Blue Orchid in Bedford

The service of the waiters is fantastic, they were very attentive. The venue is very nice, modern and nicely decorated. Unfortunately the food was not as I was expecting, in my opinion the pad Thai and red curry was not authentic Thai food and was bland. The starter king prawn was very nice though. All in all a nice venue and friendly staff, but for authentic thai food it is not the best.

Excellent fresh food and impeccable service from the team here. Family friendly and a wonderful atmosphere but also efficient and supremely satisfying for a night-out.

Weird set up to start with. Set in the Verve hotel, access is by buzzer. There are no reception staff at the hotel so obviously they do not want people just entering at any time. All done for safety measures I guess. When we went in, there is a large bar and although booked, we could choose where we wanted to sit. Friendly staff and nice varied menu. Went for a set menu plus some extras, phad Thai etc. really lovely tasty food. Friendly staff. Unfortunately one of the staff didn’t know what our dishes were when they were served which was a shame. Also no Thai beer, then had a singha and run out straight after. So shame about lack of drink? Very quiet night on a Thursday which was a shame so no atmosphere. Maybe some background music. Otherwise feels a bit like a hotel breakfast area. Otherwise the food was the stand out plus. Enjoy

Please Read all reviews - Very very bland tastes. Not what we were looking for at all. Service excellent but food just was not for me. Attack mode eh? Great strategy. Check yourself and maybe you'll get some punters in. My reviews are fair and you clearly also cannot read as 90% are 4or 5 star.. you seem to attack any honest review - #The only other person# sat in said exactly the same detailed and honest appraisal of the experience to your poor waitress who did as much as she could for us.. its simple to me. Its not us who are destroying your business is it?

Unfortunately the food was not the traditional Thai food.

Curry was bland, chicken wings were cold and soggy, chicken sticks were cold and dry and ridiculously thin. We paid £15.95 for the mix starter, of which only the spring rolls were edible. Very very disappointing

Had a lovely meal with friends while staying at Verve. The sex on the beach cocktail was really good, worth the £13.99!!!! Disability friendly too

To put the scenario in context……..we have just returned from travelling overseas for my husbands 70th birthday holiday and I had promised him a Thai meal ( Thai food is a favourite of ours) when we returned…so I booked The Blue Orchid at the Verve hotel. We arrived and the place was absolutely empty. We were shown to the only table which had menus on it. We knew what we wanted as we had looked at the menu online earlier in the day. We ordered Set Menu A and two diet cokes and some prawn crackers. The starters arrived and after eating a few bits of battered vegetables, I managed to get the attention of the waitress and asked to see the menu again so we knew what we were eating, because I was pretty certain it said satay chicken and tiger prawns. The menu came back and I asked what we had been served because it had no resemblance to the menu description. The waitress apologised and said she had thought we had said Set Menu B …we said categorically not we had clearly said A. The waitress went to get her senior and we repeated the problem. The senior member of staff assured us we would get Set A main courses. The original waitress apologised again and I pointed out that menu A&B had the same starters and she said that the chef had misheard her and cooked menu D starters which were all vegetarian. She then asked which of the A starters we would still like. We agreed we’d like the tiger prawns and chicken satay served with the main course. Some time later the main course was delivered by the original waitress and her senior. I asked her senior where the main course tiger prawns were and what was the food on the table because once again it resembled nothing like what we had ordered. She said she would go and ask the chef and off she went. We divided the rice in half and ate the starter prawns and satay which were cold…at which point the other waitress disappeared….we waited a while for someone to return and then we started eating the duck and chicken. After a while I called out was someone going to come and talk to us about the food. The senior waitress and the original waitress returned and said they would make an adjustment to the bill. I said that wasn’t acceptable as we had deliberately chosen that menu to eat prawns and because it had no chilli. I asked to speak to the manager. When he arrived he went into a tirade saying he wouldn’t have his staff shouted at or spoken to the way we had spoken to them….we had been in normal voice and very polite, considering they had completely ruined my husbands birthday meal. The manager was shouting at us “did we want the meal removed and set meal A cooked for us yes or no “ he kept repeating “yes or no”. My husband, a quiet man, told him we wanted him to listen to our complaint and explain why we had been assured we would get Menu A after the starter mixup and we were still not served what we had ordered. The manager didn’t reply he constantly interrupted and spoke over us and I told him at least twice to stop being so rude to us both…he still kept shouting “Do you want this replaced with menu A, yes or no” We finally said no. I said, I no longer wanted to eat as I was very upset and I apologised to my husband for his disastrous 70th birthday meal. The manager said we needn’t pay for the meal….as if that made it OK. He then stormed off. I put £10 on the table to pay for our drinks and the prawn crackers which were the only thing we had which we had actually ordered. The waitress said we didn’t need to. But I left it there. As we went past reception I waited for the manager to finish booking 3 people in and told him I had left £10 to pay for the drinks and crackers, and that his behaviour was an absolute disgrace. We were absolutely amazed at this shameful behaviour of the manager. The waitresses had had polite and civil conversation and we had been polite in return..if telling someone that it was unacceptable to continuously serve food completely different from what has been ordered is being rude, I wonder how one can convey the situation to the staff…neither me or my husband shouted or raised our voices but the manager didn’t even ask us what the problem was he just steamed into us…..this establishment doesn’t deserve to be in business if this is how it’s managed…it’s no wonder it was completely empty in its restaurant. I can honestly say we will never be going again neither will any of our family or friends.

