Review Zap 2 Thai Cafe & Bar - Auckland Central

Very yummy Thai food. Soup base was filled with flavors infused together with crunchy vegetables. Fried rice were presented very well. Curry was yumm with flavourful veggies and coconut cream base. Interior was well decorated with lucky bamboos to catch my attraction.

Zap Thai is a family favorite. Couple favorite. Single favorite. Even business power dinner favorite. Irrespective of how busy or what time you go, they consistently delivery delicious Northern Thai dishes. And they’re very warm and accommodating, especially the owner! You’re guaranteed to love it.

Very unfortunately that I’ve only discovered this Thai restaurant couple days before the owner retired 😭 but I loved their rad na so much, it reminds me of having it in bkk. The chicken and gat na veges are the essential ingredients in Rad na (my opinion). Their portion is huge despite it doesn’t come with rice, but will definitely miss this place a lot.

I guess this Thai restaurant already has its reputation, friendly staff, we ordered stir fried vegetable & crispy pork, it was good and that Tom Yom Soup won! ! I have to say It’s the best Tom Yom in Auckland, I just loved. Highly recommend.

I felt like I was in Thailand. The food here was not just some usual Thai food. it was my first time having ox tail soup in Thai restaurant, which was light and healthy. The crab fried rice was the surprise, they did give a lot real crab meat in it, and it turned out so great. Usually I don't get fried rice in restaurant, but this one will bring me back. Andthe phuket Island (stir fried prawn and chicken with vegetables) was so tasty, they use fresh vegetables, that's really my thing. staff are all very nice and humble.

Nice food good staff and service. Fried tofu with satay sauce yum .I like the most soup with alot of flavours and veges in it. The owner of this place personally look after the customers which is appreciated.

Food is awesome. Best Thai food ever had. Pricing is ok but can be better. Service is average. Overall 5/5 because food is amazing. Why the city centre one is now closed for business?

I love Zap2, it is by far my favourite Thai restaurant and I will always choose here! Their service is spectacular and everyone is so kind. The food is always delicious, both eat in and takeout, and the serving size is large. The “summer rolls” are a personal favourite of mine (pictured). Highly recommend.

Zap is my fav thai restruant in Auckland and one of very few serves both south and north thai dishes. I love those super tasty,spicy food,goes perfect with rice. Highly recommend dish in my last photo,cant remember the name but really good. Spicy thou.

Based on other reviews and recommendations, we tried out Zap 2 Thai. A very unusual name for a Thai restaurant. The food quality was excellent, we ordered a Red Curry and a Chilli, Garlic Stir fry - both with chicken and I have to say, the flavours were amazing. Portion sizes were large and pricing was at par with other Thai eateries. The menu isn't unique but I found it good to see a list of key ingredients that each item comprised of, made it easy to make a decision.

Foods are excellent and services are friendly. Definitely come back again 👍

Excellent service (owner lady is very nice and friendly) Thai food there are good and affordable!

Very friendly and caring owner (Payao). Foods are delicious with nice and clean environment.

The food is just too good, the staff friendly and helpful. Must try the mango sticky rice!

Good portion of food and they are delicious. Price is also very reasonable.

We had Pad Tai and Pad Ped -- both really tasty, and good portion size. Bonus was deep fried ice cream for dessert!

First time we ordered from Zap 2, I like my Tom him mild and my partner likes his medium, well his was really really hot and mine had a kick but was ok, I wouldn’t rate the soup as one of my best so would say average maybe. Then we’ve ordered a Massamam curry -mild for lunch and it was super spicy! This is like being back in Thailand when you order something and you ask it mild, it’s always way more spicy than what you expect. I couldn’t eat it :( <br/>My colleague at work said she ordered from them in the past and found it too spicy too ! She eat spices (she is Indian so used to spicy food from young) but said you need to order mild when you like medium spice.<br/>I grew up with no spice so I cannot eat too spicy.<br/>I don’t think I will go back but I think if you like spicy, you will enjoy it.

I ordered using Zaps online facility for the first time. This has got to be the best and easiest online ordering system I have ever used. I ordered pick up for an hour later. I received advice when it was ready and picked it up from the window really easily. I had ordered 2 meals which were absolutely delicious.<br/>The sauce for the schnitzel is incredible. This restaurant makes GREAT FOOD and I'm going back.

Yummy food, they were happy to make a substitute for the pork mince in the meal I ordered since I don't eat pork which I was grateful for!<br/>Also when they say spicy they aren't lying :P

Extremely disappointed at tonight's dining experience. The first time I've been to Zap was when I was a student living in the city. It was so good back then and my favourite was the seafood salad. Now I get to go back to Zap after a few years and this one is located in Balmoral so have to drive all the way from Botany. I hate to say this but everything was so underwhelming. From entrée to the dessert, it was clear that we are not coming back here again. Under seasoned mains that seem like it was made very quickly without tasting it, and the durian dessert for $12 that small! Paid close to $90 for two people I could have gone somewhere else

Loved the thai green curry .. we chose the curry with chicken and it turned out to be very tender and yummy ... the sticky rice went pretty well with the curry .. <br/>Tom yum is again a very tasty soupy noodles dish and very filling ... <br/>they serve good authentic food and good amount as well<br/>One must visit to experience it .. <br/>Thanks Zap 2 for the wonderful experience:)

I went here with a vegetarian biase and OMG what beautiful people and more importantly what beautiful food variations .Awesome flavors, massive portions, lots if love in the food and prep. Such a clean place.

