Papaya Tree in Kensington and Chelsea

Nice little place that is different to the usual London restaurant nowadays. Papaya Tree feels more homely, more real, where warm owners invite you into their small dining room to share a piece of Thai culture. I tried the pad kaprow and it was OK. Of course it isn’t going to taste like in Bangkok. They use normal basil and not Thai basil, and their use of chili is different, but it’s expected in London. It was still decent. The lunch special is also good value for money considering the location. I’d definitely return to try their Som tam, Massaman and Thai iced tea.

Went here when I was pregnant with my son 7 years ago and I still remember how amazing the food and service was !! I will be coming back this year finally 🙏🏼

Very small restuarant but a nice atmosphere. Had a lovely meal, it was very quiet as it was new years day. The staff were so friendly it made a nice evening as we don't live near by, but will definately go again when we next stay in Kensington. My husband had tamarind duck and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Very quiet, possibly need to advertise more. Beautiful food, Great service with a lovely atmosphere. Best in London.

Lovely lady running a place with great tasting Thai food, good for dine in and take out. The lunch menu is a steal, the regular menu has an extensive selection, all the dishes tried were a hit!

A refreshing change from all the London burger restaurants. Thai food well cooked, lovely calm well-presented space with welcoming staff. The vegetable gyoza dumplings were super crispy and the minced chicken laab with sticky rice was a real stand out, nice and spicy with amazing flavours. Good wine selection and the espresso beer was better than most.

Una buena ubicación central en High Street Kensington, cálido y acogedor interior. Servicio rápido y eficiente y de precio moderado. Buena, resistente, picante y sabrosa auténtica comida tailandesa. Vale la pena los precios... Genuinamente bueno 👍

I recently dined at a Thai restaurant and had a truly pleasant experience! From the moment I walked in, the warm and inviting atmosphere set the stage for a delightful meal. The decor was beautifully done, with vibrant colors and traditional Thai elements that created an authentic feel. The menu offered a wide variety of dishes, making it hard to choose! I started with the fresh spring rolls, which were light and packed with flavor, served with a delicious peanut dipping sauce. For the main course, I opted for the pad Thai, and it was fantastic—perfectly cooked noodles, fresh vegetables, and just the right amount of spice. The service was excellent; the staff were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. They were eager to recommend dishes based on my preferences, which I really appreciated. To finish off the meal, I indulged in mango sticky rice, and it was the perfect sweet ending—rich, creamy, and simply delightful. Overall, my experience at this Thai restaurant was wonderful. The combination of delicious food, great service, and a charming atmosphere makes it a place I can’t wait to return to! Highly recommended for anyone craving authentic Thai cuisine.

We enjoyed so much our lunch today. Truly authentic Thai food, fresh and full of wonderful aromas. Do not miss the best mango sticky rice for dessert. Fully reccommend.

Very tasty food and excellent service from the efficient and delightful Lalita! I will return.

The hosts are extremely polite and welcoming. Delicious homemade Thai food with attention to detail. All the dishes were presented beautifully. The lunch set menu is very good value and has generous portions. Tiger Cry Sauce is the star of the show and it goes well with everything! Only wish the Thai milk tea were served with crushed ice instead of regular ice cubes.

Hidden gem, literally. A little hard to spot if you're just casually strolling w/o searching for the restaurant. Helmed by Thais. Nice decor. Clean and quiet. Currently offering set lunches that I feel is really good value for money. Dishes were on point. Authentic and super tasty. Will definitely return for more!

Today I had their lunch set menu- an absolute bargain in the centre of London. The most delicious curry with rice and a Thai fish cake starter. The portion was really generous and the service was great. I would certainly come back again!

Promedio de comida y servicio, pero todos los cargos extras que me dieron mi factura me pusieron furioso. Si quieres pagar 30 GBP por un pequeño main con arroz y dos vasos de agua. Estafa total, especialmente en el almuerzo!

The prawns in the Tom yang soup were not fresh and had a strong fishy taste. Service was fast and efficient but the lady who took our order did not explain well enough what was in the Menu causing misunderstand when the food came. The saving grace was one dish worth coming back too. The curry pork, beef or chicken. We ordered the curry pork and it was excellent. Next time I will just order to go the curry dish.

Friendly and attentive staff, delicious food (sufficient vegetarian options) and relaxing atmosphere. Perfect for a date night. Thank you for a lovely evening!

