Mekvilai Thai Cuisine is a casual Thai restaurant in Hickory. It is located in a medium sized plaza so there is plenty of parking. The interior is popping with red, albeit dim lighting. The service is friendly, but the food came out a bit slower (I had with four people total) than I expected. We got the Snow Pea Dish (Seafood Combination), Drunken Noodle with Chicken, Crispy Tofu, Rama Tofu, Red Curry, Tulip Dumpling, and Rice Pudding. I was pleasantly surprised the Drunken Noodle with Chicken! I enjoyed the sauce on my noodles which were also cooked well and did not clump together like at other places. I wish it was a bit spicy... next time I will ask for the chili spice rack (it was not readily available on the table). My cousins enjoyed their food, especially the tofu dishes. I ate a bit of the Crispy Tofu and I wish the tofu had some seasoning on it because the peanut sauce could only add so much flavor. I also tried a bit of the Rice Pudding, which is their mango sticky rice. I thought it was okay... the mango did not taste super fresh, maybe a bit artificial? But not bad! Overall, I am pleasantly surprised at how good my dish, the Drunken Noodle with Chicken tasted. I have eaten a lot of good Thai food, especially having lived/visited places like Atlanta/New York City, so I was not expecting this place... my tiny hometown... to be that good. Also, I had visited this restaurant a few years ago and I found the food to be very average, but this time it was very tasty. I am not sure if there was a change in chefs or management in recent years, but keep up the good work! read more

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Green curry with the steamed tofu is exceptionally delicious try it. The spicy pad Thai is delicious yummy luv this place

We popped in last night after returning from a long trip. The food and the service was excellent. Good value too. We enjoyed it thoroughly- Thai basil chicken and ran noodle dish. Can't wait to go back to this local gem. Thanks Jimmy for great service. read more

Not bad. Staff was friendly. My first time back there since twenty five years or longer. The food and service were good.

This was the worst food I've ever had. The Rama chicken tasted like starchy peanut butter and over priced over cooked, 1/2 a star Nasty read more

Got the chicken Pad Thai and it had zero flavor. The spring rolls were good but the sauce that came with it seemed like it had been watered down. It was very runny and also flavorless. Will not be going back. read more

Really nice place, clean, attentive staff, cold drinks, nice assortment on the menu. Waitress was able to answer all our questions. Definitely will visit again. read more

We've been Mekvilai fans since they opened their doors. Easily the best Thai in Hickory with good people running the store. Although we normally get takeout, we have dined in. The interior is spacious and gorgeous, decorated in rich reds and golds with a Thai theme. Our standard order is crispy rolls, spicy shrimp rolls, drunken noodles, and mee ped or Thai fried rice. We've had other dishes - Tom Kha Gai, tulip dumplings, pad thai - and they're all good. Everything is fresh and tasty. The portions are generous and the pricing is reasonable. Pay attention to the heat levels. We think they run true to the description. I'm a dedicated pepper head but I haven't ventured about "hot" yet. Be aware if you're dining in, the service can be slow especially if they're busy. But when you get your food you're in for a treat. If you've never tried Thai, start here. If you love Thai, try Mekvilai! read more

Staff is always very nice and welcoming, food is delicious and comes out hot everytime! If you go during lunch hours you get tons of quality food for a great price. A little pricy at dinner but more than worth it! read more

We love coming here! The Pad Thai is the best on the menu. Their tea is awesome too, the service is always quick and always worth the price. We will always make the drive to come here. read more

Just at there. Called ahead and they had all the food ready for our group. All the standard rice dishes were good. Two adults (not large people) had to order a second meals. Not very filling. I had Pho with chicken. Have eaten it a many Thai restaurants. The broth was hot and good but NOTHING but rice noodles and a little of scallion and cilantro floating. There wasn't 2 oz of chicken, no greens or mushrooms - Nothing but broth and rice noodles. Rating 1 out of 5 for Pho. Everything else 4/5. 2nd time we ate there. Probably never again. read more

Best Thai in the area. In fact some Of the best Thai in the country. I've had it all over and Tia is always consistent and delicious. Cooked to order and fresh. read more

Absolutely top notch! The food is fresh, seasoned to perfection and the service is excellent.

