five stars.

The food is good, but the service is really bad. Our group of 10 people visited this restaurant for the first time. When ordering, the waitress suggested we order Dongyin Gong, and I asked if it would be enough for 10 people, and she replied that it was. However, when the soup was served, it was definitely not enough for 10 people. When we wanted to order more, the owner seemed angry and told us to place the entire order at once, not separately. But this was not our fault. The owner was unpleasant all time. I believe that I won't visit this restaurant again.

Some of the best Thai food I've ever eaten. Staff catered for our group of 10 very efficiently

Food was absolutely fabulous. Freshly cooked meals. Sea bass was amazing. Staff very attentive. Lovely restaurant. Will come again.

Beautiful authentic Thai experience and a hidden gem amongst the bustle of retail shops. The interior is beautiful, nice service and very well priced! Worth a visit.

Amazing food, good service, short wait, no complaints at all

Had a lovely meal there tonight food was lovely and the service was brilliant can't fault anything

Wonderful place. Authentic Thai cuisine. Lovely food and service. Will come again

The food was lovely. The staff need to work together better though. Different staff kept asking if we had ordered drinks, food and we felt pestered and rushed. They need to speak to each other or have allocated tables. This would really help. Sort this and allow you guests to relax and it would be 5!

Plush decoration and friendly staff. The food wasn’t terrible, it was just lacking in taste and authenticity. So strange to get a bad meal in a Thai restaurant. Meal for one at £47 with one glass of wine, should have got me a decent meal. The Tom Yam soup tastes like a watered down version of what I’ve had in other Thai restaurants. The fish was dry and lacking in flavour and the rice tasted old and dry. Considering they have spent so much effort on the decor, it’s a shame the food was so uninspiring. I did raise the issue of the food with the waitress, as I thought it would only be fair to include any mitigating circumstances in a review, but she said she was not aware of any problems in the kitchen. I must say, at these prices and poor quality food, this place is best avoided.

I visited for lunch. I had the 2 course meal lunch offer. I had the fish cakes and tofu noodles with vegetables. Its a generous portion so couldn't finish it all, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

Great authentic thai in Lancaster! Would return!

Stayed in Lancaster for 1 night, checked out trip advisor and decided the 3 mariners was the place to go, eventually found it and of all nights they weren't do food, decided to walk to Marcus which was close by, that's when we saw Araya and decided to give it a go..result, great friendly atmosphere but all the marks go to the food, we love Thai food and this was right up there at the top, fantastic in every way and the prices were very reasonable, we can't wait for our next visit to Lancaster.

We had a nice meal, the spare ribs were a little tough, but everything else was great. The only criticism is that it isn’t a particularly relaxed atmosphere, as soon as you are sat down, your asked if you would like prawn crackers, then they land 5 seconds after. Once your meal is ordered, the starters are brought and literally as soon as you’ve finished, everything is taken away and the main arrives. That said it is the best Thai in Lancaster.

Great food, lovely atmosphere and helpful staff.

I experienced the same thing that I saw someone wrote in the reviews. When I was chatting with my friends and looking at the menu, the person who should be the owner asked me many times if I wanted to order? There were not many people in the store at that time, I said I still need some time, I don't know why he kept pressing me to order, it made me feel bad. If I wanna order I will let them know. Later when I looked at English menu and tell the waitress please order set A for me, and it’s write £22.xx, so the waitress order it for me. I don’t wanna comment the taste cuz everyone has different preferences. Instead, I wanna comment the attitude. When I wanna have the bill, the waiter ignored me talking to her, made eye contact and passed by. I needed to wave my hand to block her before she stopped to respond. I asked for the bill, and find out it shows £24.95 in the receipt, so I tell them I remembered the price was not the price I saw on the menu. The owner tell me this one is for takeaway, but I remember that’s a line write below the takeaway, says: set menu is not takeaway or something, also I use my figure to point out what I try to order, and she looked it and write it down. If we accidentally order the takeaway menu, there is not reminder from the restaurant. How can we know there is the difference price or difference menu as a new customer. Finally, the owner solved this, said charge us £22.xx, but he is impatient to us in the whole time. I definitely tell my friend my experience in this restaurant.

1st time here in fact 1st time eating Thai food but after hearing good reports we give it a try.we Decided on the set menu as it gave us some great choices and we weren't disappointed every course was visually pleasing and was as good as it looked and finished off with some jasmine tea. the staff were very attentive but not pushy and served all in good time of each other a very pleasant restaurant that we will return to

Absolutely fantastic food and service !!

