Charm Thai Cafe is a Thai restaurant five minutes from Doncaster Racecourse, on Copley Road in central Doncaster. We open for pre-race lunch and stay open for post-race dinner on every fixture, from a regular Saturday card through to St Leger Festival week - with a BYO no-corkage policy if the day calls for a celebration.
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. Today's Doncaster racecard on At The Races has the declared runners and exact off-times for every fixture.
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.
Getting Here
An easy walk back into town after racing
A good number of racegoers skip the car park queue altogether and walk back into town once the last race is done. It is a flat, well-signed route of around 20 to 25 minutes from the course to Copley Road - in the same bracket as the walk in from most other pubs and restaurants near the track. Head out along Bennetthorpe towards the town centre, then in past the Market and East Laith Gate, a couple of minutes from our door on Copley Road.
Along the way you will pass Doncaster Mansion House and Doncaster Minster, with Frenchgate Shopping Centre and the Market right in the final stretch. Driving over is the quicker option at five minutes door to door, described above - either way, Copley Road sits right in the town centre, an easy stop whether you are heading to a hotel, the train station, or straight home after the day.
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. The four-day programme with declared runners and off-times publishes on the At The Races Doncaster fixture page in the lead-up to the meeting.
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. St Leger is only part of the picture too - see our guide to dining during Doncaster's annual events across the rest of the year.
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: South Yorkshire's most-reviewed 5-star Thai restaurant on Google, five minutes from the course and run by a chef with over ten years of Thai cooking experience across the region.
Five Minutes from the Course
67 Copley Road sits in central Doncaster, a short drive from Doncaster Racecourse. Five minutes give or take traffic on a big race day, or a flat 20-25 minute walk in via Bennetthorpe if you'd rather leave the car.
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, No Service Charge
Bring wine, beer or fizz to celebrate a winning day. No corkage charge, and no service charge added to the bill - useful for race-day groups working out the round. 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. For football fans planning around a fixture instead, the Doncaster Rovers pre-match dining page covers the timing around Doncaster Rovers Stadium home games.
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