Absolutely spot on with the curriers and I get them often!!! Me and the wife have visited many times and never once been disappointed. The wait times can be long but never so long that I thought about leaving, complaining, or had ever determined whether we went or not. *Edit to add* Since I see some of the reviews mentioning service, please let me point out that each and every time we/I have visited, the service has always been exceptional! I've done the duck and all the curry's and the wife loves the "Pad See Ew" and the appetizers have always been good... If you're looking for some REALLY GOOD Thai food in this area, I promise you will not be disappointed. read more

DELICIOUS! Will order from here again!!!! It sucks they don't have delivery or indoor seating (cause of covid) but the lady that came out to bring us the food was really nice! And the food was extremely good! read more

Mekvilai Thai Cuisine - Spring rolls with tofu - Thai Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

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Service was terrible and the restaurant was clearly understaffed. Placed order for our dinner and one hour later we still were not served our dinner in spite of asking the waiter more than once what was the status of our meal. He kept telling us it was coming. We finally had to leave because we had tickets to a concert. We had to find the waiter to tell him to box up our meal when he told us they had not even started to cook our dinner because there were two (yes, only two) tables who ordered ahead of us and they had to cook their meals first. We had ordered a stir fry dinner and a curry which should not take much time to prepare. Meanwhile several take out orders came and left with food. This restaurant clearly prioritizes their take out customers over their dine in customers. I can't comment on the food because we never got our dinner. We will not be back. There are other good Thai restaurants in Hickory. read more

My far our go to Thai spot. We love the hand rolled and always fresh veggie roll fried. Linda is always so great and helpful. We also love the curry and Tom kha soup as well as the pad Thai. We miss dining in but Togo has been just as good. Definitely the best Thai restaurant of the hickory area read more

Always fresh and delicious! Worth the wait, they are short staffed from covid and still deliver a top notch meal!

Mekvilai hit the spot tonight. They are open for take out and delivery. My husband picked our meal up and came home, arriving about 10 minutes before me. When we started eating the pineapple in the Masaman was still so hot I could barely eat it. Our meal stayed hot the entire time. read more

Probably since we were newbies, we were initially sat in a back bar room area, that was quite cold, considering the cool autumn weather that day... we asked to be moved up front, and they obliged. As other reviews have commented, the service is extremely slow, but additionally, they brought out food whenever it was done, so nobody got food all at once. So some got to watch and drool. LOL. I had ordered the soup, thinking I might receive it within a few minutes, but no luck. After over 20 minutes, I flagged the waiter down and made my intentions clear... that I would really appreciate having my soup course prior to my main. He said okay, and the soup came out 15 minutes after that. What they served was tasty, but not any better than the other Thai location in town, though they likely win for cleanliness over the other place. I was excited to see that they have a daily special text message, and so I signed-up. After one week, I unsubscribed, since the same things repeated every day, and it was mostly the house red and white wines, over-and-over. I would eat there again, if I happened to be shopping right near-by and just had to eat Thai food right now, and I was planning ahead to wait for a LLLOOONG time, before being served anything. read more

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Great Thai food. I had the Pad se ew & it was perfecto. Heat was just right as well. Ingredients tasted fresh & the order was prepared timely, even with a staff shortage! read more

I have conducted an extensive survey of the Tai food in the area and conclude this to be the best, hands down. Warning: do NOT be in a hurry. The dishes are meticulously prepared which can take a bit of time if they are busy. When I have out of town guests, and we are up for good food and good conversation, we go here and order some appetizers with a nice bottle of Saki. Try your favorite but also ask to try something new. These people will open your mind to new flavors. read more

The best Thai Cuisine in Hickory. Loved Mekvilai's the very first time I walked in. My favorite dish is their yellow curry. Excellent! Such a wonderful blend of flavors. The atmosphere is always pleasant and unhurried. I take all my friends and they enjoy it too. Just a very nice getaway. read more

Been here a couple of times. Service inside the restaurant is always terribly slow. Plan on waiting an hour for your food. Their basil chicken was good. I think they used to do that so you ordered more drinks. Anyway, now it's curbside only, so you get it promptly. Tried their drunken noodles. Definitely lacking in sauce and no flavor. Tom Yum soup was the worst of have ever had. Very bland broth. Won't be ordering that again for sure. Thai fried rice was excellent. Tulip dumpling ok. read more