Food had a very authentic feel to it, some of the best prawn crackers I've ever had and I really enjoyed the soup although it's not something I'd usually have. Chicken satay was a little bland but overall really enjoyed the meal!

4 minutes late but so worth it best thai ever

Ordered tom yum and red curry for take away, was lacking in authentic Thai flavour - asked for extra hot but was not hot at all. They don't use bird's eye chillies. It is more bland in comparison to other Thai places I've eaten at i.e. has less spices and flavour but for people who prefer milder food this might suit. Portion sizes were generous.

Had a great time! Amazing food and great service. The ladies in the bar were very kind.

Really tasty, great portions, absolutely recommend.

Fantastic food that arrived piping hot and early, they even threw in a free beer - legends!!

No one else dining meant the it ladies atmosphere. Food was OK but not the best I've tasted. Host was friendly.

Soulless. Nice guy running it.

We ordered a Thai takeaway from here yesterday, in the recommendation of a friend. I can honestly say it was delicious. The best takeaway I’ve had in ages. We collected, and was very impressed with the place and the delightful ambience. I highly recommend this restaurant... a true jewel in Bedford’s crown!

I ordered a vegetarian starter for 2 and received all meat and shrimp. - beef, shrimp, pork or chicken skewers… as a Vegetarian I couldn’t eat any of it.

Didn’t deliver the correct order, sent us x2 41 and that wasn’t what I ordered

Beef in the Pad Thai was little flavor less and over-cooked. But however the pad Thai was amazing, had a similar taste comparing to the ones in Thailand. Food portions is good and spring rolls was good as well. Still the best Thai food in Bedford I would say.

The food was delicious and very authentic. The menu was reasonably priced and the service was professional. We will be visiting again!

The best Indian and Thai around

Pad Thai was great. However the fish cake was tasteless. Would still order it again

Pad Thai was great, spring rolls as well. Still hot and crispy when arrived. Definitely going to order it again. Food reasonably priced as well Delivered right on time.

I am thoroughly disappointed with my Blue Orchid order. I would not recommend them to friend nor foe. Processed chicken, tinned potatoes, food cold on arrival and meat within vegetarian dishes. Following this disappointing delivery, the customer service was also terrible. I had to make 3 phone calls to the restaurant and am still waiting on a call back from the manager and it is 11pm. We will never be ordering from here again.

Wrong starter delivered, but disappointed I don’t get what I’d ordered but tasty error. Thai curry could have been a bit spicier

food is absolutely delicious. the staff are so nice! cant wait to come back again with the family

Best Thai food in Bedford. Excellent service and always friendly. Thanks team.

great variety if you want to try thai then this is the place

Banging meal. Very tasty, good proportion size and well prepared and boxed. Thanks team!

great portion sizes, friendly staff! will definitely be visiting the hotel and restaurant again

I had high hope as i love thai food. I ordered Phad Thai, the worst one I've ever had, absolutely no flavour, and no sauce given (missing) for the spring rolls very disappointed.

