
Thai Express (Birmingham)
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Quick info
About Thai Express (Birmingham)
Thai Express is a Thai restaurant at 50 Stephenson St in Birmingham city centre, at Bullring Grand Central by New Street station. The menu is built around bowls you assemble yourself: pick a base, choose a protein, then set the spice from mild to very spicy. Everything is served from an open kitchen. Pad Thai and Thai red curry are among the dishes ordered, and Thairacha chicken bites are listed among the sides. Orders run by number, and the counter staff call each number out when a dish is ready for collection. Cutlery is self-service at the counter. Dine-in meals come on disposable paper plates with paper cutlery and disposable spoons.
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Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention pad thai, red curry, chicken fried rice and chicken satay stir fry.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention pad thai, red curry, chicken fried rice and chicken satay stir fry.
Customer Review Summary
Thai red curry draws the most praise, with one diner calling the beef in it lovely and tender and another saying the Thai chicken curry is not to be missed. General Thai is named the star of one group's order. Close behind are the chicken satay stir fry with its peanutty sauce, chicken fried rice, tom yum soup and the Thairacha chicken bites. Several reviewers also mention large portions and friendly staff, and one likes choosing a base, a protein and a spice level. Pad Thai is the recurring weak spot. One reviewer found it doused in soy sauce with chewy beef, and another describes hard, undercooked noodles, burnt patches and mostly chicken with only a few pieces of tofu. One reviewer felt the portions were small for the price. Dining in on disposable paper plates and cutlery also draws complaints, with soggy plates and bent spoons under hot curry. On another visit the counter ran out of forks, and a staff member found some midway through the meal.
Customer Review Summary
Thai red curry draws the most praise, with one diner calling the beef in it lovely and tender and another saying the Thai chicken curry is not to be missed. General Thai is named the star of one group's order. Close behind are the chicken satay stir fry with its peanutty sauce, chicken fried rice, tom yum soup and the Thairacha chicken bites. Several reviewers also mention large portions and friendly staff, and one likes choosing a base, a protein and a spice level. Pad Thai is the recurring weak spot. One reviewer found it doused in soy sauce with chewy beef, and another describes hard, undercooked noodles, burnt patches and mostly chicken with only a few pieces of tofu. One reviewer felt the portions were small for the price. Dining in on disposable paper plates and cutlery also draws complaints, with soggy plates and bent spoons under hot curry. On another visit the counter ran out of forks, and a staff member found some midway through the meal.
Featured reviews
- Ajay Selvan
“A great Asian meal in Birmingham new street station. We ordered the chicken satay stir fry and Thai fried rice. The stir fry was great, with a peanutty flavourful sauces and generous amount of vegetables, as well as juicy chicken pieces. The fried rice was also good, we requested without soy sauce but it was still well flavoured. The staff were friendly and the service was fast. For dessert we ordered mango rice pudding. It was good and not too sweet, but it could have done with more mango sauce or fresh mango pieces. Would highly recommend for a quick and delicious meal.”
- Roshni Varlekar
“It was our first visit to Thai Express Birmingham and unfortunately, it was very disappointing. We were served hot Thai curry in disposable paper plates with paper cutlery. The plates became soggy, and the spoons bent while eating, making the whole experience unpleasant. For £24.80, we expected proper plates and cutlery when dining in. It simply wasn’t worth the price. Very disappointed, and I hope they improve their dining standards.”
- Maria Mir
“We ordered General Thai, Red Curry and Yum Box. Every single dish served was just top notch but General Thai was definitely the star of the show. Lovely staff too! I really enjoyed my lunch here. The portions were massive and I couldn't finish it all so ask for the box to take away leftover. I highly recommend this place if you like good food.”
- Kathleen Taylor
“Lovely place! Hamad was so lovely, he is an assest to thai express. The food is always nice, with large portions and a friendly atmosphere. I live in Preston, travelling to London and made sure to stop in Birmingham for some lovely chicken fried rice and tom yum soup. I would definitely recommend.”
- CAZ
“I used to really enjoy Thai Express, but recently the quality has seriously gone downhill. The food just doesn’t taste the same anymore especially the Pad Thai. It’s missing that authentic flavour you’d expect from Thai food. On my last visit, the noodles were undercooked and quite hard in places, and parts of the dish were actually burnt, which made it unpleasant to eat. It honestly felt rushed and poorly prepared because of these new workers the introduced. Also another thing to note out as of last couple months it seems like this company has changed up everything and cut down on cost by that I mean with the workers as well as the quality of food, they load the pad Thai up with chicken instead of the traditional tofu they put 2-3 tofu inside of the box and expect you to be happy with it. Wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone! It’s disappointing because this place used to be reliable, but now it feels inconsistent and not worth the price. I hope they take feedback seriously and improve both the cooking quality and overall standards.”
Hours
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Good to know
“Thaï Express is a new take on traditional Thaï Cuisine. Packed full of flavour, with unique twists and fusions based on your favourite Thai dishes! Our open kitchen allows customers to view the food being prepared and whether you wish to sit in and enjoy or have a quick meal to eat on the train, we have a menu and service to offer both. With Halal, Gluten-free, Vegetarian and Vegan options there is a variety for everyone to enjoy. Customers can choose a protein and then add spice levels based on preference from mild to very spicy. If you have not tried us already...don't be shy and give it a THAI!”
- AccessibilityWheelchair-accessible entrance
Amenities
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Location
Thai restaurants near Thai Express (Birmingham)
- Sabai Sabai4.49900.2 mi
pad thai, thai green curry, sticky chicken wings
- Rosa's Thai Birmingham4.86,2920.4 mi£20–30
pad thai, pad kra pao, waterfall beef
- Rayu Pan Asian4.81,1310.7 mi£10–20
chicken katsu fries, loaded fries, egg fried rice
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thai Express (Birmingham) | 4.41,174 | — | — | pad thai, red curry, chicken fried rice |
| Sabai Sabai | 4.4990 | 0.2 mi | — | pad thai, thai green curry, sticky chicken wings |
| Rosa's Thai Birmingham | 4.86,292 | 0.4 mi | £20–30 | pad thai, pad kra pao, waterfall beef |
| Rayu Pan Asian | 4.81,131 | 0.7 mi | £10–20 | chicken katsu fries, loaded fries, egg fried rice |
The 3 nearest thai restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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