I can't believe I haven't finished reviewing this spot. This is the place I will come back to every time when I'm in London. Used to be my fav spot for lunch in the city. It opens only during lunch hours. All the food here are cooked from scratch. Unbelievable flavourful curries and Indian Thai varieties. The 'boss' here is entirely an experience in itself. Warm, welcoming - a perfect host! I wanna go back to London now just to have a meal there! Oh... I'm home sick...:D read more

Mama Thai - Tasty curry £6 - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

See all

Incredible Thai food, massive portions but yet super cheap. Yes it's pretty much a market stall in a shop but that only adds to the appeal. Lunch only, but oh boy what a lunch! read more

I had the lamb curry with spinach. Very generous portions of great food for only £6. Smiley staff. It is a pity that it is open only for lunch and only on weekdays. read more

Mama Thai - Thai Near Me - London, XGL

Ha..Chieh's too quick for me. We went for lunch today and it was reinforced that Mama Thai's is not only the bomb diggity but also mac daddily cheap. Meat curry is 4.50, veggie is 3.50. And serving size is impecable. you get a big heaping on your plate. You can also go half and half if you just can't decide between the oh so good varieties. Mama (and Papa) Thai are friendly as well (maybe one day i'll find out their real name..) only open 11:30 to 3:30 M-F so go down for lunch. Sometimes can have a long line but moves very quickly. read more

WHYYY has this place not been reviewed? So. Good. SO GOOD. I get sick of your typical Thai that you can find everywhere. The mediocre pad thais... the curry that starts to taste the same after a while. But no, not at Mama Thai's. It really is like eating at big mama's house; food tastes homemade, 100% with love, and the owners are so cute and friendly. It's a pretty small spot that gets PACKED at lunch, so most people opt to take out -- but if you can eat in, do it, because they give you sooo much food on your plate. Lamb, chilli chicken, basil beef curries. For veggie dishes they have pumpkin, spinach, okra, potatoes, etc etc. You can mix and match the food and it'll still cost the same. Veggie dishes are about £3.5, meat ones are about £4.5. MMMMmMmMm. read more

This little mom and pop shop has been filling the bellies of hungry bankers and solicitors since it first began as a stall in the Spitalfields Market in the early '90s. Now housed in a quaint storefront on Toynbee street, the restaurant still maintains an inviting and authentic flare with down home flavors. During lunchtime a bevy white collar workers make their way through a few winding streets to enjoy a plate of Pam & Raj Chawla's delectable eats. For £5 you'll get a heaping plate of homestyle lamb, chicken, beef or veggie dishes in a variety of curries. You can top it off with as much hot chili oil as you want or with one of the other sweet or spicy condiments. The serving sizes are so abundant you won't be able to eat it all in one sitting (and you probably shouldn't if you're headed back to work). While you can take the food to go, I've usually eaten in to avoid bring the often overpowering smell of curry back to the office (or having the lettuce cult look at me with great horror/envy). There's just a few tables to eat in and I've had some entertaining conversations with strangers as we chow down elbow-to-elbow. You'll probably still have enough left over for a meal later on in the day. Pam & Raj tend to remember you if you're a regular or someone like me who, sadly, moved back to the U.S. and can't frequent their establishment very often. I love their hospitality, and occasional frankness, and make sure to stop by every time I'm back in London. read more

You can't get much better than Mama Thai for a curry with a kick! A friendly service from the staff (and the Mama herself) but a crippling choice between about 6 vegetarian and 6 meat dishes that will leave you wishing you weren't in a lunch rush. I tend to go for the pumpkin and dhaal mix which comes in at £4 (takeaway with rice), but go crazy - what about the chicken, or the blow-your-head-off-lamb, how about even (EVEN) swap rice for noodles (I know). Add a spring roll in there. Trust me, everything will amaze. read more

Not the best Thai food I've had in London by any stretch but copious, homey and more than good enough for the price (around a fiver) with a old school East End feel to it. And as you might expect, by serving mounds of yummy comfort food for cheap, Mama becomes quite popular around lunchtime. Still, my experience has been that the queue moves quickly and that turnover is swift. You could do a lot worse and spend a lot more for it. read more

After my second visit to Mama Thai, I will be back soon. The curries may not be haute cuisine but they are hearty, tasty and value for money. I had beef curry and dal. The meat was lovely, very tender and the dal was cooked perfectly. Mama Thai is a Spitalfields institution; she started off selling her noodles and curries in Spitalfields Market and, when the market closed, she moved to her current location in Tonybee Street. With her good food and reasonable prices, I am more than happy to continue supporting this Spitalfields original. read more

Love this place... been eating here for the last 10 years!!!!!!!! Really good food at a good price.... love the beef and pumpkin curry. read more

Whilst the selection is limited, the food is well flavoured & you can't grumble at a full stomach for £5! Small place with a bit of seating, usually very busy with a proportion of people taking out. Get in there early to nab yourself a seat, no waiting around, just go up to the counter and order. Have yet to try the noodles, but the panang chicken was gorgeous, if you prefer the sweeter flavours that is... read more

