Giggling Squid - Cambridge in Cambridge

We had a good time here, place is atheistically very beautiful. Though we didn’t get seat inside any bird cage but were in main hall on regular table, main hall was beautiful. It needs to be booked in advance as place seems quite popular & busy. We had ordered Fresh Thai salad, Vegetable Spring rolls, Thai Green Curry, Vegetable Pad Thai, Mango & chilli mocktail. Drink was average, nothing great about it. What we enjoyed most is vegetable spring rolls, absolutely delicious & had even ordered a repeat, Fresh Thai salad was quite interesting too. We enjoyed all the items we had ordered. Our server was having her first day, which explains it why there was some communication gap , she was very cute and polite & we were not fussy or in rush. So we let it go. I would highly recommend this place for having Vegetarian & delicious Thai

Visité Calamar reír en Cambridge con mi familia. El lugar estaba lleno, pero por suerte, logramos conseguir una mesa. Lamentablemente, la experiencia no estuvo a la altura de las expectativas: esperaba más en términos de sabor y autenticidad. La comida era tan - tan - no está mal, pero he tenido mejor comida tailandesa a un precio más bajo en otros lugares. Además, los baños podrían necesitar un mejor mantenimiento, lo que fue un poco decepcionante. En general, es una buena opción si estás en la zona, pero no me esforzaría por visitar de nuevo.

Reservamos una mesa. Compartí el plato de satay para empezar y para la red ambos tenían curry verde tailandés con arroz de coco. La comida era deliciosa, solo que el calamar en el plato era tan duro y masticable. Servicio excelente con un cargo por servicio automático del 7% añadido. Solo espero que todo el monto se comparta con todo el personal.

Visited Giggling Squid in Cambridge with my family. The place was packed, but luckily, we managed to get a table. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite live up to expectations - I expected more in terms of flavor and authenticity. The food was just so-so—not bad, but I’ve had better Thai food at a lower price elsewhere. Additionally, the toilets could use better maintenance, which was a bit disappointing. Overall, it’s an okay option if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again.

I've visited Giggling Squid several times now. It is always delicious, the service is always top-notch and the interior design is fantastic. My go-to lunch spot when in Cambridge.

I live fairly close to Cambridge and often go into the city to shop. Giggling Squid is my go-to lunch option whenever I'm there. The food is ALWAYS flawless. Can highly recommend the lunch tapas menu - I'd happily have the whole lot! The staff are always friendly and helpful and the service is quick. But the interior design is the icing on the cake, for me. I don't know if other Giggling Squid locations are as beautiful as Cambridge's, but it is probably the best decorated restaurant I've ever eaten in. I can't wait to be back! See you soon!

Expected more. Lovely place but rushing service

beautiful decor and building. Service excellent, good selection of food and tasty.

A very nice Thai restaurant with reasonable prices and vegetarian options. I preferred pad thai with vegetables.

A beautiful ambient restaurant. We were well looked after. The food was absolutely delicious! So fresh and full of flavour. Drinks looked and tasted stunning. We were sat under a beautiful bird cage structure. I would definitely recommend

The food is too salty and sweet at the same time. Definitely not going for the second time

Been there, done that and won't go again. The food was very mediocre and 1 dish inedible. We ordered a starter platter and then 3 main (admittedly 1 was a starter and a side salad but ordered as 'a main'). Took a while to come out to us and then everything.... starters and mains brought out at the same time!!! When queried we were advised they could take the mains away and bring them back later 🤦‍♂️. When asked if it would be the very same mains the waitress looked at us blankly - we therefore opted to keep the 'freshly cooked' now. The starter platter was rather nice - a 3.5 out of 5. The chicken dish had more veges then chicken - okay, that is quite often the norm. Taste - just passable. The member of our party who had the pork starter and salad felt the filling of the pork roll tasted much like a 'sausage roll filling' just like one would buy from Greg's. The hake with papaya and cabbage had strips of skin with a slither of hake, no papaya and maybe 1 leaf of shredded cabbage. And it was inedible. Should we have complained; possibly, but after the reaction we had re serving starters and mains at the same time we opted not to and chalk it down to experience. We are Cambridge residents for many years now and it's certainly a restaurant that we've now tried and will not return to nor recommend.