Probably the best thai ive had ! great portion sizes and quick service - highly recommend

Delicious food, delivered exactly on time. Would highly recommend

We were looking for a Thai in Bedford and found this place after a quick Google search - The restaurant is within a small hotel just outside the town centre and is a little gem, food was absolutely top rate and served with great style and a little humour! Menu was very extensive and catered very well for our group of four which incuded one vegetarian - drinks were standard price and we were very well fed and catered for at about £30 a head . place wasn't very busy but I guess that was down to whatever the hotel had going on, would definitely visit again as food was top notch.

Great food quick service friendly staff

Had a takeaway from here, excellent timing and provided a free complimentary beer ! Food tasted superb .

Been here numerous times, always delicious food with spectactular service. Very polite staff, definitely recommend.

Went on a Saturday night and at first the only customers. We were greeted as we entered the hotel by a friendly gentleman who took us to our table. Again a friendly lady took our drinks order. For starters we had the duck and pancakes. They were delicious. For the main course my husband had the red chicken curry and I had a chicken with chilli and cashew nuts, together with an auborgine side and rice. I asked the waitress which rice was Thai and she just smiled so took it that the one I was indicating to was it. My husband had ordered boiled rice. But they both tasted the same. My husband found the curry less flavoursome than he would have liked, and I loved mine. All was cooked perfect and was served beautifully. Later another couple and a single diner came in. The venue is lovely and clean - beautifully decorated. We will definately be coming back again. It is certainly worth a visit!

We weren't able to get into our target Thai restaurant as they were closed for 3 weeks (renovation, I believe) so we took a punt on the Blue Orchid. We were being taken out by family who live in Bedford as a postponed birthday treat, which was lovely. We walked all the way there from south of the river in the hottest day of the year so far, and arrived in a beautifully cool restaurant based in a hotel north of the city centre. The food and service was excellent, and very good value. The interesting way they served some of the standard dishes was refreshing to see. Their bar was well stocked and also reasonably priced for Bedford. The toilet facilities were immaculate. All in all an excellent dining experience. Shame it was so quiet, but I believe they could cope with a full house just as well. (We got a cab back!)

We were not impressed with the whole meal. Seemed liked it was already cooked when we ordered it and was just heated up. Got delivered within 25mins of ordering. Thought we would give it a try as other reviews looked good. Sorry but we were disappointed

Not the best thai you can get in bedford.

The setting and service in this restaurant is very goo but the Thai food is nice but a bit too moderated from authentic Thai. The food has been toned down for a Western taste.

Food was good, but found a piece of plastic packaging in one dish and delivery took over an hour when it should have been 30 minutes.

Great food and friendly staff. Highly recommended

Fabulous restaurant. Great food. Fresh and tasty. Disgraceful delivery service. Just Eat are a JOKE. ETA when order placed 7.15. Delivery 8.05. Food was waiting for 1.5hrs before JUST EAT even collected it!!!! JUST EAT app deleted!!!!!

best takeaway we’ve had for ages, thank you!

Green chicken curry tasted like pea soup . Not very Thai tasting at all .

Very good food and service. Usually I don't judge the appearance, but the atmosphere in this restaurant was a little unusual. It appeared to be more of a private member's club.

Came here for the first time as i had a 25% off promotion, here is my personal experience: Nice looking restaurant, smart decor. Not greeted by anyone as soon as you walk in, had to ask the bar staff if I was in the right place. We were seated and approached by a young lady straight away that asked what drinks we would like to order, bearing in mind we hadn’t had a chance to look at the drinks menu yet, but very efficient. Large selection of dishes and quite reasonably priced. Me and my partner ordered different mains, when they were brought out to us the waitress failed to tell us which was which. The food was ok, was keen on the satay sauce with the starter, it was cold & tasted like it was from a jar from the supermarket, the chicken was nice though. I had a chicken massaman for main, this was very nice but could have done with a bit more sauce. On the whole, just average really.

