If you’re looking for Thai food in Peckham, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. But what if you want something that feels a little less conventional?
Just beyond Peckham in neighbouring Nunhead, Chai’s Garden at Skehan’s offers a dining experience that is difficult to categorise. The food is Thai, but the setting is an independent Irish pub. You can eat in the peaceful garden restaurant, enjoy your meal inside the pub or, when the weather allows, take your food outside.
And that is what makes Chai’s Garden different.
You’re not simply going to a Thai restaurant. You’re visiting a local pub where Thai food has become part of the character of the place.
What Makes Chai’s Garden Different From a Typical Peckham Thai Restaurant?
The obvious answer is the setting.
A conventional Thai restaurant generally has one dining environment. At Chai’s Garden, you have several choices.
You could sit in the separate restaurant and enjoy a quieter meal surrounded by greenery. You could eat inside Skehan’s, where you might have a pint alongside your dinner and experience the atmosphere of the pub.
Or you could enjoy your Thai food in the hidden garden behind the pub.
The food remains the same, but the experience changes depending on where you sit.
That flexibility is one of the things that makes Chai’s Garden unusual in the local food scene.
Peckham Thai Restaurant: Why Make the Short Journey to Nunhead?
Chai’s Garden is in Nunhead rather than Peckham itself, but it is only around a mile from Peckham.
For local diners, that makes it an easy alternative when you want Thai food without simply going to another restaurant around the Peckham high street.
Skehan’s is firmly rooted in South East London. It is an independent, family-run pub that has been part of the local community for more than 25 years.
Chai’s Garden has become part of that story rather than operating as a completely separate restaurant.
Chai’s Garden Thai Restaurant: Two Very Different Experiences
One of the most useful things to know before visiting is that you can choose how you want to eat.
A Quieter Meal in Chai’s Garden
The restaurant provides a more peaceful setting away from the main bar.
It is a glasshouse-style space surrounded by plants, with Thai-inspired features that reflect the story behind Chai’s Garden.
It works particularly well if you’re meeting someone for dinner and want to concentrate on the food and conversation.
Thai Food Inside an Irish Pub
Alternatively, you can order the Chai’s Garden menu and eat inside Skehan’s.
This is where the experience becomes particularly unusual.
Your Thai dinner could be accompanied by a pint of Guinness, live music, a quiz night or the atmosphere of a busy local pub.
You don’t have to choose between going out for dinner and going to the pub. At Skehan’s, the two experiences can be combined.
Thai Food and the Skehan’s Garden
The garden creates a third option.
Tucked behind the pub, it isn’t simply a few tables outside the front door. The garden has several different areas, planting, Thai huts and outdoor TVs, giving it a character of its own.
It’s also closely connected to the story of Chai’s Garden.
The Thai features and planting help create a setting that feels very different from the typical pub garden, while still being part of Skehan’s.
When the weather is suitable, you can enjoy your Thai meal outside and make an evening of it.
What Is on the Chai’s Garden Menu?
Chai’s Garden focuses on authentic Thai cooking, with dishes freshly prepared by Madam Chai and her team.
The menu includes Thai favourites alongside a selection of appetisers and main courses. Popular dishes include Pad Thai, Drunken Duck and Chicken with Cashew Nuts.
Thai food is served daily from 5pm until 9:30pm.
The restaurant also has a window looking into the kitchen, allowing diners in the garden to see some of the food being prepared.
That gives the experience a more personal feel than simply ordering from a standard restaurant kitchen.
What Happens After Dinner?
This is another area where Chai’s Garden differs from a typical restaurant.
At many restaurants, dinner is the main event and you leave when you’ve finished eating.
At Skehan’s, you don’t necessarily have to go anywhere.
The pub hosts live music throughout the week, including traditional music, jam sessions and live gigs.
So you could have dinner, order another drink and stay to listen to the music.
On another evening, you might time your meal around a quiz night or live sport.
The food is therefore part of a wider evening rather than the entire reason for visiting.
Why Chai’s Garden Works So Well at Skehan’s
Putting an authentic Thai restaurant inside an independent Irish pub might sound like an unusual combination.
And it is.
But the two have developed alongside one another for more than two decades.
Chai’s Garden brings Thai cooking and its own distinctive character to Skehan’s, while the pub provides a relaxed, informal setting that encourages people to stay, socialise and enjoy themselves.
Neither side has to become something it isn’t.
The result is a genuinely mixed local experience: Thai food, Irish pub culture, live music, sport and community all occupying the same space.
Looking for Peckham Thai Food With a Difference?
If you’re searching for Peckham Thai food, Chai’s Garden is worth considering if you want something beyond a conventional restaurant experience.
It’s close to Peckham but based in neighbouring Nunhead. You can choose between the restaurant, the pub or the garden, and your evening doesn’t have to end when you’ve finished eating.
That’s ultimately what makes Chai’s Garden distinctive.
It’s not trying to be another Thai restaurant on the high street.
It’s a Thai restaurant that has grown into the character of an independent South East London pub — and that is something you won’t find everywhere.
FAQs
Where can I find Thai food near Peckham?
Chai’s Garden at Skehan’s is in nearby Nunhead, approximately a mile from Peckham, and serves authentic Thai food daily.
Is Chai’s Garden a Thai restaurant?
Yes. Chai’s Garden is a Thai restaurant at Skehan’s in Nunhead, run by Madam Chai and serving freshly prepared Thai dishes.
Can you eat Thai food inside Skehan’s pub?
Yes. The Chai’s Garden menu can be enjoyed inside the pub as well as in the restaurant.
Can you eat Thai food in Skehan’s garden?
Yes. When the garden is open and the weather allows, you can enjoy Chai’s Garden food outside.
What makes Chai’s Garden different from other Thai restaurants?
Its location within a long-established independent Irish pub gives diners a choice of restaurant, pub and garden settings. You can also stay for live music, sport or other events after your meal.
What time does Chai’s Garden serve Thai food?
Thai food is served daily from 5pm to 9:30pm.