Son buenos restaurantes en Londres, hazme extrañar mi país. La comida es muy deliciosa. Si viene aquí, por favor ordene Sir rong Hola อาหารอร่อยมาก เสือร้องไห้ No. 01

No sé si alguna vez encontraré arroz de coco tan bueno como esta versión. El pollo al ajo estaba delicioso y preparado de una manera que nunca había visto antes. No puedo esperar a volver.

Fantastic This food, home-cooked style, and the lady who runs the restaurant and her tens give outstanding service. I will come here often now

Revisiting an old joint which was previously simply known as 209 Thai restaurant. Service from the chiengmai waitress was very good and the food was equally good. Apparently under a "new" management/ownership since 1997 having taken over from the previous owners who had been running the place since the early 80s. Tom yam kung was not quite like the old days which had a clear soup. The Thai dessert options were great - try the banana fritters👍

Very nice food . My delivery came on time and I enjoyed my meal

Excellent quality food and the waitress was the perfect hostess ❤️ Highly recommend! The sweet thai tea was nostalgic.

Having travelled around Thailand for a month...i must say the food i tasted here was even better than that i tasted in Thailand....The Best Food Ever!! Lovely restaurant...impeccable service...excellent bottle of Rose Wine....chicken satay to die for....the best tom yum soup....100% best tasting thai food ever the place was busy...i regret not living close enough to eat here again!!!! Thank You

Excellent service and very professional including at the end giving me toothpics embrassingly obviously picking my teeth lol. I would add though they need to provide a spoon not a serving spoon to eat with lol. Overall though very good

Food was very average for what you get compared to other Thai places I've been to across the UK. Portions are quite small as well. However, the craziest part for me was the price. My friend and I each got an entrée (edit: I meant main, I grew up in North America where entrée means main.) on the cheaper side of the menu, steamed white rice, and nothing else, no drinks or anything. We assumed rice came with the meal when the waitress asked us if we wanted white rice with it, which to be fair, was our fault for not checking. Two bowls of steamed white rice ended up being 9.50 pounds total...ultimately it ended up being almost 23 pounds for each of us, which really did not feel worth it all things considered. Plus, there's an automatic 12.5% gratuity—we would have given at least 10% anyway but on top of how expensive everything is it honestly felt like we got scammed, even by London standards.

We had googled Thai restaurants in this area and saw the bad reviews. As keen lovers of Thai food we decided to take our chances and were absolutely pleased we did. The food was exceptional, the service polite, helpful and informative. The restaurant was quiet but with a lovely atmosphere. We would certainly recommend.

I passed by a display board outside this restaurant which showed inter alia a plate of mango sticky rice - one of my favourites I was intrigued also by the fact that there was no "shop front" just a door leading to the downstairs restaurant. I ordered a plate of spicy aubergine, which was good and then the desired mango sticky rice. The mango was like turnip and I complained to the waiter. He admitted that that was all they had in terms of mangos. He was taking the plate away when, not liking to see things go to waste, I said I could eat some of the sticky rice with its coconut sauce and the plate was returned with that part on it. When the bill came I couldn't believe that, instead of being charged about £8 for the mango sticky rice I was charged about £6 for the rice! I complained again and this charge was removed from the bill. When I returned home and retailed this story to my wife she reminded me that we had in fact dined at this restaurant pre-Covid and had such a poor meal that we had vowed never to go there again!

Hidden gem in my opinion. Service and food was great. Only downside is it's a small space so can feel cramped.

The food was delicious and the place was very cozy. The Thai iced tea was the best I have had in ages.

Its a cute little restaurant not crazy but the food and service is definitely a 10/10 we dined in at like 10-11pm which is so late compared to other places in london and waiter is so nice the food is undescribable 10/10 recommend and really affordable❤️

We stumbled into this restaurant whilst looking for somewhere to eat near High Street Ken station. We saw a group of American women leaving and asked if they had a good meal. They warmly recommended the place and so down we went! You reach this basement restaurant via stairs. The waiter was very friendly and helpful with the menu. I had scrumptious vegetable spring rolls, vegetable gyozas, and a very spicy main with king prawns, garlic and lots of chilies. My friend had a delicious seabass (also spicy). We were pleasantly surprised by the overall price coming up at £64 for two people (we did not have alcohol). I do not live in the area, but if I was, this would be my local!