Following ZAP for 16 years, but today's experience was annoying. Lady who usually works night shift decided to charge extra on rice, although lunch menu is priced with photos of dishes together with rice. I go there all the time and get told all the time that rice is included for lunch...She kept telling me rice is not for free, what other staff told me was incorrect. She ended up not charging me the $7 but the whole situation was unnecessary unpleasant, and embarrassing. Will think twice before I go back to them...

Food was great in general, had the money bags which were tasty. The whole deep fried snapper was fresh and great with the sauce and sticky rice. I will pass on the deep fried ice cream that was a bit heavy. Service was friendly but not very attentive especially considering we were only one table out of four.

We went there on Sunday for lunch. The ambience was ok and the restaurant was quite clean. The staff were also very friendly. The best dishes were definitely the pad thai and the mango sticky rice. The green curry was slightly watery and a bit spicy but other than that, the food was overall quite enjoyable.<br/><br/>Food: 8.5/10<br/>Service: 10/10<br/>Ambience:&nbsp; 9/10

Got introduced to this place last year with a friend and since then been there close to 10 times! A different Thai experience. While u can get the classic pad thai which tastes good too, I prefer their famous soup noodles, especially the beef and beef tendon ones. The soup is unique according to the owner of the restaurant. I am not a spicy eater but their selfmade chilli sauce is a must try too. Photos next time I go :)<br/>Taste 4/5<br/>Service 4/5<br/>Ambiance 4/5<br/>Value (price and portion size) 4/5

Came here the other day for lunch. They have their own lunch menu separated from dinner menu with lots of noodles options. We tried 2 different types of dries noodles & 1 stir-fried dish. All were super nice. Will definitely come back again :)

This place have never failed us. Been here many times and everytime I go..they always provide excellent service and friendly smile.<br/><br/>Food is always good with generous portions.<br/>They all came out at the same time.<br/><br/>Great for large group. Plenty of seating but always recommend booking.<br/><br/>A must place to go !

The Thai place in Balmoral! Super friendly staff and great food. Prices are probably a bit over any Thai restaurant, but the quality of the food is superb. We go at least once a month.

Just had lunch with a massive group today, food was great and came out reasonable time. Only issue was the seating was a bit cramp and was quite cold. So recommend going here with a group of 4 max not any more otherwise gets a bit hectic.<br/>Good service from staff too!

The food was great, we ordered from the lunch menu we expected smaller portions, but the portions were very generous, good ambience, the staff were great. We felt like valued customers. We surely are coming back 😁

They have the best fried snapper I’ve ever had for a long time! But for the Tom yum is just ok. The price and food range are very good. Definitely happy with my decision to come here! Will be back next time for the snapper.

I love their raw prawns salad so much, it's refresh and delicious. I'll never make the same flavour at home, i don't really like thai food, but i do love tom yum soup and raw prawn salad.

Balmoral favourite. Best dishes are nam tok beef (best in Auckland) fried snapper, massaman chicken curry and kumara balls. Best to book a table as they are incredibly popular.

My friend and I randomly walked into this restaurant because at 11am surprisingly there are not a lot of restaurants opened on dominion road. <br/><br/>The lunch menu has a variety of food, not just Thai food, there are also food similar to Vietnamese or Japanese. We ordered beef noodle and tomyum soup noodle with seafood. The servings were really big and with a lot of rice noodles. The tomyum noodle had a lot of seafood inside and beef noodles had beef meatball and beef slices. <br/>Tomyum noodle soup had a little bit of kick but not too spicy. Seafood like shrimps and mussels were really yum with the soup. Beef noodles were slightly less nice comparing to tomyum noodles (from my point of view). It was like pho but the beef were kinda over cooked in the soup so it was a bit dry and tough. <br/><br/>We also ordered prawn cake but it was a bit pricey, $12 for 4 pieces but the prawn cake was deep fried and really crispy. <br/><br/>Food: 3.8/5<br/>Service: 4.5/5<br/>Overall: 4/5

Love the food here so deep and rich in spices. Too many Thai places tone down their menus for Kiwi palates I'm glad Zap 2 Thai follows its true origins! A++++++

Friendly staff and good foods, reasonable prices, the omelette is a little too greasy this time. Great noodles, will be back to try out other dishes.

