Takeout review: I wouldn't come here for good Thai food. I ordered the shrimp pad Thai and the noodles were definitely not the normal pad Thai noodles. They were closer to spaghetti than rice noodles. The portion size was good and the shrimp was an appropriate portion size so that's all about that was good about it. It came with peanuts in a plastic condiment container with a lid (which I appreciate so the peanuts don't get soggy) but it had maybe1 tsp of crushed peanuts so I didn't even taste them. I don't think the food was worth $22. read more

Maile's Thai Bistro - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We took a drive out to the east side for a change of scenery, since we finally had a rare non jam-packed day to enjoy. I had a rough morning, and really needed some fresh air. We rolled into the Hawaii Kai Towne Center and decided to do a little shopping at City Mill and Ross. A little shopping led to all four of us working up an appetite. I wanted the kids to experience a different kind of cuisine, to expand their palates. We peeked at the menu, and decided to give Maile's a try. We ordered fried chicken ($13.90), fried calamari ($6.00 HH? Happy hour maybe? ), green chicken curry ($14.90), chicken pad thai ($14.90), and 2 each sticky and jasmine rice ($2.90 each). Kind of pricey for us, but I was really craving for the sticky rice and curry. When the food first arrived, it didn't seem like very much, but we dug in, ate to our tummies' content, and had leftovers! It didn't take us long to be seated, since we arrived at the very early part of dinner. Since it was a warm afternoon, it was unfortunate that it was a little stuffy in the restaurant, as if the air conditioning wasn't working well. The bussers ensured we had lots of iced water to stay cool. read more

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I didn't realize how long it had been since I had really good Thai food until recently eating at Maile's. We ordered take-out and even just for that the service was excellent. It was apparent that everyone working there was dedicated and wants to serve their guests efficiently and with a high quality of service. Everyone went above and beyond to help us and answer our questions. They packaged up everything for our to-go order very well and made sure we had everything we needed. The star of the show for me was the Red Curry Sauce fish. The curry was exceptional and one of the best I have ever had. The depth of flavor was superb and while it was excellent on the fish, I think I could put that curry on anything and love it. Since we took our order to-go, they put the breaded, fried fish in a separate container from the curry to prevent it from getting soggy. They also cut out corners of some of the containers to allow the steam to escape and not make the food mushy. Beyond the curry, I also really enjoyed the stuffed chicken wings. It was like eating a spring roll in a chicken wing! The cucumbers it was served with were a nice refreshing touch. I think with some sweet and sour sauce (like the one used for spring rolls), this appetizer would have been perfection. Maile's has it all: outstanding food and great staff. I would 100% come back for more! read more

Maile's Thai Bistro - Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings x2 - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Main complaint: While food is decent, dishes are way overpriced and customer service on take outs is abysmal. No one answers the phone to take orders and orders are routinely missing items. Receipts aren't itemized so it's difficult to complain about a missing item when bringing back your order with receipt. read more

I will start off by saying the waiter (Spencer) was the only good experience at this restaurant. He was friendly, timely, genuine, knowledgeable about the menu and his table service was excellent. I left him a generous tip because he deserved it. But that's where the good ends, and the rest begins. Food: I ordered summer rolls and fried rice (added pineapple) for lunch. Was happy to see fresh green lettuce in the rolls instead of crappy iceberg lettuce like so many other places do. The rice dish was very tasteless, and I counted about 5 chunks of pineapple in the whole dish. For an up charge of adding pineapple, that's pretty sad. What I was most put off by was the blonde Asian lady (owner?) who seemed to go about the restaurant checking on customers and talking with her well known clientele at the bar. Normally, this is a great thing to see owners greeting repeat customers. It was slow, so no excuse there. She looked at me several times and even came to check on the table next to me while completely ignoring me. I was never asked how my meal was or if I'd like anything else. Just rude. Even when I pushed my plate away and was waiting 15 min for the bill, she saw me there and never came over. If a new customer is ignored, you will likely NOT have a repeat customer. I really wanted to like this place, but I won't be back. For such high "restaurant industry experience" claims detailed in the owner's bio on the menu cover, it falls short of even basic customer service etiquette. Just terrible. read more

The food is great! Service got better for dine in...take out could use improvement!! Ambiance is okay but it could use improvement

