Thai Orchid - Banbury in Cherwell

Was not impressed. We were up from London and took some friends here for dinner. The food was expensive, small portions and the waiter was rude.

We were a party of 6, went for dinner on a Saturday at 8pm. Place was busy, service was very slow, ok fair enough not a massive issue. A lady came to take our order, which was 3 normal starters and a mixed starter for 2, one of us didn’t have one, and then 6 mains and drinks. Drinks took ages to arrive, someone else came over to check whether we had ordered drinks and then another lady walked past twice holding drinks she didn’t know who they were for, it was our drinks. Ok, fair enough (again). Starters came out fine. The issue came when they brought the mains out. 2 of us were missing our main, and as there was no sign of them ever arriving we asked a waitress, she brought the order slip and the 2 mains were missing! How is that even possible when the initial lady that took our order wrote everything down, saying yes every time we told her the item number plus she obviously wrote down the starters! It’s 6 of us and 2 won’t be having a main?? There was no apology, no attempt to rectify the situation whatsoever. As the service was super slow, the two people missing their mains missed out on dinner because there was no point in ordering at that point as it would have taken forever. Maybe our fault for not getting the lady to repeat our order back when she took it but it seemed she got everything we ordered as starters came out fine. Won’t be going back unfortunately.

We weren't happy with one part of a dish and they replaced it with no fuss. Fantastic food and lovely friendly staff. We will back

A real mixed bag. The lady serving us was so lovely and accommodating, the place is nicely decorated and my boyfriend liked his pad thai. However service was very slow, my stir fried dish was bland and for £12 I'd have liked tofu or rice. The papaya salad was rather soggy and very acidic. It tasted like it had been sitting in a bowl all afternoon. Three dishes, all vegetarian and 2 diet cokes from cans came to 50 quid. I likely won't go back.

we came here for dinner, the lady was so rude, we just wanted to order more but the lady disappointed us so much from the moment we walked in. the food was bad. will never come back again. not really recommend you guys to come here

Absolutely love this place. Delicious food and lovely staff

The pictures really don't do this place justice, it is a truly imersive dining experience. For the time we were in there, I could've believed we were in Thailand. The food was perfect and quick to arrive. Excellent service, outstanding atmosphere and delicious food - we will certainly be back!

Very authentic, fresh and delicious Thai food served with a smile! Thank you all for a wonderful evening :) Would definitely recommend the Pla Tod - so amazing!

Very attractive from the outside and cavernous on the inside, this is a nice place. I've eaten in a few places in Banbury and for me, this is an oasis in a culinary desert. To start, I had fishcakes. All different in shape and size and looked very homemade. They tasted great and were served with a very fresh side salad and a zingy dip. For main, I had a deep fried fish (maybe Tilapia). Again, very nice with a dip heavy with nam pla. Along side was a portion of sticky rice. It was definitely sticky, it was lovely and just the right size. Quite often I find the rice portion sizes too big, I hate waste. The fish was a bit tricky to eat with a knife and fork, you need to go full caveman on it I think. All in all, very good. As were my previous 3 visits. I shall return!

Eat here, take away food, cooked quickly and badly, cooked without care, I buy for my children to eat, the rice is always lumpy, cooked salty, I always say but every time I don't say it's cooked carelessly and not delicious, I always throw it away when I buy it, I feel bored

I visit here infrequently both to dine in and to take out. On every occasion, the food is impeccable, both in taste and texture. Tonight was no different: I enjoyed fluffy steamed rice with Thai green chicken curry preceeded by mushroom Tom Yam soup. Exquisite 👍.

Went with friends for the buffet on a Sunday afternoon. Excellent selection of food. Good quality.

Really good food and great staff . I couldn’t fault this experience. Lots of choice and all the dishes were hot and had flavour.

Food here is always nice. Service just right, polite and friendly but not hovering, so can have uninterrupted conversations. The interior decor and artwork is stunning! Even the tables are so beautifully carved. Slightly unusual, they have a dessert trolley they wheel around the restaurant from which you can select what you’d like.