We were just walking down dominion road looking for something for dinner and this little place was pretty full and warm so we came in. The staff are lovely. Water got put down straight away and they made sure you were okay without being overbearing. I got the Tom khan soup which was so punchy and creamy I loved it! Very authentic with the ginger roots and kaffir lime leaves. The chicken summer rolls didn’t have much chicken but were light and fresh with the sweet chilli peanut sauce. The red duck curry was also good with so many pieces of duck. Some were a little dry but with the pieces of pineapple it didn’t matter. Overall a 3.5-4 for a quaint no frills Thai restaurant

Even if the food was bad, I’d still go because the people are lovely. That being said, the food is really good. My go to is the Chicken Panang

Very nice food.<br/>Friendly staff, very efficient, didn't wait long for our food either, we got there and there was a group of 10 next to us and our food came out in minutes considering we ordered Alot of food. Flavours tastes very authentic, had my first Tom yum soup here and fell in love

Honestly just love this place, good food, curry puffs are stunning and the pad Thai and green curry are amazing, the service though is always amazing at Zap, I cannot hype the service enough :) On my way there now for another great Zap feed

AMBIENCE 3/5 <br/>SERVICE/STAFF 4/5<br/>FOOD 4/5<br/>PRESENTATION 3/5<br/>QUANTITY/PRICE 4/5 <br/><br/>We went on Monday lunch during closing time and the place was empty and we were the only ones there. Simple place and there’s 2 sides to the place if you wana go with a large group it will fit many people. Service we got served right away and food came within 10 mins. The staff was very friendly and smiled. Food is good nothing over impressive or cannot complain. Presentation is normal. Quantity for price is very good. There was so many chicken in the soup as well as the fried rice we ordered. Overall is a good place and will need to go back try other dishes. There was a lot of options on the menu and didn’t get a chance to explore and try something new as we went around 2:45 and the restaurant closes at 3:00.

Really good service, food tastes awesome, good prices. A solid 4 stars for me. Try the Tom Yum fried rice. Khao soi and green curry are also banging.

Went here with a friend for lunch. Ordered Tom yum soup & pad Thai with Jasmine Tea. Honestly speaking, I did not enjoy the food. For me, the pad Thai was bland, I had to add a lot of seasoning, soy sauce and chilli sauce. Tom Yum soup had some flavour. The service however is very good and super friendly. Staff are polite and ambience is good too. Food was a letdown but service was good. Unfortunate. Also we were not charged for our Jasmine Tea.. the owner decided to not charge us ( I did not say anything about the lack of taste in pad thai)

I had the Pad Tai. I only want to write this to say I don't really like Thai food, but I absolutely love this place. The staff are very friendly and nice, the food is authentic and very delicious. I will be back here.

Went there for a quick work lunch, there were 10 of us and most of us ordered Pad thai and some entree as well. Food is very tasty and comes out quite fast. Definitely recommend all the Thai food lover to try.

Always fantastic food, pad Thai is the best ever, aways consistent and ready quickly, chicken and cashews amazing and duck curry totally delicious highly recommend this place 😊

I don't have any complaints about this place so a 5/5 for me. Ordered chu chee with pork and the curry was so lovely. My bf's favourite dish! And I'm in love with the kumara balls must try these fresh. I've also had fried rice from here, the pineapple and normal one with pork. Loved them both! Alot of flavour. Tom Kha is beautiful creamy coconut curry. Family favourite.

Huge portions and really delicious food!! I tried the chicken and prawn pad thai and the plate was so full!! I was so impressed and I couldnt finish the last quarter of the plate. I was so stuffed but really good for around $16?!

Zap 2 Thai Cafe & Bar seems a little bit outdated in terms of their decor, they had old wooden walls that could use a little bit of touch up. The restaurant itself is divided into 2 sections for no apparent reason, and many people were confused by the point of entry as one side is firmly locked.<br/><br/>The food was dear for the quality we received and the waiter would disappear for while in between sections despite it was not very busy. It's best to go to Boonchu unless you want to go to a fully licensed Thai Restaurant in the same area.

A cheap and easy thai place. Usually we just order take away. The price is fair and the most amazing thing is their KUMURA BALLS, they're to die for!

Honestly love this place and always go here at least once a week with my friends!! I love all of their friendly faces, customer service is fast and efficient. Water is complementary. The food is THE BOMB and there's something for everyone. Special shout out to Patrick one of mine and my friends favourite zap faces, love this place it deserves more recognition!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spicy food, but without any warning, the Zap Thai soup and two mains were far too spicy, beyond any enjoyment. Beware

Went to Zap 2 Thai on Monday night after over 10 years since we have now moved to another suburb. Still the same. Awesome food. The fish in particular was really nice and so was the Chicken curry. Highly personalised service with the owner actively engaging in conversation with all her clients. Worth a visit. Thanks

Love Thai food at a decent price, this is the place to go. The major highlights of this place is the location-dominion road, the compact yet comfortable seating arrangement, the large bamboo plant corner (i absolutely loved it) and very very friendly staff. <br/>Being a Apadana(now known as Manee Thai) fan, it took me a while to get to Zap 2 but we weren't disappointed. We were instantly seated and looked after courteously. They got water cutlery etc within few minutes and took the order. The staff is fluent in English which was SUCH A HIT. We ordered the stir fry lamb and thai red chicken curry, sticky rice and Roti. Food arrived and it was a delight to our eyes and palate. Food was full of flavor flavor flavor. Beware the roti is just frozen roti unlike the one you get in Bangkok restaurant in Kingsland. When we finished this lady- owner/manager asked us how the food was and wished us goodnight, really appreciate the personal care they take with every customer.<br/>Despite the wonderful experience, there was this one annoying thing about this place. The kitchen is open to the customers and you can hear shrills of this lady constantly shouting in the kitchen, we waited for her to calm down after sometime but NO, it went on throughout the time we sat there. It was really annoying. They should definitely do something about that. Other than, I don't mind getting takeaways from this place -Food is 5/5.