Absolutely fantastic had a lovely meal really tasty. Perfect just how we like it. I had the soft shell crab and prawn curry. Hubby had the melt in the mouth beef and loved it. Service was excellent.

Really beautiful food really tasty and nice atmosphere. Friendly staff . This place is a must when visiting Cambridge we need one in York. Would go down a treat.

We had a lovely dining experience celebrating our son's 8th birthday. Thank you Lewis for your excellent customer service, kindness & efficiency.

Very good Experience, Good Service & good Food!

Delicious food, fast service, friendly staff and lovely atmosphere.

Visited several times and usually have a good experience but most recently was quite disappointed. The food wasn’t as good as before. And service not as friendly (& it wasn’t busy but quite slow).

Really pretty decoration, great portion size and service from waitress JK! The spring rolls and squid bites are CRAZY GOOD!! But the toilet… can be a bit cleaner…

Service seemed moody/unhappy, sometimes got looks by the staff. Food arrived fine, Pad Thai is nothing special but platter was great.

Very good food and service - may have to wait a bit but it’s because they are such a big restaurant. Excellent service and food

Great atmosphere. Nice service staff. Very few noodle options.

I stopped by for a late lunch and was immediately impressed by the interior—spacious and beautifully designed. I ordered the cashew stir-fry with beef, which was incredibly tender, paired with egg rice on the side. I also tried the chicken wings, which were delicious. The cocktail menu had a wide selection, making it easy to find the perfect drink to complement the meal. A big thank you to the team for the great service, especially Emily, who made the experience even better!

Lovely night, lovely food. I'm here right now, on the Jupp table. Giggling Fanny

1st time trying The Giggling Squid, it won't be the last. Food was delicious. We loved the street food starter. Cocktails were amazing. Will be back & have already recommended to friends & family

I enjoyed my Pad Kee Mao dish with chicken. The spice level was just right but the portion felt at a little small but it was 13 so I dunno. Eight percent service charge isn't disclosed on the menu.

The best restaurant we have been too! The atmosphere was a pleasure to be around, the staff were so polite and welcoming. The architecture of the building is absolutely beautiful! We were running slightly late to our booking so we called up to check if this was okay and the staff changed it straight away to a time that better suited us. This was very helpful and stress free! We will a million % be coming again😆

We had a delicious meal here on Friday night. It's a shame that there is not enough wait staff to serve. After we were seated we waited for about 15 minutes and no one came to take a drinks order. I waved at a waiter and he ignored me. I would have left at this point but we were really hungry. Eventually someone came over to take our order. We decided to order drink, starters and mains altogether as we were worried about the wait. Our drinks didn't arrive until after the starter, I think they forgot to make them. The food was fantastic and cooked to perfection. Apart from the waiter who ignored us the wait staff were very polite but obviously under pressure and looked short staff. We will return, only for the food and delicious lychee martini!

Good food. Didn’t find it outstanding though

Very busy place food was excellent 👌

Beautiful space and great food.

Yesterday, after waiting a few minutes to be seated, a very grumpy lady came and seated us at a table, I asked her politely if we can sit in a booth as my husband has back problems and she said we cant as there might be parties of 5 people coming later. All but one of the booths ,around 5-6, were empty and while we were there only one other booth was occupied by 3 girls. she was so rude and fast to dismiss my request even if the restaurant was more than half empty it just shows they dont care about the customers they actually have. They also sent out the wrong rice and overall paying £60 for having to deal with rude stuff and a wrong order, no thank you! Used to really like the place and their food but they seem to not have standars anymore, food or staff, shame as the location is nice

Unbelievably Posh Personally I have no hard feelings on street food style. I am not obsessed with high class restaurants and fine dining. Therefore this restaurant was NEVER in my list for years. Recently just tried some Thai restaurants so why not gave it a go. As the price was surprisingly reasonable relative to its posh looking interior design. I have no idea the food was authentic at all, as I have never been to Thailand. But the food was nice. The stir fry dishes were not oily, with generous amount of meat inside. The assorted skewers were well made, very flavourful. Would try other items in the menu.

