Giggling Squid - Welwyn Garden City in Chelmsford

Consistently delivers on good food and good service, very accommodating for our recent group booking and a nice spot for a dinner date

Me and my partner had a reservation for a Saturday evening meal. We arrived on time and were asked to wait 10 minutes which, is fine but 15 had passed by the time we were seated. We were offered a free drink for this but it never came just as the staff members didn’t either. 25 mins passed and nothing, not a word said or spoken to us. We left as we were hungry and frustrated. Bitterly disappointed as it left us searching for a place to eat rather later than anticipated.

We enjoyed a tasty meal at GS restaurant yesterday. The atmosphere was calming and the flowery decor and lighting added to the charm of the place. It doesn’t feel as though you are dining in a chain establishment. Our food came quickly, was hot and well presented on the plate. I had a crispy mushroom starter and the pad thai main (vegan). My dining partner had the squid to start and the hake dish as their main. All delicious! We were celebrating an early birthday and to our surprise were treated to a birthday cheesecake dessert. The lady who looked after us (Tukta) was attentive and accommodating. She also offered me guidance when I had questions about the menu. I do enjoy dining at GS and would 100% recommend this place for family dining, date nights and everything in between. The next time I go i’ll be treating myself to a little drinky drink from the extensive cocktail menu.

Really worth a visit…and I am a food snob!! 😂

I had never been to a Giggling Squid restaurant before but was staying in Chelmsford for work and a colleague recommended it. As a solo diner I was made to feel welcome although no one came and asked me how my meal was which seemed like an oversight. (I never thought I’d miss that during a meal but it felt odd when it didn’t happen.) I had the vegetable Pad Thai and the prawn crackers, plus a pot of mint tea. Overall, the food was really nice. The Pad Thai was a bit too greasy for my liking but it came quickly and was hot. Extra peanuts on the side were welcome. My mint tea was made with fresh leaves and delicious. Unfortunately, when it came to dessert, I only wanted the mini dessert and given I was just halfway through my big pot of mint tea, I asked if I could just make that the mini dessert + hot drink option. I was told no, even though I hadn’t paid so I imagine it would’ve been easy enough to change my tea order to the dessert + tea. Having not been to a GS restaurant before, I wasn’t aware of this dessert option so didn’t know it would have had to be ordered right at the start of a meal. A shame, and it took the shine off what was otherwise a pleasant enough meal.

Party of six, stepdaughter birthday,good service, very attentive staff, a bit of wait for our table but not an issue, good value for money, large main portion, starters just the right size, limited dessert menu but again not an issue, will recommend, last point very busy restaurant better to book.

Outstanding, lovely attentive staff, great Tapas sets/dishes, all in all a superb place to dine.

Really great service and food here today. Loved it.

Overpriced food and drinks. I make a better Thai at home so was disappointed paying extortionate amounts plus they add on a service charge with out telling or asking you. Costs were £275 for 4 of us dinning with starters mains a bottle of wine and 4 beers!!!!!!

Excellent Thai restaurant. Baby friendly and offered a full range of Veggie or vegan options of the menu.

Fantastic food, friendly staff and wonderful service. This was our 2nd visit and we'll definitely be back.

I’ve always enjoyed dining at Giggling Squid in Chelmsford, and my recent visit on my birthday, January 8th, was truly exceptional. As always, the food was incredibly tasty and reasonably priced. The menu offers a wonderful variety of authentic Thai dishes, and every dish I’ve tried has been full of flavor and beautifully presented. I especially LOVE the street food sharing platted! The staff are consistently attentive, creating a welcoming and relaxing dining experience. On this occasion, Tukta went above and beyond to make my birthday meal special. She added a personal touch throughout the evening and surprised me at the end with a complimentary dessert, which was a lovely and thoughtful gesture. If you’re looking for delicious Thai food with excellent service in Chelmsford, I can’t recommend Giggling Squid enough. It’s a perfect spot for any occasion, and they truly know how to make their guests feel valued. 5/5 – I’ll definitely be returning!