Got takeaways from here with friends who are regulars. Lovely owners but the food was a big let down. There was NO veg at all in any dish and each dish was about 60% sauce. The sauce was lovely but it was liquid. Then there was the seafood choice. We would have been lucky if the container had been 20% filled and maybe half of the might have been liquid again. Unfortunately we didn't find any of this out till we got home about 10 minutes away. Our friend phoned the Cafe to say about the seafood dish but was told that was how it always comes. If this is true it is the worst value dish that I have ever seen.

Got takeaways last night with friends. A non existent seafood dish for almost $20 and 3 others; all sauce; some meat; no veggies. Awful rice. Dreadful value. Almost $80 for the worst Thai food we're had in a long time.

Proper Thai food. Traditional, filling, tasty.<br/><br/>* I've been here several time, and all their soups, traditional salads and curries are amazing<br/>* They have options such as Ox Tail Soup and Whole Snapper for the adventerous (Also super tasty)<br/>* Portions are generous, I often end up getting takeaway boxes for leftovers

I love Zap. My mom and I go to Zap whenever we crave Thai food. I usually order the Green Curry or Pad Thai. and she orders Larb, the food is really good. the quality is great, and the price is good for what you actually get. You get more than enough and you can even share it.

Worst experience in every way. We want our money back 😫<br/>Pad Thai chicken was the worst I ever had, where's the sauce??? Where's the coriander or chives? It was just this bland light yellow dish with no colour or sauce.<br/>So sad we tried this place. <br/>The place smelled of incense too 😞

I really like this place. They are now open for lunch as well! Service is quick and the food is on point every time.<br/><br/>The curries are all very nice but my favourite is their larb with a side of sticky rice. I love how the sticky rice comes in a cute little bamboo basket. <br/><br/>Delicious and affordable Thai food.

We had the crispy pork with Chinese broccoli and duck red curry. The crispy pork was average... Pork was chewy and not crispy at all. But the red curry was AMAZING! Duck cooked well, lots of spice and flavour. Simply yum!

I always like zap2... The foods are always tasty and the service are always warm and friendly. The prices are also fairly reasonable.<br/><br/>My personal favourite dishes here are their namtok, the fish pad ped, their duck curry, their yum neua and their their sticky rice!! We always end up getting the same thing every time we eat there!

Went there today to celebrate my mate's Birthday. got the staff to bring the cake to our table to surprise my mate and the staff did a great job. i rarely write reviews for restaurants but the customer service we got today is 10/10.<br/>The food was pretty good quality as always.  The staff was very very friendly and went above and beyond. Really happy with the food and the service we got.

Nothing fancy; just good food to fill some hungry tummy and great service to go with it.<br/><br/>My husband's favorite is the oxtail soup. It reminds him of home (we're not Thai, but we do have a similar recipe). And his second favorite is the Pla Lui Suen--whole snapper that is deep-fried and topped with chilli sauce (not the usual sweet chilli sauce). These are the two items that make us go back to Zap 2.<br/><br/>My favorite? Let's just say that the rest of the menu is similar to other Thai restos. :-) One more thing that I always take note of regarding restaurants--this place can get packed on weekends. So, either come early or be willing to wait patiently... :-)

Been here a few times recently and disappointed to find the quality of food has dropped . The pad Thai was especially disappointing . Also massuman curry watery . Used to be my favourite Thai for years , maybe they have had a change in chef ? 😒<br/>

Super quick service on a quiet Monday night. Takeaways were ready in less than 15 min! Green curry was awesome -chicken pieces a little big though. Beef Pad khing was gingery and delicious. Pad see eiu was okay, but pretty same-same and needed something to jazz it up. Great takeaways. $55 for chicken satay entre, rice, green curry, pad khing, and pad see eiu. Leftover green curry great for lunch the next day. Will be back here.

In search for a better alternative since the branch in the city closed, this one taster bland and watery.

Loved their chicken Choo chee but sadly they have now closed their doors. Not even sure why, the place was always packed. They have another place up on Lorne street, library end, called ChomNa which I now go to instead.

Have been to Zap2 on Dominion road several times with friends<br/>And tried several items on their menu<br/>The food has always been excellent and the service is friendly .<br/>The restaurant is clean and the decor is simple.<br/>Would highly recommend this place<br/><br/>

After Zap4 closed down, I was searching for authentic thai food(as I'm Thai) finally I found the place I would go there to eat my home food everyday. I ordered Pad Prik Kapaw and Nam Tok, both were excellent! Especially, Pad Prik Kapaw tasted exactly like one in Thailand. Service was great. Would definitely go back again and again.

