The Rising Sun Thai & Pan-Asian in Christchurch

I recently dined at this restaurant on Saturday and, unfortunately, the experience was not up to the standard I had hoped for. We had reserved a table in the outdoor heated area, but were seated next to a large group of about 25 people. The noise was overwhelming, making it hard for my friends and me to hear each other. I noticed another nearby table of older guests also struggling with the noise level. I asked if we could be moved inside, but was told that wasn’t possible, which I understand. However, the noise completely disrupted our meal. The food itself had its highlights—the starter was excellent, and the main dish was enjoyable. Unfortunately, there was an issue with our order of rice. When placing our order, we were told that an additional portion of rice could be brought out within two minutes if needed. However, when we ordered a second portion, it never arrived. After waiting for 15-20 minutes, our server asked if we had received it, and by that time, our food had gone cold, and we had lost our appetite. When we said we no longer wanted the rice, the server responded with a casual “No worries,” without offering any apology or solution. We didn’t address the issues with the staff at the time because the noise had given me a headache, and we just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

Wow this was a find , excellent food at competitive prices and excellent service delivery of super food . Not to be missed.

Wow lovely surprise excellent food and at competitive prices . Excellent service and quality delivery of a lovely range of food offers .

Came here for a dinner date. We ordered Pad Thai noodles and Tempura with some other dishes, it was absolutely amazing, loved every bit of it. Would 100% recommend it

Lovely Thai fusion restaurant, the atmosphere is just right and the service is great. I had the soft shell crab but was a bit confused by the wasabi mayo it came with, it wasn’t a good match for me. The pad Thai was solid, not the best I’ve had in UK but up there.

Very good but expensive. Main courses really need to include rice at this price. Food, especially Massaman curry excellent. Enjoyed.

I went for lunch today with my family. The food was amazing, friendly staff, and a really smart looking and very clean restaurant. Would definitely visit again, and would recommend to others too!

Lovely restaurant, great food with great service.

Attitude of the new barman is not hospitable... and you dare not complain............................... come bac Justin& Zoe From Nomi & Paul

Having been 10+ times in total I would normally give the rising sun a 5/5 for everything. However this trip tonight was dire, far too busy for its own good, service took an hour + for mains to arrive, the salmon for my wife arrived cold as if it had sat on the side for 15 minutes and my chicken was insipid and swimming in sauce. Manager was barely apologetic and was only given the salmon off the £66 bill (after the reduction). Won’t be rushing back, so very disappointing!

Thank you so much for your help on the 25th (Justin). Amazing highly recommend.

Lovely atmosphere in either the inside or covered outside area. The latter being our favourite. Have visited this establishment several times whilst in Christchurch over the last couple of years. Each time we have had friendly service from the staff and lovely food and drinks. Only slight criticism this last visit was the length of time waiting to have our orders taken and clearing of plates between courses. Hopefully this was just a one off event. We will visit again no doubt.

There was a technical fault with the ordering system which meant our order was taken but not sent to the kitchen, waited for 45 minutes and other tables that came in after us had their meals, i know it wasn't the serving staffs fault but not once did they think "hmm why do they not have any food on the table, i'll go check". once we advised them of the case our food came out sharpish and was very well cooked and tastes awesome. the outside tables had a nice ambience too. will come back when in the area again.

Walked in at 8.22 to be told kitchen was closed. Restaurant half full, at best, and google saying open until 10. Hostess blank said closed and turned us away.

Lovely food. Staff so polite and helpful. Nice ambience outside

We had dinner here early on a Saturday night, there were several other customers in when we arrived, with others coming and going throughout while we were there for about an hour and a half. The atmosphere was OK, however it could possibly get loud in there with more people later in the evening, along with it being fairly dark inside. The staff were mostly friendly however our daughter thought one of them gave off an air of superiority with her when she ordered a drink. We found the menu choices to be disapointedly very limited, with there only being one red and green curry option i.e. king prawn red rather than being able to select any. The portion size was generous and the flavours mostly good as the noodles were very dry. We would have preferred being given an empty plate to serve our meals on to, rather than trying to eat it from the two seperate serving bowls/dishes. Prices were a bit high for what we had compared to others we have visited in the area and elsewhere, overall we would prefer to use one of those in the future.

