Phetpailin

We went to Phetpailin by default — it was nearly 10pm on a weekday and the place we were originally heading to was closing. A quick check on the Unilocal app and its good reviews directed us to this Thai restaurant.
The place isn’t big, and looks like an ordinary restaurant of the Manchester China town. The menu was full full full of choices, with a few Thai curries, spicy salads, soups, stir fries. Whenever I see such an extensive menu, it tells me one thing — it is impossible to have fresh ingredients for such a huge amount of recipes. The food also arrived very soon — within minutes really, which made me think that it was most probably just warmed up in a microwave. I had Tamarind Duck with sticky rice and it was quite good. There was a lot of duck fat which was a bit floppy, so I left it on the side as I did with a huge pile of onions, but otherwise the duck itself was cooked well, the sauce was tasty and with perfect amount of chilli.
The atmosphere was quite cozy, although I’ll make sure we bring our own booze if we go there next time! The portions were of decent size, but for the price paid (an average of about £12 for one dish + rice), I think we could have gone for a nicer place.

The second Thai restaurant I have tried in Manchester and it is without a doubt amazing!
The food was so tasteful and had so many different flavours that I couldn’t stop eating.
We had the sharer for 2 to start and for £15 was an amazing price for the amount of food that was served. To follow I had a Thai green curry that was one of the best Thai curries I have had.
To make it all better it is BYOB and the staff are happy to accommodate to whatever drink you have bought.
I would recommend this restaurant who ever wants authentic Thai food for a great price in Manchester! £18 each in total. Will be returning very soon.

I was there in September for a friend’s birthday. I had the Panaeng Curry with King Prawn which was so yummy. I love Thai food and have been to many Thai restaurants in Manchester and this one stands out. Funny thing is that the first time I went there two years ago in a weekday early evening, it was empty, also because it was next to a stripper club I didn’t want to eat there. But this time we went on a Saturday night and the place was full. Anther good thing is that you can bring your own alcohole. I brought my friend a bottle of wine and the restaurant gave us nice glasses to drink with.

Thai about as good as I’ve had outside of Thai town in Queens, NY. A spicy red curry laced with prawns, red peppers, Thail basil, tomatoes, pineapple, squash (you read that right) and bamboo shoots. Unlike some that aren’t as authentic, the fish sauce flavor was clearly here, and that really makes me a fan. Paired with a bowl of coconut rice this was a sensory overload in a good way.
Service on the front end was very quick, probably less than five minutes. Yet after my plate was taken away it was a full 15 minutes before I saw the bill. Quite annoying, and I got the distinct impression they knew I was from out of the country and likely wouldn’t be back. The emphasis clearly on new customers. To get an idea how good this place is, packed on a Monday night at 7:30 p.m. That’s right.
If you come: up the stairs a full floor from the street. Bring your own booze if you wish, most had. This should be a 5-​star business but with this kind of service there’s no way I can give it.

I came here last night after reading all the reviews
was cozy inside with around 10 or more tables.
Started of with a shared platter for around £15 which
consisted of fish cakes and spring roll and i think a small bit if chicken
on a stick and a few other pastry type snacks
it was enought for two and was ok althought some things
tasted a bit raw and am not sure if thats how they come.
Then we ordered a main which was i think one green
thai curry and one red thai curry with a bowl of plain rice.
The green thai curry looked more like a soup but actually tasted
very good indeed and the other curry was just as good
so thumbs up for me!
Bill came to around £40 for two including mineral water and a coke
so was good for the price and i would come here again.
service was excellent too! you can also bring your own drinks.

Nestled in the middle of Manchester’s China town, this thai restaurant with it’s small, upstairs setting has proven to be quite popular over the years. I ate here for the first time a few weeks ago with some other Unilocalers.
The menu is quite large, offering an array of thai dishes to choose from, and an extensive seafood section, which i did find quite strange in relation to the beef and pork sections.
We ordered a mixed starter to share. This consisted of Chicken sateh, Spring rolls, Thai fish cake, Crispy wan-​tons, Khanom Pang Nah Moo and Paper prawns. For £15.00 for two people i found this reasonably priced. The spring rolls and wan tons were nice, as was the satay sauce.
For my main course i ordered the Tamarind Duck which was Duck breast, grilled and sliced, then fried with mixed vegetables​and tamarind sauce (£9.00) and i ordered a side of sticky rice. I found it nice and flavoursome, and plenty as a main meal.
I haven’t visited many Thai restaurants in Manchester, but with my favourite Thai place, Siam Smiles, being next door which offers amazing thai food in a relaxed setting for incredibly cheap prices, i feel that Phetpailin may have some huge competition.