The ability to follow up and recitify issues with meal served with the manager and the kitchen staff promptly is one of the greatest asset for any restaurant that an owner can wish for.<br/>Spent over $600 collectively over 3 visits over the last 4 months with ZAP 2.<br/>2.5 points for food well served over the first 2 visits with a palette to die for.<br/>Our last visit was a complete disappointment.<br/>Menu no  62: PLA RAD PRIK (fish dish) was served with scales on it.<br/>Menu no 13: Chicken green curry  was served with an overdoes of fish sauce and green curry paste making it very salty and so hot<br/><br/>The waitress was notified on the table of the scales, showed her the fish by pulling out several scales off our meal.<br/>When I said can you fix this problem, she said sorry and that nothing can be done, I then asked her for the manager, waiting 20 mins and manager did not arrive.<br/>Using our fingers we took out the scales off the  fish and consumed it along with the green curry with lots of water.<br/>On paying the bill, the owners grand daughter was told of this issue, and she said that because the kitchen is very busy, the fish and green curry were cooked liked this and that we cant do anything about it and sorry.<br/><br/>To the owner (s) of ZAP 2 :<br/>All my life I have not come accross any resturant which have a mentallity like this.<br/><br/>Anything which is not meant to be on the food is not meant to be served, and even after your staff see this issue on our plate, we are meant to eat it by accepting her "sorry"<br/><br/>I humbly request the owners of ZAP2 to, if WAIT staff, Manager and/or C0-FAMILY members are trained to say "sorry to its customers only" to rectify a food problem then please:<br/><br/>1)Teach kitchen staff how to clean a fish properly, <br/>2) The chef to add the correct proportion of sugar, green curry paste and fish sauce, coconut cream....it only takes these four base ingredients to make a green curry<br/><br/>Travelling 30 minutes each way to eat your lovely food has been well worth it in the past, but unfortunately, arrogance of your ZAP2 team is not the way to run a business which me and my family have experienced.<br/><br/>Please dont forget that the goal for any restaurant is to provide inspiring food and customer service that moves people into their restaurant repeatedly and not only once.

Quick, cheerful, tasty and fuss free Thai :-) The red duck curry is always a winner, we've been getting it over the years and it never disappoints!

Back here for takeaway last night after a long time... The place continues to produce decent affordable Thai food that wouldn't break the bank<br/><br/>We had the curry puff which was delicate in flavour with light pastry that was nice. The fish cakes on the other hand were a great disappointment, very rubbery with not a lot of fish in it. Both came with sweet chilli dipping sauce that had a nice heat and acidity to it.<br/><br/>Mains were Panang curry which was rich, creamy and delicious with nice additional crunch of nuts. Excellent choice as I remembered in from previous visits<br/>The Pad thai was acceptable although have had better from other outlets<br/>The Kao Kuka Pe was nice with delicious toppings and nice balance of flavours although the rice was a little heavy having soaked up all the shrimp sauce.<br/><br/>Overall a decent meal and one that we will go back to again for takeaways

Really disappointed when I visited on Thursday night for takeaways. I ordered my chicken coconut soup hot and when I got it home to eat it had absolutely no spice at all. I will be reluctant to return in a hurry

Had dinner here, the service was excellent, but the decor could do with an update. We had menu numbers 50 and 26. I found the noodles in 50 a bit flat without much flavour and a bit stretchy and over cooked, but the overall flavour of the meat and the veges were good. Menu number 26 was delicious and would have it again when I go back. If you love spicy food, this is the dish you have to order!

I always enjoy this place for cheap and tasty Thai food. <br/><br/>I love the chicken massaman curry which is creamy and full of flavour. The phad thai is good - slightly average, I prefer other places for phad thai. The chicken larb is also good. I prefer their curries in general, the curries are always amazing! I'd also love to try more on the menu. <br/><br/>Overall a really good spot to satisfy your Thai cravings!

Love tofu pad Thai! <br/>It's just a one thing I'd always go for. <br/>A great choice for vegetarian. <br/>Staffs are lovely and the owner is amazing person too <br/>Definitely recommend to anyone who wants to try Thai!

One of the best Thai food places in Auckland. Great price and portion sizes. I am a huge fan of Thai iced tea and theyhave it! That's a bonus for me. Thai red curry and prawn noodles are absolutely delicious! Customer service is very good, the waiters are very friendly and warm.

It was recommended by my friends and went there on their marriage anniversary. Food was good, portions were good too. Felt prices were slightly on higher side. Keeping prices in mind, ambiance should be improved. Staff behavior put us off as after we placed the order for entrées and mains, nobody asked us about our desert order n finally we had to a staff to place our order.

My go to Thai place on dominion road! The food is always consistent, and the portions are great. Pad sew ew is my fav which I'd recommend to any of you noodle lovers! Good service and the meals come out reasonably quick!<br/><br/>The restaurant is a decent size and is good for small or big groups. Prices are very reasonable! Plenty of options to choose from off the menu!

Busy place but the staff are efficient. Love the curry puffs as they are are golden and crunchy. The stir fry dishes are a big portion so is the rice. Have tried both dine in and went back for takeaways the same week. Good value for money for sure.