Pretty good Thai cuisine & service

Tonight, we ordered 2 Sticky Mango Rice desserts from here through Uber Eats. It is filling, however i am unsure if it is worth the money The first thing i noticed is that the bag the food was received in smelt of food other than the dessert. Which was off-putting…however the food was warm The mango was not smooth and hard to cut but it was sweet. The rice was sticky however the dish did not have enough Coconut flavour in my opinion

Always good food and a nice atmosphere

We had a party of seven, and everyone enjoyed what they ordered. I had fried tofu with sweet chili sauce, which I loved. The Pad Thai looked amazing, and I'll try that next visit.

Food is average. Quantity is quite small. Thai Iced Tea contained too much milk and lemonade was average without much of lemon flavour.

Nourriture correcte, un peu déçue du pad thaï, mais sinon l’autre plat était bon

ชั้นใต้ดิน อาหารไทยๆรสชาติดีมาก

It's an amazing Thai restaurant! The host of the place Mr Daniel was such a gentleman and very helpful! Must try for authentic Thai food!

Dani was such an amazing server and definitely made the entire experience so much better! Mango sticky rice and chips papaya salad 10/10

I had come here for dinner with my mum last night and we were able to get a table for two with no reservation. The lady who served us was so kind and friendly, was always checking up on us. They served good portions of food which was delicious, would definitely come back here again!

Used to lunch here regularly 10 years ago when working in Kensington so this was a nostalgic visit. Menu looked good, but the food was mediocre and expensive for what it was. Also, the restaurant added a 12.5% service charge to the bill that is apparently NOT distributed to the staff.

Fantástico restaurante! Excellent Thais food !!!

Thank u This is the most generous people i have ever meet in London. 5 start food and they give me treat at the end. This is the real Thai food with true people

We came on a Sunday lunchtime without reservation, no problem as there was plenty of space. The staff member who served us was super friendly and attentive. The food was delicious with good portions, average prices for London. The space is a bit stuffy because it's downstairs and also a bit cramped. They could remove one of the tables to rearrange the space. I would go back for the food and good service, though. 👍

Unassuming little place tucked downstairs, but don't let that fool you. Very good authentic Thai curries bursting with flavour.

Absolutely love this place. It's my take-away go-to place.

They have a new chef, the food was amazing compared to a year ago. Phenomenal green curry and lamb massaman. Tom Kha on point too. One of the best Thai restaurants in London now. Whatever you do keep this chef and the ingredients you use.

By far the best Thai flavours in London. Music and atmosphere perfect for anyone especially a date. Definitely impress here with the flavours.

Really great did and very nice family that runs the place. The highlight was the green curry! It's a bit on the spicy side but full of flavor. Kids love the ice cream... Choice of two flavors! Yum!

Sehr sehr leckeres Essen. Klein aber feines Restaurant. Der Chef ist super freundlich!

The food here was excellent 👌 I will be posting pictures soon

Wayyyyyy too expensive for the tiny meals they give you. Paid £90 for 4 people and then had to order more food from a fast food joint later.

Tasty food, especially rice with pineapple. Service is okay but could be better. Drinks are quite expensive.

Ordered online this evening for takeaway was seamless and very straightforward. Our food arrived within 45 minutes and was piping hot and beautifully presented. Strongly recommend the Pad Krapow chicken and Geang Kheaw Wan king prawn very good indeed. Driver was also lovely upon arrival to our residence.

Lovely place with plenty with great food and friendly service

Great food and brilliant service. Small place but they seem to squeeze in everyone who booked. Don’t risk turning up without a reservation though.

I should have listened to my gut feeling after having read a few reviews. Welcome was acceptable, not less, not more. Starter seemed to have been frozen food just fried, tasteless. The green curry chicken was ok though not the best and the rice seemed overcooked. Too many flaws: it gave me the impression that they are jaded. And then the tipped chosen on my behalf is not a best practice. I would love that they feel an effort is to be made but I fear it is too late.

Spacious restaurant. Food very tasty and friendly staff. Varied menu. I had a Thai Green Curry with Tofu and Coconut Rice. I drank a really nice non-alcoholic Lime Juice.

Came last night (6/1/23) for dinner with my partner and mother and recieved a warm welcome, great service and tasty food. The staff were attentive and a lovely person who I believe to be the manager or owner popped over to chat with us. At no point during the meal did we feel rushed or forgotten about. A brilliant experience all around. We'll definitely be coming back again!