I attended the Yap on Unilocal event series at Phetpailin with a few other Unilocalers, We all shared a sharing platter with consisted of very tasty Chicken Sateh, Spring rolls, Thai fish cake,​Crispy wan-​tons, Khanom Pang Nah Moo and Paper prawns. The restaurant also accepts BYOB or wine so Jonny bought along a great selection of beers and wine. We could also pick any main we wanted so i went for the pad thai which was very tasty indeed. i also looked in awe of all the other mains which the Unilocalers were having and they all looked great and everyone said how nice they were.
Many thanks to Jonny Q for a great evening of gorgeous Thai food in this lovely restaurant in China Town.

I visited this place as part of the Yap on Unilocal and was greeted by friendly, smiling staff who kept topping up my water as was rather warm outside.
Whilst we waited for our host JQ to arrive, we ordered a couple of mixed starters which served nine of us perfectly. Jonny arrived with shades on and carrying lots of bags. Time to ditch the water and drink some top quality choices from Jonny such as Punk beer from Brewdog and wine Oyster Bay wine from NZ.
We all ordered our individual dishes. I had the Pad Si-​ew with chicken. The look of all the dishes was nice and no one complained about their dish. There was lots of seafood on offer in the menu but I wasn’t brave enough to try it. It was a nice setting to have a casual dinner or for large groups.
Thank you Jonny for introducing me to this place where the price is cheapish, clean, tasty, friendly staff and where you can bring your own booze without corkage charges! I will definitely come here again. By the time we left every seat was filled which is a good testament to the place.

Went to Phetpailin as part of the ‘Yap on Unilocal’ series. With a table of 9 I expected service to be slower than usual but was pleasantly surprised by the speedy turnaround of food once ordered. They had a number of large tables throughout the evening and seemed completely on top of things.
We went for the sharing platters to start, which were really delicious — the winners for me were the Khanom Pang Nah Moo (mixture of minced pork spread on bread & deep fried) and the Paper Prawn (Whole prawn wrapped in rice pastry stuffed mixed Thai spices). I ordered the​Panaeng Curry with Beef, steamed rice on the side, for my main. I would have perhaps served it in a bowl rather than the plate it came on (just for aesthetic purposes) but other than that it was spot on — great hit of chilli sweetened by the coconut milk. Great sized portion, which I couldn’t finish.
BYOB is a great selling point for this restaurant, with the staff more than happy to supply the wine glasses.
An unlikely looking place from the outside, with the quiet two flights of stairs making you wonder what you’re signing yourself up for, but certainly worth it — another hidden gem in China Town.

This was another great get together organised by Jonny Q for the Yap on Unilocal events. When we arrived there were only a few other people in the restaurant but by the time we left it was absolutely heaving! A good sign in my opinion. The décor looks quite dated but the place is very clean and the staff are extremely friendly. The order was taken swiftly. This was my 1^st experience of a bring your own booze place and what a great idea it is. I will definately be on the look out for others in the future. We ordered a few mixed starters to share between us — the prawn toast was the highlight for me. This was then followed by a red curry with chicken for me. It had just the right amount of heat but packed plenty of flavour. I also tried some of the penang which was also very tasty but a little bit hotter. I shared a coconut rice but couldn’t really taste any coconut which was a shame. Overall an excellent meal and I will definately be back in the future.

We was at an event here with Jonny last night and it’s a great place.
I don’t think I would have found it without the Unilocal event but it was such a lovely place. The food was great we all shared three sharing platters and there was enough food between 9 of us. For the main I had a chicken penang it was a little spicy but really tasty, with coconut milk rice. This was different to any other rice I have had in the past but I would have it again. It was a bring your own place which is a good idea I think. When we arrived there was only us in but by the time we left it was completely packed. Defiantly worth going great food and a chilled atmosphere.

When I’m at work, I never shut up about food when talking to my colleague. It was he that suggested this place.
So one impromptu night after work we met here, located next to Long Legs in Chinatown.
Walking in I marvelled at the intricate Thai wooden carvings hugging the walls. The waitresses were all dressed in very smart Thai clothing which added to the authenticity.
After a long day I was in the mood for another beer, to which my friend noted that they didn’t have a alcohol license. that’s fine but I wish I’d been told beforehand.
.instead we all chose a iced tea.
The menu contained your usual traditional Thai food. We ended up getting a shared starter for 4,.soup and a red/​green curry each .
When the starters arrived I was quite impressed. The crispy prawn wontons were a winner amongst the prawn toast, spring rolls and Thai fishcakes. I let the meat eaters tackle the chicken on a stick. In the centre was an array of dips, consisting of sweet chilli, satay and a couple of others.
These swiftly taken away, a bowl of fragrant soup soon replaced this. It was a clear broth with prawns so big, that they kept me quiet for a awhile. Very nice and spicy.
The final battle arrived in the form of my red curried tilapia. This was beautifully presented with a pot of rice to share. This was a sneaky dish, it had one of those spices that gradually increased… the fish was beatifully cooked, however by this point i had been defeated.
When the waitress appeared with the dessert menu, all we could do was hold our stomachs and groan.
Overall this has to be one of my favourite Thai places. I’ve paid a lot more in the past for something like this. The waitresses were friendly, fast and efficient. My only grumble was the lack of advertising that you could bring your own beer… I will be back though!

