Mango Tree

On-Trade Progress’ ‘Venue of the Month’ for June is the innovative, award-winning, Mango Tree. This restaurant brings a contemporary approach to Thai cuisine to the beautiful, affluent area of Belgravia, which is renowned for being one of the wealthiest areas in the world. The ideal location for the Mango Tree in our eyes. On-Trade Progress’ Assistant Editor Jon Hardy spoke to the Mango Tree for about the inception of the idea, Mango Tree in the present day, in addition to what the future holds for an exclusive venue such as this.

Tell us about your venue.
Mango Tree, the award-winning Thai Restaurant in the heart of Belgravia, a short walk from Buckingham Palace, serves a contemporary approach to authentic Thai cuisine. Having come across the water from Bangkok, Mango Tree is a true taste of Thailand in London offering innovative but classic Thai cuisine.

The restaurant, which opened over 15 years ago, has been enjoying tremendous success ever since, gaining both critical acclaim and a host of celebrity fans.

Having appeared on BBC1’s Masterchef and C4 Sunday Brunch, and been named in Favourite Table’s best Thai restaurants in the UK, Mango Tree’s expertise in the Thai cuisine category has been widely acknowledged. Mango Tree is also located in the iconic Harrods’ Food Halls and, due to its success, has been awarded Best Performing Restaurant Concession in 2012.

Who are your target audience?
Residents, locals, corporate and tourists.

Where did the idea for your venue come from?
Mango Tree originated in Bangkok and we wanted to recreate authentic Thai food in London. Mango tree has its own culture which applies to all branches of Mango Tree around the world. We used the same concept for this venue so it sits within the brand.

What was your idea for the aesthetics and design?
We wanted it to be welcoming and modern with Thai touches, a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the London streets.

What struggles did you face when setting the venue up?
The position of the tables in the bar. Our bar requires a seating plan as we need to differentiate people who just want drinks from dinners.

What makes you different to your competitors?
Our drinks are exotic, tasty, colourful and unique. We serve Thai fusion cocktails and all our products are freshly made every day with Thai ingredients.

Also all our food is no MSG and Halal. 

How important do you think it is to your business to offer something unique?
Very important as it will attract new customers and maintain our current customers to return. Our delicious drinks help to complement our food and impeccable service that will help the customers remember Mango Tree.

Tell us about the different events you do and the effect these have on your business?
Every year we celebrate Thai New Year with a special feasting menu which our clients love, we end this celebration with a party where we get Thai performers in. We have also had a Bollywood party, occasionally do charity events and hold a ladyboy night, which brings a diverse group of people, some of who might not otherwise come so it is a good way of promoting Mango Tree.

What variety of drinks do you offer?
We offer a huge variety of cocktails including, Thai cocktails, classic cocktails, Champagne cocktails, fine wines and Premium spirits. For non-alcoholic options we have freshly made fruit juices, a big range of non-alcoholic cocktail and soft drinks.

What food do you offer?
We serve authentic, freshly made Thai cuisine. Using traditional Thai ingredients, herbs and spices Mango Tree serves dishes from each of the four main culinary regions of Thailand: the north is represented by rich and warm dishes, the east by spice, the central region has mild dishes influenced by Chinese cooking and hot and spicy food from the south. We also offer appetisers for guests having a drink at the bar to nibble on.

What are your day to day struggles at the moment?
Our space within the bar on weekends, it is quite limited so therefore gets full quite quickly.

What are your future plans?
Every Friday and Saturday, we are planning to have a DJ or live band in the bar. This will create a different ambience and should attract more customers to come just for drinks and use the full potential of the space we have.

If you’d like to visit the restaurant or want to get in touch you can do so via the information below.

Mango Tree
46 Grosvenor Place,  London, SW1X 7EQ

W: www.mangotree.org.uk
E: info@mangotree.org.uk
T: 0207 823 1888