Let me start by saying the food is amazing!!! We devoured almost everything and had a little pad thai to take home. Had the calamari which was so flavorful and crispy, even at the end of our meal. The spring rolls were super crunchyband perfectly balanced with the veggies. The summer rolls...OMG - perfection. The sauce was in pint and the roll themselves had a variety of perfectly balanced veggies, rice and protein. The pas Thai was ok - flavor wise it was there but it was a little chewy for me. So why 3 stars?? Because before I could finish my meal I could feel a headache creeping in. Then I realized I was on my 3rd glass of water. I asked my friend if they are known to put MSG in their food. Its been almost 4 hours and my head is sore and my neck is sore - so YES they use MSG. I dont eat Asian food that often anymore so I'm not to worried about the "negative" effects. However these "symptoms" came on before I finished eating and lasted so long that I can only assume they must use ALOT and I mean ALOT OF MSG in their cooking. They should at least put a sign and give people the opportunity to request their for without msg. If you don't have a sensitivity to msg then this place is delicious! If you do though....I would stay far away from here. The taste n quality is not worth the discomfort. As far as pricing goes, I think the price justified the meal. Servers are not overly friendly but they are polite read more

Maile's Thai Bistro - a plate of food - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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This restaurant in Hawaii Kai was a disappointment Food was okay, not good like I expected. Service was neglectful. We were a party of 8 at 2 p.m. and there were hardly any customers in the restaurant. We had to stand up or wave to get service...like, "Where is the rice? Need more utensils for 8 people. Need chopsticks. Need tea. Need more water." It seemed the kitchen and wait staff were more focused on the Take out Orders, not the customers already in the restaurant who needed their order delivered to the table or needed service. I won't be recommending this place. read more

I had an amazing experience at Maile's, and it was all thanks to our waiter Jack. From the moment we sat down, Jack was incredibly friendly and welcoming. He had this laid-back, surfer vibe that made the whole meal feel so chill and enjoyable. He was attentive without being overbearing, and his recommendations were spot on. The food came out quickly, and everything was perfect. Jack really made our dining experience special, and his positive energy definitely stood out. Can't wait to come back and hopefully get him as our server again I am a long-time Maile's customer, and I've always loved the food, but Jack gave me even more of a reason to keep coming back. read more

This would be an easy 5 stars if the prices were more in line with what I expect from a Thai restaurant. I mean, the atmosphere is nice and all, but it's not THAT nice. Socisl distsncing is in place, but you're also eating on the periphery of their robust takeout operation, which distracts from the elegant dining experience the prices would suggest. To me, everything was flavorful and fresh tasting. Personally I appreciate that the spiciness has been "adjusted" for a western palate, as I'm not good with spicy food. We did have one hiccup as a result of COVID, which was that since both the server and I were wearing masks, she misheard my order for cashew chicken as pad siew chicken. But she was very apologetic, and returned promptly with the correct dish. read more

Delicious Thai food but quite expensive when the dishes are more expensive for a neighborhood Thai restaurant and you have to pay additional for protein, rice, kitchen surcharge, credit card fee etc. read more

The food was excellent but wait was way too long. The last of my curry it was really good. The Chicken Massaman Curry was exceptional read more

Support Local! Dine in or Take out. Maile's Thai Bistro is our neighborhood go to Thai food. Parking: Lots of Free parking at this Hawaii Kai Shopping Center Location Service: Consistent attentive service. Food: Consistent and tasty , wide variety of Thai specialties. Covid Times: Staff are wearing masks and customers are expected to do the same. Hand sanitizer is available. Temperature taken upon entry to restaurant. Socially distanced seating is available. Our usual Order: Lettuce Wraps with chicken Pad Thai Pad Ki Mao-Love these fat noodles Stuffed Chicken Wings Tom Yum Soup-Medium Spice Green Curry Sticky Rice We've been coming here since my kids were in diapers. Over 20 years! They have grown up on Maile's cooking and all other Thai food is compared to Maile's consistency of top quality taste, price, and service. Doing take- out during the stay home order and now happy to start dining in. Nice to see Mr. Maile behind the bar again! read more

One of our favorite places for Thai food. Food is always good, servers are always polite and accommodating.