The BEST Thai restaurant in the world. I travel a lot and had had Thai in many cities and nothing compares to the food here in the small city of hickory. Red curry is like none other. Best ever. Everything else is great. Try the drunken noodles, pad Thai, larb or their mango sticky rice when in easy. Everytime I come to hickory, I always need my Thai fix here. read more

Overwhelming decor -- GREAT curry!! Happily, this restaurant is open on Mondays so when my husband and I were in the mood for Thai food (and tried two other locations that are closed EVERY MONDAY) it was a happy moment for my hungry tummy. The Fresh Veggie Spring rolls were very good, but not great, and the portion sizes smaller than expected. Perhaps I'm spoiled by generous portions at other Thai establishments. I ordered the Pad See Ew after reading a "rave review" from another Yelp-er and was disappointed. It wasn't bad,but it wasn't great -- a bit too oily for my taste. My husband ordered the Thai Green Curry (without meat) with the sweet sticky rice. This was the best part of the meal -- fresh, flavorful, light, and delicious. The fresh green beans were delicious and the kitchen graciously, and accurately, accommodated his request for no bell peppers. The Pad See Ew was greatly improved by being covered in the curry!!! This is a place I'll try again, but will avoid the noodle dishes and sample another of the curry dishes (Red, Masaman, Panang, or Yellow). read more

Restaurant is very nice but the food portion is very little for the price you pay. Was very upset that they came out in such little portions that we were not even filled up. I would not pay $10 for a half meal... sorry. Never again read more

Great Thai. My coworkers eat take out from this place at least once a week. The Pad Thai is awesome. I've had it with tofu and chicken before, all great choices. Going low carb? Ask for the Green curry (with a meat) and skip on the steamed rice. Automatic WIN in my book. read more

This is my favorite food type ever, so I'm very picky with my food, and I tend to avoid eating new places. I tried this place with a friend a long time ago, roughly 4 years ago, and I've eaten it consistently ever since. I take everyone here. I love the food, the atmosphere, and the service. They know me well, and know my order by heart so I rarely ever have to order for myself. They have always been nice and extremely talkative. I've tried various dishes of theirs, my go to being the Yum Beef. I have no complaints about this place as far as anything goes. I will admit that the tables are small, and that as a larger girl i am often squished at the table. Wait times are fairly long but I don't complain. read more

Only go HERE for Thai. Serious for realz. Tried two other joints in Hickory first but it's true what they say - third Thai's a charm. This is A) Real Thai food and B) REAL DELICIOUS Thai food. Just go here. read more

Hands down the best Thai food experience we have had. We got the basil duck and the roasted duck, both were fantastic.

One the the best one in town, wish they add some Thai desert also.Red curry chicken is the best.Atmosphere is cool. read more

Mekvilai Thai Cuisine - Hot basil. - Thai Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

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The food was very flavorful and tasty. The service was really good! read more

This was my family's first visit to a Thai restaurant. *The atmosphere was very nice. *The waiter was super. *The food was great. *The end. If you are reading this, you should give this Thai restaurant a try! read more

The green curry Thai spicy five stars was the best curry I've had in the area. It's actually spicy and hit the spot! Their fried tofu is really delicious too. Amazing Thai Restaurant. Highly recommend. read more

Food fairly good, level of spice is not high. Service is slow, took about 1 hour and 20 min for dishes to come out. Atmosphere of restaurant is pretty nice read more

I thought I'd update my review because the most recent times I have ordered here everything has been wonderful. I've ordered takeout several times and it has been ready in a timely manner. The service has gotten a lot better also. As for the food that's never been an issue, it's always amazing! read more

Absolutely love this restaurant! Everything we have gotten here as been freshly made to order and delicious! Wait staff very polite and attentive! Highly recommend! read more

Extremely slow service. I mean extremely!!! The place isn't even that busy. It's 8:00 pm and about 10 tables are seated. The food had better be good. read more

Amazing food. The best place to have a nice quiet dinner. (if you like Thai food)