Giggling Squid Reviews 

364
TrustScore 3 out of 5

3.1

While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more

To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more

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

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
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

How this company uses Trustpilot

See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.

3.1

All reviews

(364)

54 reviews in the last 12 months

Write a review
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 1 out of 5 stars

Visited Portsmouth restaurant for a…

Visited Portsmouth restaurant for a birthday celebration, what a disappointment!!! Service extremely slow, food cold so left after our starters. Not a great experience at all!! Will not be going back.

June 29, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I love Giggling Squid

I love Giggling Squid. However, we went to the Maidstone GS last Tuesday, travelling from Bristol for a special occasion with friends. We had really bigger it up. However, despite the food still being really good unfortunately we had an hour's wait between starter and main course which is not something I've come to expect from GS. Luckily we were with friends we hadn't seen for a long time so had a lot to catch up upon but if it was just my husband and i, i wouldnt have been very happy.
I did the feedback survey but still haven't heard from them.

June 17, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Tough and gristle in beef

Big fan of giggling squid and usually love their food but recently visited and orderd the Marinated Steak & Crispy Slow Cooked Beef. The Steak was great but the slow cooked beef was tough and full of gristle - unedible. Paid the bill in full including the tip and complained but disappointedly they were not interested. Now look for somewhere else.

June 14, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

LOVEEEEEE

anyone complaining about allergies or not liking the food are literally so stupid - there’s a website, and there’s menus outside the restaurants. workers and chefs aren’t here to change entire dishes (based off traditional cuisines of thailand) for a couple of entitled people!! i personally love the giggling squid, i think it’s so so cute and cozy and the whole vibe every time i’ve visited is so lovely 🤗😚 the food is so nice and we’ve never had issues with it, and the music is SO GOOD so that’s always such a good thing!! staff are sweet and polite and i’d sooo totally recommend it to anybody who likes that sort of food, or is looking to try it. it’s more westernised than traditional thai food but still has the flavours and obviously all the elements of it. solid 5 stars there, seriously my type of restaurant.

April 28, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

I have no issues with the food we had…

I have no issues with the food we had at the Harborne restaurant. In fact it would have been a 5 star review. However, on 26/5 I was sent an e-mail with a £10 delivery and it didn't work. What makes matters worse, is that I reached out to them at the time and two days later I am still awaiting their response.

May 25, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Awful!!! Booked a table at the Giggling squid in…

Booked a table at the Giggling squid in Chichester for my dad’s birthday for 12 people and it was just awful! 3 people could not eat a thing due to allergies and they could not accommodate as every dish contained nuts! so they sat there without any food. It’s obvious all the food is pre made as they couldn’t take out one ingredient. One ordered just rice due to allergies and when the rice came out it was just boiled in the bag rice. The drink choices were terrible. The waitress was very miserable and when we first arrived spilt a whole bottle of Pepsi all over 2 people both wearing cream coloured clothes. Then at the end tried charging us a large service charge on top of a very expensive bill considering 3 couldn’t eat a thing. It was a complete disaster food wasn’t all great and poor service we will never return.

May 25, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing Experience – Poor Service and Questionable Food Quality

I visited the Winchester restaurant yesterday and, unfortunately, had a very disappointing experience. While we were promptly seated and given water, it took over 30 minutes just to place a drinks order—despite the restaurant not being busy. The food did not redeem the poor service. I ordered the Thai green chicken curry, which tasted overwhelmingly artificial, almost like it came straight from a packet. Worse, the chicken was undercooked, and I ended up with a very upset stomach afterward.
I attempted to contact the restaurant to address my concerns, but they showed no interest in taking responsibility. Overall, I would not recommend this place and won’t be returning.

May 24, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Excellant if your tastebuds prefer Spice to flavour

Sat 24 May Thought we would try a meal at at the recommended Giggling Squid Reigate. for starters ....Chicken satay and Giggling Wings both dishes exquisite , lots of flavours, party in our mouths. Main course ...Sticky chicken for my wife and Marinated steak for me . My wife chose Sticky chicken because she cannot eat spicy food and the waitress assured her the dish had no chillies in it . Wrong, it seemed extra hot and I had to swap part of my dish with hers , she left most of her meal and ate the best part of mine. I mentioned this to the Waiter and he stated that somebody else had complained and He would speak to his manager, as it turned out he later said he could not speak to the manager as said manager was too busy. One other point I consumed 2 large bottles of Chang lager the first one went down very quickly and was quite refreshing the second I lingered over and subsequently the lager went flat and warm very quickly.
I don't think I will return

May 24, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional Food. Great service. Highly recommended.