Excellent service and food. Very happy I stumbled on this place on a walk back to my hotel. Very nice patio. I was thrilled to see they had good vegetarian options with tofu. I got the medium spice level which was just right - enough you can taste it and it slows down how fast you eat it, but not so much that you can't taste anything else in the dish. Most restaurants near Waikiki (this is about an 25-minute walk from Waikiki along the very pleasant Ala Moana park) are pretty mediocre without a lot of nutritious food so I will definitely be coming back if I want to eat out in Honolulu again. read more

Great early evening dinner at Maile's Thai Bistro in Hawaii Kai. Reservations possible online. My husband arrived at 5:30 so we were pleased to see that Maile's has restituted its Happy Hour. Daily from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Good variety of specials, both food and drink. We had the cold tofu smothered in a medium chili sauce, cilantro and fresh ginger. The fried calamari is excellent! Very crispy on the outside with delicate calamari on the inside. We moved from Happy Hour seamlessly into dinner. (BTW - There's a ton of takeout going on!) We had the Yellow Curry with shrimp and a bowl of jasmine rice for my husband and a bowl of brown rice for me. (Initially the rice portion looked small but they pack it in and I didn't finish all of my rice!) Per the advice of our friendly and efficient server, it's the mildest curry on the menu. Perfect for our first try of Maile's Curry. Very tasty and it's ordered often, as we could overhear the staff taking phone orders. Heads up, Maile's is charging 3% for credit card orders (no fee for debit cards) and a 3% kitchen staff charge. It's hard for small business to hire and keep staff as well as the costs of doing business. Some people find these added fees objectionable so I mention it. Maile is very transparent about it with notices posted at the host station and on every table. I didn't give them a 5 because the restaurant is quite small so if you come during happy hour you may have to expect some loud customers at the bar. read more

The food is half the size of before covid and twice the price. I hope it tastes as good as it's used to!!

First up: Pad Thai, because I have a love hate relationship with it. I LOVE it, but am very frequently disappointed. Maile's wins the love with some pretty legit (ie not made of ketchup) stuff and I will order it again from here - also an excellent family serving size. Alas, the red curry was a fail. Gloopy instead of silky and just totally forgettable. Note if you order take out, you need to add a side of rice to go with this, making this dish $19 and it certainly was nowhere near that good. I have leftovers but don't really want them. The Tom yum was pretty good, didn't rock my world, but good flavor. All in, this meal was $47. They were fast and friendly and the food was fresh so I will definitely return for a second shot - possibly some of the appies and other noodle dishes, just not the curries. read more

Maile's Thai Bistro - Tom yum veg tofu, pad Thai chicken, red curry beef - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We love Maile's when we are visiting Hawaii Kai! The pad Thai is to die for along with any of the curries. Can't wait to order again!

We used to be fans of this restaurant, but it has sadly deteriorated, in both service and food quality. Had dinner there last night, and four of the dishes we ordered contained tofu. The tofu was sour and spoiled. It smelled sour and tasted sour. We have had the same dishes many times in the past, so we knew the difference. Here is how the server handled the situation. I politely explained that the tofu has spoiled. He mumbled that he would inform the kitchen, then disappeared. Never came back until we were done eating and he needed to clear the dishes. Never returned to apologize nor to explain anything regarding my concern. So I once again brought it up and asked the server whether he had informed the kitchen. He made an excuse about their tofu being a different type of tofu, unlike fresh tofu. I informed him that we have had same dishes many times before, and the tofu this time smelled and tasted sour. He took a plate back to show the kitchen. Then returned and said he would take something off our check to compensate. A short time later, he presented our check, and we were charged full price for every dish, no discount whatsoever. I am not sure what is going on with this place. We were the only diners in the restaurant, aside from a few people sitting at the bar. There were far more workers than customers present, but they seemed to be in party mode, more interested in socializing amongst themselves while paying no attention at all to us. The food quality has become very inconsistent as well. The only time things go smoothly at this restaurant is when Jamie is working... but she seems to finish her shift before dinner starts. I paid the check, left a small tip (they deserved none), and we left. It was a very disappointing experience, read more

In the late afternoon, there was only one person sitting at the bar, which during this time of CoVID, worked out well for our late lunch. I ordered fish patties for an appetizer and tofu pad Thai for an entree, and the other diner ordered sweet sour fish. All pretty much standard, made more delicious by the fact that my dinner partner hadn't eaten out in a while. The service was polite, quick, and unobtrusive. We were left alone to chat, but were able to get the waiter's attention when we needed something. It got more crowded as diner time neared, so we left, but I think that means they are doing okay in this difficult time, and that's a good thing for this neighborhood favorite. read more

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Ordered chicken pad Thai for $20. This is the most expensive pad thai I've had before. And the taste was just mediocre. Not any better than other pad thais I've tried. It was a bit on the drier side but was okay. When we got our bill, we realized they charged $3 for what they call hot sauce. The sever asked if we wanted hot sauce, those were his exact words. We said yes but did not think they would charge us additional $3 which was labeled "angry sauce" on our bill. Also, they charge you 3% kitchen fee as well as 3% credit card fee. When you pay tip on top of that, not worth it. I won't be coming back here again. read more