Very poor. The service was slow, it took ages to get a drink on arrival, and then to eventually order food. My meal was incredibly salty, 24 hours later I could still taste the salt in my mouth. It wasn't great, and it certainly wasn't in keeping with the premium price and feel of the place. I spoke to the manager after they responded (below) to my review. They offered to refund the meal, but then changed their mind and withdrew that offer. I've since heard from several other people that they've had poor meals and poor customer service experiences here. If you're after a nice meal in central Cambridge Sticks n Sushi is next door to Giggling Squid and is lovely. If you're after Thai I'd recommend the White Horse in Barton.

Excellent food, very friendly and attentive service, and a great atmosphere. Highly recommended!

Second visit here and it was our first Giggling Squid spot and we've been hooked ever since. We have visited many others in different parts. This particular visit was wonderful as usual with amazing food and staff generally. Apart from one young English member of staff who was very grumpy the staff were excellent, especially this young Thai land who made it her duty to provide good service while also sharing her culture with us (can't remember her name).

Design of the hall unable you to talk and hear your partner

Fantastic food, great service, food was tasty and delicious, service was great! What more could you ask for.

Our second New Year's Day visit to Cheltenham and a welcome return to this Giggling Squid in particular. A warm welcome received from Rafa, the manager and Sheldon came up with some great recommendations off the menu and he also made sure all the tables had a constant supply of water. Food was deliciously hot and spicy. Sheldon made us a great couple of after dinner cocktails to top off our evening. Would highly recommend and we look forward to returning again.

Chicken wings were terrible, cold & as good as no meat. Pad ki mao not much better. Lacked real flavour. Service was poor, very long time to receive drinks & on numerous occasions some were forgotten. Almost seemed as if the place was giving up. With 4/5 very good independent Thai places in Cambridge, we won’t be back.

Beautiful restaurant, looks like a fairytale place. Food was outstanding and service by Ken was very professional yet friendly. Second time at a Giggling Squid and definitely recommend it.

Good food, lousy service We had a lovely dinner with below-par service. Despite the restaurant being half empty, the staff did not bother to attend to us properly. They spent more time talking to themselves than serving customers. The plates were not cleared until we have left

Everything went perfectly from the moment I called to book a table until the day of our reservation. Emily, the assistant manager, was outstanding. She was very knowledgeable and successfully accommodated our large group. My only piece of feedback is the need for more dishes that are less spicy to cater to everyone's preferences.

Food was great. Good price. I think it's all worth it. Would definitely come back. Atmosphere could be better though, it gets very noisy when there are more people than usual

We had lunch in this lovely establishment. The staff are all very smiley and keen to proved a good service. The menu is mainly Thai food with a good variety of dishes. The prices are very reasonable and good wine list. I chose the Chicken Massaman. I have had this many times in numerous restaurants …and it was the best ever! Absolutely delicious. We’ll be back!

Popped in for a quick bite before going to a gig at the Corn Exchange. Good food, service quick and cheerful and we're done in time for the gig. Really impressed. Definitely be back for a longer visit

We came in tonight and were served by Carla. Her service was really good and she recommended us a starter which was really nice. She was very attentive. Thank you Carla. 😊 Definitely recommend.

Polite staff service good especially the lady that made me a special coffee after dinner which was not on the menu starters were OK but the main left loads to be desired hardly any taste and found the noodles very greasy unfortunately would not be returning due to the food quality was definitely not not to our taste have eaten Thai food loads of times which I love and this was very tasteless

Extremely disappointed with this restaurant. The table staff were non attentive. I had ti chase around looking for someone to take our order. The starters were like warm, the main dish flavourless and the toilets are disgusting. Complained to the owner Julian who promised a call back. But you guessed I never got a call. Don’t spoil your evening with a trip to this establishment. Just awful.

We had our bike club Christmas party here and they laid out a fantastic table for the 30 of us in an upstairs room all by ourselves. The food was outstanding and all served hot and very well dressed. The service by Emily was 2nd to none, she did an absolutely fantastic job serving the 30 of us with a smile on her face and spring in her step. Amazing job to all the kitchen staff for getting 30 dishes out at the same time all piping hot! I would highly recommend this restaurant. I don't think there was a sour face amongst us and we all had a good time here and I'm sure we will be back again.