Great food great staff Always a lovely experience

The fishcake starter was unrecognizable, but other than that, there was nothing wrong with the food. It just lacked that wow factor. The service was friendly but intermittent, probably because they were quite busy on Saturday. Overall, it was an average meal at an average price. This wasn't surprising to me since I had dined there before and knew what to expect.

The food was amazing, really tasty. We sat in the outside area, loved the atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and polite. Would definitely recommend.

Our large family all had superb food and a great experience on Friday evening, many thanks! We thought it was very good value, didn't wait too long and it was cosy and inviting. We will certainly be back.

All of the staff were excellent.... A really pleasant experience.

Superb service, great food attentive staff. Definitely a repeat visit is on the cards.

Our 4th or 5th visit here, excellent as always.

Great food, friendly staff and vibey atmosphere! 🌟

Great place for good home cooked pan Asian food. I live in London and visit my friends about 4 times a year. The treat each time I visit is to take my friends for Sunday lunch at The Rising Sun The food is amazing here. Staff fantastic where nothing is too much trouble. They even have an extensive set menu for lunch at £15.95 doe 2 courses. I’ve attached a photo of my shrimp Thai green curry. Not actually on the menu but the chef swapped out chicken for shrimp for me. Nothing is too much trouble. They also have parking which is a bonus!! If you are in the area please don’t miss out on this amazing little jewel. I have my pick of restaurants in London but the cooking here is the best.

Stunning pan Asian fusion and the best Thai food I've had outside of Thailand. Beautiful surrounded, great service. Cannot recommend highly enough!

Great pub, lovely food and atmosphere. One of the best in Christchurch. Went with friends and I had the curry which was tasty. Excellent service and good value

Great service, staff were very helpful and friendly.

Very poor service. Arrived to find we sat in the outer room, absolutely freezing ! The food was ok however we bought a round of drinks which despite asking on several occasions took about half an hour to arrive which meant we had an entire main course with no drinks. Won’t be going back !

Very nice Thai food, and good service with a smile in a pub atmosphere.

Lovely atmosphere. Very helpful staff and polite friendly service. Good Thai menu. The chicken has a fabulous flavour. It's comfortable and very reasonable. We love it and thoroughly recommend it.

We took a friend out for dinner as a birthday treat and had an excellent evening. Everything was perfect, we were greeted with a warm welcome and then had a very tasty, well cooked Thai meal. The place was pretty full for mid week which is always a good sign and it did not disappoint. Then the waiter approached us and asked about our friend’s birthday and brought us a dessert with a candle and a glass of fizz. A very nice touch for a perfect end to a lovely night.

I would 100% recommend this establishment. We went here for the first time for a family celebration on a recommendation from a friend. All six of us could not fault one thing about this place. I will definitely be going back.

We had a really nice experience here, everything was great, the restaurant and service were spot on and the food was very tasty and good value for money. Will definitely return.

Very enjoyable, staff were all very nice and food was good.

I highly recommend it to Taj Food lovers 😉

Service was not as expected had to go to bar to order drinks which was disappointing as there was more than adequate staffing levels on evening. No clear direction and no obvious front of house manager. Starters was expected (basic and simple) Mains and side dishes were well below expectations. The staff were pre occupied with their own private conversations. Prices exceeded acceptable standards. Would not visit again.

A modern vibrant interior in this pub which is home to a fab Thai restaurant. The service is upbeat and attentive and the food excellent. A good menu choice and plenty of tweaks available such as with or without garlic and chilli. Portions are generous.

We had a Christmas do in The Rising Sun. Lovely place, beautiful interior and friendly and organised service. We had a great time! Food is fantastic with generous portions. Definitely recommended.