Definitely recommend Zap for a quick, cheap and unpretentious thai meal. It was exactly what we thought it was, which is always quite good when you're hungry :p <br/><br/>My khuay teaw gang (medium hot coconut curry noodle) was delicious! The intensity of the flavours in the soup were absolutely incredible. Highly recommend trying this dish if you're into creamy coconut curries! The Keemao wasn't my kinda dish, but it my friend enjoyed it. Tom kha soup was well balanced and definitely enjoyable too. <br/><br/>Portion sizes are great. Very generous in terms of meat and veges. Polite and knowledgeable wait staff. <br/>

I go often for takeaway dinner. Tried a few things but my favourite is the chicken kao kaka pe, number 47 on the menu. Good selection of food in one dish and tastes good. Friendly staff who know my order when I walk in now :)

Zap 2 on Balmoral is a good Thai choice on Dominion Road but I prefer Zap 4 in city more than this one. <br/><br/>Though they have better service and easy to find car park :)  than the one in city but the price is little bit more expensive and has less choices for special Thai dishes. Also the taste are not that authentic like in city. <br/><br/>I ordered kao soy (Thai northern style curry noodle) and som tum (carrot salad). <br/>The noodle was nice but little bit too sweet for me. I think it's a good choice if you want to try different Thai dish apart from pad thai, green curry etc. <br/><br/>Som tum is like national food in Thailand. If you haven't tried, I highly recommend it. <br/><br/>Overall Zap is still my no.1 Thai restaurant in Auckland! Give them a try either Balmoral or city one :)

Wow haven't had such a good pad thai in so long.... generous meat/tofu portions and great flavour! :D looking forward to trying more on the menu!

One of my favourite Thai restaurant. Reasonable prices and yummy food! A good chioce for BYO ! I enjoyed my meal very much and would go back again.

Probably my favourite out of all the Zaps, along with Zap 4. <br/>Thick, creamy and flavorful curries...you will not be disappointed! So yum! It does get busy so book in advance!

I have to say this is the best Thai restaurant I've been to in Auckland. Authentic, tasty food and no holding back on the fresh chilli if you like it that way ;-) The building looks a bit run down on the outside, but looks are deceiving! Well worth eating here. Highly recommended if you're looking for as close to authentic Thai as you can get in this city. I never leave feeling dissatisfied. Great place.

ZAP is really good! Not a fancy place, so it's perfect for a casual dinner with friends/family or takeaway (cold winter nights)! I was quite surprised with how authentic the food was as I was expecting it to be a little "kiwi". I was really pleased with the portion too! Will def be back.

Come to zap2 If your looking for a unauthentic Thai restaurant experience where you get to eat with a "fork and spoon" <br/>Ordered the lamb green curry which was runny and unflavourful the lamb was hardened (over cooked) tasted like it was spoiled.<br/><br/>The cashew pork mix was another "recommended" menu item which was too oily and underwhelming with flavour <br/><br/>Prices run about 18 dollars a dish, a must if your looking to spend that hard earned kiwi dollar on a meal we couldn't even finish. <br/><br/>Enjoy or not<br/><br/>I was born and raised in Vancouver Canada where we have some of the best Asian restaurants around.<br/><br/>Oli

Been to Zap a few times now, the food is always great. Definitely a place I would go if you are after Thai food with a punch! Aside from aromatic curries, you won't be disappointed with their other dishes, such as the larb, one of my favourite dishes. Great service, great environment. Really great.

No complaints. Our resident Thai restaurant and go to place. Food never disappoints and is made by authentic Thai chefs. The owner is friendly and attentive. She comes out from the kitchen during service to make sure everyone is alright. Staff can be forgetful, but they are always friendly. When we fine we always bring guests, so this means big tables. Everyone had different dietary needs and the staff are attentive and meet our needs. No complaints about the food. They are consistent in size and flavour. It can get a bit loud in the restaurant tho, and the seating isnt designed for an elegant dine in. But, its not a deterant. Recommend the roast duck curry, best thing ever!

We ordered takeaway on a lazy Friday evening. Our food was ready pretty quickly although on the phone they didn't tell us how long it would be and I had to call back to double check.<br/>The food was tasty and well seasoned. I had a fried noodle dish with prawns and lots of chilli. I didn't particularly want the chilli but it was spicy anyway. <br/>My boyfriend had a red curry with sticky rice. I tried his curry sauce and it was tasty without being over the top hot. <br/>Both dishes were pretty close to the Thai street food we had in Thailand. All the traditional flavours were there. <br/>I enjoyed my meal and would go back again.

Zap 2 is your standard, kiwi Thai restaurant. Nothing exceptionally exciting but at the same time trustworthy and delicious. The portions are massive and can easily be split between two people. Although it is a tiny bit more expensive than it's competitor down the road... <br/><br/>The highlight of my most recent trip to Zap? My (extremely fussy) 9 year old sister discovering that thai wasn't so bad and that she LOVES baby corn. New food discoveries for the win. <br/><br/>When I go to Zap my order is pretty repetitive - pad Thai, gang panang and pad med mamuang. Yum!