The blue orchid restaurant is situated in the verve hotel in Shakespeare Road Bedford Stefan and enjoyed a £20 per head menu selection that included a variety of Thai dishes and rice All very nice and tasty , obviously the main dishes were fresh but suspect the starters were frozen? However at £20 each excellent value and very good Well done

Came here for the first time and thought it would be great. Wasn’t the friendliest of greetings from the hotel staff who seemed to be put off that I wasn’t staying there, I assume anyway. The food was warm, had to be sent back. The restaurant staff were rude to our table saying we were just being picky...but I’m sorry we don’t want to eat warm meat...we want it hot!!!! Not too expensive I must admit but certainly not worth it. I notice others seem to love it here by reading the reviews, so maybe they just didn’t like us. Needless to say, we won’t be visiting this restaurant again.

Order from this restaurant regularly. The food is 5*, best Thai food eaten in Bedford. The service when collecting is polite and friendly, can't fault the person who greets on arrival! Generous portions and served piping hot, quick order time of half an hour but usually is ready 5-10 mins before! Cant fault this place! MUST TRY!!!

We stayed the night here and upon arrival found out they have a Thai restaurant, what a delight that was, we decided to eat here and ordered a set menu which was great, food was very impressive and great portions, service very good and we had some nice wine, food wise was all in all really good.

Surprisingly good Thai food. The restaurant is tucked in a hotel on Shakespeare road. I wasn't a fan of the place itself, the decor makes the place a little dark and the ceiling needs some TLC. The food on the other hand is something you need to try. The flavours of the curries were spot on. The rice was delicious, the starters were tasty. Definitely coming back to try more things. So far, it has me impressed. If you are looking for a decent Thai, book yourself a table now, the prices are decent too!

As above I ordered a takeaway from here, food was Cooked fast and only had a 5 mins wait upon collection. The gent behind the counter was very friendly and efficient at his job. The decor of the restaurant looked really nice and modern and well thought out. The food was hot and reasonably priced. I really couldn’t wait to get home and eat it all, all the food was nice but it just seems to lack that wow factor, curry’s are almost like chilli flavoured water with not much of the coconut milk at all, If they just spent five more mins in preparing the dishes I think this could be a proper hidden gem.

I have been here twice. The food gets better each time! The service is amazing with a wa friendly feel. The decoration is new and tasteful. I can not recommend this venue enough for family, friends or date night. I will be a regular

Stayed at hotel across road, and didi not want to walk in to town. Menu was good and there is an alternative menu to Thai. Greeted by manager who was very pleasant and attentive. Husband chose rib eye steak and I had fish. Both beautifully presented and can't fault food or service at all.

Best Thai in Bedford. Great service and spot on food. Honey lamb is really nice.

Really good Thai food. Little known but worth a visit

8 people Saturday night in Bedford looking to eat, as our friends were booked into this hotel we were pleased that they could accommodate us in the restaurant. Only people eating but lots of takeaways were going out the door. Menu was extensive and not really knowing a great deal about Thai cooking I was happy to let someone else order. My hubbies soft shell crabs were first class as was his curry- I was having a sharing platter of duck which did not really wow me but the meals that came out as our mains were fresh spicy and hot. We enjoyed it so much we forgot about the long wait between courses, it is difficult to cook for 8 people at the same time, and the beer shower my hubby and I got which the waitress tripped over due before ordering.

One of us is a regular at the Blue Orchid in Aspley Guise and hoped that its Bedford namesake would be of the same high standard. Unfortunately not.

Visited on friday evening atmosphere pretty flat as not at all busy. Obvious that the venue is set up for events and midweek business residents and on the surface it looks pretty successful. The restaurant was decorated nice enough but nothing to say it was the slightest bit thai or proud of the culinary experience that we were paying for. Waiter was attentive but not particularly friendly in his manner although the manager asked if we were enjoying ourselves which was appreciated. The food was tasty enough it certainly wasn't bad by any means but as far a thai goes pretty average in all honesty. In fact I'm not entirely sure it was cooked by a thai chef or anybody that had ever been to Thailand. (Just a hunch). There are 3 pretty good thai restaurants in Bedford and 1 very average one. I won't be coming back i'm afraid.

Visited this restaurant Friday night

Went there with my family as we were led to believe that they were the same operators as our favourite Thai - Blue Orchid in Aspley Guise. Unfortunately this is not the case.

Been here a couple of times mostly on a Friday evening after work, was very quite at that time. Service was very good, very attentive staff. Food was very authentic and priced quite fairly.