Lovely restaurant, went there for dinner on a quiet day. Have been walking pass it for so many years and never tried it. Was very excited and the food did not disappoint. The service was lovely and the manager offered us a drink on the house at the end of the meal. We have felt very looked after and the staff is attentive and very accomodating. Had lots of delivery drivers come in and out, which means people must enjoy the take away food as well. Very lovely and I will definitely go again, and if feeling lazy will try their delivery service too.

I stumbled upon this place by complete accident. What a find! The venue and atmosphere was magical! The food was so delicious, fresh and felt like it was made by a Thai grandmother! Natasha, our server was so sweet and kind! She made us feel so welcome. The service was excellent. I wish the owners would open a similar business in New Jersey as that would be my go to place! Highly recommend!!

A really warm and friendly experience. Service was prompt and lively. We had starters and curries plus a little sorbet - all very good. It wasn't the most elegantly presented food ever but whatever. My food-fussy daughter (15) declared if we lived locally we should be regulars there, which is a good recommendation!

Staff were very friendly and I was hopeful based on the menu. I had Som Tam which was good. I also ordered the Thai peppery trout, described on the menu as being served with young fresh peppercorns. When I placed my order I was told there was no trout and it would be sea bass instead if that was okay. No problem at all so I happily accepted the sea bass. The food came out very quickly, almost too quickly. As I say the salad was good, but the fish was in a soggy batter, it wasn’t crispy and light as I would expect from Thai cuisine. The sauce was thin and lacking, very little flavour and no fresh peppercorns. I was disappointed as I love fresh peppercorns and it was the main reason I ordered the dish. On the plus side I asked for some chilli as I knew the dish was mild and I was given a decent helping which did help with the lack of flavour a little. It felt a little pricey even for London. 1 small white wine, rice, salad and the fish for £44. Not sure if they were having an off day and I would give them the benefit of the doubt and try again if I was in the area again.

Tonight for a still water glass, I paid 2.95 pounds, really unfortunate! After paying the bill they offered me more water but I sadly refused.

Enjoyed a delightful lunch. Ordered several 'starter' dishes to share which were tasty, well cooked and good value. Service was very good.

We were unable to find a table at any local restaurants on a weekend trip to London. We stumbled across this basement restaurant and decided to give it a try. The staff were very pleasant and accommodating. We really enjoyed our food, and my friend said her dessert was lovely. Would definitely visit if we were in the area again.

Had a lovely meal here, really nice little place. Mum & I shared vegetable spring rolls & thai sweetcorn cakes to start, both of which were lovely & came with homemade sauces. The sweetcorn cakes were particularly great. For main we had pad thai & goong ob woon sen, both of which were really flavoursome. The desserts looked great too (I was eyeing up the pineapple spring rolls) but we were too full to try them. Our waitress was really friendly & the service was great. We haven't had much thai food before so can't comment on authenticity, but they tasted better than any supermarket meal kits I've had. Reasonably priced too, our mains were about £15 each. Thanks for a lovely evening 😊

You can tell there is a Thai chef. The food is authentic and tasty. The staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. A gem - it’s just as well it’s in a cosy basement or you’d never get a table.

We ordered online & had it delivered to our hotel in a timely manner. Food was tasty and well prepared. However, the amount of food was scarce for the cost and food was delivered by an unmasked delivery person. He seemed confused about how to confirm the delivery.

I go every chance I have when I'm on the west side of London. Khonom Jeep and Pad Krapow are the best I've ever had. Always very friendly staff.

Loved this restaurant great food and great atmosphere. I can’t wait to come back with the family! See you soon

Great service, delicious food, nice snd friendly place.

Traditional Thai restaurant with friendly staff and some really good food, we had a wonderful evening. Thank you.

We were just wandering along on a Saturday evening as we were in the area and found this place and decided to give it a try. Glad I hadn’t read the recent negative reviews as it would have put me off but actually we found...

Terrible Thai food. Can't even call it Thai, it is so bland! We ordered several dishes and spring rolls, seriously the frozen Thai food at the grocery stores tastes better than this stuff. Bland noodles, barely any sauce.. and a sprinkle of veggies maybe 5...

We ordered delivery from here after reading mixed reviews but decided to chance it. We were disappointed - the food was really below average quality and not cheap. Would recommend going somewhere else.

When I am not feeling well, a Tom Yum soup always helps me to feel better and 'get over' whatever sickness I am coming down with. Last week, having a sore throat and feeling that 'oh no!' feeling, I was delighted to learn that there...