Amazing food and service and my daughter loved her 17th birthday meal!

Seafood poisoning is serious. We do not appreciate forking out £91 and becoming ill because of contaminated seafood! Disgusting! DO NOT eat here!

A great place to go if you can only eat gluten- free foods and want Thai. Delicious and not overpriced.

I've travelled Thailand, but this was diabolical, just go to leks Thai at the market 10x better and 10x cheaper

First time coming to a Thai restaurant and simply, it was superb. Never had a Thai red curry either and this really did not disappoint!

The atmosphere on an afternoon was quiet and a bit cold. The service was ok but I am pretty sure they got my drink wrong...it was supposed to be a lychee cocktail but wa pink in colour and tasted of rose syrup which wasn't listed on the menu. It was all too sweet. There was sugar in everything and none of the flavours were balanced. The beauty of Thai cuisine lies in the balance between salty, sweet, sour and umami - this was lacking. We'd go so far as to say it's the worst Thai meal we've ever had. Sad as it looks like a beautiful restaurant. They did do well with dietary restrictions but so do most restaurants nowadays.

Best seafood I’ve ever eaten, the noodles were also perfect

Absolutely loved the food here, freshly cooked, and so tasty. Was here for a work do, but am definitely coming back with family, it's that good

First time here. Went with friends who had previously been. Really lovely food, well cooked and well presented. The young lady who served our drinks was lovely too. Friendly and helpful. 👍

Ordered 2 curries and sticky chicken and bear in mind this is £43 for three things the portions are stupidly small. Half full curries...really what does it cost to fill the tiny tub... ridiculous. Food is nice but for the cost I won't be getting a takeaway again. After serving up, even more peed...not enough for two people if you tried. Food is fantastic, portions are awful.

Lovely meal and lovely staff, would recommend

Service was very slow, but it was extremely busy. Some of us ended up either missing out on desert or getting it to take away. Most of the food was very good, but some was hotter than expected & the chilli beef was so hot that most guests could not eat it - a discount was given as compensation without us even having to ask. Cocktails were good, as was the beer. I would like to come back and try again - I don't think the set Christmas menu is the best time to judge a restaurant.

The restaurant has a great atmosphere, excellent customer service, and amazing food. The cleanliness is rated 10/10, and it is in a very convenient location, perfect for a family day out. Prices are reasonable, perfect portion sizes and I would recommend it for any occasion.

Had dinner with my partner and we really enjoyed it here. Large and varied menu - it was difficult to choose what to have! I couldn't fault one thing about the service or food. The flavours were amazing. The zingy prawns were perfect along with the chicken satay for starters. The confit duck was 10/10 and there was a more than generous portion of duck for the price! The crunchy beef my partner had with the beef/steak two ways dish was nothing short of delicious. We really look forward to our next visit

Giggling Squid has the best Thai food in Chelmsford. The atmosphere and restaurant setting is ideal for family or intimate events, the food tasted very delicious! Staff is pleasant and helpful and provided service with a smile.

Very nice meal. Friendly staff. Needed a phone torch to read the menu but that could be age lol.

Absolutely stunning food here , every penny is worth it. Our food was quick and delicious, beyond stunning and our service was fantastic. The table was very cute with the fairy lights . Only down side is sitting near the door is very chilly everything someone walks in or out the rest. But the food is amazing ! Next time we will just ask to sit further into the restaurant.

Tukta went above and beyond for my brothers birthday, thank you!💕

Lively clean bright restaurant with fantastic flower decorations. I had dinner with a friend - my first visit, and I was really impressed. The staff are a credit to the company, made us very welcome. Highly recommended!

I’ve ordered online before but my first visit in person blew me away. Utterly delicious, fresh and tasty. 100% recommended!

We ordered a few Thai dishes to share, and they tasted all authentic and delicious! Can especially recommend the classic papaya salad and chicken paneang. Staff were all friendly and helpful. Leaving the restaurant happy and satisfied. Looking forward to coming back here soon!!