We went to Phetpailin with a large group — around 20 of us — for a family birthday celebration recently. I was really looking forward to it based on many Unilocal and work recommendations, so headed there with eagerness and an empty stomach.
We went by Sainsburys to pick up a bottle of wine on the advise that it’s BYOB, and then headed into Chinatown. Clueless as to where it was, the large strip joint sign next door helped us find the way!
We were eating on a set menu, so unfortunately couldn’t experience the whole menu, so we sat and waited for our food. I initially felt slightly sleazy producing my Sainsburys bag of wine, but then decided it was actually better than trying to navigate a wine menu and pretend I know anything…
We had to wait a while for our food, surprising considering they knew we were heading there with a large group, but eventually we were presented with a delicious looking sharing plate, one between four. It was all very tasty, especially with the sweet chilli dip provided, and I scoffed everything besides the prawn filo pastries down.
More than ready for the main course, we were presented with large bowls of white rice, one creamy chicken curry, some stir-​fried beef and green beans, and a prawn curry. Everything was tasty, but not stand out. Perhaps it was the waiting time (combined with the BYOB) but I didn’t feel like the food particularly stood out.
Unfortunately we did have a table complain about the noise we were making — but when you arrive at a BYOB restaurant in the middle of Chinatown on a Saturday night, what do you expect?
Looking forward to a return visit and a proper taste of the food.

Ever wondered if Big Trouble in Little China took place in Manchester, where Jack Burton would eat his egg noodles hiding from Lo Pan? Well if you have, this is your answer! This place is like someone’s living room turned into a make shift Thai restaurant. This is no bad thing. I’m a big believer in context, and the reason this place gets 4 stars is it does exactly what it means to. This is not a birthday destination but is somewhere to fall in to after a few impromptu beers.
The food isn’t the best Thai I’ve had but it’s solid. I’ve eaten all over Thailand and in many Thai restaurants… this place is ok. It’s main selling points are that it’s cheap, like £10 for curry and rice cheap. It’s also BYO which just adds to the whole debauched vibe.
You can go to nicer looking, slightly more expensive places near by and eat better food… but where is the fun in that? You know what Jack Burton would do…

Unfortunately, Phetpailin took 1 hour and 30 minutes to produce our order, and that was after two follow up phone calls. This was a Wednesday night. We weren’t offered any kind of discount.
The food itself was a good standard, not massive portions so if you’re hungry I think you would need more than one main dish each. Obviously I was mega hungry by the time food arrived after 9pm, but I still think a starter or extra sides might be a good idea.
The nuea pad khee mao (beef with garlic, chillis, lime leaves, baby aubergines and basil), recommended also by Hannah Q is very tasty and spicy. Red curry and pad thai also safe bets, I was particularly impressed with the generous amount of large prawns in the red curry.
So basically, I would go to the restaurant for the food but I would never order takeaway from here again.

Phuket, 5 stars. See what I did there?
No, really. Phetpailin is a revelation. Two visits in two consecutive evenings confirmed that Phetpailin does some of the best, most authentic Thai food in Manchester. Some of the dishes were, (strong claim alert!) better than many I had in Thailand.
The seafood dishes especially are excellent, with giant, succulent king prawns and fantastic seasoning. Pork dishes were also good, with the restaurant not shying away from fattier, more flavourful cuts of pork.
A Thai red curry, sampled on my second visit, had not so much a spicy kick than a blindside, knockout punch — exactly what I’d ordered.
‘Tiger steak’ was a bit of a let-​down: a stunning marinade let down by its own dearth, and the sirloin itself, what should (by all rights) be the star of the dish, arriving medium-​well. This could have been so much more.
Service is good, but it really should be given that this place is apparently woefully under-​appreciated by the rest of Manchester; more or less empty on both visits. And, to be honest, the food is a tad expensive — a couple of quid more than I’d like to be paying across the board.
There was always going to be a but here, given it’s a five star review. That ‘but’ is that this place, is, magically, BYO. No messing around, no corkage, no special ‘ring-up-and-pretend-that-you’re-a-student-society’ beforehand. Just load up on tsingtao/​tiger/​singha/​your grog of choice from the local Chinese supermarkets and have fun.
This wonderful ability more than makes up for any slight failings at Phetpailin, and, if you’re drinking, makes it excellent value, too.
My only regret is not having visited sooner.

