Those who have read my rare reviews know I am a FOOD SNOB! Call me a nomadic gypsey seeking Thai cleanliness...San Francisco, Paris, Honolulu, Miami, Dublin, New York, Chicago...Bali. Indeed have eaten tasty Thai in these places. 3 generations of beautiful women making beautiful food...CLEAN. Flexible... within reason, will make anything with the ingredients they have in the kitchen. I came with a gluten free friend...Thai is often gluten free, but Natalie the front- of- the house Sister assured us NO PROBLEM! Order anything that suits your fancy...all sumptuous...Today we ordered pineapple brown rice...pad thai and PUMPKIN curry....this is not a fad!...been eating for years. Had with shrimp, chicken and tofu respectively. Been in Kaimuki since 2009. Refused to let the pandemic get them! YOU will not be disappointed...price-points are fair...NICE portions...take-out an NO-Brainer. Yep a Food Snob...how refreshing to go to a place like To Thai For! read more

What's in a Name? I had passed by this restaurant several times as it shares the same Municipal Parking Lot with Happy Days, Cafe Laufer, Seed, Big City Diner, Earl Sandwich, etc. The name was so catchy that I mentioned it to my Yelp friend, Cheryl S., and she said she was a big fan of the place! We agreed to go on my day off and invited our friends, Minky C. & Daniel C. who had just returned from their trip to Thailand. When I walked in, I felt like deja vu. The bar looked so familiar, so I asked about it - yes...this space was formerly an Italian restautant. However, the interior was updated with red comfy chairs and modern decor. Cool! We were seated right away and had the best service! Minky was happy to speak in her native dialect and eat authentic Thai cuisine! We had the Crying Tiger Salad, the Special of the Day: Crab Fried Rice, Deep Fried Fish, Muay Thai Pork Chops, and sticky rice. Since I'm really sensitive to hot & spicy food, I stuck with the Crying Tiger Salad with it's citrusy flavors and tender slices of beef, the delicious Crab Fried Rice, and the sticky rice which I needed for the "hot" sauce of the Deep Fried fish. The Muay Thai Pork Chops were more on the peppery side, so I could handle that better than the fish. It was moist and yummy! A great time was had by all! We got a chance to catch up with each other in a calm and beautiful atmosphere with exotic food and wonderful company! What more could one ask for??? read more

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Super great in flavor! Im from the mainland and like spicy food. I got level 1 spice and it was just enough. Not a very busy place either

The food is good, I like the currie but their hours are so inconsistent. Went to dine-in instead of just doing takeout again and their hours say open, open sign is on, walk inside and a lady says their closed cause theres no cook....why not just turn off the lights? Atleast then people don't waste their time parking and going in read more

I thai for thai food!! I'm eating my way through my bookmarks and To Thai For was next. It didn't disappoint at all!! Getting here was easy enough with ample parking if you arrive early or don't mind waiting for a stall to open up (Municipal parking) or perhaps metered street parking (I paid $3.00 for 2 hours). First off, the furniture is a bit dated and the feel is a little dark and dank. I was hoping that the food would be on a brighter note as I had invited family to come join me on a "first visit." The seats are quite "cushiony and sinky" so don't be alarmed if you feel like you're sinking and needing a booster chair. My barely 90 lb cousin was sinking and she was the lightweight in our group. Seats and decor didn't deter my decision to eat here - i was already committed. We ordered Muay Thai Pork Chops, the special Pumpkin Red Curry and Chicken Green Curry - all with sticky rice (of course). We were asked if we wanted spicy-spicy or mild spice. I was a bit hesitant with really spicy food but I was surprisingly pleased that our dishes were edible and not requiring a glass of milk on the side to quench the fire. As an amateur vegetarian wanna-be I ordered the Pumpkin Red Curry and honestly, I was so happy!! If I didn't have an ounce of shame I would've slurped that beauty of a dish up. The sweetness of the pumpkin stands out initially but then the flavorful punch of coconut curry and the moderate hint of "hotness" makes this dish sing a multitude of notes. Definitely a win!! I had a taste of the Muay Thai Pork Chops (again...still working on being a full fledged vegetarian / pesctarian. I'm weak...don't judge) and boy oh boy! It was tender with garlic and pepper skillfully infused in every bite. Winning!! Chicken Green Curry was also very good but I was obsessed with my Pumpkin Curry and couldn't stomach another bite of anything. The beauty of going with a group of people is that you can sample their dishes and share, I was so happy to have been able to sample more than one dish. This is a busy place and if you don't arrive early you may have to wait. There is a bathroom on premise but it leaves much to be desired. read more

