Great flavors, attention to detail, and generous portions. Many curries, of differing degrees of heat. The summer rolls are fresh, tasty, and healthy. read more

Holy crap!! Is this what Thai curries are supposed to taste like because never have I ever had the coconut soup and a green curry taste so good to me ever! I can just drink the sauce haha. I normally eat Thai all over Los Angeles. One local recommended this spot to me and I saw it on a Yelp favorites list someone posted for Hilo. This is my 4th excellent papaya salad in Hilo as well. Everything was top notch, my mouth literally watered looking at the photos as I posted them again. For someone to say this place was bland ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! And the location of this place and it's set up I might call it a hole in the wall type place but everyone knows that they are the best! So there ya go. Do NOT miss this place on ur trip to Hilo.. read more

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Decent food with a pricey cost. The taste is not as authentic as I expected from Thai speaking staff. I ordered seafood fried rice which costs $22. I'm not familiar with the food price here but Thai food usually costs less. Anyway, the food does not taste much of anything except the spiciness. The fish is quite dry but the amount is plenty. The staff is very friendly and the waiting is very short. I ordered takeout so dining in might be a better experience. read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - Seafood fried rice - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The best green papaya salad. Lots of vegetables and peanuts. The dressing is excellent. A bit pricey, but worth the experience.

AMBIANCE - sad eh! (Hole in the wall) sometimes they're good (not here)! NOT WELCOMING AT ALL! CUSTOMER SERVICE - eh! PRICES - higher than Compared to the New Chiang Mai, you get double the size from the New Chiang Mai. Wait time- 20 minutes OVERALL - Eh! I ordered everything I normally do from the New Chiang Mai. New Chiang Mai puts a lot of love in everything they prepare! * The tapioca pudding coconut milk was rancid. * sweet sticky rice with mango was gross disgusting, it's like they cooked the rice in a rice cooker through the ingredients in there toss them in a container added mango to it then served it! * Curry had no flavor my 15-year-old daughter makes better curry! * Pat Thai have to size and was all right! * Thai Tea, was excellent with coconut milk (extra)! This place does not meet my standards, and I'm not a picky person at all! No one smiles everyone super unhappy! Even the customers didn't seem happy there! (naturally unhappy people dine here ;-( ! They have a sign next to their register, trust pilot? #1, maybe back in 1the 90's! That should come down, it's earned - it's past their time. read more

Food was awesome, service was great. Their fried rice was good and not to spicy, egg rolls were yummy. read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

The theme of this review is "weird". So I went to Hilo for my uncle Rex's funeral. I planned the flights so I could get a couple meals in as well, because not doing that would be like riding a lame drunken donkey in a small circle, right? My sister and I got to Hilo around 6:00 AM, and headed over to Ken's House of Pancakes. What was weird was the next day back in Honolulu, I got in the elevator in my office building with a couple guys, and I overheard them talking, and one of the guys was the brother of the woman who owns Ken's with her ex-husband. Weird, right? But I digress. After the funeral, there was the requisite catered Japanese style food. Seeing the potato mac salad, I had to take a plate. I told my daughter not to eat too much (no, my sister didn't turn into my daughter - that would be really weird). But what was really weird to me was that all the funeral food was bite-sized portions, but at the end of the line were these big-ass fried chicken thighs. They really should have cut those up into bite-sized pieces, too. And FYI, my daughter came in on a later flight, and we were leaving back to Honolulu on the same flight, and my sister was leaving on an earlier flight, so I told my daughter we should go to lunch before we headed back to the airport after we dropped off my sister. Anyway, driving around Hilo, my daughter was rattling off 3.5-or-higher-starred restaurants from the Yelp map search, and after around 10 places, we decided (actually, I decided) to go to this Thai place to eat. It's a small place with about 8 tables carved out of the front of what looks like a converted auto repair shop. Inside, the decor is fine but Hilo has really now become a funky, hippie, 70s weird flashback of a place. Very different from the place I grew up in. Not bad, just very different. The restaurant patrons were all women. Are they called patronesses? Only one guy eating alone. Looked a little tipsy. The kind of guy you see drinking alone in a somewhat seedy bar in Pattaya. Not that I've been in any. I mean not too many. Ha ha. Anyway, he finished his food but didn't much like his Thai iced tea, cause it looked like he only drank a sip and the outside of the glass was dripping with condensation. When I looked over at him, he caught my eye and nodded. Three times this happened. Weird. Friendly or lonely? You decide. Anyway, I sized up the rest of the customers. Customeresses. Two office-attired women on their lunch date. I mean lunch break. A mother and daughter, I think, both southeast Asian, having a casual lunch. Three hippie women - you know, the kind that don't shave their underarms, enjoying their ethnic repast. Weird clientele. Anyway, the food came. Thai beef salad was good but I have had better, way better. And the pad see ew was good, but I have had better, way better. I went to pay, and their kitchen is open and must only be around 50 square feet. With three people in there cooking and doing everything else that gets done. Would I eat there again? Probably not because there are many other places I would like to try, and I don't envision myself being in Hilo for an extended duration. But if I were, I would definitely eat there again, because as my friend says: even bad pizza is good. And now I don't think I can not eat Thai food at least once a week. Is that weird, coming from someone who grew up on plain jane Japanese food in sleepy Hilo? read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - pad see ew w/chicken - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The best green curry I have ever had. I ordered it with chicken and spicy hot. It had a hint of the sweetness from the coconut and left my lips tingly from the spiciness. It was perfect! And the service was great. Everyone was super friendly. read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - Green Curry with Chicken - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Well first and last time visiting this resteraunt, the shop was busy so one would assume delicious food and good service. Not so, the service was incredibly slow, took an hour to get our first dish which was Satay, what we received looked like green curry chicken, second dish was chicken garlic that appeared to be a Tum Yum, while I typically do not post on these sites I couldn't leave without making comments that this is by far not Thai cooking. read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - Satay???? - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Excellent, authentic food. Small, clean, and delicious. Ordered the veggie pineapple curry. The flavor was wonderful. I was disappointed in the amount of veggies served with, and it came with a very small amount of rice. (I don't eat much, and it was small for me) I'll return. The flavors were just too good. read more