Excellent food, tad expensive but worth it, 2 mains 2 rice 3 beers £54, decent

Food is stunning but too expensive

Lovely food and lovely staff, the chocolate crunch dessert was to die for!!!

All was wonderful, as usual. Only concern is expense, and visits are becoming a real treat when we'd much rather go every Friday night!

I love the way that they know what seat has ordered what (for large groups) and due to this, there have never been any problems. Very organised and efficient.

We came in without a booking and luckily were able to get a seat. It's incredibly spacious inside and the décor is nice - lots of elephants! Staff were very friendly, especially the man who served us had a sense of humour. Starters - prawn in filo and fish cakes - had great flavour. The mains were great, my duck stir fry was delicious and my partner's lamb shank fell off the bone and was perfectly cooked. We didn't go for dessert but it was maybe let down by a more basic dessert and coffee selection. We'll definitely be back though!

Absolutely loved our meal here. Truly delicious Thai food. The ribs, curry and pad Thai were amazing. What a wonderful restaurant, such beautiful decor. All the handcrafted wooden furniture and felt so peaceful and tranquil. Parking really nearby and was a really easy stop off on the way from Brighton to up north. They also gave me a separate gluten free menu and confirmed everything was gluten free when serving. The staff were wonderful.

Stupendously fantastic 👏 Food, ambience, decor, furniture, services.....everything is authentic and excellent.

The only disappointing dish are the dessert selection from the banquet option

I booked for four at 19:30 on a Saturday evening a few days prior. To book at the Thai Orchid you have to call up, as there is no online direct booking site. They picked up quickly and I was booked in swiftly which was ideal. Turned up ten minutes early on the Saturday and was quickly taken to our table. We were offered drinks, I had the Thai beer ‘Chang Classic’, which was a light bodied, smooth and refreshing beer. Between the four of us we ordered Banquet A, the standard Thai banquet and Banquet C, the seafood banquet, I was having the latter. My Mother and sister shared Banquet A and loved it and rate it a good 4.5/5 stars. Father and I shared Banquet C. The seafood was delicious, fresh, flavoursome and in high quantity which makes it good value for money. The starters were lovely. The main too was lovely. For dessert I had the Cadbury’s Crunchie dish which was a lovely end to the meal. The staff were great, knowledgable and accommodating so we left a generous gratuity. Thank you to all the staff! 🟦 The Thai Orchid warmly welcome American Express.

This is the best Thai if not all Asian food restaurant I’ve ever been/had. Orgasm in my mouth! Very friendly staff. Inside decor just beautiful, modern but also cozy.

Dining at the Thai Orchid was an exceptional experience. The ambiance is warm and inviting, perfect for a relaxed meal. The food was perfectly balanced with just the right amount of sweetness and spice,rich and flavorful. The staff were friendly and attentive, ensuring a pleasant dining experience. Highly recommend for anyone craving authentic Thai cuisine!

Thanks for the food, 100 x better than it was ! Massive improvement!!!!

Every time I book into a caravan site in Banbury I always book here for the Sunday buffet. The food is amazing as is the choices you have. No pressure to leave after eating and very pleasant service. Looking forward to seeing them again

Food is really good. It’s a pricey restaurant, but, as a treat, worth splashing out for a quality experience all round

The staff were rude and we were rushed through our meal despite other tables being available. The impression was that the staff just wanted us to hurry up and leave. Also the standard of the meal was poor and over priced compared to other Thai restaurants. I would not go back.

4 of us went there to celebrate 2 of our birthdays and were really pleased with our choice of restaurant. We all thoroughly enjoyed the Sunday buffet and there was a massive choice of options, including puddings. The staff were friendly and the restaurant had a great atmosphere.

