Giggling Squid Reviews 

364
TrustScore 3 out of 5

3.1

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 58 reviews, most reviewers were somewhat happy with their experience overall. Many customers consistently praise the friendly, attentive, and helpful staff, often highlighting excellent service during their visits. Reviewers frequently describe the food as delicious, fabulous, or excellent, with some specifically enjoying dishes like satays and curries. People appreciate the welcoming atmosphere and the staff's efforts to ensure an enjoyable dining experience. However, some customers also noted significant issues with food quality and preparation, describing dishes as cold, inedible, greasy, rubbery, or bland. There are frequent complaints about small portion sizes, particularly regarding the amount of meat. Additionally, a number of people reported slow or inattentive service, including long waits for food and drinks, unacknowledged complaints, and recurring issues with mandatory or undisclosed service charges.

What people talk about most

Product

People report ambiguous experiences with product, with some customers finding the food delicious, fresh, and... See more

Quality

Users describe ambiguous interactions with quality, with many reviewers expressing disappointment regarding... See more

Service

Consumers find service to be ambiguous, with many reviewers praising the friendly, attentive, and efficient... See more

Staff

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of staff, consistently praising them as friendly, helpful, and... See more

Location

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about location, with some finding specific branches welcoming and... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

We had a delivery. It tasted absolutely wonderful but presentation was appalling. They've crammed whole main courses into smallish boxes & of course, by the time it reached us, it had been thrown abo... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

As two people on a quiet (five occupied tables) Thursday lunchtime we waited over 45 minutes for our order. The food was tasty but nowhere near warm enough, meaning had to eat quickly. The vegetari... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

We paid the bill by card - the amount shown. As we left the restaurant we were called back in saying the payment was wrong. They cancelled our payment and asked us to pay again. we were apologetic e... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I chose to have my birthday lunch at the Giggling Squid in Berkhampstead with my family. I have eaten there many times, not just for birthdays. Every visit is always enjoyable, that's why we look forw... See more


Company details

Information provided by various external sources

? Staggeringly good Thai food prepared by master Thai chefs. Serving a super popular tapas menu at lunch with an extensive menu in the evenings.


Contact info

3.1

Average

TrustScore 3 out of 5

364 reviews

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1-star

No recent history of asking for reviews

This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative

Hasn’t replied to negative reviews

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3.1

All reviews

(364)

54 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Giggling Squid Bracknell

Went to Bracknell Giggle squid with my Coeliac daughter for her birthday. Fairly empty when we got there. Took 30 min to order drinks, 45 for food order to be placed. After 1.5 hrs and chasing 3 times our starters arrived. Then had to chase mains. Waitress seem scared to serve us and insisted all orders via a manager, who was generally unavailable. They did comp the starters in the end.
The food was good however worst service in a long time and communication from staff was non existent. If not for the comp on the starter would be 1 star.
Seriously stop being afraid of Coeliac and treat people with respect.
My daughter had been exited to go there and left upset.

30 November 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

It was ok

It was ok. No more so though. The food was fine (our plates were empty) but it wasn’t amazing. And certainly not for the money. Very overpriced for what it is.

Really slow and inattentive service as well. In two hours we only had a main course, and then had to ask our server for a dessert menu.

Ultimately we were left disappointed and wouldn’t recommend.

5 December 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great experience …

We had a lovely very tasty meal at the Harrogate restaurant yesterday.
The service was spot on … very attentive and friendly . Will most definitely return .

1 December 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Chichester restaurant

Chichester restaurant. There was 7 of us (incl myself) for 2 x 60 birthdays. Manager Chris & staff very friendly, efficient service & not rushed. Food was amazing, we all enjoyed.

30 November 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing service by Natalie in Horsham

Amazing service by Natalie in Horsham, amazing food, and the restaurant is spotless. We keep coming back for the food as it is top tier, the chilli mushroom starters and spring rolls are insane! Pad Thai and Green curry for mains were sensational, thoroughly recommend

17 November 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Nicole at Mere Green was amazing

We came here after a disastrous time at Bistro, mere green. We spoke to the manager and explained that we hadn't booked, but needed an alternative place to eat after having a broken glass over me! What a lovely welcome. The service by Nicole was just professional and right on the money. Nicole was aware that I had come after a rubbish time and was so sympathetic.
Overall, lovely experience which ended a great night. Thank you to all of you.

22 November 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Lovely food and service

Lovely food and service. Jamal was a very good host, would 100% come back again not only for the food, but for Jamal the host. I’ll definitely be coming back.

9 November 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Amazing experience

Went for my Birthday lunch in their Cambridge restaurant and it was amazing !!! Fabulous setting firstly & the food and service was amazing !!!