To Thai For - The calm before the lunch storm - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

If you're looking for some spicy Thai food this is the place to go! My family likes to get take out here about once a month and it's our go-to Thai place in Kaimuki. Due to covid, they're only open for takeout for now. One of my favorite dishes is the fried fish with sweet chili sauce. On top of that, I really enjoy their pad thai as well. I'm typically one that enjoys spice, but I got all my dishes at a spice level of 3 and even then that was almost too spicy for me! They go up to a spice level of 5, but I don't think I will be trying that anytime soon. Overall it's a great place with good customer service. They do get a bit backed up during dinner, so I say try to call in advance if possible. read more

To Thai For - Chicken satay, pad se ew, pad thai, and fried sea bass with the sweet chili sauce - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Yum! What looks like a little hole in the wall of Waialae Ave is this great Thai spot! I ordered two dishes for takeout. When I arrived, they were piping hot and ready to go. They also sell some produce (mostly fruits), thai seasonings, and packaged pastries! I ordered a Pad See Ew with beef and a Jasmine Fried Rice with tofu. The Pad See Ew was very flavorful and filled with veggies and meat. Everything was drenched in sauce, which I love, and the noodles were perfectly cooked. However, I prefer flat wide noodles and a savory sauce, while they used thinner noodles and a tangier sauce. Regardless, it was packed with flavor! The beef was perfectly cooked, but the pieces were a bit small. The Jasmine Fried Rice was great! The rice was the perfect texture (not too mushy, not too dry) and well seasoned. A classic yet delicious take on fried rice! There was a good amount of fried tofu and thinly sliced veggies. Overall the food was delicious. The portions were generous and filling! Only qualms I had were that the spice level is inconsistent; I ordered level three for both dishes, and the pad see ew was spicy while the fried rice had no heat. Another is that the price point is a bit higher than other places I've tried so it can't be my go-to for Thai food, but I definitely think I'll be back. read more

To Thai For - Jasmine fried rice with tofu - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Drove through Kaimuki initially looking for that new mexican restaurant, but couldn't find it, so as we walked the street, we passed by To Thai For, and decided to eat there. The place has nicely painted bright green walls with paintings on it. The food are very flavorful, that it's worth returning. Most main dishes are $10.95, but if you choose one of the seafood dish for the curry, it raises to $12.95, and the seafood combo becomes $14.95. Since my kids are too young to handle spicy food, we ordered the pad thai for them: Pad Thai - 4 star - tasted similar to Payao at restaurant row, except that they mix the bean sprouts with the noodles, and give a lot more for $10.95. Green Curry - 4 star - very liquidy, but the taste is very flavorfully sweet and spicy! I could taste the coconut in it, which is to my liking! The fish was a little fishy, but if you eat it with the sauce, the flavor drowns it out. The curry dishes come with your choice of white, brown or sticky rice. Massama curry - 4 star - although it tasted like it had ramen soup base in it, it was very flavorful and went well the the pork. Service - 4 star - the waitress was very friendly and our water was filled constantly, especially since we were drinking a lot from the spiciness. Only bad thing is the parking. There are paid parking lots, and only a limited amount of streeet parking. read more