I honestly don't understand why this restaurant is so popular in Hilo. I came expecting that this place will be a decent choice for dinner with the boyfriend who is visiting from California. However, it did not turn out to be that great. I remember coming here in the first year when I first came to Hilo with the group of friends. I dont remember what I ordered then, but it wasnt too satisfying but because most of my friends favor this restaurant over other many Thai restaurants in Hilo, I thought I would give them another chance. They have a semi-open kitchen concept. I dont think they actually planned that. It's just that the outline of the store forces to have their kitchen out for the view. When you see it though, you can tell that its not very organized and seems very chaotic back there. Our server for the most recent visit was very frustrating. She gave us menus and we were waiting for her to come back so we can order and she didnt even bother to come for the next 10 minutes or so. During that 10 minutes, I tried to get her attention but couldnt because she just didnt see me I guess. After we ordered, we waited for a very long time again. Ordered Pad Thai with Pork and Crab Meat Fried Rice. Pad Thai was probably one of the worst I have tried. It didnt even taste like Pad Thai I know. Their sauce was very weird and all I can taste was ketchup and some type of hot sauce. My noodle was overcooked and it was just not good at all. I would usually let them know that my food is overcooked but I was in a hurry and was somewhat fed up with the server already so I decided not to. Anyway, I do not recommend their Pad Thai. Crab Meat Fried Rice was better than Pad Thai but it was too peppery. They had cooked cabbage in the fried rice which I first thought was crab meat. There was not enough crab meat for the price whatsoever. I know they put green onion on top of almost every food you order but they cut it in big long pieces and doesnt look too appetizing. It seems to me that they cut it in big pieces because they want to shorten the time to chop them. Service being too slow and food not so good, I dont think I would come back here for Thai Food. I know they have an excellent rating from Trip Advisor as well as here on Yelp, but from my experience, I would go elsewhere. read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - Crab Meat Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Update: we got food poisoning... plus none of the staff were wearing masks. This 1 star is based solely on the food alone. It was my first time trying this place and my boyfriend and I love Thai food. We got our usual dishes, pumpkin curry and green curry. We also got the coconut crusted calamari to try something different. Everything was terrible. I'm so sorry, but this was one of the worst meals I've ever had. The curries tasted like water (we even got it hot and Thai hot), it was sooo bland with no heat. We both got it with pork but the both of us had 4 pieces of pork each, I wish I was exaggerating. The calamari was not good and the sauce that came with it had a really weird taste. This was the first time I've been to an establishment where the food was actually terrible. read more

While quality and service are acceptable the food if you want Thai food it's definitely not the best option in town. Very inauthentic palate but they are generous with vegetables and mild palates. Green curry tasted more like Tom Kha Gai without lemongrass. Very creamy and not at all tasting of green curry. Balance completely off on noodle dishes. Too salty or sweet flat instead of complex. We got the Pad Se Ew and it tasted just of soy sauce. While not a larb or anything like a beef salad I've ever had at a Thai restaurant the salad is fresh. Go here for a meal it will be okay but not satisfying if you know how Thai food should taste. read more

