Thai Emerald - Cheltenham in Cheltenham

Really enjoyable location and staff were very pleasant. Super expensive unfortunately but overall food was very nice and service totally consistent. A nice place for that unusual experience.

Loved it. Great food. Good service. Amazing decor. Can't wait to return.

Excellent food and service. The interior of the restaurant is also very visually impressive.

Thai Emerlad in Cheltenham is a great restaurant if you want to get a full feel of Thai food and atmosphere. With a beautiful decor on the inside it will take you right to the heart of Thailand. Good selection of food with chicken, pork, beef and fish/prawns. TAO HU SAUCE MAKHAM is one of my favourites. Service is quick and professional. Highly recommended

We ordered a takeaway from Thai Emerald on Saturday and one of our choices was the vegan Pad Thai. I was just about to tuck in when I noticed this chunk of meat in it - it looks like beef but could be some other kind of meat. I phoned the restaurant to let them know as I thought they might want to try and avoid this happening to other customers and they asked me if it was tofu (as tofu is one of the ingredients in the dish). If you have a look at the photo you can see it's not tofu. I offered to send an email with the photo and they agreed so I did that straight away. It's now 3 days after I sent the photo and I haven't received a reply which makes me think they aren't all that concerned about people with dietary requirements.

Best Thai food I’ve ever had. The girl serving was very friendly and sweet, although the manager could have stood to be a little friendlier and the other guy serving was downright surly and miserable. Would still recommend wholeheartedly.

Lovely food and service. Thank you

Real thai style delicious food.

This restaurant is traditional in setting and experience which will suit or not depending on what you like. However, I've been twice now and on both occasions the food has been very good. Flavours are delicious and I couldn't ask for more from a Thai restaurant

We were told to try this restaurant by the hosts of our B&B We were absolutely blown away by the quality of service, food and ambiance… The food is amazing Highly Recommend

The most amazing Thai restaurant, from the koi pool and other decor, to the banquet set menu!

Have been a regular customer for years and the last few times i visited i noticed the very small portions, left feeling unsatisfied. Unfortunately i wouldn't return.

One thing that spoilt this visit was the abrupt ending! The waiter appeared and put the bill down and waited to be paid while we were still finishing our mains. We said that we hadn't finished eating and would like desserts or coffee but he said that the kitchen was closed. We also all had drinks left but felt uncomfortable because he just stood there. I knew that they closed at 2.30 bit didn't expect to be pushed put at 2.25 without warning. The attitude was rude and dismissive and uncalled for. However the food and decor was good.

Authentic Thai food and ambience! Simply sublime service and friendly, respectful people waiting your table!

Beautiful restaurant with an amazing atmosphere. Food was delicious. Would 100% recommend this wonderful place. We were in there for 3 hours and didn't want to leave!

Really enjoyed the food. Service was pleasant and courteous. Decor was impressive.

Brilliant place for a large family celebration meal. Lovely atmosphere and authentic Thai decor. Staff were so attentive and quick, took all our (including dietary needs and extra requests) orders with trouble. Food was the best Thai we've tasted and the vegan menu is great. Thank you!

If you are looking for authentic Thai food that you expect flavour in your food do NOT come here. The service is okish, the atmosphere is good with nice decorations. The food is very bland, nothing like I had in Thailand and other Thai restaurants. Can anyone recommend good Thai restaurants in Cheltenham?

Well presented and delicious. Great portion sizes and excellent value for money.

Beautiful interior, fantastic service, amazing food, very highly recommend

I've been wanting to visit the Thai Emerald for a while now and finally made it. I can tell you that it's everything it proposes to be. I was so blown away by the decor, I had to leave and re-enter to experience it again. The service is impeccable and the food is 🔝 notch. You never know what you're going to get when you're going into a restaurant that hasn't been recommended by anyone, but this place properly has a "come inside and see" vibe about it. It's been a good while since I've eaten Thai and the first time I've ever eaten beef in a Thai restaurant. I was exercised a bit of trepidation at first, but the green curry was TDF. I could have drank it! I was full, but HAD to try the desert when offered. I had the oddly named "Chocolate Crunchy Pudding"...in my mind I envisioned a rich dark gateau with some sort of crust. What I got was nothing like could imagine. Sort of a tiramisù but not...let's the say that my first taste of it made me blaspheme with ecstatic joy. Amazing. Compliments to the chef 👌🏾😘 A great meal, fantastic service and a truly amazing venue. GO!