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Not my favorite Thai place anymore, and kinda pricey, but it's convenient, here are my recommendations: DEEP FRIED FISH WITH BLACK PEPPER AND GARLIC SAUCE: never had this dish before anywhere, but it was recommended by the lady who was taking my order. It was still crispy when we ate it at home...and it is a must try. PAD SEE-EW (PAD SIEW): Perfect, except for the bean sprouts. I hate bean sprouts. Fortunately I remembered that they threw those nasty things in the last time I ordered this dish so this time I told them to save the bean sprouts for someone else. PAD THAI: Classic dish, they did not disappoint. PANANG CURRY: I first discovered this dish at Maile's Thai Bistro in Hawaii Kai and I haven't been able to find anyone that can replicate. This one comes in a close 2nd or 3rd. read more

Best Pad thai on island by far! Customer service is attentive and friendly. Great atmosphere and very pleasant, located in the shopping complex where I got my facial done! So convenient read more

To Thai For - Tofu pad Thai...my fave!!! - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Four stars because of *dat* massaman curry. To Thai For is one of my favorite options for lunch escapes from the office with coworkers. The interior could use a little bit of updating, but hey, it's a family-run place and that's just part of the charm. The service is always beyond solid. Their pad thai is good, but not what I'm used to or what I crave when I think of the dish... personal preference. It seems to use less peanut and quite a bit of lime, maybe? It's different, a little bit drier and less creamy/saucy. The massaman curry is my favorite menu choice. I can make a better-than-just-solid yellow or red curry at home with minimal effort, but their massaman is my go-to for when I want something rich, spicy (I order it medium, because I know my limits), and delicious that is beyond my culinary comfort zone. It is 110% worth a visit. read more

Hole in the wall Thai food but authentic and great choices. Red curry with shrimp was excellent as well as the satay chicken. Not open late so come early! Parking is easy too. read more

This restaurant is the closest Thai restaurant near my home and I too love Thai. They are a virtually new start up, being in Kaimuki for less than 3 years. Kaimuki is a difficult place to do business, but they seem to have it good. There are 3 Thai restaurants in the Kaimuki area, but I vote To Thai For, one of the best in Hawaii. I would normally for one of those curries. Most recently I went for the green curry and it was amazing. I always get the sticky rice and take it home. I sometimes get one of their specialty dishes too. On one such occasion, I tried the duck, I think it was. Or was it the pigeon. Um, it was some sort of bird. lol It was prepared spicy and pretty good. The portions were kind of slim pickings, but it was good to just try, even though it costed like $15. Overall, I would recommend this place for Thai food lovers and food lovers in general. The aroma and experience would be quite rewarding! read more

Since I'm back on my vegan lifestyle, I'm trying out as many vegan spots in Hawaii I can. It's a struggle when you are a vegan in the land of poke and pork. Not only is it hard to find vegan dishes but even harder to find vegan dishes with flavor and taste good! I saw so many great reviews for the vegan dishes here, I had to make it a date night. You can find street parking or park in the back, it's only about .75 cents for a couple hours on weekends. We decided to go with the recommendations from yelp, we started with tofu summer rolls, served with a side of chili sauce, loved the chili sauce, I prefer way more over peanut. We decided to split the pineapple fried rice and garlic eggplant dish. Pineapple fried rice is divine, I can't believe it's vegan, the eggplant dish had the most amazing sauce, I wish I could replicate it somehow, I kept dipping my sticky rice in it. To Thai For has new regular customers from us! I'm happy to be able to enjoy Asian dishes and not have to worry about not having anything to eat, there are also plenty of meat and seafood dishes so everyone can be happy! read more

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Very over priced. I got a Thai ice team and a noodle dish and it was $26 and I picked up. They then asked for a tip. $30 for a picked up lunch plate and drink????? They are crazy. read more

Came here for the first time ordered the pad Thai noodles, the sauce was way too sweet !

