Rosa’s Thai Café: A Review

Rosa’s Thai Café: A Review

Rosa’s Thai Cafe is a very popular restaurant among Londoners, and it’s reflected in the number of busy locations they have! We’ve headed down to the Victoria branch to find out what Rosa’s is all about and see whether it’s worth your time and tastebuds!

Table of Contents:

What is Rosa’s Thai?

Rosa’s Thai began as a street stall on Brick Lane’s Sunday market, before founders Saiphin and Alex bought their first location on Hanbury Street in 2008. Rosa’s Cafe brings the authentic Thai food in a relaxed atmosphere that Saiphin was craving. Saiphin grew up on a vegetable farm in Khao Kho in Northern Thailand. In 2009, they opened their second location in Soho.

The menu at Rosa’s Thai Cafe combines authentic food with a no-frills environment. Each dish on the menu is created by founder Saiphin, either based on family recipes or inspired by places in which she has lived. 

The menu is split into section:

  • Starters and small plates – a mixture of dishes such as spring rolls, chicken satay, calamari, and prawn crackers.
  • Soups – boasting both Tom Yum and Tom Ka, with or without noodles.
  • Salads – Cucumber, chicken, and papaya salads.
  • Curries – classic Thai green and red curries available with different types of meat and vegetarian options.
  • Wok Stars – Stir fries and delicious fried rice packed with Thai flavours.
  • Noodles – Pad thai, drunken noodles, and flat noodles all with the choice between veggie and meat options.
  • Desserts – Sticky rice, brownies, and ice cream.
  • Sides – Rice, noodles, and vegetables.
  • Drinks – Thai coffee and teas, lemonades and soft drinks, bubble tea, Thai inspired cocktails.

Rosa’s Thai: Our Review

We’ve visited Rosa’s in Victoria a few times now and have never left the restaurant disappointed. It’s the perfect cosy spot for lunch or dinner with friends or a partner. 

For starters we’ve found our favourites to be the Veggie Platter for 2, if you’re looking for something to share that lets you taste a range of small plates off the menu at once. This has summer rolls, sweetcorn patties, salt and pepper tofu, spring rolls, and pumpkin crackers. Our personal favourites, if you’re to choose just one, are the sweetcorn patties which are flavoured with kaffir lime leaves and red curry paste.

Our go to when ordering mains has to be the Pad Thai – you can get this with veg and tofu, chicken, or king prawns. If you’re not one for the above they’re quite flexible, and we quite often order just veg with no tofu. The Pad Thai at Rosa’s is the best we’ve ever tried – and we’ve tried a few across London and the World! So this definitely is not a dish to miss on your visit! We’re also a fan of Rosa’s Fried Rice – which is stuffed with delicious flavours and veg! We’ve also heard good things about the curries from people we’ve dined with!

Rosa's fried rice with vegetables

If you’re looking for a cocktail to have alongside your drink we love the Lemongrass & Pandan Ice Tea which comes in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. The Coconut Island Daiquiri is also a must!

Overall, Rosa’s is a Thai restaurant across London that we’d highly recommend and we think you’ll love it just as much as us! It’s always quite busy at both lunch and dinner so we recommend booking ahead.

Rosa’s Thai Locations to Visit 

There are a lot of Rosa’s Thais across London, perfect for whatever location you’re exploring, here are where you can find them:

  • Angel
  • Baker Street
  • Brixton
  • Carnaby
  • Chelsea
  • Clapham Junction
  • Ealing
  • Finsbury Park
  • Greenwich
  • King’s Cross
  • London Fields
  • Queensway
  • Seven Dials
  • Soho
  • Spitalfields
  • Tooting
  • Tower Bridge 
  • Victoria
  • Warren Street
  • Waterloo
  • Hampstead
  • Westfield Stratford
  • Wimbledon

FAQs About Rosa’s Thai

There are some commonly asked questions when it comes to Rosa’s Thai and we’ve got the answers for you.

Is Rosa’s Thai Authentic?

Rosa’s Thai was created by founder Saiphin who is from Thailand. As she is responsible for creating each item on the menu, and each is inspired by family recipes, Rosa’s Thai is definitely authentic. 

Is Rosa’s Thai a Chain?

Rosa’s Thai is a chain of Thai restaurants across London, with other locations around the UK.

How Many Rosa’s Cafes are there?

There are 13 Rosa’s Thai Cafes across Greater London.

Is Rosa’s Café Halal?

Rosa’s state that their chicken comes from a certified Halal butcher, however they are not a halal restaurant, as they have non-halal meat and alcohol on the menu.

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