Absolutely gorgeous experience. 9 of us had lunch together to celebrate a family birthday. Beautiful restaurant and staff and the food was delicious and served in exquisite fashion. Will most definitely return

We spent £110 on two set menus and ended up with vomiting and diarrhea. The duck was completely off when the waiter took it away they didn't even bother to replace it the starters tasted cheap, apart from the chicken stick. It was really bad. Avoid, avoid.

Walking into Thai Emerald in Cheltenham feels like stepping into a serene oasis of calm – until you realize that your stomach is still in the desert. The ambiance? Absolutely spot-on. The food? Delightfully delicious. But the portion sizes? Well, let’s just say they're the David Copperfield of dinners – they disappear right before your eyes! The flavors are so exquisite they could make a Michelin star blush, and the service is decent enough to keep your chopsticks clicking. Just remember, you might want to pre-game with a snack before you arrive, unless you enjoy being tantalized by the world's tiniest portions. All in all, a culinary journey worth taking – just don't forget to bring your magnifying glass!

A wonderful experience from the minute you enter. First class service , attentive without imposing. Food quality a delight, my son & I chose the ‘Favourite Banquet’ and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The quality and quantity were both spot on. This perfect oasis tucked away in Cheltenham is very highly recommended.

Tasty but not enough rice per portion. It ends up with a big pile of sauce for a lot of dishes. Order extra rice!

Good food though portions a bit small. They add a 10% service fee too

The best Thai restaurant I've been to by a mile. The decor and atmosphere was absolutely stunning for such an unsuspecting place. We got one of the banquet meals which comes with a mix of 5 starters which were all quite tasty, the pork ribs probably being the stand out for me. Then the mains were amazing, we had the chicken with green curry, beef with black bean sauce and mushrooms (the best beef with black bean I've tasted), duck with tamerind sauce, Pad Thai and a coconut rice all of which was exceptional to say the least. Highly recommend trying this place out but do yourself a favour and dine in as the experience is definitely heightened.

Ordered take away food, spent £60 for two people.The proportion is very small. See pictures in this comment. Understand the take away price is cheaper than dine in, but even take away price you can get much more proportion in other Thai restaurant. Anyway, I traveled to Thailand few times, it’s hard to find a real Thai food restaurant in UK, this is more bit fancy Thai-UK flavour dining rather than real Thai food.

Little gem, from the grand wooden door to the perfect interior, Thai Emerald is the perfect setting for some amazing food and amazing food we got, authentic, tasty and fresh a real breath of fresh air.

A wonderful meal.with friends whilst visiting the area. A beautiful place with a great atmosphere. Great service and really tasty food. Thoroughly recommend 10/10

The best Thai restaurant I've been to

Beautiful authentic Thai meal for our wedding anniversary. Service was excellent.

Service is fast, food is average to above average - some of the dishes are a lot more impressive/tasty than others. The interior is unusual with the wooden carvings. It is worth a go and possibly the only Thai restaurant in the area.

The food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. Service was ok, but not very friendly. Surprise by 4.5 reviews.

Love this restaurant and visit every time we are in the area. Best Thai food outside of Thailand.

Wonderful place. Such amazing furniture and decorations. Great food and great staff.

We came to the Thai Emerald for a special occasion and left feeling very disappointed. We came slightly early and were not greeted with a welcome but sensed a lot of irritation from the person on the desk even though we offered to wait. We ordered and the food was very quick to come out but it was so hard to get a waiters attention and we didn’t get our drinks for ages so our starters had gone cold whilst we waited. The ribs on the started platter were inedible and couldn’t come off the bone. We mentioned this to the waiter when he cleared the table and he just shrugged! We couldn’t believe it. Mains came out and they were okay, average at best and not what I expected at the price point. The tamarind duck was tough and the green curry watery. I tried to get a water refill for about half an hour but no one came near us! No one checked with us about the food or was attentive in any way. The service was so disappointing and really ruined what we as meant to be a lovely occasion. We didn’t want to stay and asked for the bill when I got up to find someone to ask for it! We were honest about how we felt about the service and the young guy who served us went a bit awkward and said sorry then just bought the card reader over. £115 for 3 meals and 2 glasses of wine is a lot and sadly we left feeling cheated and let down by the whole experience. We’d had great recommendations that this would be a special experience but the food and service really let this place down. A real shame.

Amazing food, even better prices, and the atmosphere and ambiance is calm and beautiful.

Came for dinner and the food was amazing. We got the sharing platter and all the food was of a high quality.