Our first visit to Giggling Squid Harpenden a few things could have been better. However we returned again and were just blown away. The food was exceptional, absolutely delicious. Best food out we’ve had in a long time. Every dish was seriously good. The service from all staff members was excellent. Great table by the window. We will definitely return and highly recommend. Lovely evening thank you so much GS.

May 10, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Sidonia - excellent service

Last night we ate at Giggling Squid in Windsor, the food was delicious and such a varied menu to choose from. The service was 5 star and thanks to Sidonia we had a really enjoyable evening. Food was very hot, very tasty and I would highly recommend you try it!

April 26, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Rude manager Portsmouth Gunwharf

Went to the Giggling Squid in Portsmouth Gunwharf Quay for a team event
The customer service was shocking and the manager Dave was next level rude!!!
Not only was he rude but his appearance for a manager was scruffy and not acceptable to be running a restaurant
Unshaven, massive ring through his nose and scruffy untucked shirt
One of the waiters in shorts!!!
Toilets dirty
Health and safety need a trip to this establishment and the chain owners need to put their staff on a customer service course !!
Avoid at all costs

April 23, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Overpriced

Decided to try GS for the first time over Easter with my family, the bar lady was unhappy and didn’t we know it, the beer was not very cold, I expressed this and was given a bowl of ice.. the food was okay, measly on the chicken and prawns in two of the mains.. we ordered the mini dessert and coffee combo, I don’t drink dairy but as our local branch have not yet started using alternative milk despite opening last July, I opted for espresso. This came and cooled in the twenty minutes it took for my mini pudding to arrive and I so wanted to have them together, not exactly a combo. The bill came and was £145. Service, food and attention to detail : just not good enough, would not go back as disappointing and not worth the money.

I will say that they kindly replaced my daughter’s dish which was too spicy for her, at no extra cost. There was no indication of any spice on the menu though.

April 18, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Food was ok, service very poor.

Booked the Harborne restaurant for a group meal to celebrate a family birthday. Food was mostly ok, but the service was very poor. It was clear from the time of booking that they were only interested in our money and had no interest in customer experience.
I had multiple emails from them chasing our deposit, but no replies to my queries about allergens or side dishes.
I had asked about food provision for one guest with allergies soya and dairy… no response. On the night the options provided were very limited, in a way that suggests the food is not cooked from fresh. In the end she was offered a vegetable curry but when they brought it, she noticed it contained large pieces of tofu (soya). Thankfully she realised before she ate it.
I had also asked about side dishes for some of the mains and whether we could add them on. On the night no sides were provided except for the curries. Everyone else just had plates of meat with no carbs or veg, which was quite dull as well as feeling unhealthy.
We were brought several dishes we hadn’t ordered and never received some we had.
It felt like they just wanted us out as quickly as possible, despite the restaurant being fairly empty. Our food was brought out to us before all of the guests had arrived, staff didn’t ask if we were ready.
Despite all of this we were forced to pay a service charge.
Overall not a great experience. I wouldn’t go back and I certainly wouldn’t recommend for anyone with special dietary requirements.

April 12, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

First and last time we visit Giggling…

First and last time we visit Giggling Squid in Harpenden. Food was fine, ambience good, but when we reached 2 hours, we were denied a dessert so couldn't finish. This could have been handled so much better. There were tables available upstairs, but the Manager was abrupt and rude and we left a celebration dinner feeling horrible. Going to a restaurant should be about receiving an experience, but all we got was a taste of capitalism, making sure they got their money and not giving a monkey's about the customer. This is not how you build a lasting and loving brand. We won't go back again.

March 29, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Slow kitchen and staff in Sevenoaks downgrade an average meal experience

What does it matter if the food is good, if the service and kitchen is slow? It dents the overall experience for the paying clients. Although the spring rolls are superb, the duck dishes are solid quality, but I must confess, my local Thai is overall much much better. Sad to say, I will not be returning. It is simply too average, nothing special and definitely let down by what appears to be unorganised management of kitchen and staff. I feel sorry for the staff, really.

March 23, 2025
Unprompted review

The Trustpilot Experience

Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.

We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.

Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.

Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.

Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.

Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.

Take a closer look