Such a hole in the wall type of place, but with delicious food! Nothing fancy about this place, but that gives it even more an air of authenticity. BIG portions for pretty good prices! It's a small space, so be prepared to either get food to go, or get lucky with one of the few tables. It's a no nonsense business and feels like "Mama Thai" is ready for your order. read more

It's places like this that yelp was made for. We almost past by this place, as it is very unassuming, but we noticed it was packed and the menu looked good, so we gave it a shot. What a special meal! Authentic, delicious, with perfect spice levels. Among the best Thai I've had outside of Thailand (and with reasonable prices!). The staff was friendly and attentive. Every single thing was delicious. We had drunken noodles, aubergine, satay, thai whiskey, singha, green tea and coconut ice cream. I might try a different starter, but the rest was perfect. Well done. Kop kun ka Mama Thai! read more

This place has amazing curry. A usual lunch spot I frequent as you can either get it to go or eat in. If you come here during prime lunch hours it is packed but the line moves quickly. There isn't much space to eat in though. It's no frills but very good and they give you the most generous portions for your money. I always get the vegetarian dish which runs 3.50. I believe the meat ones are about 4.50. You can mix and match which curry's you want with rice. They have condiments on the side you can add to your dish- just go light on the hot sauce. I love spicy and hot things but this was too spicy for me. i'd also invest in buying a drink as you will be thirsty. The flavors are great and I appreciate the variety of vegetarian items they have. They also have a lot of meat options for meat eaters alike. Good takeaway. read more

Mama set things straight! The new lady now gives correctly Mama sized portions again. All is right with the world :)

A lunchtime gem. Tiny basic tables but heapings of curry and rice for £5 and as much chilli as you can heap on top. Gets busy at lunch with stressed out city workers so turn up early and get served by Mama Thai. read more

Portions are very filling and delicious. Very spicy but as someone who enjoys spice, it's really good.

Friendly service, great price on beer (£2.80 for some premium bottles like Punk IPA and Brooklyn), and pleasant decor. The food was reasonably well cooked, but the ingredients were out of balance. The hot and sour soup went too heavy on the beef stock, and the Lamb Massaman was almost overpowered by the Star Anise. And everything came with too much coriander for my taste, but that's just my taste. read more

Went for lunch Friday 13 May. Arrived 1245, line out the door, which looked promising. Took probably 15 minutes to get to order, which was OK. Ordered the "green curry chicken (spicy)". It was very quickly served and the portion size was generous. Taste-wise, however, it was distinctly not impressive--not bad, just rather under-whelming. I expect Thai food to be really flavourful, but my meal was bland. The veggies were fresh and nicely cooked, but the curry flavour was pretty weak and the spicy--wasn't. Price was fair--£5 for a meat meal, £4 for a vegetarian meal. OK for lunch, will go back because it is local & convenient, but would not go out of my way to eat here. Maybe I had a sub-standard meal, based on the other reviews, but I've had much better Thai food in London. read more

No Phad Thai, but for 5 GBP we got a generous helping of a almost perfectly spiced/seasoned chicken non-rice noodle dish. The staff waved us in at 16:30 even though they closed at 15:00 and while they, like most inexpensive places, were clueless to the expectations and needs of Americans (lots of tap water, hot sauce, & multiple napkins), the extremely cosmopolitan Indian owner remedied and anticipated our wants. Will def go back. read more

Went here for lunch yesterday with a friend. I had the aubugines and chick peas with rice and she had chick peas, spicy potatoes and lentil with rice. The food was hot, spicy, delicious! And only £4 for the amoutn you get. Would highly recommend as a lunch spot! read more

Give lunchtime spot for a Thai curry. Cosy and packed but service is quick and friendly. It can be a little greasy so can't go every single day, it's always a treat when the masuman special is on. read more

I've eaten here a few times. Reasonable sized portions and prices. Tastes OK. Better to take away than eat in as the space is very small and cramped. I have tasted much better Thai food in many other places in London. For local workers, looking to get a quick meal at lunchtime, it's OK. read more

This is a regular work lunch spot that gets pretty busy but has quick service so the queue moves quickly. Great if you're in the mood for some cheap and cheerful spice. read more

Good value for money as the portions are very big! But not very genuine thai curries. The red curry for example is very dry, needs more paste, coconut milk and dash of fish sauce. Cheap and cheerful, good for if you just want to pig out. read more

Great place for a sit down lunch! We had a beef curry + pumkpin side and chicken curry + potato side and both were tasted great. The curries are accompanied with rice and condiments (chillies, etc) and given the huge portion size, this is great value for £5. Will return when I'm back in the area! read more

£5 for good curry, rice and veg - you can't go wrong. The food is good and the place is unassuming. I am really glad I found this place! Service is good, quick and friendly too. read more