What a delight! Waiter was friendly and attentive. Food was spectacular, thoroughly enjoyable evening. They were very busy but did not feel rushed. The only issue I have is the size of the table it was a bit if a squeeze with the amount of dishes in the set menu

Lovely restaurant, authentic decoration, service was prompt, only snag was the sticky rice was a solid lump, when mentioned to waitress we were told it would come off the bill. Then the head waiter tried to tell us that this was normal and we should add sauce to it from the dishes, it was still on the bill and we couldn’t be hassled to argue about it. Also don’t agree with 12% service charge automatically being added. We prefer to leave our own tip.

Feel like I'm transported abroad on holiday😍

Awesome food. Very delicate flavours and beautifully presented. This is a great place to eat. The decoration of the restaurant is really special. They have really focused on the fine details and that should be commended. Definitely worth a visit

Was chosen as a convenient walkable restaurant from Holiday Inn Express IHG and was no problem to stroll along to. Impressive de or didn’t disappoint with traditional and impressive Asian style carvings. We chose fishcakes and a duck for starters and they were both shares and delicious. Main courses chosen was a a chicken green curry and a red curry with duck, both absolutely delicious, one with Coconut rice the other with jasmine rice. The waiting staff were courteous but quiet and the whole meal experience was lovely. The only criticism was that 10% service charge was already applied when our bill was presented which I did not query but felt a tip is discretionary at the diner’s discretion and wondered if it would be making its way to the waiter and waitress serving our table. Overall a very nice experience

Have just enjoyed a superb lunch at the Thai Emerald. The food was great, served on beautiful crockery and the whole restaurant is a great experience. I have lived in Cheltenham for many years but this is the first time that I have been there and it will not be the last.

Very impressed with the food. Didn't particularly like all of the dishes, but that was down to personal taste and trying to be adventurous!! The food was great quality. We enjoyed the Massaman curries and sticky rice.

Always awesome food, great service & a relaxed atmosphere 😋😋😋

Food was great, but felt a bit rushed by some of the staff who started clearing away plates etc. When some were still eating. Didn't appreciate be leant over as I was eating so they could take away a plate or bowl etc. Wouldn't go back!

Went for dinner here recently. Have been here numerous times before. Service was great and drinks lovely. I had the vegetarian spring rolls to start which were nice but not very special. The main I had however was tofu and aubergine glazed with tamarind sauce was delicious. I could have kept eating that all evening. Overall still such a fabulous place to go!

I had my birthday meal here, 10 of us including me. Lovely pad Thai

We popped into Thai Emerald (not on instagram) before seeing @romeshranga in Cheltenham this Saturday. The rest was stunning, very authentic wooden Thai decoration. It was almost temple looking. The food was also excellent! We went for the mixed starters, pad thai, and the duck! It was a nice little treat before the show..(which was very good, btw) #thaifood #thaiemeraldcheltenham #padthai #foodiesbristol #thaifoodlover #instafood #Thailand #thaicooking #foodinfluencers #foodiesbath

Excellent restaurant- can’t praise it enough. I have visited many Thai restaurants around the U.K. and this was the best by far. Food and service was exceptional. Highly recommend and looking forward to coming back.

Freaking superb. Go there, go there now.

Superb lunch. We had the top set menu for two. Elegant starter with chicken, fish and prawns, tasty dips and satay. Main was coconut duck, spicy and aromatic with a beef and fish dish which was excellent and vegetables. Tasty egg fried rice. Best oriental style meal I have had in a long while. The decor is fun too .

Good food, with a wide selection of classics and some more authentic and original choices. Very good service - fast, polite and attentive. Smart location and decor - not or crowded or noisy. A good choice especially for a larger group.

Delicious & fantastic service. Great value for money with Lovely staff. So much to choose from. Can’t wait to come back!

Absolutely delicious food in a beautiful venue

Awful..just awful. No customer service at all. Food was basic. Don't waste your time. Wooden carvings are the best thing to go for!

Brilliant service in the best Thai restaurant for miles. If you're serious about Thai food, I suggest a visit when in Cheltenham. The taste of the food and the environment are both really authentic. If it weren't for the skylight window, you could easily believe you're in Thailand itself.

I haven’t been to Thai Emerald for a few years, probably not since before Covid hit. I’d forgotten what a fantastic restaurant this is. The flavours, the artistry, the design of the place and it’s lovely authentic Thai food - not to mention the lovely people running it and it’s a great local business..

Really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. It was authentic and very tasty food. Would recommend to stop by

I saw this one on the Internet and thought it was worth a try. Wow, I'm glad that I've booked because it got very busy! I went for beef Penang and was delighted to see it was delicious!