We have been here before a few times never had a issue that's why I thought I book there for my partner's birthday. HUGE SHAME I DID. I know it was a Monday evening in Banbury (We all work in hospitality) but basically we have been kicked out of the restaurant or just let's say we have been made feel very unwelcome. It was 4 of us and at the beginning I ordered a bottle of proseco but when we wanted to order more drinks the waitress took only 1 person's drinks order and run off. So we had to ask 2 more times for drinks because we just got ignored. We were still eating our starters when the waitresses came and told us the mains are ready and they want to serve it for us. So basically we weren't able to finish our starters and plates got taken away with food on them. We went out for a quick cig between foods and 2 mins later they were running outside to tell us our food is already at the table so we need to hurry up. One of our party's food arrived without the ordered noodles we asked if we could have that served too and basically we have been told we don't know how to order and next time read the menu better. At the end when it came to paying obviously I didn't leave any tip. I don't think that service deserved a single penny extra. However when they took the card machine back and they saw I haven't left they were visible upset about it and started to talk in their own language. Very unprofessional Extremely poor service we didn't wanted to stay here all night we just wanted to celebrate my partner's birthday and enjoy ourselves a bit. NEVER AGAIN

The food is good but the stuff is really unfriendly

A bit tired & dated, certainly seems to be no real pride or enthusiasm in the business. Fish cake starter was actually quite good (hence the two stars) though beyond basic garnish just thrown on the plate (very unusual in Thai cooking!). Monkfish red curry ruined by dreadful pieces of fish that were almost inedible bits of skin & gristle. Really overpriced for what it is.

Great food lovely staff great value

I was looking for somewhere different for a lunchtime business meeting in Banbury and chose Thai Orchid, a long established haunt which I haven't visited for many years. My memory in the past was of having an exotic meal in a semi jungle environment. My recent visit showed there was much less foliage about and the place was less than busy at lunchtime. An interesting menu with plenty of choice but be honest I have had better Thai meals elsewhere. I would say the meal and service was adequet but not more. Service was efficient.

Really nice restaurant, from the small koi pond to the carved tables, gives a real authentic touch, the food has always been exceptional, one of my favourites is the pineapple rice served in a whole pineapple, all you can eat buffet at the weekend with their own made deserts.

Thai paradise!!!, sumptuous dishes and pleasant service coupled with authentic decor...thankyou.

Absolutely fantastic in every way, the honeycomb desert was the best pudding I've ever had ❤️

Came to Banbury for a drink. Saw the Thai Orchid and checked out trip advisor. After negative reviews thought we’d give it a miss. Then thought how bad could it be? Stunning food. Really nice people. Great ambience. Ordered off the menu. Maybe a little pricey but the quality was worth it. Will be back again

We have driven past this restaurant on a number of occasions and decided to visit whilst staying in the area. We were welcomed on arrival, shown to a table and provided with a wide ranging menu. Dietary requirements could be accommodated. The food quality and quantity was excellent, and the service was attentive and friendly. However, we did feel that the costs were comparatively high and would influence whether we would visit again.

I went there thanks to recomendation of my colleague that it is the best Thai restaurant in banbury area. I wasn't disappointed and can confirm his opinion. Food was fantastic, and servicewas discrete but very efficient.

Food is still excellent. Clearing table whilst people are still eating a big NO from me. I also noticed that the dress sense of the waiters and waitresses has definitely declined since my last visit, which adds to the ambience of the type of restaurant.

The buffet just wasn't being refilled quick enough lots of people moaning about the empty food dishes we stopped going for this reason years back but thought we would give another go who wrong we were thats it nether again. HongXin Oriental Buffet at Swindon is over £25 pounds Cheaper for 2 People and blows the Thai Orchid away for quality and service.

A delightful meal very pleasant staff thoroughly recommend 👌

Amazing food, great decor. Reasonably priced.

Had a wonderful meal here lovely place

Lovely lunch. Beautiful fresh food. First time eating here and wont be the last. Gluten free menu too.