The food was delicious. I had the prawn red curry, with roti and coconut rice.

This is my fourth visit to the restaurant. As usual all the food was good, minus the black sesame ice cream which was refrozen thanks to the big ice crystals in it. The service left much to be desired. After starters and mains, we ordered hot drinks and desserts. After 10 minutes the hot drinks arrived. 15 minutes later one dessert came. Another 15 minutes later two more desserts arrived, exactly the same type than the first dessert. Keep in mind that the restaurant was close to empty. Sure enough, when we asked for the bill the waitress was there within 30 seconds with the machine. Not impressed.

This is not a meal out. The is a Thai food experience . Superb menu , fantastic food and friendly staff. We travel 1 hr to get here and we already planning the next trip

Absolutely fantastic lunch here. The surroundings were beautiful, the service was fantastic, the food was amazing. 5 star all the way. Loved it here

The biggest mistake ever was allowing orders via Deliveroo !! Tried to add more food to my order!! Computer said no!!! Horrific experience! I will never order again via Deliveroo and as a result the receptionist at G&S was rude and helpful- the power of tellling friends and family not to bother!! Is greater than money!! Your loss

I enjoyed the lunch set menu. Girlie cute decorations inside. Staff is efficient and friendly.

Loved it. Service was a bit slow as we went between lunch & dinner but the staff are lovely.

Arriving home after a delicious birthday lunch at Giggling Squid. The staff are wonderful and attentive. We had the lunch tapas which were flavourful and filling. What stood out was the lovely mini birthday dessert I received, a complete surprise that put a huge smile on my face. Thank you to the wonderful team at Giggling Squid. You’ve made my birthday so special.

Waitrose didn't know the full menu the pork belly starter was very gelatinous My main the royal fish dish the squid was inedable and not cleaned out enough couldn't even cut through it had the waitress even asked if everything was ok I would have said yes but to leave one of the largest parts uneaten and not be asked is poor service and food always leave a tip but I would definitely not have left the £15plus service charge

very tasty food, presented well. would go back

A nice restaurant with a good atmosphere. I had a table for two, we ordered a sharing starter which was great, before we finished the main arrived and so we asked them to hold off for a bit as we weee still eating! When we had finished our starter the main was served, it had clearly just been heated up! As a result I was illl through the night! I would not recommend this restaurant

Fantastic menu piping hot food that tastes amazing staff were freindly polite and helpful nice atmosphere well worth the price I highly recommend the Giggling Squid

Lovely staff they were absolutely brilliant with my allergies the food was amazing too and the non alcoholic cocktails were fabulous 👌

Absolutely beautiful restaurant and terrace in a great part of the town centre. Excellent service.

My boyfriend & I have been meaning to visit for sometime, so last night a quick online reservation & we were not disappointed. Lovely atmosphere. Tasty food although a bit on the pricey side for the quantity.

Was served by Adam and a lovely blonde lady. Really nice and welcoming. Would go again for sure!

Really great service, great evening

What a lovely place. We had the lunch tapas boards, which were gorgeous. The side’s were pricey for the quantity received, especially the wings! Only 3 in a portion for £5.55! Steep! We’d be back for the tapas tho!

Pleasantly surprised by this one, lovely team, good food and well priced.

Bit pricey but can't fault the food

Delicious food. Very attentive service. A perfect option for dinner or lunch.

My favourite place to eat in Chelmsford, bar none…

Everything was great. Just dropped a star for food as we found the Pad Thai portion very small considering it was a main meal.

We came here at the weekend for my sister's birthday. We parked at Waterloo road car park 1. Which was a stones throw from the restaurant and was only £1.50 for the whole evening! My crispy salmon starter was a bit tepid, and a bit fishy, but the flavors were really good. Rising star duck curry was very rich and duck was very fatty but the meat was lovely and tender! I'm not sure I would spend nearly £18 again for that curry. The chicken satay starters were great, and the Pad Thai noodles were absolutely delicious. Desserts were very decadent. Highly recommend the chocolate fondant. Sesame ice cream was different! I did like their menu, there were lots of different things to try which we hadn't before. I didn't like our table right by the entrance door though, with the on and off draft. I really enjoyed their cocktails, the espresso thai-martini 👌👌👌 if you haven't been, it's a lovely place to go and eat out at. The atmosphere is also nice.

