Pre-Race Lunch
Lunch before the first off
First race at Doncaster usually goes off between 1pm and 2pm, which leaves a clean window for a proper lunch beforehand. We open at midday Monday and Wednesday to Saturday, so 12 to 1pm is when the pre-race tables fill up.
If time is tight, the dishes that come out fastest are the handmade starters Rin rolls in our kitchen, the stir fries, and Pad Thai with its 5mm rice noodles. Order to share, eat at a sensible pace, drive to the course with time to spare.
- Open 12pm Mon, Wed-Sat - covers the standard 1pm to 2pm first race
- Five-minute drive from the restaurant to Doncaster Racecourse
- Card payment by phone if you want to pre-order before driving over
- Booking advised on big race days, essential during St Leger
Post-Race Dinner
Dinner after the last race
Last race at Doncaster usually wraps between 5pm and 6pm. By the time you have walked back to the car, made it out of the racecourse traffic and arrived at Copley Road, it is the start of the proper dinner window. We are open until 9pm, so there is no need to rush.
Post-race is for sitting down and unwinding. The curries with jasmine rice work after a day on your feet, particularly the panang and the slow-cooked massaman. Rin's signature dark noodle soup is another favourite at this end of the day, the broth deep and warming.
If you would rather take it home and eat in your hotel or back on the sofa, takeaway is straightforward - phone ahead, food ready in 10 to 15 minutes.
St Leger Festival
The four days in September
St Leger Festival is the biggest fixture in the British flat racing calendar, four days of racing including the world's oldest Classic. Doncaster fills up. Hotels book out months ahead, the racecourse hospitality is fully reserved, the town centre is busier than any other week of the year.
A quiet five-table Thai restaurant on Copley Road is not the obvious choice for the racing crowd, but every year a portion of the festival regulars find their way here. Some come for lunch before Ladies Day, some come back for dinner after the St Leger itself, some bring a group from out of town who want something other than another hotel restaurant.
If you are planning around the festival, book well ahead. We hold five tables, and St Leger week is the one week of the year all five book out across the whole run.
Book Ahead for Race Day
Phone Rin or one of the team on 01302 210408. Mention race day or St Leger when you call - we will note the timing if you need food on the table inside the hour.
📞 01302 210408What makes it work
Race day, our way
Race-going crowds tend to eat at hotel restaurants, chain pubs, or whatever has a free table. Charm Thai is a different proposition: a properly intimate Thai restaurant five minutes from the course, run by a chef with over ten years of Thai cooking experience across South Yorkshire.
Five Minutes from the Course
67 Copley Road sits in central Doncaster, a short drive from the racecourse. Five minutes give or take traffic on a big race day.
Five Tables, Cooked to Order
Not a chain. Five tables, Rin cooking each dish to order, authentic Thai pastes imported direct from Thailand. The pace fits a leisurely dinner, not a queue-and-shovel.
BYO, No Corkage
Bring wine, beer or fizz to celebrate a winning day. No corkage charge. The BYO policy suits race days well - you might already have champagne in the boot.
Booking on race days: Race day Saturdays book up fast, and St Leger week books out weeks in advance. Book a table by phone on 01302 210408 - mention race day in the call so we can time the food right.
Common Questions
Race Day Dining, Answered
Find or Call
Charm Thai Cafe
Charm Thai Cafe
67 Copley Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN1 2QP
Race Day at Doncaster? Book Ahead
Five-minute drive from the course. Five tables, cooked to order. BYO no corkage. Booking essential on big race days.
📞 Call 01302 210408 View Full Menu