Met with a friend for lunch and opted for the reasonably priced 2 dishes for £15.50. I'm allergic to chillis, so it is we nice to be able to check the menu before arriving on the website to know that there were going to be dishes that weren't spicy included, and to confirm no chillis were in the dishes on arrival (especially as I love a chicken satay!) There is a small car park which was great, and the decor and general atmosphere was warm and inviting. It was a little busy even for an early lunch service, so I think a popular choice with locals. A small thing, but a touch both myself and friend enjoyed, was out soft drinks being served on wine glasses. Food was well cooked and tasty, although I found my BBQ pork a little underseasoned. All in all a nice little place to meet for lunch and I would happily go again.

Just down for weekend booked evening meal but got date wrong and they managed to accommodate us on a very busy Saturday night so can’t thank them enough , food was best I had and the portions were so generous Highly recommend to anyone visiting, Book early as all locals know a good thing

Great venue & lovely staff. Nice for a comfy chat & chill with friends...

We had an amazing group dinner for 15 last night at the Rising Sun. The food was outstanding, service quick and staff friendly and helpful. A great evening out - I would recommend to all! Thank you Rising Sun, Christchurch!

Great evening here as always. It was quite noisy where we sat, they could maybe do with some partitioning between tables to cut the noise or something similar. Apart from that it was very good.

Revisited after long absence today, Saturday 18th November 2023. Lovely starters of tempura vegetables and spring rolls. Chicken and pineapple with rice and I had the sizzling vegetables and noodles. Very tasty. Nice drinks too. Will return soon.😋

Veggie tempura. . Nice but not as spectacular as the last time I visited. Had the veggie noodles then and was just a tad disappointed. .just couod have been an exciting dish bit a bit half hearted. Friend had chicken satay which was good.

Excellent lunch time menu. Good food. Price increased to £15.95 for 2 courses but still good value. Fab venue. Attentive staff. Maybe need to vary the menu a bit now as hasn’t changed for a long time!

The service and food was excellent, I took a friend who was celebrating her 91st birthday and she was immensely pleased, my doesn't eat much so had 2 king prawn starters 1 for starter and 1 for main, Thank you

We enjoyed the warm and friendly atmosphere at the Rising Sun. There is a choice of cask and keg beers, draught Guinness, wines, and many other drinks. We have brought our friends to the restaurant in the past, and they shared our enjoyment of the food, and the friendly service of the staff. There is plenty of seating, both inside and outside, very comfortable throughout the year. George, the manager, is always welcoming, helpful and efficient. We would be very happy to return to the Rising Sun in the future.

quite bland and watery. very expensive

Our 2nd visit, service is superb thanks to our server Freya and the other staff, many thanks

Great thai food in a great pub. Service was excellent.

really good food and i cannot find any complaint except closing for lunch at 2pm which was not on their site when i looked,been going there for many years.shame mr poon does not do the cooking very often as you notice the difference..

the best restaurant there is! amazing food that looks fresh and tastes outstanding! the waitresses are lovely and kind. i cant wait to come back here for my birthday in a couple of weeks. much love to this place x

We are sat here now, my regret is I have not found it before. The ambience is amazing, so we'll thought out 👍🏼. We than move to the food - absolutely stunning and so much of it. Love this place. Then we move on to the staff, the owners should be so proud, they have found the best staff around here. I cannot praise the girls enough. This place should not be missed, an absolute hidden gem. Cannot wait to come back again. We all love this place. Well done to you all.

Visiting on a short break for our wedding anniversary. We hadn’t booked but luckily they squeezed us into the outdoor area which is LUSH. So beautiful. Food incredible! Thank you

Fantastic food and service, we'll worth the short walk out of Christchurch High Street

Lovely tasty food well prepared and presented.

Lovely food and great service. Will definitely be back!

The best Thai food I’ve had. We enjoy the atmosphere and it’s great you can sit outside if you wish, no matter what the weather! The staff are always friendly and attentive.