My love of Thai food has been reinvigorated recently after a couple of really good meals at Try Thai, so when a few people I knew mentioned how good Phetpaillin was I was excited to get there asap.
There are lots of familiar dishes on the menu but also a few I hadn’t heard of so it took us all a while to decide. I opted for the safe but tasty chicken satay to start with and nuea pad khee mao (beef with garlic, chillis, lime leaves, baby aubergines and basil) with steamed rice for my main. This was absolutely delicious with a great boot of chilli but packed full of flavour too and they weren’t stingy with the beef either. There’s not a lot you can say about rice but it was cooked to perfection and one portion could have easily fed two of us.
It’s not a fancy place but service was friendly and it’s a perfect choice for when you’re after a casual and inexpensive dinner with friends. As an extra bonus it’s BYOB so don’t forget to grab a few beers or a bottle of wine to enjoy. All in all a great night and somewhere I’ll definitely be returning to.

I’ve been here twice in the last couple of weeks, both times for the £5 lunch special. The food is super scrummy, the portions are generous, and the the food comes out quickly. I have no idea how authentic it is, but these dishes are among the tastiest versions I’ve ever had.
The only major issue is that the tables are so smushed together that it is difficult to just relax and have a conversation without feeling like 15 people are being forced to overhear everything you say. That really shouldn’t be enough to keep you from putting down your Boots meal deal and leaving RIGHT NOW to get some. It is delicious and cheap. I am already plotting excuses to make my next trip.

Deciding to grab some quick nosh before a friend’s birthday night out we headed into Chinatown. Though a few more well-​known Far Eastern places were considered, such as Yang Sing, we thought we’d end up being too late if we had to wait for a table so opted for the less formal Phetpailin to chow down on some Thai. What an unexpectedly excellent choice it was…
It’s not the biggest of restaurants, probably seating 40 people at full capacity and it was fairly busy with couples and groups when we rocked up with no reservation. For a minute we thought we’d get turned down but to our delight they prepared a table and welcomed us in.
They don’t serve alcohol so you can bring your own bottle (s) (we opted for Riesling which my learned friend chose to accompany the meal — he was spot on!). Scanning the menu we opted to share starters so chose Thai Fish Cakes, Mee Grob (crispy noodles, prawns, spring onions and tamarind sauce) and Giew Grob (crispy wan-​tons). The Mee Grob was by far the favourite of the three, we could have eaten a large popcorn container of it. Each. It was superb.
For mains, I had ‘Gai Kra Tiem Prik Thai’ (stir fried chicken with garlic and pepper) which again, was fantastic and came out sizzling like crazy. I have to admit I was so enjoying my meal I didn’t make a note of what my friends had but we all ate with gusto.
One of the nicest Thai meals I’ve had in an age, it’s set the benchmark high. Terrific value for money and friendly service.

In a week of groundbreaking foodie confessions from Jonny Q, I now have to admit that I’ve never really «got» Thai food. Yeah I always thought it was ok but if choosing to spend my hard earned money somewhere then I’d always plump for Indian, Japanese and Chinese ahead of this.
I don’t even mind admitting now that I used to smile and nod at the right times when people would talk to me about Thai, but I secretly would just glaze over and be there thinking of some Gyoza or Lamb Nihari while they chatted away!
But yesterday was a watershed moment. For I used my handy Unilocal app bookmarks folder and thought I’d try somewhere totally new for lunch that was recommended to me. And that place was the Chinatown Thai restaurant Phetpailin.
Now I have to admit that I did stand outside checking the reviews on my phone twice before going in just to be sure, but who could argue with such overwhelming positivity. I quickly nipped upstairs between the Chinese florist and Massage parlour and proudly declared «I’d like to look at your lunch menu please?»
The lunch menu was £4.95 for 1 course, £6.95 for 2 courses — starters mainly consisted of «quick and easy» like fried spring rolls, salads and the fish cakes (which I went for — not too bad, not as good as my wifes though) and the mains were a choice of 6 dishes ranging from Red and green thai curries and pad thai — with options to have beef, chicken and pork in them (prawns were an extra £1 supplement)
I’ve got to say that the Beef Thai Green Curry was excellent, very fresh, with a good array of vege’s in it. My only issue was with my own gluttony as I felt very sluggish in the afternoon after eating so much for lunch!
The waitress was very friendly, the setting once inside was of a lovely Thai inspired dining room and I don’t think £6.95 was too bad for the fresh lunch I had.
Hopefully this will be the start of me moving more into the delights of Thai food and I’d like to sample some dishes off of their exciting evening menu on another visit soon!

I was there wednesday evening. It was nearly empty. I got my food very fast after ordering, so I was wondering how this could work But the taste was good. I was missing any duck on their menue.