Lovely decor and atmosphere, polite and well-dressed staff, lovely food. Will come again.

Great food, staff friendly and helpful, the intricate wood carvings alone make this restaurant worth going to, then the food comes out and it's excellent. Next time I'm in Cheltenham I'm going again to this restaurant. It's reasonably priced and the portions are ample.

Brilliant food, lovely Atmosphere And interior absolutely amazing.

Great quality food and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal there. I would say, be VERY specific of the level of spice you can take, as 1 chilli on the menu (to which I thought meant mild), blew my head off when I had it. I literally spent the next 10 minutes with my tongue in a glass of iced water. The staff were kind enough to take note and readjust the spice level for the following dish.

Had meal on the 10/10/23. Food looked nice Starter- well decorated- with veg , ribs tasteless and overcooked, one bit of fish cake was more than enough. Main- beef mince was off - smelt terrible.swapped off a fresh one . One of the pots hardly has chicken- full of sauce and very little meat Noodles over cooked . I have no business going back to this place . Didn’t even ask for a left overs to be packed

Excellent decor. Très travaille et soigne. Par contre petit plat et petite quantité.

Unusual interior and great food

Brilliant service and outstanding food. The venue is also great for a special occasion as it is different but a lovely place to visit.

The place is beautiful and the food was nice (although we’ve had better Thai meals). But the experience was spoilt by the extremely rude waiter. I don’t know what his problem was but he slammed the plates down and appeared to be in a very bad mood. We didn’t make a fuss as it was my sons birthday but he kind of spoilt the evening for us. The lady waitress and young lad were very nice and polite but our main waiter (an older guy) was so rude it was like something from Faulty Towers. Won’t be returning any time soon. Shame.

Beautiful restaurant with much potential. This was my first visit for many years since moving away. Surly staff, not friendly at all. Nobody asked how food was. Pressure on customers to leave a tip. Food was average. Asked if the fan could be turned off that was blowing cold air into our table, the man just said nothing and walked away. He didn’t turn the fan off. So was asked the older lady a few minutes later if it could be turned off and she rolled her eyes and walked off. Very unprofessional. Cheltenham is a foodie town with far better options than this place. Don’t know how they stay in business such a long time when the customers aren’t valued.

Just a beautiful place and food.

After reading google reviews we went there for an evening meal, spent £102 for two adults and 2 kids. The atmosphere was great, we really enjoyed. We might have gone there on one of those not very good days. We shared a mixed starters platter which was nice. Phad Thai Kung was too sweet, not to the expectation, waste of money. Other items were fine, but not great. Chocolate crunchy pudding was lovely. The service seemed needs improving with happy smiles and good communication. Food arrived quickly, but Nobody checked about are we happy about food. When the bill was presented, the person reminded us, that the service charge is not included. Also while holding the Card payment machine he kept asking at least 4 times, if we want to add a service tip. That was ridiculous, we will never go back. He sounded insisting.

What a beautiful place, restaurant is beautiful, so ornate. Food was delicious, piping hot with lots of choice. Staff friendly and very helpful. Will definitely return.

Excellent service, food and drinks. Wonderful interior design which felt like we were back in Thailand! Definitely recommend. We had the grand banquet set menu and couldn’t fault it

Wonderful dining experience during lunchtime opening. Not very busy so the service is good and the food delicious.

Fantastic restaurant! We've been yesterday after having heard great things about it and walking by the door we felt catapulted in a thai paradise: the decor was really spot on , the staff even wore traditional clothing. The atmosphere was really relaxing and the staff really attentive and kind. The food was amazing, served in beautiful dishes. The price absolutely reasonable and great value for money. We'll definitely go back , thank you all to the staff that looked after us !

We had our wedding reception at the Thai Emerald yesterday and our 140 guests loved everything about it. Food was excellent and authentic, restaurant was beautiful, staffs were efficient, friendly and very polite. We would like to thank Khun Manop and his team for giving us an amazing afternoon. Sarinya and Clive Parkhurst 🙏🏼

Good atmosphere and service. However food is not authentic and mediocre. Quite bland tasting Thai food.

food is nice except Tung Yum Kung is too salty. Price is reasonable

Had the chilli banquet for two. Food was no more than average. Banquet plus bottle of water, glass of lemonade and a boddingtons beer cost £71. Left feeling dissatisfied, smallest portions ever experienced in Thai restaurant and went back to hotel where we had a sweet. The surroundings were stunning and it was spotless. Great shame an experience we had to look forward to flopped.

