Zaap Thai Street Food Durham — Restaurant in Great Britain

Visited on the 27th of September 2025

Food - I’ve been to other restaurants from this chain around the UK and decided to try this venue.

Spring rolls - good Krapow gai - was excellent and authentic Tod man pla - don’t bother. I was very disappointed as the fish cakes are small in size but more importantly had no taste no flavour. I know about flavour because I was married to a Thai and has spent years in Thailand.

So I’ve given them four stars for food

Service - 1 star The service would’ve been five stars, but I reduced it to one because I was spoken to very rudely by the male server host in the restaurant . I reflected on this overnight and would share the following thoughts.

The restaurant was very busy It looked like they were understaffed and this was further corroborated by him The team are really doing their best Every server was constantly on the go

So I really did feel for them under the circumstances

I had to wait a lot longer for my food than I would’ve expected and my family had received all of their food and I had to wait a further 10 minutes for my food to arrive so I shared an observation with one of the female servers stating that the food was piling up on the serving desk and that in my view more of the team should be serving the food out to the tables as it was just getting cold . So it was a suggestion and observation that I shared, but this was taken as an attack by the male servo who was also listening in on my observation.

He spoke to me in a manner that involved raising his voice and almost shouting at me in the restaurant. I absolutely don’t mind being scolded if I’m wrong or I’ve done something wrong but when you share an observation in a polite manner to then receive a barrage of loud shouts- I find his unacceptable.

The male server should think about how he occurs himself with his guests. Yes, he was very stressed. He was very busy but there is absolutely no need to shout at your guests when they are making an innocent suggestion..

To the male server - I suggest you think about your behaviour and think about how you could have handled my suggestions in a formal constructive manner.

I will give it...

An Unforgettable Journey to Thailand in Durham! What a truly sensational experience! I'm struggling to find the words to describe the sublime journey I just took to Thailand, right here in Durham. This isn't just a restaurant; it’s an absolute destination. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with the warmest, most authentic smiles, a true testament to Thailand's reputation as the "country of smiles." The entire staff, from the kitchen geniuses to the front-of-house superstars, exude a level of hospitality that is simply unmatched. The food? Oh my god, the food is beyond a five-star rating—it’s a solid 10-star experience! Every single dish was an explosion of authentic flavors that transported my taste buds straight to the streets of Bangkok. And the Chang beer? It was so crisp and perfect, it genuinely felt like I was back in Thailand. The staff went above and beyond to make our evening extraordinary. A huge, heartfelt thank you to two shining stars: our server, the amazing Zoey (FOH), and the wonderful manager, Joey. They were not just attentive; they were absolutely spectacular, making my friends' and my experience truly unforgettable. If you want an authentic Thai experience—from the incredible food and culture to the beautiful, genuine smiles—you absolutely must come here. They deserve every bit of success and praise. Thank you all so much for making this an absolutely amazing and...

Had a great experience visiting Zaap Durham yesterday! Great variety of dishes to choose from. Ordered vegetarian pad see ew, pad kee mao and Tom yum. They were freshly cooked, served pipping hot, and packed with flavour! Noodles were beautifully wok tossed and were of generous portion. For the Tom yum I would love it to be more tangy, sour and spicy with more lemongrass and galangal :) Also had pandan pancake for dessert and it was filled with gooey pandan custard that’s not too sweet😍 Will visit again next time and try their non-vegetarian dishes too!

Friendly staff members worth a shoutout as service was great and I’m sure they take food hygiene seriously. I saw them regularly disinfecting food preparation surfaces and washing their hands before handling food which is a huge plus. Thank you and keep up the...