One of my favourite restaurants! Would highly recommend. Service is fantastic, beautiful atmosphere, incredible food! Staff are lovely and friendly, 10/10! This aesthetically pleasing restaurant is everything you could ask for and more! I love taking my friends and family here. Very popular so would highly recommend to book!

The BEST Thai meal I have ever had. Not was the food impeccable but the service was next to nothing that I have experienced before. The food came out piping hot and was extremely fresh, I’m convinced the crab was caught that day it was so good! On top of the food being great, our drinks were served to us promptly by lovely staff m, which made us want to stay after our meal for more drinks. The garden has been designed beautifully and you get a really nice authentic Thai Feel. I will 100% be dining here again, 11 out of 10! Thank you to all of the Rising Sun team for a lovely evening!

Absolutely brilliant. Wheelchair access was provided when asked. Friendly, fast, efficient service and the food was incredible. The best prawn toast in the world. Don't believe any of the 1-star reviews, absolute nonsense.

Tables and chairs are rustic. Meals are ok but poor value.

Hands down the best Thai in the BPC area for vegetarian, vegan options. They even have a separate menu for vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options which is super inclusive! Love the great service, amazing ambience and what tasty food. Will be my regular !

One of my favourite restaurants! Would highly recommend. Service is fantastic, beautiful atmosphere, incredible food! Staff are lovely and friendly, 10/10! This aesthetically pleasing restaurant is everything you could ask for and more! I love taking my friends and family here. Very popular so would highly recommend to book!

The Rising Sun in Christchurch is such an amazing restaurant! The food is delicious, we were all so pleased with the service. The Rising Sun is modern with such a lovely atmosphere! I would HIGHLY highly recommend . The staff are so friendly and attentive, I felt they went above and beyond to make our evening special. I visited with a few friends on Saturday evening and we were all so impressed! Definitely the best restaurant I have visited for amazing Thai/ Pan Asian food. They also have a beautiful outside area, where we had a few drinks after our meal. I have already booked to come again and cannot wait!

Tried this place while on a weekend break in Highcliff. Had a lovely meal. Nice menu, specials menu and separate veggie/vegan menu. Food was all fresh, hot and tasty. Service was very polite and certainly not hurried. Would definitely recommend.

!Waste of money! Almost fell on my face walking in due to the unmarked steps. Noticed no disabled access. Semi-warm welcome. Starter bland. When finished starters our mains arrived 2 mins later but were not hot. Like they'd been cooked 20 mins ago and sat waiting. Ordered a banquet for 3 people. Menu says minimum 2 people for £27.50 to order a banquet. We thought, bargain. 3 starters, 3 mains and a rice. We were charged £27.50 each and would've spent half of that buying our own mains and sides and they would've turned up HOT. Hardly any meat, we bought an extra noodles and that took 30 mins to arrive. We still left hungry. Bar ladies very rude, clearly no customer service experience. Never again.

Almost fell on my face walking in due to the unmarked steps. Noticed no disabled access. Semi-warm welcome. Starter bland. When finished starters our mains arrived 2 mins later but were not hot. Like they'd been cooked 20 mins ago and sat waiting. Ordered a...

Atmosphere marked down because of really unsuitable clubbing musak. The very happy sounds of guests enjoying the food and company was negated by the foreground musak.

Excellent evening, good food and pleasant staff

I’ve been there 3 times now and have ok meals but…., This time the meal was ok but the bill was awful. We got charged for the next tables drinks and when I questioned it the waitress said I was wrong!! I pointed out the...

Lovely food, good service, good value. Would definitely recommend

Apart from being a jolly good pub what a wonderful place to eat excellent food with very good service by attentive staff plus a large outside/undercover dining area

Great meal staff good lovely place

Recommendations from two or three friends in Christchurch led us to believe this would be the best tasting Thai food in the area. Sadly, it was not to be the tempura prawns were unfortunately without taste, and covered in thick batter. they were presented nicely...

Visited for a birthday and had a great time. Food was lovely, service was very good. Did not have to wait long for anything and staff could answer any questions we had.