Sunday buffet is the best here 😀 Everything is reported all the time. The entire staff is very kind and helpful. I recommend it because there is something to eat 😁

This restaurant was freezing cold and staff really did not want customers! I felt we were an inconvenience and they wanted to shut- we arrived at 7.45pm - so not late! Service was pretty awful and unfriendly. It got to 9.30pm and we were told they wanted to cash up because staff were going home and we had to pay (at the same time as ordering pudding!). At 10pm we were told very aggressively that we “time to go home- very late!”. I felt like a naughty child being told off! We won’t be back in a hurry. Such a shame, use to be a great place- no longer that. It’s expensive for such a cold, unwelcoming experience.

Excellent service and delicious food. This place has been going for years and still doesn't disappoint. The only problem is the price its just become a bit too much. I think its now over priced compared with similar restaurants but still worth a visit

Gorgeous food again, love this place x

First time visit. This place was my husband's fave go-to restaurant when he was stationed at a base nearby many years ago. We had lunch today. The hostess who greeted us was attentive and welcoming as well as the gentleman server. The decor looks pleasantly authentic. Reminds me of the establishments back home. Friendly service, great food and drink. Food was served hot, fresh, and promptly. Looking forward to trying their Sunday buffet. Maraming salamat Po ; )

Food wasn't worth the money nobody finished their meal

Visited lasy night 17th October 2023, amazing food and service. We will be back!!

Really authentic food, atmosphere, and service. The Chicken Satay appetizer is something that I've almost given up on outside Thailand, but I tried it here and it was perfectly cooked, seasons and sauced. It's a simple dish, but was made with care here. The decorations and hand carved furniture are interesting to look at and well above most Thai restaurant standards. We had some curries and one of the fried rice dishes and they were generous portions and delicious. Reasonably priced and enough food to take some home. I'll be back again next time I'm in Banbury.

Hadn't been here for many years but the food was as good we remember and we all had a great evening 😀

Food was pretty spot on. Would defiantly go back if in the area and try out the semi famous banquette. Had the honey duck and the lamb shank.. if you are sensitive to spice like, I'd assume anything with 'curry' has a little kick to it. Lamb shank was a little too spicy for me but the duck and coconut rice was beautiful

Had the pleasure of dining at “Thai Orchard” in Banbury for their Sunday lunch buffet and it surpassed all expectations! For just £23, it stands out as the most value-packed and scrumptious Thai buffet I’ve ever had in the UK. The spread showcased a delightful variety: the skewered roasted pork was juicy and perfectly seasoned, the curry rice carried a depth of flavors that was satisfying, and the coconut noodle soup was creamy with just the right hint of sweetness. Don’t even get me started on the roasted duck noodle soup; its rich broth and tender duck pieces were the stars of my meal. If you’re in Banbury, don’t miss the chance to indulge in “Thai Orchard’s” exquisite buffet spread!

Food is out of this world. Highly recommend

amazing food. I wish I could eat more to try all the food. if you’re looking for a signal, this is it. go to thai orchid :)

Good quality Buffet on the Sunday, £23 per person. Need to get their bang on opening to make sure get good pick on food. It does get really busy as you would expect for the price. Parking at Morrisons super market is free for 3 hours and a short walk. Starters are really good , the main curry’s and desserts let it down. The restaurant has nice decor but the feel of the meal is just head down and eat instead of socialise. Would recommend but one visit is enough as quality over quantity.

Nice selection of dishes. Remember, the buffet is all you can eat, not all you can carry!

The best Thai restaurant ever. This place is just gorgeous, atmosphere is amazing, staff are so friendly. The food is divine. Highly recommend.

Exceptional Thai food. The presentation was amazing. The flavour extraordinary. Enjoyed it all.

A group of 19 (and a baby), we had a really fantastic meal here. Food was exceptional and the service was very very good. They were well organised and friendly and nothing was a bother. We will absolutely be back and cannot recommend highly enough.