Attended yesterday for my 30th birthday. Had the festive menu. Pre-ordered our food but wish we'd chosen on the night from the main menu; we hardly saw the waitress. Our drinks order wasn't taken for a long time and had to ask to order after the prawn crackers came. The food was incredibly spicy - the chilli overwhelmed the flavour of the starters and mains. The puddings were delicious. House rose was also lovely. I had some ice-cream brought over for my birthday - that was a nice touch. Overall, I was a little disappointed. Was hoping it would feel a bit more special than it did - especially for £60+ a head. Positive to end - decor was beautiful and a good central location.

Cold food, small portions, very slow service, forgot our drinks. Avoid.

Been here three or four times. Couple of weeks ago I visited with friends. I thought it was a lots more expensive than before and they didn’t give us enough time as they asked for the table back. Also, all the dishes were tiny for the money. Don’t expect to get full . Grab a burger after dinner unless you want to keep spending .

What a disappointment. We sat 20 minutes before being able to order drinks. There was a sense of rush and exhaustion from the staff. No smiles or menu suggestions. No care about the customer. My jasmine rice was dry, clogged and cold. My husbands meal had huge pieces of red chilli and over hot. And then the toilets ! I have been to cleaner ladies toilets on a bus station. These were disgusting!! 2 of 4 locked. 2 without paper and the floor and bin overflowing with paper and sanitary items. I felt very unpleasant then had to go past the dirty walls and decor back to our table. We won't be going back !

Ocupado un lunes por la noche, lo que siempre es una buena señal. Buena comida, decoración encantadora y servicio educado. Realmente disfrutamos de nuestra visita.

Great food, a little on the expensive side, but great food

Llegó al restaurante a las 5. 50 pm listo para nuestra reserva de mesa a las 6. 00 pm. El restaurante estaba ocupado, pero pensamos que no sería ningún problema debido a reservarlo hace 3 meses y tener una reserva de 6 pm para 4 personas. ¡Cómo me equivoqué! No había mesas listas para nosotros. Tuvimos que quedarnos parados durante casi 30 minutos antes de poder sentarnos. Había algunas mesas libres pero nos dijeron que no podíamos tenerlas porque estaban reservadas para otros. Una vez sentados pedimos la cena y las bebidas de inmediato, ya que teníamos tiempo limitado debido a tener que estar en el teatro a las 7. 45 pm Los entrantes llegaron después de unos 20 minutos y luego nada durante otros 30 minutos. Al preguntar por tercera vez dónde estaba nuestra cena, nos dijeron que nuestro pedido había desaparecido de su pantalla, pero ahora estaba siendo ordenado. Nuestra comida principal finalmente llegó a nuestra mesa (después de recibir una comida incorrecta primero) a las 7. 30 . ¡Tuvimos 15 minutos para comerlo! La comida estaba bien, aunque uno de los platos estaba frío, pero no tenía tiempo para enviar de vuelta. Creo que la calidad parecía haber bajado un poco de las visitas anteriores probablemente porque estaban demasiado estirados. Para terminar, tratamos de pagar, pero las máquinas de tarjetas parecían estar funcionando, así que esto se sumó a nuestra prisa por salir del restaurante y al teatro. Finalmente pagamos y dejamos el restaurante a las 7. 55 pm. Al mirar la factura más tarde noté que incluso nos habían cobrado un cargo por servicio por nuestra experiencia y no lo había visto debido a cuánta prisa teníamos. ¡Gracias Calamar riendo, una noche muy estresante para nosotros! ¡Si no puedes sentar a la gente cuando hayan reservado, entonces no dejes que reserven en primer lugar!

A long wait to get a table (with reservation) plus a long wait just to pay the bills. The food is ok, a bit salty, and is not very authentic. The vibe is great, tho a bit loud.

Terrible service. We had a party of 6 celebrating a teen birthday. Had to ask 3 times for water - and yes we also bought drinks. Our waitress came to our table once to take our orders and then disappeared. Gave up waiting for the birthday celebration treat and had to get up to leave before we could get anyone’s attention in order to pay. Toilets were disgusting- paper overflowing and extremely sticky floors. Very disappointed that a special night turned out to be so very bad.

