Our Story
About Chai-Yo
Pleasure, gladness, success, unity and happiness — that is what Chai-Yo means, and what we serve.
Chai-Yo
A Thai Word for Happiness
Chai-Yo is a Thai word meaning pleasure, gladness, success, unity, and happiness. It is the feeling we want every guest to take home with them, and it shapes how we cook and how we look after people.
Based on Thai and Chinese flavours, our meals are fresh and delicious, encompassing traditional flavours with our own popular twists. Our Thai chefs cook everything to order, so the dishes that reach your table are made for you.
We are open 7 days for lunch and dinner, are fully licensed and offer BYO. Our friendly restaurant seats 70, which makes it just right for lunch with friends, a family dinner or a larger get-together.
You will recognise old favourites on the menu as well as some exciting new flavours. Wantons, spring rolls, Golden Tiger Prawns, pork dumplings and our Crispy Cream Cheese Rolls are much-loved starters, while our Thai curries, sizzling hot plate dishes and signature Crunchy Chicken with Creamy Coconut Sauce keep our regulars coming back.
Come and see us on Queen Street in Richmond and try Asian fusion Chai-Yo style for yourself. You can dine-in, take away or order online.
Our Family
Meet the People Behind Chai-Yo
Chai-Yo Restaurant is owned by Bu-nga Krataitong and Nuttavut Rodsienglum.
The concept for Chai-Yo Restaurant grew out of our love for fresh and innovative Asian cuisine and our desire to make it available to more of our wonderful customers.
Delicious, healthy food at affordable prices that our customers love to eat – this is what we want to share with you. And we cater to everyone, whether you like it spicy or not so hot!
We developed a love of food thanks to our mothers' cooking. Nuttavut's mother in particular was a fantastic cook and she is an inspiration for everything we do at Chai-Yo. Our recipes are all about using the knowledge we have from cooking with our families in Thailand and around the world, taking the best local ingredients and experimenting and adapting to the local palate.
A Family Restaurant
A string of popular Asian fusion restaurants has joined our business since Chai-Yo Restaurant was opened. We started out as a husband and wife team with one café and now have 70 staff (and two sons) in our Simply Asia Food Group family. The other restaurants and cafés in our group include: The Lemongrass in Richmond; SAMKO Café and Miracle Restaurant in Nelson; and Bamboo Garden, The Lemongrass and Chai-Yo Café in Blenheim.
Family is all important to us. We have based Chai-Yo Restaurant on that same principle – we want our customers to feel welcome and at home when they visit us. Likewise, our staff are all a part of our wider family. With delicious food adapted for the Kiwi palate, reasonable prices, and a welcoming atmosphere, we want all Kiwis to experience great Asian fusion dining.
Inside Chai-Yo
Relaxed, Friendly and Full of Flavour
A comfortable dining room, attentive service and food cooked fresh in our kitchen.
Come and Visit
Taste Asian Fusion, Chai-Yo Style
Open 7 days for lunch and dinner on Queen Street, Richmond.
Our ordering experience is powered by a quick service restaurant POS system by PushPOS.