Tasty food and attentive service.

Very nice food, authentic and spicy.

The food was pretty decent Thai food and the waitresses were so nice and friendly! However I don't think I'll be going back as the owner was quite rude to me and my boyfriend, getting mad at us while we tried to pay. I'm not even quite sure why haha. However, it was quite busy so I'm sure he was just a bit stressed out, but I won't want to go back again

Authentic Thai cuisine at affordable prices. Stunningly good!

The Thai restaurant that makes Chinese people scratch their heads has avoided lightning

The service at this shop is truly appalling! It's hard to believe that in the 21st century there are still people who use such offensive language. I ordered a takeaway for my wife, and as soon as she received the call, she went downstairs to pick it up. When she arrived, the staff member who handed her the food was very impatient and said he is busy, even used a profanity (start with "f") to express his frustration. I can't believe a man could be so disrespectful to a lady. I was extremely angry and disappointed. I feel compelled to share my experience and warn others about the poor quality of service at this establishment.

This was our first time at this restaurant and it definitely won't be our last. We got a really warm welcome, the restaurant was really clean with beautiful authentic Thai decor. The food was absolutely amazing and piping hot. The service was second to none. I highly recommend this restaurant, we can't wait to go back for more Thai food. Thank you team Araya Thai 😁😁😁

The best Thai restaurant in town, very authentic and delicious! I love Araya 🥰

Nice service and delicious food! Highly recommended for those who would like to have some Thai food at Lancaster. I would say this is a go-to place for both locals and visitors.

It was a good experience to spend time eating Thai food here. They provide us with excellent food and brilliant service. I highly recommend everyone to come to this restaurant.

Fantastic service with a delicious meal. Perfect restaurant for a group of people to enjoy. The meal arrived very fast. I definitely recommend locals and tourists to tryout.

Be careful, they’ve changed the dinner time on Sunday from 5:30. The sign at the restaurant says from 5:00 but according to the staff “it’s before covid”. So they should update it, instead of yelling “go home!” at us who wanted to wait until it opens. What a rude response. I will never go.

BEST THAI IN LANCASTER!!! We live in Bolton le sands and order from here at least once a week. Always cooked to perfection, im fussy and ask for no veg and extra tofu and they make it fantastic! Everyone should try they won’t be disappointed!

My girlfriend and I visited here on Valentines Day and had a fantastic meal. The restaurant was busy but tables were well spaced so it didn't feel cramped. Service was excellent throughout. We both started with soups which were really tasty but be aware they're a generous portion. The main meals we had were equally generous in portion size and fantastically tasty! I thought the pricing was very fair for the quality. We had a thoroughly nice evening here and wouldn't hesitate to return when we're next in the area.

Such a delicious meal after exams and great customer service. The staff are very polite and the food came out very fast. I definitely recommend this thai restaurant for locals and tourists to try out.

Had a lovely experience, great customer service and even better food. Definitely the best Thai restaurant in town. 100% recommend :)

It might just be me being very sensitive as a Chinese student. But I noticed they’re providing rice crackers whenever English customers sit down, but no crackers for Chinese customers. When I asked why we didn’t get rice crackers, they said because other customers ordered them...ok what that means to me is that all English customers all ordered crackers before they even had a chance to look at the menu...(I saw 4 groups of English customer during the night)? It would make sense if they asked customers at the start if they wanted crackers, but they did not ask us. Plus, when we were waiting in the waiting area, we saw the price for a set is £22.95 (English menu), but the price for the same set in the Chinese menu (yeah somehow they provide a Chinese menu for us - without asking) is £24.95. I also asked about this, and they said it’s because the menus in the waiting area are old, and they’ve changed the price since the new year. Anyway I feel being treated differently because of my race.

Very authentic Thai food, the taste is exactly the same as what you eat in Thailand.

Absolutely delicious food, very friendly attentive staff, everything came out quick and piping hot. Will definitely be back!

The food was absolutely fantastic, also the service is brilliant. One of the best Thai curry's I've ever had.

Came here with a gentleman friend for his birthday. The meal was lovely and well priced in my opinion. I would definitely done here again.

You really need to like spices and heat these days don't you?! I remember the days not all that long ago, when food was tasty without the added heat... Am I alone in this? Popular Place, but not one you would linger in. We found the meat and the chicken, a little on the chewy side.