Tenemos experiencia diversa con este restaurante. Fue difícil calificarlo por estrellas ya que la comida era excelente, pero el personal era muy pobre. Llegamos a tiempo para un 5. 15 mesa reservada previamente antes de una charla de intercambio de maíz a las 7 pm (frente). El restaurante estaba vacío, excepto tal vez 2 o 3 mesas. Dos camareras charlaban entre ellas en la esquina, sin mirar a los comensales. Después de 15 minutos tuvimos una atención de camareros y pedimos bebidas y comida. Llegó el vino y luego cuando se recordó, el agua. Estábamos esperando nuestra orden de comida mientras el restaurante llenaba su capacidad, con otros comensales comiendo ya. Cuando volvimos a llamar la atención de los camareros infirió que era nuestra culpa ya que habíamos pedido 2 platos de entrantes mixtos. La red llegó en tiempo razonable y toda la comida que teníamos era preciosa. Fue una pena que tuviéramos tan poco tiempo para disfrutarlo.

Amazing restaurant with very delicious dishes, charming interior at good prices. I especially like the showstopper set: the slow-cooked beef with green curry and the prawns are both very good.

Ridiculously long waiting times. In 50 min I could cook pad Thai myself with ease...

Has lunch for my Birthday and the food & service were both amazing thank you 😊 would highly recommend, best dining out experience Iv had for a long while , well done !!

Nuestra primera visita a El calamar risueño y nos decepcionó! Nos recibieron tan pronto como entramos por la puerta, nos sentamos rápidamente a pesar de que llegamos temprano y estaban ocupados. El servicio fue excelente en todo. La comida deliciosa, servida rápidamente estaba caliente... y los sabores divinos! 😍 Nuestro servidor era Lewis y quiero mencionarlo como el joven más educado, bien educado y bien informado y era súper eficiente. ¡Es un tesoro! 👌 Volveremos.

Cena después del evento con plato compartido y copa de vino. Perfecto. Gracias. Personal bien formado y con personalidad.

It was a great experience eating here!

The decor of the restaurant is very well curated and the staff is always kind, helpful and friendly! It is very easy to book as well. The allergen and ingredient information is very detailed and accessible, more than any other restaurant I have ever been at. Good vegan food selection, but I would love to see more options. Definitely recommended!

We were there to celebrate one of us birthday so I asked to put candles on the dessert cake I was planning to buy after a meal. The waiters changed all the time so we ended up with 3 of them at our table at some point. Nevertheless, this would be OK and if the candles were too much to ask would also be OK but it'd be good to know in advance and not to be disappointed later. The candles were forgotten and I had to ask for them back in front of the birthday person. Ahhhh.....ruined the experience completely.

Really delicious food, service could have been better. Lots of waiters and waitresses around but not paying attention to the table. Good atmosphere in there. Recommended to few people already. Will be visiting again soon.

Probably the best Thai food I’ve ever had. Lovely restaurant with friendly staff.

Had the most amazing dinner with my husband and daughter. Cassie made us feel very special. Service was brilliant but most importantly the food was out of this world.

Great food, beautiful building, will be back

Had a really lovely birthday dinner here last night. The staff were super attentive, friendly, and made us feel special from the moment we arrived. Plus, the food was absolutely delicious and we didn't have to wait long at all for any of the courses. A great night!

Nice place . But the food was under .... what I expected

Nice meal and very nice place… I was there with my husband who tried Thai food for the first time and loved it … will be definitely coming back.

This is one of the best Thai restaurants I’ve been. The dishes here really tickle many different taste buds!! Delicious dishes beautifully presented in a great ambiance.. Strongly suggest sharers…

First time dining here. Although the atmosphere is quite loud. The decor is fabulous to look at. Gives a Bridgiton vibe. The staff are very helpful. The food is lovely and full of flavour. You are charged a service fee onto your bill which was a new one for us. Nothing major like £6 if I recall. Very easy to book online and easy enough to ammend your booking if needed to.

Really lovely atmosphere in what looked like an old bank. Really friendly staff and the food was really well cooked. We had satay 3 ways to start and then pad thai. Specially enjoyed the sauce.

Nice meal, large place and plenty of seating and quick service.

Group of 4 came here. Pretty busy so we were lucky to get a table as we hadn’t booked Tasty flavours and lots to choose from on menu

Booked this for a pre show dinner. The decor is bright and colorful with a lovely atmosphere. The staff were all lovely, welcoming , attentive and we did not feel rushed at all. W hen another friend joined us there was no issue with another place setting and order. The food was delicious, and enjoyed by us all. My partner and I are already planning to go back.