Lovely food, quite quiet but preffered that!

Just a great place for food and drinks... Perfect every time!

Great food. Varied menus. Good service

Good food, nice atmosphere, and lovely service. Food tasty and well presented with lots of choice. Great for 'Date' nights but could do with some nice 'Ibizan' background music.

Lovely service, great food. We had the lunch tapas and it was plenty!

Highly recommend. Service was great , food was really nice

Beautiful looking restaurant! Amazing food and great service from Ashley! We havnt been on a date night away from our son in a while so this was well needed and a perfect place to go!

Was overall disappointed with the food. It looked great, the presentation was good but the flavours were not there. Thai food is normally full of flavour, the food tasted under seasoned and no spice. Watered-down Thai food. We asked the waitresses at the end of the meal and she said you have to ask if you want it spicy. Surely it should be the other way round.

Went Saturday afternoon for a spot of afternoon lunch .was delighted with the atmosphere and attention to detail in how giggling squid was presented staff were informative and friendly. We started with streetfood sharer for 2 was very nice will have that again then I had slow cooked jungle curry with a side of egg fried rice hot in spice and temperature my partner had cashew nut prawn .perfect size and taste. All in all a very good experience will be back well done to all the great staff 👍

The portions are small, the taste is mediocre, the floor in the restaurant is sticky, the service is not impressive. The restaurant in Cambridge is much nicer

Giggling Squid never disappoint, fab food, fab company and fab service.

I have been here between 5-10 times and I have never had a bad experience food is unbelievably tasty staff are incredibly friendly and efficient and the food is a reasonable price I would recommend to anyone who enjoys good food

Excellent food service and great atmosphere 👌

You must book to eat here for dinner. Every table was busy for the entire evening so that already tells you about the place. If it is cold out, reserve a table away from the door, the self closer does not work properly so it is drafty. Apart from that the food and service are very good. Generally the food is spicy and if you like that then it's definitely worth a try. I have been to several of this chain and tried different meals each time and they are all good but don't expect them to be without plenty of flavours.

I went to this place for the first time. It was nicely welcome to the place and gave me a table which I preferred. Food which I ordered was really delicious and served with a great care. I love the atmosphere while dine in and I enjoyed my time. Emily gave an excellent service.

Had a lovely meal at Giggling Squid Chelmsford, food was amazing as usual and Poppy our server was so so lovely and made our night! :)

WOW!!! Salt & pepper squid & pork belly for starters - both sensational!! We also had the thai green chicken curry & marinated steak & crispy slow cooked beef - beautiful! Singha on tap too - lovely stuff. Cocktails very nice! Great value & really friendly staff!

Family lunch at Giggling Squid and we all enjoyed. Even our 5 plus year daughter enjoyed her meal. Service was really good, courteous and kind humans, good food options.

Food is nice, but portion sizes are poor.

We booked in advanced by three weeks and agreed we could have one of the leather crescent shaped seats at the front . We even re-checked on the day going into the restaurant. On arrival no seats !! 🙄So we had to sit somewhere else with our friends. We really wanted them to enjoy the giggling squid but ended up outside the toilets. ☹️ Our meals were generally not very good my wife’s Hake the vegetables we think had just been put on and clearly were not cooked. My wife did not want to make a fuss as we wanted our friends to enjoy it. Otherwise it would have been sent back. When the GS first opened it was very organised and food was always excellent . I’m afraid to say both the management and food are not what they were for us on this occasion.

Starter was tasty & enjoyable.ordered two separate meals for me & my friend. I sat there watching her eat her food as mine arrived 6 minutes after . To be honest the main meals looked good . But we’re tasteless. Disappointed as it was her birthday meal . Especially for £70 plus for two people.