This is our local Thai restaurant and we visit very regularly as the food is so good. In fact, I even hosted my recent birthday party in the restaurant as I wanted all my friends and family to experience why we love it so much. The staff - especially Amir and his team - go above and beyond to make sure you have a wonderful experience and the room transforms into a beautiful place to host a party if you wish to hire it out. The food is always incredible, made fresh and they are very good at tailoring for various dietary requirements, vegans, gluten intolerances etc. I always opt for the S2, which is a hidden gem and the coconut rice - however every dish we've tried it delicious. A lovely place for a relaxed Saturday night meal in Bedford! It's also very good value for money!

i have had many a poor meal in hotels that charge top money for bad food. I am pleased to say this was refreshingly good. Only used it as we were staying at the hotel ( see separate review ) but glad we did. Food was very good. Can't agree with earlier reviews saying it was bland. Very good service from Ali who seems to be breakfast and dinner waiter as well as barman.Reasonably priced and most enjoyable. Shame it was not busier. Why do you not have a coffee machine? My wife and I would have partaken and you lost the sale of two espresso martinis and an espresso from the restaurant and a cappuccino from the bar because of this. That must be around £25 of income missed. Would return.

I have eaten at Thai restaurants all around the world and this is by far in the top 5. It is phenomenal. Incredibly tasty, great portion sizes and very well priced. The staff are incredibly pleasant and friendly. If you want to go somewhere where you feel your business is valued and greatly appreciated - this is the place. I've had take away here from the just eat app many times, although they do not deliver it is so worth collecting. After writing this review I have convinced myself to have it again for dinner tonight! A+++

Lovely food and setting. £20 off meals over £50 with voucher in menu outside as well. Result. We ordered loads. All delicious. Thanks.

My wife and I visited early on a Saturday evening. We ordered a variety of traditional Thai dishes. My wife is an excellent professional Thai chef and she was bitterly disappointed with the food. I am also very well experienced with Thai food having been eating it for a number of years. It seems highly unlikely that this was prepared by a Thai chef. One of the starters included chicken in breadcrumbs. I would be astonished if this was freshly prepared because I took one bite and put it back on the serving dish. It seemed clear to me to be boxed food rather than freshly prepared. The satay sauce which came with the chicken satay was a bit strange too. This again did not appear to be freshly made satay with the expected ingredients. When the Som Tam arrived I lifted up what appeared to be a great deal of grated carrot and swede to look for the papaya. There wasn’t any. Som Tam should have fresh chillies and papaya. This was a long way from a traditional Som Tam. It is rare for us to put on a poor review but unfortunately although the restaurant itself felt quite nice, the food doesn’t come anywhere near to traditional Thai food. A great deal of attention has been paid to the decor of the restaurant but a lot of work needs to be done on the catering side to make this a Thai restaurant worth revisiting.

We were a large table of nine and our order was taken quite quickly. However the food took long to arrive, both the starter and the main course. The food also did not come out at the same time, so some had to start eating to avoid their food going cold. That being said the crispy duck starter was good and the chicken pad Thai was delicious with loads of flavour. My friend however paid almost 6 pounds for a virgin mojito which is an absolute rip off.

Our first meal here, just after it opened, was excellent. Second time was ok, This time was really not very good. Fish cakes were rubbery and the satay sauce was a horrible sugary peanut water. Everything tasted as if it had been reheated. Mains were under-seasoned and had no heat - even a red curry was spiceless.

Booked for a Saturday, had set menu . Food was tasty, service was great , not too fast , not too slow. Good selection of beers. Place was clean and comfortable. Only minus point was lack of parking which normally isn't a issue, but night we went was pouring with rain so we had a 100 yard dash , but in all recommended.

We went last night, not very busy but car park was rammed so parked opposite (I would now be nervous using the carpark as it was double /triple parked)

Wow, what a place. Worth the drive.

The majority of the reviews I read are for takeaway and, as the food is OK, this contributes to the good rating. The restaurant was nearly empty on a Saturday night, with initially one other couple, and later another. The waiter who took our order was horrified that we might want to substitute plain noodles for the rice on the set menu. This was absolutely not possible. So we ordered a whole other dish, just to get some noodles, giving us more food than we needed.

Really enjoyed our meal - it was very tasty and good portion sizes, friendly waiting staff.