Food was excellent and the service was fantastic! Only reason I didn't give 5 stars is the pricing. The curries are overpriced for their small size and don't come with rice. It cost $20 for Panang with tofu and an additional $4 for rice. I was also disappointed when they said they they don't make side portions of soup. Tom kha is my favorite but I didn't think paying $17 to add it to my meal was worth it. Although after seeing the small portion of curry I'm thinking maybe the $17 soup is also small? I came for lunch so Idk if the prices are the same for dinner but they should consider making a cheaper lunch menu. read more

We just wasted 45 minutes of our lives receiving horrible service! I made a reservation and received multiple confirmations that it was confirmed. Got to the restaurant tonight and was told they didn't have our reservation. I showed my confirmation email and then he said he had to talk to his manager. Then he came back and said he could seat us but it would take 10 mins. 20 mins later I came back into the restaurant to check on our seating because all he was doing was tending to the take out orders. He then said oh yes here is your table (which was dirty) and it was a 7 top. I said um can we have that two top please there is only two of us. He said oh I thought you said 7. I said 2 and he read my email. He finally seats us, we sit down, he comes back with water. Then 5 mins later someone drops plates and forks in a bundle on our table. Doesn't even place it individually. We wait some more and no one acknowledges us so we decided that this was terrible and said forget it! We gave our feedback to the manager who didn't seem to have any handle on the operations of the restaurant from what we could see. And the entire time we were there the manager was just tending to the bar and talking with the back crew. He should've stepped in to see that his host was struggling big time. Maybe they should just stick to take out as that is the only thing they seem to care about. read more

Maile's Thai Bistro - My reservation confirmation - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Excellent food. Great service. Nice big windows always makes the space feel open. Pad Siew with chicken MY favorite and the Jerky. I have NEVER been disappointed. read more

Haven't been back since Covid, but this restaurant has gone way downhill. Extremely rude staff, so disappointed! read more

The service here is very welcoming and comfortable. That alone makes me want to return and try more dishes. I believe the pad Thai has ketchup in the sauce, so I'm not a fan. The pad ki mao is very good. The combination of flavors was interesting and I'm looking forward to ordering it again. I've tried it elsewhere, but they didn't compare. With the service, food and location, no wonder there's a consistent flow of customers. read more

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The food here is so good! Probably the best Thai food on the island of Oahu for the value. You have a wide variety of dishes, noodles, curries and more! Plus they have happy hour daily. My fave drink is the Bloody Mary it's prob the best on the island also. read more

Excellent food and staff. We had Pad Thai, Thai loco moco, and Yellow curry. They give you shared plates so you can split all your food. Highly recommend. read more

Dinner was pleasant, food was ok, service was nice. Came here one night with a friend since we both wanted some good Thai food. This restaurant is located in a non-assuming strip mall with plenty of parking. It was not super busy on a weeknight, but we decided to sit at the bar to chat with the friendly bartender. Ordered the lettuce wrap and ginger green bean chicken. Both were very authentic but tasted mediocre. The chicken was very dry and very plain. The lettuce wrap was pretty standard. For dessert we got mango and sticky rice, the mango was good. Price is reasonable, service was pleasant, food is mediocre. Easy parking, bathrooms are clean. read more

We love this place! We eat here every week or two and have never been disappointed with food or service. Modern art adorns the walls that aren't already boasting large sunny windows. The friendly waiter brings us our "usual" beverages shortly after we are seated. Jaymie, manager and bartender comes by our table to say hello. My favorite food is Evil Princess; my husband's is the Seafood Combo. read more

The food is good (3.5 stars), but the prices are quite high (3 stars). In addition, there is a 3% Credit Card charge (3 stars). I see this happen more these days - so will take it. However, on top of this, there is a 3% 'Kitchen Charge'. Wait a minute. Why this additional charge? For the use of the kitchen? What is a restaurant without a Kitchen? How else will they prepare food? Oh, btw, this was for a take-out order. As other reviewers have mentioned, deceptive way to hike the price (0 stars). Will not return or recommend this place. read more

I know inflation, but it is so ridiculously expensive and overpriced. The food is mediocre. Not worth what you have to pay.

