Chang Thai Restaurant

Chang Thai is one of Bishop Auckland's few proper sit-down Asian restaurants, occupying the second floor of a Market Place building at the historic heart of the town directly opposite the Auckland Castle gates. The kitchen is run as a family operation with the head chef the son of the owners and the cooking staff brought across from Thailand, which sets the menu apart from the part-Anglicised Thai-fusion repertoire that the larger chains run. The board carries the proper Thai signatures — Tom Yum, Pad Thai, green and red Thai curries, Thai fish cakes — alongside the classic starter range of chicken satay and spring rolls, with gluten-free and vegan options through most sections. TripAdvisor rates Chang Thai at 4.3 out of five and ranks the restaurant inside the top fifteen of nearly a hundred Bishop Auckland venues, with reviewer comments repeatedly picking out the authenticity of the cooking as the standout point. The Market Place position puts the restaurant in the centre of the Auckland Project regeneration footprint, alongside the Spanish Gallery and the new Faith Museum, which has lifted weekend visitor footfall well above what the town centre carried before. Booking is recommended for weekends. The restaurant trades both for eat-in and takeaway.