Standard (albeit outdated) decor and standard service, but I didn't go there expecting a 5-star dining experience anyways. I did however, expect good food - Zap means 'Yum!' in thai issan - and I believe ZAP 2 delivered. <br/>Our dinner even gained the approval of my mum - which means a lot coming from her previous experiences of notoriously rejecting overpriced Thai food that she can cook at home. <br/>I thought ZAP was quick and authentic - satisfying my hunger for a well priced and well portioned meal - I'll definitely come back again (when mum doesn't want to cook).

Great place, cheap, cheerful, food is always tasty and they will do it Thai hot if you want!!

Great staff and great food. It is probably one of the most authentic Thai places in Auckland. I am always amazed at how fast the food comes out and with the quality! Thoroughly recommend :)

Biggest waste of money ever experienced, I thought I would give them another go after I was disappointed with the value for money last time....well they failed again. I ordered Phuket Island tonight takeaway and there was no chicken and very few prawns and squid. The dish was half full and what was mainly in there was vegetables. Stop being so cheap...put in more meat rather than so many veges....I may as well be a vegetarian! Will not be ordering from here ever again and suggest that all stay clear!

Booked this from Australia as organiser of a family dinner to celebrate my Mother's 98th Birthday.! The service and attention from the staff was outstanding; especially considering we had 4 generations, from 6 months to 98, who had not caught up for a while. The food was tops in taste with large portions which meant most of us had "doggie bags" (plastic containers) to take home afterwards. We provided a cake which the staff presented with candles, dimmed lights, and played the birthday song. They even gave her a free small bottle of bubbly! It was an evening my Mother will cherish, made very special by the care and attention from Zap2.<br/>Spent quite a bit of time on sites like this to find something that suited everyone's palate and reasonably central for all(except me)... The reviews seemed well established for the Zap Thai cafes and averaged quite high by comparison to similar venues. The actual proof was eating there and enjoying the night with 14 other members of the family. Thank you Zap2..!!

I have been going here for the last 7 years. Hands down best pad thai in auckland. Food has its days where it can be a hit or miss (depending on the chef who makes your food as they have 4 chefs at a time). Otherwise most times its great!<br/>Best Tom Yum soup too!

Very disappointed i've ordered Som Tum for $15 with no juice So little little portion compare to Zap4 in the city. it was just Shredded Carrots some greenbeans , sliced tomatoes ONLY VEGGIES!!! C'mon show people some love Don't be 2 tight the taste was alright but not impress tho, Never Go back again !!! The rest is ok .You better go to Zap4 for better food

Great food Thai food. This place is always really busy but service is always consistently good.

ordered about 8 dishes and all were very good. head chef came out to check if we were satisfied and was very friendly. she gave us a mango dessert on the house! highly recommend this place as its value for money ( 9 people for $140) . the red curry sauce was soooo nice!

I have been to Zap in Commerce St many times and have absolutely loved it every time.<br/>Unfortunately Zap2 in Dominion Rd offers a completely different experience.<br/>The service is very poor, we had to ask for rice and then had to wait another 10 minutes for it to be brought over. The cutlery was cleared from the table but wasn't replaced so we had to go and ask for a spoon and a fork.<br/>Also the place smelled of toilet and detergent, it was very overpowering!<br/>The food was very average, honestly it was nothing special at all.<br/>I would not recommend Zap2 to anyone, however, Zap in Commerce St is absolutely great, service and food-wise.

This was my first time at this restaurant, and was expecting big things based on the other reviews. However, after receiving my takeaway order i was rather disappointed at the portion size especially at the price of $15. In comparison to other Thai restaurants this portion size was tiny, it had plenty of sauce but not much else. In saying this though the flavour was good and service was friendly.

Went again last night third time for me, The food here is as close as you can get to authentic Thai in Auckland, The food service was fast and efficient but the waitress was inattentive and concentrated her conversation on the Thai speaker in our group ignoring a drinks order and then forgetting about it all together even after being reminded in Thai, we had to ask another waitress to get it, the original waitress bought the drinks and apologised , Even though this place is pitched as a Thai style cafe it's a pity the decor is sub standard this creates an atmosphere equal to a train station and would be more suited to the back lanes of Bangkok, with very little effort and cost this cafe could be one of the best.

A few weeks ago we ate at Zap4 on Commerce for Thai Thursday at work. I was thoroughly impressed. We decided to give Zap 2 on Dominion Road a go tonight and again I was very impressed. I had the Kao Pad and it was delicious! I had some of the pad thai as well (which I had eaten at Commerce last time) and it was just as good.<br/><br/>The wait staff were very friendly.<br/><br/>The decor is pretty dated, but it doesn't detract from the dining experience.<br/><br/>Overall, a really good meal.

I have been going to this restaurant since it opened in the 90's and have visited Thailand many times, so I can honestly say this is the best and most authentic thai food you will find in Auckland.<br/><br/>Dont expect fine dining but the consistancy of their cooking staff make it what it is and the wide variety on the menu means everyone will be satisfied.<br/><br/>The staff are professional and anticipate their patrons needs and are prompt on delivering the food. The owner is the greatest and ensures every customer leaves happy, which is refreshing in this day and age.<br/><br/>Prices have hardly changed in the years that they have been running and don't bother with the BYO, their prices are such that the drinks are more than valued for money.