30 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Waste of money

I ordered a Pad Thai meal and other items from GS in Bury St Edmunds. The meal was so awful, I decided to drown everything in Nando's garlic sauce and try it again. Well, at least I enjoyed the Portuguese version! GS, never again for me because it was a complete waste of money!

10 October 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Appalling slow service at Guildford.

Appalling slow service at Guildford.
Waited 20 mins for initial drinks.
Then waited 40 mins for mains after starter.
More interested in delivery drivers..
Starters OK.
Main Food was poor ....spices tasted raw and uncooked... unpleasant indeed.
Worst Thai I have tasted......
And I have been to Thailand many times...

29 September 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great experience…

Went to the Giggling Squid at Cardiff Bay for a family celebration. Every course was delicious..every family member raved about the food. Meals and drinks were served quickly and the staff very friendly. Just be mindful you pay for what you get, but I think you'll find it worthwhile. Over £50 ppl.

7 September 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Would give 0 stars if I could- no care for food allergy

Portsmouth location.

Would give 0 stars if I could. Do not go here if you have a gluten allergy (or any other allergy probably).

Firstly, service and welcome was bad- the waiter had the unmistakeable smell of a long shift in a cheap polyester shirt which was off putting. He them cramped 6 of us in a booth which would only comfortably seat 4. He also forgot our drinks, where we watched them sit on the bar in a not-busy restaurant for at least 5 mins.

When we tried to ask if they knew the gluten free meals we were told to scan a QR code which gives the list of every ingredient in every dish in a non-accessible format, this would be near impossible to read for a dyslexic person.

After having to spend nearly 20 mins reading through the ingredients of the microwave meals on a crazy long online inaccessible list my mother found a dish she could supposedly eat. Although it's not so appetising when you need to read through the list of e numbers, emulsifiers and additives... I was under the misconception that they cooked food fresh, so this was really disappointing.

Even after this effort, my mother had an unmistakeable coeliac reaction near immediately after leaving the restaurant, which is very unpleasant and distressing for her.

She ordered a meal that was supposedly gluten free (chicken pad thai), and it did come out with a sticker which was misleadingly reassuring. My assumption is careless cross contamination.

The staff were poorly trained, and this was not the only risky error- they gave my pregnant sister the wrong dish (they mixed up a beef and chicken massaman) luckily this didn't create gastric distress, but there are limitations on what a pregnant person can eat, so this near miss also doubles down that the kitchen and wait staff were either ignorant of rules, or they chose to ignore them.

When I left feedback for the restaurant, I was contacted, not with an apology, but with a demand for details on the allergic reaction & the time it lasted. This is shocking; probably outside of GDPR (unnecessary sharing of sensitive personal information), and appears to be a minimisation of what happened, or to try and claim the restaurant was not the source; when there is no doubt that my mother ingested gluten here.

We'll never be back; and if they don't start to pay attention to allergies, this could be a real risk to life.

23 September 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Overpriced undersized meals poorly served

I visited the branch in Cardiff Bay yesterday with friends. I was very disappointed with the small portion sizes, hesitant service and general poor quality of the food . I also resented the service charge imposed for what was not good service at all in - it almost felt the staff were treating the servings like hot potatoes to handover quickly because they didn’t have confidence in the meals produced

22 September 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

EXPENSIVE-TASTELESS-MEAGRE PORTIONS

EXPENSIVE-TASTELESS-MEAGRE PORTIONS
Visited Maidstone branch with my daughter. It was very quiet in there for a Sunday night.

Cost £85 with a basic Bottle of Shiraz @ £30, not justified charging this rip-off price. Its £7 in Tesco's.

Outstandingly poor quality food. Thai Red Curry was very powdery.
You will be better off going next door to the Thai Rice Club.

1 September 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Where do I start? THE BEST THAI

Where do I start?! Heard about giggling squid through a friend and knew I had to try it! Me and my partner went to the Portsmouth restaurant 25.08.24 1pm. As soon as we walked in, the smell of the food got me! Was amazing! We were then greeted by a server who explained he wasn’t being rude, the table service isn’t his department but someone would be with us asap…. For me, this meant a lot as nowadays not everyone is this polite to just say, hi and explain someone will be with us. The decor…. Wow! We were sat down and our waitress came over, introduced herself. Chantelle. She was bloody amazing. She was friendly, knowledgeable about the menu, recommended food that she had tried herself. This stood out to me. And she didn’t disappoint. The food was incredible, the presentation was to perfection. Every single person that worked there had a smile on their face. Then there was Dave B, our waiter for drinks. He’s personality really showed just by bringing us our drinks. He was an absolute babe. After only saying we were there for food and only 1 drink, 8 cocktails later, desserts on top (recommended by Chantelle) we just fell in love with this place! I already want to return! This is now my favourite restaurant and will be certainly returning and recommending to all my friends and family! Great job Portsmouth 👏🏽 x

25 August 2024
Unprompted review

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