Stayed at The Verve Hotel and this restaurant is attached so we tried it. Would happily eat here again the food was great and the service excellent, would strongly recommend eating here.

Great evening in lovely surroundings with car parking. Definite recommendation for gluten free diners. Food very tasty & portions very generous. Staff extremely helpful & couldn't do enough to make the evening enjoyable.

We needed somewhere to eat close to our hotel, (which did not serve food in the evening). We found this restaurant and it was delightful, the food is beautifully presented and tastes really good. Really large selection of food to choose from, staff are attentive, without being pushy or annoying.

Loving here, been here already 4 times and always been delighted with food. Service and hospitality always been great. Highly recommended.

Yes went back there for my birthday party , wow had a great time , we also booked 4 rooms to stay the night at the verve hotel , and it was a bang of a night. Wasn't disappointed . Been hear before , and yet again the food the warm service didn't disappoint.

Great food, nice ambiance and superb service. We've eaten there twice now and we'll be returning many more times.

it wasn't stunning. Everything about the Blue Orchid is ok; the service was friendly and efficient, the food was nicely prepared and presented but if you're looking for a "wow" factor, this didn't really hit the mark. The restaurant itself was pleasant though it is located through the reception area of the hotel. The menu allowed plenty of choice for vegetarians with a plate of mixed starters with vegetable options for the different types of curry. I will go back because the food was good enough - and reasonable enough - to make it worth a night out. The one issue that I did have was that of parking. There was nowhere to park outside the hotel and the side streets all have two hour parking restrictions (and parking meters) until 6pm.

Fantastic restaurant, excellent service, great food and beautiful decor. Simply the best. Lots of things to choose from very big menu. I highly recommend.

Had high hopes for this given the reviews and endorsement from the Thai embassy and awards won by their sister restaurant in Amersham Buckinghamshire. Soon became clear these two restaurants must be worlds apart.

Great meal here, I would say better than Rice if you want a real taste of Thailand. Service excellent felt very welcome. Thank you Blue Orchid.

This was our second visit and it was absolutely amazing, the food was second to none, and the service was best ever. Atmosphere was great. High recommended.

Friends and I came here for a meal but I couldn't work out what was a miss here. There are no Thai faces to be seen. The staff seem to be lumbering around and it doesn't help that the place is so empty.

My partner took me here for my birthday as a surprise. Its very pleasantly done up with a nice calmness about it. The staff were attentive but in my opinion, not over the top. The food was delicious, hot, tasty and extremely flavoursome. I have read some not so good reviews on here, especially one remarking in respect to the 'authenticity' of the people working in the restaurant. I don't tend to judge on the people, I tend to judge on the service, the cleanliness and the taste of the food.

Just had a fantastic meal with friends. Very nice restaurant- we had chicken massaman pad Thai and coconut rice and pal choi really good - the pad Thai was fab! Def want to go back !

Came here as a group of 7 to celebrate a joint birthday. Last minute choice as we couldn't get a table at our regular Thai Lagoon which we adore. As with other people's reviews, I agree, the ambience is slightly lacking compared to a traditional restaurant, it's quite open and does feel like you are eating in a small hotels banquet hall. However, if you choose to take everything into account this can easily be overlooked as the staff are friendly and happy to accommodate your needs (we wanted to rearrange the table layout to suit an odd number - no problem!). Great selection of drinks, including cocktails, which started the evening off well.

Had a fantastic meal here, in beautiful new surroundings of the recently refurbished restaurant. The service was attentive without being too over bearing and the staff were friendly and accommodating. Most importantly the food was amazing, we'll definitely be back :D

Beautiful place, very tastefully done. Can't wait to go back with friends and family. I have never tasted food like it. Felt very welcome. Would give the place 10 out of 10

Excellent throughout. Highly recommend.

As Oscar Wilde said "I can resist very thing except temptation" and in this case the menu through the door was the temptation that was well rewarded.

Excellent service, very tasty food which was well presented in a beautifully designed room just a shame there werent more people there to add to the atmosphere on a Saturday evening. Maybe some more advertising is needed to draw the crowds in.

The food was good and service excellent but ...

My wife and I visited Blue Orchid. Formally The Shakespeare Hotel. The current owners have really transformed it to make it a beautiful hotel/restaurant.