Smile Thai Cafe & Takeaway — Restaurant in England

I took my mum for a belated mother's day lunch, having looked for a Thai restaurant near her place in Swindon. Encouraged by other reviews, we decided to give it a go, hesitating to get too excited, because too many Thai restaurants in England are westernised, in an almost Chinese takeaway way. I was excited when we entered, because though the space is small, clean and charming, it's not elaborately decorated, it is lovely, but simple, as good restaurants tend to be in Thailand. The menu was comprehensive, with popular dishes like the curries we all love, pad Thai, soups and stir fries, with a few notable gems. One HUGE bonus, was that many of the usually wheat dishes are available gluten- free, which was fab, because my mum is coeliac. Mum ordered the pad Thai, and gf tempura vegetables, and I ordered the crispy sea bass, which had a lemongrass, chili and garlic sauce and jasmine rice. When my plate was served, the aroma that wafted up made me mutter "oh wow. " and I leaned over for a good sniff, noticing an elderly lady smiling at me from another table, giving me a big thumbs- up, as if to say "I know, right? ' When i took my first bite, I was back in Thailand for a moment and got goosebumps all down my arms and legs. My mum made "oh, my god, this is amazing..." noises, encouraging me to try her dish. It was easily the best pad Thai I've had outside Thailand. Her iced tea was spot- on too. I've already gone on long enough, but in summary, the good was absolutely perfect, our waitress Mooki was absolutely wonderful, chatting with us for a while, and introducing us to her husband, the chef, who was also lovely, with a real enthusiasm for the cuisine and the local community. He also gave us a recommendation for a fantastic Thai grocer a couple of miles away, which was very exciting for me, as a passionate cook and student of Thai cooking. This little gem is an hour from my house in Bracknell, but will absolutely be worth the drive when I return again and again with my husband and friends. If I could give out Michelin...

This was our second visit to Swindon and Smile Thai Cafe and unfortunately, we had a terrible experience.

We arrived without a reservation, and since no tables were available, we decided to order food to take away. While waiting, a table became free, so we asked if we could sit there instead. The waiter seemed hesitant but didn't mention that the table was reserved. We also inquired if there was a price difference between dining in and taking away. We were told that the table was, in fact, already booked.

Shortly after, another table opened up, so we requested to sit there instead. Surprisingly, we were told that this table was also reserved. We were stunned by the treatment and explained that we were willing to pay any price difference just to have a place to sit, as it was already 8:30 p.m. and our son hadn't eaten yet. We were informed that both tables were reserved for 8:40 p.m.

They insisted that we pay the price difference upfront, without knowing that we intended to order drinks as well. Throughout the interaction, the waiter continuously pointed out the prices, seemingly implying that we couldn't afford it. When our crackers didn't arrive, the waiter even looked under the table as if suggesting we had hidden them to take away.

We left by 9:30 p.m., and the two parties with the supposed reservations never arrived. Unless you are white, well-dressed, have a reservation, and wear your finest jewelry, I would not recommend this place. This was discrimination...

Absolutely worth all of the glowing reviews.

A group of 14 of us went from work. I spoke to them on the phone when booking the table and I offered to take everyone's orders in advance and send them over, which they appreciated. I also had to pay a deposit for such a large group which was also fair.

Once we had all arrived, the food started to come out. The staff delivering the food used people's names from the list to hand them out - it's a small detail but made the experience very personalised. All of the staff were extremely friendly - no wonder it is called Smile!

Everyone enjoyed their food. It has a wonderful professional home cooked style to it - like going to a friend's for dinner where you friend happens to be a chef. Note: if you only like a dish slightly spicy, be sure to mention that when you order as the spicy dishes really are spicy!

At the end, the bill was very reasonably priced.

All in all, highly recommended. Only slight gripe is the parking situation, which isn't their fault, and the are a handful of spots right outside the front which is great if you can nab one, and Morrisons at Regent Circus isn't...