Myself, my partner and 2 year old daughter visited the restaurant for my birthday. We had a lovely meal. The food was delicious and there was enough to bring home. The staff were fantastic, so friendly and lovely towards my daughter who was being a bit mischievous at times! I will definitely be visiting again for another special occasion.

Food was good, a bit pricey and service could be better. Loved the the snack thingy that’s tied like a goody bag.

Food was really nice but the "classic platter for 2" needs addressing This costs £16:95 and there isn't a right lot in there for the money.. nice but too expensive ( the platter, not everything else) We would get this amount of food free at other places on a £30+ order.

The service in this restaurant is awful. Disgusting to the core. It was the only male waiter, the owner. When I entered the waiting area of ​​the restaurant with a small cup of tea, the owner had a very bad attitude and shooed us away . As I'm not a native English speaker, I was not able to respond quickly to what he was saying, perhaps because I was holding a small cup of tea. But I think it's disgusting that the service in a restaurant can be so rude as to shoo customers away instead of repeating his rap-like English!!! The service of the male owner of this store is extremely poor. If this store can't even see a plastic cup with a little bit of tea left, please put a big sign on the door of the store and tell the world! ! ! And we are just in the waiting area. It is understandable if you tell me that you cannot bring drinks here, and I only have one mouthful left. If there is a trash can, I can throw it away directly. Instead of just driving people away, okay? It's really disgusting! ! !

It has good food and a great ambience.

Food was beautiful.. the other restaurants blue moon and sabai have no match on this place and this was only the lunch time special menu I tried for 9.99 for starter and main.. cannot fault it the thai green curry was perfect and the second dish of pad thai had more than enough on the plate.

Had lunch here today, the food was very tasty and the service was friendly.

Lovely meal tonight with amazing thai food, beautiful presentation. Super charming staff. What's not to love, we will be coming again next time we're in Lancaster.

Amazing thai food, beautiful presentation. Super charming staff. What's not to love, will be coming again next time we're in Lancaster

This is the best Asian restaurant I've been to! Superb Pad Thia, and lots of vegetarian options, with tofu. Staff and service excellent. Highly recommended!

Still quite surprised that Araya and Blue Moon are still ripping people off with their food and their prices. Take away ordered tonight and got Tofu instead of chicken…called restaurant and I suddenly became 6 years old, being told it’s my fault, even though I’ve got a screen shot of the order!! You’ve taken my £49 for 4 meals, enjoy it, cos you aren’t getting anymore. Avoid

Always book in the Araya Thai restaurant when we stay in Lancaster.. Lovely food lovely restaurant. Friendly staff great service!!

Absolutely disappointed as we travelled from Lake District. The Seabass was stale . They charged for hot water for elderly person. Charged for takeaway box. Charged for prawn crackers which we thought were complimentary. Total RIP off.

Nice restaurant,the food is okay,the waitress is really helpful 👌 👍 The sticky mango rice was expensive HOW IS IT £8.95?! I like the sweet and sour meat though..... 3 stars

Food is awesome. We really enjoyed the meal here and would definitely go back again. Ambience is good, staff are friendly and enjoy what they are doing. Seemed a little short staffed though on the restaurant floor.

Fantastic Thai cuisine in the heart of Lancaster. After living in Lancaster for little over a year, we decided to try Araya as a group of five. The booking was easily made online and we were greeted with a friendly atmosphere midweek. The food itself was great, the menus provided more than adequate choice, and we felt reasonable prices. The wait was slightly extended, but the food was really nice. The starter platters were great, however, my experience of Pad Thai was not quite as good as others I have had in the area. My partner's Massaman curry was great though, and we'd recommend Araya nonetheless.

Fantastic food, excellent service

First thing to hit me was the smell of the interior:awful, the deco inside was really confusing (mixture of classical and pub), the table was really sticky that you had to pull stuff with full force to move. Staff were attentive but not fully, asked waiter to leave menu to see desert menu later, he came and took it 3 mins later even though the restaurant was not even half full. Ordered two separate dishes (no. 48&51) both tasted exactly the same. Only positive was our starter (prawn toast).

me and my partner have been coming here for the duration of our relationship, in fact our first date was here 3 years ago. the food is excellent every time, the service is impeccable and we have never ever had a bad experience. we have brought friends and family here and they have never let us down.

Went for meal this evening. Beautiful food great service. Would highly recommend this restaurant