I ordered drunken noodle take out with shrimp. I said mild since my elderly parent would be eating some of it. I would have preferred medium heat. I was tasty and I would Order this again. The place wasn't too crowded and it's a rustic place. If you are open to different styles of cooking give them a try. read more

The Tom Yum had the best flavor and the Pumpkin curry was great too. The staff was really nice and you could tell it's a family-run restaurant. Highly recommend. read more

I don't know if Im more angry or confused. Let's start with the biggest disappointment - the pad Thai. They really used ramen and TOMATO SAUCE. Again, ramen and TOMATO SAUCE. I know my Thai ancestors are rolling in their graves. Next is the crab fried rice. There was ZERO crab. Panda Express fried rice would be given a Michelin star next to this. And how long did we wait? Almost an hour for only TWO dishes. Would never recommend. I really wanted to like this place too. I want to buy local especially in this pandemic. But absolutely no. This is not real Thai food. Calling it Thai food is blasphemy. read more

Wow.. this was hands down the best Thai food I've had in BI!! My partner found this spot by looking for highest number of positive reviews, and Naung Mai definitely lived up to the hype! It has a simple but cute exterior on a quieter street, with a pretty straightforward interior design, but from the amount of locals dining and stopping in to pick up take-out, we knew it had to be good! I got the pumpkin curry, and my partner got the pad see ui.. the noodle dish (pad see ui) was DEFINITELY the winner (which is saying a lot because my curry was *perfectly* done). But man, those noodles were amazing.. my partner was raving about them even after we finished dinner haha Portions were large -we didn't need extra appetizers, but I might've gotten another side of rice for my curry (to save half for midnight snacks lol). Medium spice level was great - he doesn't really do spicy, and could handle it, and it wasn't too "bland" for me, as someone who loves spice. It was a little bit of a wait to get our to-go order, but worth it when we were actually eating :) read more

The workers are very nice. Restaurant is a little ghetto but acceptable for a downtown backstreet restaurant. Not someplace where you would take your honey on the first date. It's just to grind. The food was average and not anything to brag about. But I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for their friendliness. read more

This restaurant was tucked away on a side street away from the main road with busier restaurants. I had arrived on a late flight and was looking for a quick bite to eat. I saw several glowing reviews for this restaurant - which after having eaten there, I feel totally misled by. I ordered the pineapple fried rice and green curry with tofu. The pineapple fried rice states it comes with chicken and shrimp - there were 2 pieces of shrimp in the entire dish. The rice was a dark brown rice, which I have never seen used in a fried rice dish before. The green curry was not green but a murky brown color. The flavor was completely odd - in a blind taste test I would not have said it was Thai food. I would not recommend eating here and I wish I had chosen one of the busier restaurants! read more

We ordered food from here based on all the positive reviews. We ordered the spicy basil tofu and pad kee Mao and fried rice. They were very bland, watery, and we were extremely disappointed since we were looking forward to Thai food. The tofu wasn't even marinated...it almost tasted uncooked. We couldn't even eat it. Will never be back. read more

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The quality of the foods have gone down so much!! The price is more but the portion is less. ordered papaya salad and summer roll with tofu that has very tiny tofu in it.. and the dipping sauce taste more like dessert drink, so watery and too sweet. disappointed! Used to just have all good things about their foods but not now... read more

I am really sorry to say this but this place is the worst Thai restaurant that I have ever been to. My husband, mom and mother in law all thought that the food was really bad. We came here because new chiang mai was closed. Price wise it is about the same but new chiang mai portion size is twice the size and flavor is better. My expectation wasn't high coming in but the food here is really bad. I'm not sure how they have 4/5 here. read more

Really good food, good flavors, vegetables were fresh, aloha service, cute little place. we loved our experience. read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - Menu 3/18/22 - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

I think it's Overpriced for portion and taste - just know the chicken satay is an oily dish vs. on the skewer

We came here for some Thai food with three kids who love Thai noodles. This place is very friendly, super yummy and fresh. They used all fresh vegetables, fresh coconut and we cleaned our plates. read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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The food was bland and made us sick. The staff did not have masks on and were eating on top of the food prep areas. This should've been our indication not to eat here in the first place! The restaurant did not look clean or well-kept. It looks like they've given up and no longer care about their food or customers. My recommendation would be to stay away from this place. read more

People with allergies look no further! I've never seen a cook so knowledgeable of gluten and nut allergies. They even checked if I could have other legumes because they're in the same family as peanuts. (I'm allergic to tree nuts so it wasn't an issue). They use gluten free tamari. The food was great. You can adjust spicy level if needed. read more

