For a city its size, Portsmouth is spoilt for Thai food. A run of small, family owned kitchens has grown up along Albert Road and around Southsea, the city centre has a couple of quiet favourites, and down at the water there is a polished operation that draws the crowds. Between them you can eat everything from a bring your own bottle plate of pad thai to a proper sit down feast.
You might also like
To sort the genuinely good from the merely handy, we leaned on the people who eat at these places week in, week out. Every entry below is weighed against hundreds of diner reviews rather than a single meal, looking at how authentic the cooking is, how consistent the kitchen stays when it is busy, what you pay and how the whole evening feels.
The result is scored out of ten and ranked from the top down, and it spans the full range, from a cheap and cheerful cafe to a waterside dining room. Thai cooking is personal, so your ideal balance of heat, sweet and sour may nudge the order around, but these six are where we would send a friend.
1. Padthai Southsea
Tucked away on Albert Road, Padthai Southsea is the one that comes up again and again when locals talk about the real thing. Diners describe food that tastes like home, rich and traditional rather than toned down, and a kitchen that holds that standard whether you order the satay tofu, a duck curry or the chicken and cashew. It has quietly become a favourite for vegans too, with plant based and gluten free options that go well beyond the usual token dish.
The room is small and the welcome is warm, and it is an easy walk from the station, which makes it a tidy choice if you are coming in by train. Just plan around the hours: it is dinner only through the week, with a lunch sitting added on Friday and Saturday, and it closes on Sundays. Book ahead for those weekend lunches, as the tables go quickly.
What makes it special: authentic, generous cooking, standout vegan and gluten free choices, and a handy spot near the station.
Worth knowing before you go: it is compact and dinner led, so weekend tables need booking, and there is no Sunday service.
Portsmouth And score: 9.4 out of 10.
2. Giggling Squid, Gunwharf Quays
Down at Gunwharf Quays, Giggling Squid is the most polished Thai option in the city, and with well over a thousand reviews it is also the most tested. That volume matters: a kitchen that keeps people this happy across so many covers is a consistent one, and the waterside setting with indoor and outdoor tables makes it a natural pick for a celebration or a lazy weekend lunch.
It is part of a national group rather than a one off, so the menu is broad and dependable, strong on sharing feasts, curries and seafood, with staff who are well drilled on allergies. The flip side is the one you would expect from a prime spot by the sea: it is pricier than the family run places inland, and at busy times you may wait a little for a table. Portions are plentiful enough that most people forgive the bill.
The appeal: a reliable, polished kitchen in a lovely waterside setting, good for groups and occasions.
The trade-off: prices sit above the independents, and peak times get busy.
Portsmouth And score: 9.0 out of 10.
3. Saro’s Thai Cafe
Saro’s sits on Edinburgh Road in the city centre, a short step from the Guildhall, and it has built a loyal following on the strength of its cooking rather than its address. The dishes people rave about are the ones that reward a confident kitchen: a crispy pork belly that comes up time after time, a slow cooked pork leg that regulars call outstanding, and a honey duck with egg fried rice that has its own small fan club.
Flavours are authentic and arrive piping hot, and the staff are happy to dial the heat up or down to suit you. It serves both lunch and dinner across most of the week, which makes it one of the more flexible options if you fancy Thai food in the middle of the day. It is a small, no frills cafe, so do not come expecting a grand dining room, and the odd review notes a sticky floor at the end of a busy service, but the plates more than make up for it.
Why we rate it: standout pork dishes, honest heat levels and a central spot open for lunch and dinner.
One small caveat: it is a modest, casual cafe rather than a smart night out.
Portsmouth And score: 8.6 out of 10.
4. Fah Thai
Back on Albert Road, Fah Thai is the one to pick when you want the meal to feel like an occasion. The room is dressed largely in wood and leans upmarket, and more than one diner has said that walking in feels like stepping into Thailand. It is the kind of place that does the extras well, with cocktails the owner is happy to recommend and a homemade fish cake that reviewers single out.
The cooking backs up the setting, with a pad thai that regulars rate among the best around and generous mains like a hefty duck leg. Prices stay reasonable for the comfort on offer, the welcome is genuinely warm, and it is one of the few in this list open seven days including Sunday evening, which is handy when the family run cafes have shut. The only grumble worth flagging is the odd side, such as the jasmine rice, that feels a touch dear next to the mains.
What stands out: a smart, atmospheric room, strong cocktails and fish cakes, and rare Sunday opening.
Keep in mind: a couple of sides are priced a little steeply.
Portsmouth And score: 8.2 out of 10.
