Thaikhun — Restaurant in Manchester

Thaikhun – Thai food that tantalises the mouth

Thank you for the service and hospitality that we received when visiting your Manchester restaurant last Friday for a pre-theatre meal.

Food and Menu

The menu is simple however it is small to read.

There are a great selection of dishes that cater for all types of diner from the Meat lover to the Vegetarian.

For Starters there are some sharing platters that are great for groups of people that like Thai food. There are also small plates too. The dishes on offer include Spring Rolls, Sweetcorn Cakes, Chicken Wings, Coconut Prawns, Shrimp, Prawn Toast and more. There is also Prawn Crackers to start if that is your vibe.

For Mains there are a great selection of Curries, Noodles and Stir Fries with different flavours and spice levels.

Your dish can be accompanied by a selection of Rice. This includes Sticky Rice, Jasmine Rice and Egg Fried Rice. You can also get a bowl of Chips too.

If you have a sweet tooth then there are some good Desserts including Pancakes and a Chocolate Cheesecake. If you are a fan of cold Desserts then there is a selection of Ice Cream on offer too.

For Starters the Spring Rolls were delicious. Deep fried with a lovely crispy batter with a filling that was so soft and comforting to eat. The Shrimp was irresistible to eat. They were juicy and mouth watering. The Coconut Prawns were tasty and were presented on a skewer. It made it a bit messy and so I would have preferred it to be on a plate however they were still succulent with a battered topping. The Prawn Crackers were great. The Crackers were crispy on the outside with a soft texture on the inside. They are always great to start a meal. They also come with pots of Sweet Chilli dip which enhances the flavour of the food. All the Starters are ideal for sharing within a group to create a fun vibe.

For the Mains the Sweet and Sour Prawns were full of flavour with big juicy Prawns that melted in the mouth with a great variety of Vegetables that added colour and bite to the dish. The Sticky Rice was yummy on the whole with the edges a bit hard to eat. The Chips were a great addition as they were cooked perfectly. They were crispy on the outside and with soft fluffy Potato on the outside.

For the sweet event the Chocolate Cheesecake was heaven. Rich gooey Chocolate on a buttery biscuit base that was superb in texture and flavour. In addition the Vanilla Ice Cream complemented well against the rich and indulgent Chocolate. It was beautifully presented in a fine dining way.

Drinks

This restaurant has a small but a good selection of Mocktails with great flavours including Pineapple, Coconut, Apple, Watermelon, Passion fruit and more.

The one that I had was the Virgin Kelada. It was refreshing, fruity and punchy. It transported me to the beach in terms of its flavours.

Service

The service was excellent. The staff at the restaurant were friendly, attentive, and accommodating to my needs. They gave us the time to pick the best food and drink options for our meal. All the food was cooked fresh and it was beautifully presented.

Lighting and Access

The lighting at this restaurant was decent enough. We were offered a table next to the window which gives natural light in addition to the lighting at Thaikhun. It allowed me to enjoy the meal in a way that was easy to see but also within a relaxed and a vibrant setting.

In relation to access at the restaurant then there is a small step in order to enter the building and everything is on one level which is great as there are no stairs to navigate inside.

Parking

Parking is available on Lower Byron Street which is a short walk away to the restaurant. It is pay and display where it is also free for Blue Badge Holders.

Pricing

The price of dishes at Thaikhun are quite expensive but as the food is tasty, flavoursome and is beautifully presented then there is no harm treating yourself to a lovely meal here once in a while.

Go to Thaikhun if you are a lover of Thai food and you will not be...

We went to Thaikun — once our favourite place in Manchester, but sadly, not anymore. It’s incredible how just one server can ruin an entire evening.

Here’s what happened: We had a table booked for 8:30 PM, but we arrived slightly early, around 8:20 PM. Our server was Leila. She approached us and asked if we were ready to order. I explained that we were still waiting for my wife and our 2-year-old son, and that they should arrive in about five minutes. At that moment, it was just me, my mum, and my brother at the table.

Leila replied, quite curtly, that the last orders could only be taken until 9 PM because the kitchen is closed post 9. To be on the safe side, I ordered a full tower of beers and a starter around 8:30 PM.

My wife and son arrived around 8:40 PM. Feeling pressured, I got annoyed at my wife when she arrived and asked her why she had booked such a late table. She insisted that the restaurant was open until 10 PM, which is what we had understood.

At around 8:45 PM, Leila brought our starters. However, even before she properly placed the food down, she abruptly asked if we were ready to order our mains. The way she slid the food onto the table was extremely rude — it completely killed my appetite.

While ordering the mains, my 2-year-old son touched a small keyring or item on her belt. Instead of responding kindly, she snapped at him, saying, “You shouldn’t do that.” Can you imagine how awful that felt?

Despite this, she continued with her unpleasant attitude, almost throwing the food on the table when she served us. At that point, my wife also got upset. I don’t know if Leila sensed the growing tension, but she sarcastically kept asking if “everything was okay” before eventually storming off.

What made things worse was that I noticed guests were still arriving even after 9 PM — clearly, they were still accepting customers, which completely contradicted what we were told.

I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I couldn’t help wondering if there was an element of racism involved. My family is Indian, and my wife is White British. It’s confusing, though, because Leila herself is Asian (Thai), and I’m Indian, so maybe it wasn’t racism, but it certainly felt like we were treated differently.

My wife was really upset, and so was the rest of my family. I ended up spending over £130 on below-average food and terrible service.

Back in the day, Thaikun used to be known for its great service. Now it feels like they’re profiling customers based on appearances and how much they think you can afford to spend.

I have no personal vendetta, but honestly, Leila should find another job where she doesn’t have to deal with people if that’s how she’s going to behave. The management should seriously focus on customer service instead of just viewing guests as cash cows.

I’m truly disappointed and will never go back there again.

That said, Thailand still holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve visited many times and always found the Thai people incredibly warm and hospitable — nothing like what we experienced at Thaikun.

Sadly, on the way back, my wife and I even ended up falling out because of how the night went. Thanks, Thaikun, for ruining what was supposed to be a lovely...

Not been here since last year, but this will be my 4th time at this restaurant, and the food and service has always been amazing. Went in today around 2pm, and the lady at front of house had a disgusting attitude. Came for a family meal with my 6yr old, 2yr old (in a fully collapsible stroller) and other family members. The front of house lady got me a highchair and told me she would need to place my stroller near the toilet area, but I told her that it folds down to a very compact size so no need to place it in the corridor near the toilet, I'll just put it next to the end seat which is out of everybody's way. Obviously for some reason she didn't like what I said and dumped the highchair about 1 meter away from our table and stormed off. My niece overheard her telling another member of staff behind my back that I didn't want to store my stroller in the corridor which I thought was very unprofessional , and the restaurant wasn't even busy at all. That really made me feel uncomfortable whilst sat in the restaurant knowing she was annoyed about the stroller situation. Apart from that, the food and other staff who served us were lovely as always, it's just one person who says things behind your back that can make your whole experience not very nice, hence the 2 stars I'm giving for...