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen - Spicy basil with rice - Thai Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Their food will cost you and arm and a leg, but I believe they make really good Thai food. When I say they make good Thai food, I mean the items on their menu that are Thai in origin are good. Non-Thai food, such as their beef steak, not so much. It's just okay. But their crab curry was out of this world. I had the steak first, so I did not have high expectations, but the curry changed my mind. The massaman curry was more sour than I am used to, but it was filled with veggies and it was delicious and nutritious. Their Thai ice tea is good too. If I could, I would give the curry 5 stars, the steak 2.5 stars, their pricing 2 stars, and their facilities 2 stars. The chef does not wear a mask, so if you're uncool with that, I would avoid eating here. Since this is a Thai restaurant and their curry was representative of this place's potential, I give it 4 stars. But I can see others giving this place a comprehensive score of 3. My recommendation, stick to the Thai items. read more

We went here for heavy breakfast in Hilo. They open at 11 am and they have ample seating. The decor inside is really nice. We ordered the vegetarian spring rolls, panang curry ( medium spicy), vegetarian pad Thai and Thai iced tea. All the food tasted really good. The panang curry was flavorful with so many vegetables. The pad Thai also tasted good but both the dishes were very spicy even for a medium spicy order. So if you don't like spicy at all, you should order low spicy level. Also, if you check in on Yelp, you get a free soda drink. read more

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Some of the best Thai food I've ever had. The Thai tea is out of this world. Amazing food and exceptional service. Our food came out incredibly fast. Highly recommend read more

Service is great. The food was very tasty. There were 6 pieces of pumpkin, 2 pieces of shrimp with onions and some carrots. Lots of soup. Fried rice very good. read more

COVID-19 update: Open for dine-in, bring your wine or beers still welcomed. Walk in, no reservation needed, but good luck as it gets crowded quickly given less tables due to COVID. Food still the best yet statewide as far as I'm concern. Service is excellent, just need to listen in good as the waitress uses mask, okay to rephrase back just to make sure you understood correctly. They're happy to talk story. My recommendation from the fabulous menu is either the snow crab curry or steak plate among other deliciousnesses. Starters, try their coconut shrimp and summer rolls, I promise, you will not be disappointed. Happy eating , delivery available through Express Waiter. read more

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Located on a downtown side street, this unsuspecting restaurant is a gem. Well lit at night, and easy to find, it is an informal yet colorful place for a wonderful Thai meal. The menu is imprinted into the table with another large one on the wall with color photos. Everything we ordered was superb. Friendly and efficient service. Seems like a family run business and fairly busy when we were there (for dinner). I'd come back again. read more

First time when I was there was excellent but when to there 2 hr away for good food yesterday 4/20 very disappointed..., 3 tiny shrimp is $9 that supposed to be coconut shrimp ? Tiny calamari 3-4 piece for $9 pretty good price I paid for total but I was extremely disappointed. They asked me what kind of rice I want but after I see menu wad $3 each for no so good rice . Total was $61 plus we had to to go no paper plate was provided I Brought own container I'm glad because at store said 50cents each for to go containers. So I suggest take your own to go containers. read more

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The food was outstanding and the people were the best. We had takeout. Wonderful prices for amazing food. City takeout feel for ambiance.

I visited here after looking at the pictures on Yelp and it was great. I liked the pumpkin curry, cashew chicken, and pineapple fried rice.

Maybe I'm weird, but having clean restrooms for their customers is critical; and these guys have exactly that. The restaurant seemed well-kept and very clean, and the food that we ordered was really good. We will definitely be back read more

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This is my favorite Thai restaurant in the entire state, and unfortunately it is in Hilo rather than on Oahu where I live. Whenever I go to Hilo, this is my first, second, and last stop. I absolutely love how tiny and cozy the place is, as well as the amazing quality of authentic Thai food. They have the best iced thai coffee I have found, And the quality of their menu offerings is always consistently wonderful. Everything is very fresh, and you can tell it is made with love. You can get various levels of heat, such as extremely spicy, or very mild. I love their pineapple fried rice, as well as the coconut soup and chicken satay. Parking is very easy, right on the street. You can also order takeout. If you haven't found this hidden gem in Hilo, I highly suggest you try it. You will not be disappointed. read more

Location: on a shady dingy street Ambience: bad, looks pretty dirty Food: worst Thai food ever. The pad kee mau was so salty and overloaded with soy sauce. Springs rolls were refried, there was oil in our hands after eating. Other dishes were just ok. Might be fresh as the staff was cutting vegetables there but perhaps food wasn't fresh. When we went at peak lunch hour, there were zero people but the food came out promptly which meant pre-cooked/made food. When we left there were 2 other customers! I would not go there again. The only reason for 2 stars is service was fine. read more

Not as pleased as I thought I would be with the rest of the menu. I would stick to the curries...those are still delicious!