I was really impressed with the decor and ambience of the Thai Emerald. The squid starter - although having a good texture and flavour - contained very little squid. Tiny thin strips inside a crisp but rather greasy batter so, poor value for this amount of squid and price. My main course (Garlic Prawns with Coconut Rice) was pleasant but not exceptional. I didn't enjoy having to struggle to remove the tails from my tiger prawns. Well worth a visit even if mainly to marvel at the decor.

Ordered a take-away from here.... The Tom Yum Kung was too sour and I didn't taste any lemongrass or spice. The Pad Thai was also too sweet and must have used 6 tablespoons of sugar. Not to my expectations.

Certainly didn’t live up to expectation…., What a great looking and feeling place. It felt authentic Thai and such a disappointment. We visited on a Wednesday night just before the 9am last orders - along with 2 other couples who we didn’t know. To our surprise we were informed that they were closed and would not serve us. All 3 groups were formed the same. What a shame and we will not be back - awful customer service

Stunningly beautiful interior. Truly a feast for the eyes. Shockingly mediocre food. Not a feast for the tastebuds. We had the eggplant dish which was the best, the spring rolls which were bland, and the vegan pad Thai which was so tasteless it was almost inedible. We had to ask the waiter for more spices, and when that didn’t do the trick, we asked for soy sauce and peanut sauce in order to try and concoct our own flavor to add to the noodles. He didn’t offer to help us remedy the dish, despite our obvious dismay. In fact, he didn’t smile or interact with us at all; I think he might be clinically depressed. Anyway, the only thing I can recommend is the eggplant dish. I’m still baffled at how an authentic Thai place can botch pad Thai so badly.

Such a beautiful place! Its a hidden gem in the middle of cheltenham town center thats worth a visit. Food is delicious, and staff is lovely.

Very nice ambiance and good food. Authentic food.

Excellent restaurant. Fabulous food and great service. Will definitely return.

The only good thing was the Sunday buffet...Why have they taken it away & don't blame it on covid😬 food wasn't as good as it once was quite bland. Lacked atmosphere hardly any diners & the service was limited a let down

Wanted to go to this restaurant for a long time but wouldn't go back. Food was very tasty and faultless. But very small and expensive dishes. You need plenty of sides to fill up a family but they are not cheap. Also apart from a friendly man at front of house which was lovely, the rest of the staff needed happy pills! Restaurant it's self is amazing and a touch of class though.

Dinner tonight at the Thai Emerald Restaurant - Cheltenham was hands down the best Thai food we've ever eaten and I've been to quite a few restaurants in Phuket and Koh Samui. 10/10 for excellent food, service, and decor.

Booked this restaurant on recommendation and was not disappointed. Friendly and attentive staff. Lovely food would certainly recommend and look forward to visiting again

A fabulous restaurant with great atmosphere , beautiful delicious cuisine. Staff attentive, service quick and excellent. They’re many uk restaurants could learn from their professional service

A fabulous restaurant with great atmosphere , beautiful delicious cuisine. Staff attentive, service quick and excellent. They’re many uk restaurants could learn from their professional service

Great food! Very authentic and delicious food - quick service and lovely decor. Will return soon and will recommend.

Very rude staffs. - As soon as we were seated, the lady took away one of the two sets of cutlery on the table, assuming we were not ordering a starter. - While my husband was still eating, the male staff started to take away all the empty plates, cutlery and even water cups without asking. - Strongly said “Service charge is not included.” when the manager got the bill to us. Apparently they hadn’t had even asked if we needed anything else during eating. - My friend are asked to grab and toss the squeezed lemon from the table to the female staff who cleared the table.

The place itself is beautiful, the staff and flavours of the food were excellent. BUT the quality of the food is horrendous from rubbery chicken and Thai fishcakes to which I love anywhere else. The ribs were cold. The dessert was the best I have had in a very long time thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a gem of a place. From the outside it looks like a normal restaurant front, but when you walk in it’s like stepping into opulence. Full of beauty, carved animals, warm wood panels, gold accents and plenty of greenery that makes you feel like you have left the dreary streets of the UK and jumped into Thai nature. The food was incredible and generous. I had the HOY CHAOW REUA - Fresh mussels stir-fried with chilli, garlic, lemongrass, lime leaf, galangal, holy basil as a starter and PED MAKHAM
Roast duck glazed with tamarind sauce, crispy shallot, Chinese broccoli, on sizzling dish as my main course. The staff were attentive and polite. A great restaurant with a tropical atmosphere. Extensive menu serving quality food.