Delicious fish and rice evening at the Thai Orchid. bigger than it looks with friendly helpful service.

Fabulous food and service 👌. Not the cheapest but it was excellent. I had the mixed seafood 😋

This is the best place to eat if you like Thai cuisine. Everything is just perfect and set meal prices reasonable. Staff are so friendly and food is served quickly and just right temperature.

Have driven past multiple times in the last year and always wondered what it would be like. Well I am not disappointed in the least. Food was sensational, beautifully decorated environment and pleasant attentitive staff. Will definitely return!

Very tasty meal, well looked after by the staff too, great restaurant.

Beautiful restaurant, wonderful carvings on the surrounds and tables. The food is plentiful and very good. The service was excellent, highly recommended

Only one criticism no disabled toilets have to go up flight of stairs. Disabled toilet would be excellent on ground floor

With friends on a Monday night, not very busy but excellent Thai food. We chose a couple of the set menu's and they were perfect. There was just the right amount of food and it was very well presented. Interesting restaurant that seemed to go back quite away with plenty of seating and unusual decor.

Visited on a Monday evening in July and we had a great meal. Lovely decor inside and great service. The food was so fresh, 2 of us had the set meal at £33 a head which was good value for the amount and quality of the food served. Would recommend and would definitely go back again if in the area.

We found ourselves visiting a family friend in Banbury for the evening, and holy guacamole, am I happy that we chose this place for dinner. The Tom Kha Gai soup was killer. They served the Massaman curry on top of a candle lit bowl to keep it warm - super cool. Some of the best Massaman I've ever had and that's saying a lot as a Houstonian. My wife got the chicken pad thai and loved it. Anytime I find myself back in Banbury, I hope to spend my evening here again.

Never had Thi food before, did not know what to expect. I was surprised with the variety of food all of which was wonderful, fresh, well cooked and well presented. As for the venue, it was Magical absolutely wonderful place.

A little disappointed about vegetarian food menu. Not much choice. Have been to better thai restaurants

In the week you can order food from the menu and eat it in the restaurant or take it as a takeaway. On Sundays there is a lunch buffet. It is very popular so it’s best to book a table in advance. The buffet is £22 per person (£11 for young children). The buffer has a great selection of courses: about 30 starters, about 20 main dishes and about 15 desserts. There are parking spaces near the restaurant.

The decor is impressive. Foods are fabulous except for one dish which is quite salty. Hospitality is commendable. My only problem or issue is the communication. Accents or broken sentences are not the issue. However, if the message relayed has already altered the whole, then that's a massive problem. We ordered a set which says for 2, we clarified again and again and the waitress keeps saying something which we thought we understood each other. Until we got our bill was charged twice the expectations. Never again will I set foot on this restaurant. Sorry.

One star for poor service, they all seem to had a bad day. Another star for terrible taste of their house wine (obvious sour taste, either low quality wine or the bottle have been opened and stored for an extended period of time). Food is OK but there are definitely better options elsewhere in the town for the same money. The environment is nice, exotic decorations and calm background music.

Great food, slightly expensive but worth it as a treat now and then! thank you

Great food, service and authentic atmosphere. If you like Thai food, you will love it here.

The food was very good, the look of the restaurant was amazing, personel were very kind. I decided to give 3 stars only, because I felt like I was tricked. The bill was on £82.45 and I added a £5.00 tip. I Didn't check how much I paid untill I left. Then I saw the bill. The lady whom I paid via card, charged me for the food £87.45 plus she added £8.74 tip. It was unfair and it is theft.

Tried the all you can eat Sunday buffet lunch. Loads of dishes on offer, including meat and vegetarian options plus a big range of puddings. The food was super tasty and hot. The staff were very helpful and attentive. Would definitely recommend.

I went with my wife for dinner and whoa - what an experience we had. The food was one of the very best Thai cuisine we have ever experienced in the UK. The ambience was spellbinding and the service was exemplary. Would recommend anyone who seeks fine cuisine to try this restaurant. Truly world class Thai cuisine.