Excellent lunch time deal as ever. Awesome food and service. Good choice of food and drinks. Recommend booking a table in the outside area. Really superb.

Very surprised with The Rising Sun. From the road, it looked rather unappealing. But inside it was excellent. The food was brilliant.

Wir haben hier sehr gut gegessen - es gab eine gute Auswahl an asiatischen Gerichten und sowohl unsere Vorspeisen als...

Great inside must go there for food

Have been before and it was always good. This time round we were all thoroughly disappointed. Staff are great and always doing their best. Also the temperature inside was rather uncomfortable and our fellow diners suffered too. The “banquet” portions seem to have been considerably...

We had lunch midweek in June. We sat in a half-covered, half-open courtyard -- ventilated well enough for Covid not to be a concern, and an attractive environment. Food was tasty and fresh. Spicy dishes were clearly marked, so those of us who wanted to avoid them could do so. Meals came to about £15 each, plus £6 for dessert.

Great Place to meet and eat with friends. Food was excellent, service was excellent, overall a fantastic experience and will be back real soon

The food was delicious - we are both vegetarian and there was a whole vegetarian/ vegan menu available. Would definitely recommend the chilli salt broccoli. The staff were really friendly, too. We visited when we were on holiday but would definitely return again if we...

There's dragon fly pan Asia in Ashley Cross Bournemouth/poole area don't mix them up , ones pub restaurant in Christchurch one in Ashley Cross is high class restaurant 👌

On a busy bank holiday, the restaurant was packed but the staff were efficient, quick and friendly. We opted for the set meal which was good value with a lovely variety of food. Definitely will return.

We had take away food, but place itself looks so good. We had to wait about 20 mins max, which is quick and nice. Food was tasty! We really enjoyed it! The only thing they did not have cutlery, which we borrowed from a nearby restaurant 😁😁

Love this place. Great quality food, and always busy, so book well in advance!

Excellent experience all round. Service outstanding! We Loved sitting in the extension with the rolled up windows and 'Bird cage' lamp shades on a hot evening. Felt I was on holiday. Will definitely return!

Great Asian food, great service in a nice British pub.

I'm not entirely sure what happened as I've been hearing great things about the food from here and have been eager to visit. However on my visit if I was not dining with someone else I would have sent the food back to the kitchen. We ordered the Spring rolls, satay chicken skewers and beef ribs as starters. The ribs and chicken where dry and tough as old boots. The satay sauce was thin, runny and bland. If I served that to my guests at home I'd be embarrassed. My meal was the beef in black bean. The green peppers where raw and no other vegetables like mushrooms or tenderstem broccoli. I had ample beef but my friend who had a chicken curry only had about 4 pieces of chicken in his meal and I felt bad enough to share my meal with him. We both agreed this food had been thrown together. The Mojito cocktail tasted like water and had 2 bits of limp mint at the bottom and I just had to send it back. 😢😢

This review has been long over due. I have been frequently visiting The Rising sun for many years. The food, drinks, staff and Atmosphere have always been exceptional and yet again they haven’t disappointed. I’m on my 4th visit for lunch this week whilst I’m...

One of our favourite places to go anytime anyday! Great atmosphere friendly staff and amazing food!

Went here for the lunch offer. Very friendly and professional young girls serving. The place was very atmospheric and cozy and the food was very nice. Would recommend.

Tasty food, lunch is great value!

The decor was nice and the drinks arrived swiftly. We ordered vegetable spring rolls to start with and they were the worst spring rolls I have ever had. They had virtually no filling, just empty fried shells. Definitely not worth £7.50. But we didn't complain...

Wow! The food is amazing and the service was great. We arrived just as the kitchen was closing but they bent over backwards to sort us out with some of the best Thai food I have tasted. They are also Dog friendly ( outside ).

Delicious food, would highly recommend however the staff even though it was a busy Friday night were not attentive. We were left waiting to order drinks on several occasions and had to ask for the bill twice.