To be honest 'OK" sums this place up. We headed along as a group and I was really looking forward to it. However the experience was average Thai food with just average service.<br/><br/>Out of the six dishes we had nothing stood out.<br/><br/>I would not head past your good local Thai restaurant to get to Zap.

the place is constantly packed and we love the dishes.

Just had take aways, and bitterly disappointed. Ordered chicken and veges with oyster sauce, and am fairly sure there was no oyster sauce anywhere near this dish. A liberal sprinkling of black pepper on top does not make up for a lack of flavour. Spring rolls were filled with barely anything but carrot. Would definitely not bother wasting my money here again. For the first time ever I don't even want to finish a Thai meal.

I have attended this eatery with family and friends for the past eight years. My father-in-law and I consider ourselves as Thai connoisseurs and love this eatery for it's earthy atmosphere. As others have stated, this is no Ritz but the food is the best Thai outside of Thailand. We have tried the usual suspects like Tusk along the road and never been satisfied. With Zapp2's friendly staff and prompt service, you, like us will never leave feeling disappointed. If you do, look at yourself and your expectations. Their Pad Thai with Chicken and Prawns is exceptional. AAA+++ and I'm picking some take away up tonight.

ok restaurant,no decors, service was ok, we asked for fill up rice. it took about 15 minutes for the rice arrive. the food taste good, very similar as what we had in Thailand.

The best among the best Thai restaurant in Auckland. Simple, authentic food, extremely fast service (no matter how busy they are) and wonderful service every time!<br/>I try to visit Zap Thai with my family at least once every month and would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone!

We have been eating at this cafe for the last 7 years mostly a quick meal before going somewhere else. The food quality is good and the prices are good value. Service is fast and efficient so don't expect to be here all night! But stick to the authentic thai dishes rather than Chinese dishes.<br/>Try the deep fried chicken wings they have the best recipe for spice on the outside.<br/>For something different try one of the rice dishes.

Best Thai restaurant in Auckland hands down. Enough said!

I adore the pad Thai here, not the nicest place to sit to eat but takeaways I don't think Auckland has a better Thai!

Good value but presentation of food not that great. I ordered chicken cashew nuts and the chicken pieces looked really rough, like someone had just scraped them off the chicken. Also, they used chilli powder rather than dried chilli pieces which are traditional in this dish. I paid for rice and got given a very small serve. This place is cheap and cheerful but not the place to go if you are looking for a quality meal.

Delicous Thai food, graet service and very reasonable prices!!

I pretty much get takeaway food from here every week as the food is just oh so good. I've eaten in at the restaurant around 3 times and had a good experience. Zap 2 being BYO is a great bonus also. Sure it's plain inside, but who cares as the food is THE best Thai in Auckland(hey maybe even NZ?)

food was great as always however we were gutted when we're charged $5 for each medium bowl of rice (to be shared between 4 people), and for the next 2 times we asked for top up, so in total we spent $15 just for rice. what a rip off!!! :(

Put it like this, I love Thai food and I keep coming back to this place over the last 5 years. Haven't found a better Thai restaurant anywhere in NZ so far. Might not be as posh as many other Thai restaurants in town, but price is very reasonable too. But taste-wise IMHO nothing beat this. Their Pla Lui Suen (fish with country sauce) is DIVINE!

Best food. Always hot, prompt and excellent service. They even took 10 of us in even though the kitchen was closing in 10 minutes.

Over the years, I think the 'Zaps' has lost it's reign of cheap and cheerful Thai. We went to the balmoral Zap 2 the other night with friends and had an average tasting meal and high prices.<br/><br/>What used to be THE byo place to go on a Friday with friends is now considered overpriced and superseded by better valued (dare I say more exotic?) cheap eats, especially on dominion road.<br/><br/>We shared entrees and ordered a main each. I was happy to see the specials menu, consisting of soup noodles and some more interesting stir fry but for entrees ranging around the $10 mark and mains at $15-20/dish plus rice on top, I'm just not sure if it's worth the price. <br/><br/>On a good note, Zap 2 can do spicy and the quantities aren't bad. I also saw mango rice pudding on the specials page which I might have to try one day. Overall, the flavours were all there and not too heavy on the Thai herbs which I prefer, the soup I ordered was dense and heavy. Let's just say, I didn't need the extra chilli sauce they gave me on the side!

This restaurant is one of the regular restaurant I have been going since when I was a kid. My family loves going there during night time as the lighting is beautiful have no words for it. The only thing I look forward eating there is their amazing satay chicken on sticks. It always make lick the sauce of my fingers and my other favorite dish is the vegetarian curry it could at least two people maybe not as I have a small stomach.<br/><br/>Usually I’m not a veggie lover but this dish made me love vegetables as the curry had all sorts of vegetable that tasted better than any other restaurant I so look forward to my next visit and family gathering would always recommend my mates to go there.