What a lovely restaurant. The decor is divine. I had a beef curry with garlic rice and it was very nice. I would most certainly visit again. Only thing I felt could be better would be the customer service. I am used to Thai people being really friendly and polite. I didn’t get that here.

Worst experience ever. The restaurant was freezing due to the main door opening directly into the restaurant. We had banquet C for two and I can say it was the worst meal we’ve eaten in a long time. Even the drinks were disappointing with the lemonade in the white wine spritzer being flat and the keir that my partner ordered was warm. I wouldn’t recommend this place to my worst enemy. The total bill was nearly £90 and not worth £10😞

We have been here in the past and always raved about it. Our experience this time was not the same at all…..our wedding anniversary treat to ourselves-was a shambles. We were directed to our table at the back of the restaurant in the conservatory where there were boxes and tables on top of each. The place was FREEZING. Everyone sat around us with their coats on! Service was slow, waitresses were rude. Food came out wrong. When correct food came out it was cold so we had to send it back. Obviously heated up in microwave- beef was tough. No crackers offered. We arrived at 7.30 and we finished eating at 10.30 - this is how long it took for the food to eventually arrive. We commented on our disappointment at the time and was offered a measly 10% discount. As this was our wedding anniversary celebration we were far from impressed. Will we return after this experience - No!

Went to eat here as we were visiting a friend in Banbury, The decor looks okay but very dated. The my partner and our friend are both gluten intolerant and were given a gluten free menu, but several of the dishes on that menu are on the regular menu and are several pounds cheaper. The dishes that were served were luke warm and smelled either sweaty or of pee ! My partner wanted the strawberries and meringue for dessert, but was told by the waitress that it contained sponge! very unusual and not entirely believable. The dessert he finally chose was Thai custard, which was actually creme caramel. The toilets had ivy growing through the window and was not very clean. When we were paying the bill with one of the several miserable waitresses, she asked how much we were going to leave as a tip, so she could add it to the bill. I said I would tip in cash, as I usually do, to make sure the staff get it. I am a bit silly and should not have tipped at all as it was not worth a tip because of the unhelpful staff, but anyway, as we got up to leave a Thai man was hovering next to us to see if we left a tip on the table. As soon as we moved, he pounced to see what we had left. Thank goodness, we found a nice little place across the road to eat ,next time we visit , as the place needs drastic improvement. !!

Awesome everything there food always amazing even my grandson loves it there 😀 😋

This is the 2nd trip to the Sunday buffet service and whilst the first time was a very good experience, hence the return, this time however left a bitter taste. The food was plentiful, tasty and a vast selection, but when it came to the end to pay the bill, it was a bit of a standoff between us and the waitress. We were entertaining family and we always split the bill, but when the waitress arrived she very rudely stated that she wanted us to pay a tip each and round up the bill. I fully appreciate that some staff are working flat out and the energy prices are through the roof etc etc, however I would only pay a tip if the service was above and beyond and the fact that it was a set price for the self service buffet, we shouldn't be bullied to add a forced tip on top. I'm afraid we won't be returning in the near future.

Most food was good but the beef dish I had was very salty, watery and lacking in depth of flavour. A large amount of the beef was fat and gristle and not as youd expect.

Food was great. Shame where they used to have crispy duck is now crispy pork, even for a Sunday…And the price is slightly higher. But still the best lunch in town.

Nice food, topnotch hospitality and friendly atmosphere.

My wife and I have been to this restaurant many times over the years and unfortunately have noticed things slipping of late. First the portion sizes have become much smaller where as the bill has become bigger. On visiting tonight we were treated almost as...

Finger licking food. Prices at the higher range. If you can afford, go for the seafood set menu.

A very warm welcome by the staff

Delicious meal and a lovely ambiance.

Delicious food, beautifully prepared and very tasty. Great variety to choose from too.