5. Lin’s Thai Cafe
Lin’s, on Elm Grove in Southsea, is the local secret that everybody seems to be in on. It is a small, simply done room that fills up every night, and the draw is a combination of fragrant, fresh cooking and genuine value. The bring your own bottle policy is a big part of the appeal, keeping the final bill low, and regulars happily report two starters and two mains coming in around the low forties.
Portions are generous and the welcome is warm, and dishes such as the beef salad win real praise for being properly fresh and punchy. A word of fair warning for purists: a few diners find some plates lean a little sweet, so if you like your food fiery it is worth saying so when you order. It is popular enough that booking is all but essential, and it closes on Mondays and Sundays, so check before you set out. There is also, improbably, a toilet painted to look like the Tardis, which tends to seal the deal for first timers.
The draw: fresh, fragrant cooking, bring your own bottle value and generous plates.
A couple of things to note: some dishes run sweet, booking is wise and it shuts on Mondays and Sundays.
Portsmouth And score: 7.8 out of 10.
6. Thailand Cafe and Takeaway
Rounding out the list on Albert Road, Thailand Cafe and Takeaway is the budget friendly, homely choice, and it shines brightest as a takeaway. Fans call it their favourite in town for ordering in, with food cooked fresh to order and a kitchen that will genuinely deliver the heat if you ask for it very spicy. The welcome is lovely, the prices are low, and the bring your own bottle set up, with a Sainsbury’s next door and a Tesco opposite, keeps a meal out cheap.
It is a cafe in style rather than a destination restaurant, and worth being honest about: a few diners feel some dishes are made a little mild for English tastes, so it leans more crowd pleasing than fiercely authentic. Taken for what it is, a friendly, wallet easy spot for a fresh Thai fix, it earns its place, especially if you are eating at home. Note that it too closes on Mondays and Sundays.
What you get: low prices, fresh cooking to order and a genuinely warm welcome, ideal for takeaway.
Where it falls short: some dishes are toned down, and it is more cafe than special night out.
Portsmouth And score: 7.3 out of 10.
What the shortlist reveals
Look at the six together and a clear pattern emerges. Albert Road in Southsea is the real engine of Portsmouth’s Thai scene, home to three of the entries and a short, tasty crawl in its own right. The family run independents own the top of the authenticity stakes, with Padthai Southsea leading on sheer quality, while the one chain on the list earns its high place through remarkable consistency rather than surprise.
The other theme is value. Several of the best kitchens let you bring your own bottle, which keeps a good Thai dinner genuinely affordable, and the gap in price between the waterside dining room and the BYO cafes is wider than the gap in the cooking. If you want a treat, go to the water; if you want the most flavour for your money, head inland to Southsea.
The rankings at a glance
The full order, with where to find each one and what it does best:
| Rank | Restaurant | Area | Score | Best for |
| 1 | Padthai Southsea | Albert Road, Southsea | 9.4 | authentic cooking, vegans |
| 2 | Giggling Squid | Gunwharf Quays | 9.0 | occasions and groups |
| 3 | Saro’s Thai Cafe | Edinburgh Road, city centre | 8.6 | pork dishes, lunch |
| 4 | Fah Thai | Albert Road, Southsea | 8.2 | a smarter night out |
| 5 | Lin’s Thai Cafe | Elm Grove, Southsea | 7.8 | value and BYO |
| 6 | Thailand Cafe and Takeaway | Albert Road, Southsea | 7.3 | takeaway on a budget |
How the scores compare
How we put this list together
These scores are not plucked from the air. We weight a handful of factors that add up to a good meal out: a restaurant’s overall reputation and review score counts for about 30 per cent, the quality and range of the food for 25 per cent, and the consistency suggested by how many reviews it sustains for 15 per cent. The setting and atmosphere, the value for money and how easy it is to reach each take a further 10 per cent. That mix is why a dependable, much reviewed kitchen can rank above a smaller one with a slightly higher star average, and why value lets the BYO cafes hold their own.
A note on fairness. The scores reflect aggregated public reviews and our own reading of each place at the time of writing, not a paid visit, and nothing here is sponsored. Menus, prices, opening hours and even ownership change, so treat the list as a steer rather than a guarantee and check the details before you travel. If your favourite is missing, that is the nature of a city with this much good Thai food.
A closing thought from the team as you plan where to book:
The best Thai meal in Portsmouth is rarely the fanciest one. More often it is a small room in Southsea, a bottle you brought yourself, and a curry that tastes like someone’s grandmother made it.
Pick the spot that fits the night you are after, bring an appetite, and Portsmouth will feed you well.