A great experience. Food was exceptionally good. Will be returning. Thanks

Excellent food and excellent service. Highly recommend going

Amazing food and a very nice service 👌 😋

Have been here a few times now, staff very friendly, food is excellent

Great lunch with work colleagues, Thai red and green curry lovely 😀

Really lovely lunch, quick service and very nice place to eat.

I visited on Saturday night for my Daughter 15th Birthday the food and service was excellent the waitress name Tukta was very helpful and explained the dish help us to orders , the service was excellent, they gave my daughter birthday desert and celebrated sing Happy Birthday was a great night . Thank you x

We have visited several times, and, as always, it looks really nice inside, and the food is fantastic - albeit a little on the expensive side. But... ... I did wonder if I had accidentally donned my cloak of invisibility before leaving the house. While there were plenty of staff, it seemed extraordinarily difficult to attract anyone's attention - almost to the extent that we needed to 'tug on their sleeve' so that we could order drinks, food etc. I don't at all mind paying more for a great experience - but this certainly wasn't it. If I am to be made to feel like an inconvenience, I'll take my custom elsewhere next time, A great shame. Updated following response: That's all very well, but there seem to be an awful lot of reviews of this nature - I can only assume that customer service isn't a high priority for Giggling Squid.

Visited on Sunday around 2:30pm with high expectations. The food was good, but the Lamb Shank in the Masaman dish was partly cold? The part of it that was in the sauce was warmish, but the other side was cold to the mouth! What a shame, as everything else was fine. Sorry for the 2 stars guys!

We have eaten here a few times - the food is delicious, the team are lovely and it's an overall great experience. Bela was really helpful.

We came here on Saturday and didn't book, there were a lot of tables so that was lucky. Early Eve so maybe a better time for a walk in. The food was excellent, very well cooked and all great flavours. Price was reasonable for the food too. Have to say service wasn't as good as hoped. When we arrived we were told no inside seating available as it was booked, but there were free tables until we left. Service outside was slow and almost felt forgotten, for example drink ordered wasn't available but took a while to mention it and bring an alternative. Would come back because the food was good and I've seen other great reviews so maybe we got an unlucky day.

Food was ok, however the rice portion was small and the starter was warm. The bad thing is that they charged £3:95 for a SMALL glass of ( non organic )apple juice half filled with ice so you get approximately an eighth of a litre for £4 🤬 This is robbery, I’ve had a better deal in restaurants in Londons Mayfair.

Over priced for what it is. £32 house white wine. Bit to much for me

I'll be honest, I just prefer a small proper Thai place, this is just far too expensive with small served dishes with quite honestly medioka flavours. It's not bad at all, it's just not brilliant but it's convenient.

A truly.memorable special family celebration.

Food was delicious however portions were on the small size so make sure to order sides. The only downside was they forgot 2 cocktail orders and had to ask for them. But a great Birthday restaurant.

Industrial style restaurent with no soft furnishings to absorb the excess sound. Restricted menu choices average service. Adequate, enjoyable but nothing special.

Great food, friendly professional staff .

This place was recommended by one of my colleagues and I was really looking forward to it as the food from their website looked amazing. Booked a table there on Saturday. Arrived 15 minutes early with my husband and young children. We waited over 40 minutes for someone to come and take our orders. No one even came to take our drinks orders. It was not even busy. Staff were clearing tables after tables and walking past us several times. The service is very poor, staff looks miserable and unfriendly too. The vibe that day wasn’t great. Was very disappointed so we walked out in the end.

Perfect squid and wings. Just a bit noisy in the restaurant. Hard to listen to conversations. Maybe some sound absorbing wall material and lower music.

Much like the other restaurants I've visited in this chain, the food was delicious. Their food always has a good level of spice and everything tasted fresh. I ordered the chicken Thai green curry and it was great. We arrived for lunch and the portion sizes were perfect for us.

Great decor, food was great especially the lamb massaman! Would recommend.