Best Thai food we’ve ever had. Beautiful venue. The cocktails are also excellent.

Lovely building. Wanted a quick but tasty lunch and this fitted the bill. Thought lunch set was excellent value and all the dishes left me wanting more.

Eten zeer goed. Personeel zeer correct en behulpzaam. Echt een aanrader. Deze keer de tapas genoten. En een extra bijgerecht. Restaurant erg sfeervol.

Wonderful place to dine in in Cambridge. Very close to city centre. It's an unbelievable interior, I wouldn't think of to be that beautiful. It's a Thai restaurant. Foods are so tasty and fast service. Authentic Thai taste. They have a kids' menu, and a waitress who served us was kind enough to bring some paints and colours to my kid to keep her occupied. Overall, I had a great experience. Would cost a person 20 to 30

Very nice seating area and yummy food~

The giggling squid is a definite place to visit,everything is just amazing staff are wonderful food is amazing and the atmosphere is nice definitely worth a visit I would recommend you book as they do get busy 😊

I went here last night for the first time with my husband. We don't usually go much from our comfort zone and your standard restaurants.. but I am very glad we did. The food was cooked to perfection, with bursts of flavour. I had heard it can have a delay on food but was worth it, but we don't feel we waited long at all, we went at 5pm so maybe later on it may become busier and have more delays. However, that still wouldn't have phased us because we had all evening. The staff are all friendly and attentive and the decor is very different and authentic we loved it.. we really liked it and couldn't fault any part of it.

Lovely Giggling Squid restaurant, better than the Brighton one. Beautiful inside, good food, good service, a lovely meal. Would highly recommend.

Tasty meal. Pleasant surroundings and friendly service.

2nd Giggling squid and the Cambridge location is just as great. We went in on a slower day so that helped with the wait time. Food tasted great love that their menu has vegetarian options.

Can't wait to return, food was amazing and the restaurant was absolutely beautiful

I’m pretty good for a chain . Tasty food

First of all the staff members (e.g. Angie and Yeepun) are fantastic! So warm and friendly! The atmosphere is very beautiful! It’s like being in a fairyland or bird cage. You will have to enter to see what I mean! The food was alright. I say this as someone who loves Thai food and is constantly eating it every chance I get. It’s really hard to get the flavors to wow me unless the chef is doing something spectacular. With that said if you like Thai food you would automatically like it!

Another great meal at Giggling Squid. Beautiful restaurant and always great food and service.

I recently tried Thai food for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant has a beautiful, serene ambiance with lovely color combinations and lighting. The lady who served us was incredibly polite and humble, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The only downside was the service charge added to the bill. Despite that, I would definitely visit again if I find myself in town.

Excellent food and such a beautiful building and interior design! Everything we had was delicious!

Lovely food and decor but the handling of allergens was terrible We told them 1 of our party had a shellfish allergy and they put the allergy ticket on the table. We ordered starters and they checked who was allergic to what and all okay. But when they brought the starters we were going to share, they just put down plates with stickers on. The stickers are bright pink and just say "Giggling Squid Crustacean Molluscs" So we assumed the stickers meant they contained the allergens written on the stickers. We were a little surprised but the person with the shellfish allergy ate from the dishes which didn't have the Crustaceans Molluscs sticker on it. When the mains came out, the waiter gave the person with the shellfish allergy their dinner and said this is for the shellfish allergic person, and this dish had the same sticker. The sticker which just says an allergen, actually means that dish is free from it! It is so stupid and the opposite of what sensible people would assume. It meant that the person who has the shellfish allergy ate starters with Crustaceans and / Molluscs in thinking they were safe! So stupid. Thankfully it is a mild allergy and he only ate a little. We told the waiter and she did not care that we could have had a serious medical emergency. The sticker system is stupid. Why do the stickers just say the allergen???? It would be so simple to say "free from XYZ" instead of what is says which is "XYZ" if you go here with an allergy, ask very carefully what you can and can't eat.

Beautiful place and spectacular red curry, full of flavour and intense. I insist on the curry and the battered baby squid which are a delight with their spicy sauce.

This is a place where you pay for the setup and service, not the food. The curry dishes are not good at all for any Thai standard, and they charge Rice separately! More ridiculous, the jasmine rice is not jasmine rice at all!