We live locally, and we love Maile's! We probably do takeout from here every 2 weeks. We are fans of all the curries, Evil Jungle Princess included. I always load up on veggies. There are tons of options for vegetarians and vegans. It's solid, reliable, tasty Thai food. Watch out for anything hotter than HOT, like Lao Hot. Broke Da mouth!!!! read more

I recently saw mailes post on Instagram and had to try it, it's a Thai style twist on a Filipino dish, lechon kawali "Thai style"! Let me tell you it's delicious maile!!! Its not on the regular menu when you dine in. You have to ask for it. It should be posted the menus , but it's not, I would have never known bout it if I didn't see her IG post. But it was winners! Blow the Filipino one! LOL! My wife had the Thai style loco moco , she said it was out of bounds as well! Great service! Food came out quickly, nice and hot! Great job guys! read more

Maile's Thai Bistro - Thai style lechon Not on menu Have to ask for it - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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The food tasted absolutely terrible. It was shockingly terrible. We purchased an appetizer, 2 entrees and 2 Thai coffees. The coffee was undrinkable. It tasted weird with a strangely artificial, over sweet taste. I love Thai coffee so this was very bad. I have never sent a drink back, until that day. And they charged us for it! My papaya salad was terrible. I got 3 tiny hollowed out tomato skins from mini tomatoes, no real tomato pieces. I ordered shrimp as protein extra for my salad. It was flavorless rubber. The dressing tasted like fish sauce with some sugar added to sweeten it. We got spring rolls and my husband had the pad thai with beef. Nothing was good. My food was the absolute worst though. We would advise people to stay away. Go to the Costco food court nearby. You'll have a better meal. read more

This place is going downhill. Years back, the food, drinks, and service was really good. Now, it's the exact opposite. I was just there a few hours ago and I left feeling sick and thinking that I will probably never going to give this place another try. One of the many items that I ordered was Pad Ki Mao with char siu. Usually it's good and or okay. Tonight was gross. The noodles were bland and the char siu was sour. Sour. How can something that's precooked be sour???? The only thing I could think of is that it's either left to room temp too long or it was really old. Either way; it was gross. What? The cook didn't see the slim or the smell when he/she was prepping my food? I wanted to throw up. When I brought it up to the waithelp ( who's was not attentive at all; and it's not that busy), who I have to wave down because double checking on how your customers are doing was none existent; the only thing he said was"let me check" no apologies, no concern, no nothing. When he did came back; all he said was " I can get you another plate, but that's all" really???? Another sour gross plate??? I said "no" On top of that...... my food took forever to come out. My appetizers came when I was almost done with my other food. I used to work in the restaurant business: So I know what good customer service is. It's not taking forever to take your customers order, take forever to serve the food, and lastly, come back to give the check. Done. There's more to customer service than that. There was no " how's everything?" " would you Like another drink?" "Can I get you anything else?" I understand it's not fine dining nor is it a big restaurant; but, I usually come back for the food but stay for the service. And I got none tonight. Really disappointed. This was not the first time I left this restaurant unhappy; it's just that this was too much. The staffs didn't care about their customers at all. No teamwork. And lastly: they have the audacity to charged me for the plate. Really???? The very least I expected was that plate taken off my check. I had to tell them to take it off, that I am not paying for it. Other places and or customers would have made a big deal about it. I didn't. This is about food quality and people health; and they were going to charged me for it. So..... not going back ever again. I don't know what I'll be served next time I stop by read more

Food was good, never get disappoint. However, make sure you let them if you are allergic to cucumbers as they use them a lot for garnishment. Calamari - My husband thought it was over cooked. I thought it was perfect. Stuffed Chicken - flavor was great, a little different than what I'm used to but it was excellent. House fried rice - a little too oily for me but otherwise it was good. I only gave it 4 star because of the service. Food came out quick, but not once did the server checked on us. We had to flag her down a few times to get what we needed including the check. Over all nice place for lunch. read more

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Service was horrible. The young fellow with glasses kept forgetting his customers repeatedly. He seemed to be only capable of doing one thing at a time, and that one thing was no good either. Funnily had to just walk up to the register and ask to be able to pay so we could escape. read more

A-MAZING!!! We are serious about our thai food. Pretty picky. And this restaurant delivers on the flavor - big time. Popped in for a nice lunch before braving the crowds at Costco and we were floored. The pork and shrimp summer rolls were fresh, perfectly rolled, and the peanut sauce is seriously the best I've ever tasted. Wonton soup had major flavor in the broth and their wontons were obviously made in house and oh so good. Shared the Shrimp Pad Thai and WOW... Absolutely the BEST pad thai we've ever had. Flavor is on point with this restaurant and we are already planning our next visit to try other menu items, such as their curry. Very sweet and friendly staff. read more

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