This is the nicest Thai I have ever had!! Proper Thai food and absolutely delicious, amazing service and lovely environment!! Would highly recommend to everyone! Will definitely be returning!

I dine here all the time so I was very surprised by the very poor service last weekend. We were one of only 3 tables in the restaurant ( two 3 tops and one 2 top) and it took 45 minutes to receive our food. When we finally got our food one of our friends still waited over 5 more minutes for their food to arrive. So, our food started getting cold as we waited for our friends food as we would not start without her. Very frustrating to say the least.

We were just passing by and thought it would be a good place to get a relaxing bite of Thai food. There was only one other table, busy dinner time, should have noticed the absence of people as a sign. There was very loud Spanish...

I noticed the restaurant while walking the Kensington street and decided to come for dinner. The “Tom cha gai” soup and “yam sum” salad was good, the spicy taste as desired. Kind service. I did not visit the toilet so cannot say if any thing...

The food would’ve tasted better if I wasn’t swatting fruit flies every few seconds, nearly knocked down drinks in the process of waving my arms about like a lunatic. Also overheard the kitchen staff mention there’s a lot of flies today. Nothing done about it when pointed out to waiting staff. Ruined the whole experience to the point I stopped eating and just had my dish as takeaway.

Ce restaurant etait une perle sur Kensington. Est ce un changement de propriétaire ou de cuisinière.... en tout cas d’un...

We have to Papaya Tree several times in a couple of years and never been disappointed !<br />But this time we even wondered if it wasn’t a new owner...<br />Anyway, papaya salads were warm<br />Ultima pad thai was disgusting <br />And the rest was just ok<br />So definitely not our favorite Thai anymore

Food was great. Server in training - evening was entertaining. If looking for outstanding service - it was lacking significantly.

Have no idea why this place is still in business... oh yeah maybe because they are running an illegal karaoke place after hours serving alcohol...?

What a lovely evening in a relaxed and nice simple restaurant on Kensington High Street. It’s not trying to be anything that it isn’t. Good menu and very good family run service. The food is fresh and aromatic but freshly cooked and prepared. The menu...

The massaman curry was immense! Spring rolls were also very good and nice beers! The atmosphere in the restaurant is lovely and romantic and the food is reasonably priced. The toilets are grim. Neither of the female toilets locked and one didn’t even shut. It...

Shopping in Kensington and spotted this little restaurant. My friend and I ordered Pad Thai, one with chicken, one with prawns. Very tasty. The service was good but the restaurant was almost deserted, even at 1pm, so the atmosphere wasn't great. The toilets are in...

Was looking for a nice Thai Restaurant in an around the Kensington area, there are quite a few if you hoke them out, this was down in a basement away form the main street. Food was fairly tasty and service was pretty good, very overpriced...

Popped in here for a meal at 9pm and was encouraged to see it busy! No reservation however found us a table. Great selection of menu, however had a challenge to order a side of noodles!! Eventually they agreed to do that for us! Anyway,...

This is a basement restaurant that serves a vegetarian lunch for £8 and non vegetarian offerings of between £9 & £10. It also has a full a la carte menu which we did not choose.Food was rather lacking in that Thai flavour which is why...

piatti molto gustosi e in vero stile tailandese. servizi davvero cordiale, ci hanno aiutato e consigliato nei piatti.

Buen y agradable servicio, pero la comida era desesperada. Todo empapado con demasiada salsa de pescado. Probé un poco la almohadilla kee mau (fideos borrachos) pero dejé la mayor parte porque no sabía bien. Una hora más tarde, mi lengua todavía estaba pegada a mi paladar por toda la grasa. . . Requieren una serie de cervezas para lavar.

Top notch Thai Food. Huge choice and a very good value lunch Menu <br />The set-up and location are not at their best but the warm welcome and attentive service makes it up for it

Great food, service was friendly and welcoming. :)

I dare you to find better Thai food anywhere! The staff is super sweet and accommodating and the food is authentic and delicious. My favorite is the Gang Paanang sauce (hope I spelled that right). Love all of the curry dishes! I’m a Flight Attendant and am in London several times a month. This place is my go to!

Very nice evening as we wanted to catch up with friends. Quiet enough to chat properly. Great food and staff very friendly

I like the ambiance. However I found a hair in my food and there seemed to be some difficulty explaining why I required a new order was required. I was also charged for said item.