We have gotten pickup from there a few times during covid. The food is always tasty and fresh and the flavors are vibrant. They have more than your usual fare of pickup thai and really are a full service restaurant in the middle of market city. The prices are on the affordable side. It's family style, so you will have to get multiple dishes if you want a full meal but it will feed several people. Their curries are very flavorful and I had the Kahuku shrimp and it was spicy and the shrimp were cooked well. The thing is that it does taken a while to get your food. We called half an hour ahead for a large order and saying for an additional 15 minutes after our pickup time was scheduled. It's a smaller place so it's expected but still wanted to point it out. The parking can be really good or it can atrocious. It's part of a small strip mall with a Foodland so depending on the time of day it can get really busy. Pro tip: park a little further away from Foodland so you don't get stuck in the weird parking traffic that forms right outside their store. read more

Delicious papaya salad, Pad Thai, and pineapple tea. Nice and quiet atmosphere. Would definitely come back again!

The food was delicious and the service was great, the only thing that was a bit disappointing was the drink selection and drink availability. Very friendly staff and service was fast, I recommend this place for sure if you are in Waialae Hawaii read more

HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE THAI SPOT. I've gone all over the island for Thai food and I always come back to To Thai For. I could eat the pumpkin curry, crab fried rice and eggplant special everyday. But really, everything is great. Sometimes the take out takes a bit longer than quoted but it is 1000% worth the wait. Yum! I might have to go again tomorrow. read more

My first time here. The Pad Thai dish has a fish option. It was lightly coated with a wonderful flavor and moist on the inside. Tom Kha soup was flavorful with carrots, thin slices of chicken, mushrooms, cabbage and seasoned with galangal, kefir lime, ginger in a light coconut broth. The food is home style!!!! FRESH and made to order. I highly recommend this place. read more

To Thai For - Pad Thai with fish and Tom Kha Soup - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Consistently wonderful food. Parking lot a bit of pain but really happy when we're inside. Tom kha consistently wonderful. Good service. Easy atmosphere. Our go to place for Thai. read more

Update - they are open on Mondays now!! Thank god. The day when you need some cozy curry most. :)

To Thai For [TTF]. (3 stars). "To Die For": "So good that you want to have it very much." - https://www.google.com/amp/www.macmillandictionary.com/license/amp/dictionary/british/to-die-for Just the name alone piqued my curiosity so when the BF told me his high school classmate would be in town with her husband for a few days, the BF decided to pick TTF. First off, I guess I should be proud that the BF actually used Yelp and told his friend TTF was rated at 4 stars! His friend is vegetarian so Thai food seemed to fit perfectly with her palate and ours. TTF is located in the same building as Cafe Laufer, 12th Avenue Grill, Pietro's, and Happy Days Restaurant in Kaimuki just off of 12th Avenue. There is a PAID parking lot which all patrons can use. However, there is no parking validation. The BF and I were the first to arrive and there was one other party of 4 seated. We sat and browsed the menu until the rest of our party arrived. I ordered the following: -Panang Curry with Tofu Panang Curry with Tofu - $12. (3 stars). TTF's Panang Curry: Red peanut curry, coconut milk, peas, cabbage, carrots, & kaffir lime leaf. The first thing that caught my eye was CABBAGE! I love Evil Jungle Curry which is Thai Red Curry with fresh shredded cabbage added to the dish to give the otherwise creamy curry a crunchy texture! Sigh... My fault for having those damn expectations again and not asking! My curry came out and my mouth dropped to the table. I saw cut up pieces of white things in my bowl and I thought it might be fish that was put in on accident? I didn't see any vibrant green shredded cabbage either??!! Was this a mistake? Had our waiter given me the wrong order??!! But alas, that WAS MY ORDER! As I took a bite I realized it was STEAMED CHOPPED CABBAGE which is the total opposite of the fresh crunchy cabbage I love and crave in my Thai curry these days!! The cabbage was verging on mushy and the peanut curry sauce had an almost rancid aroma. For the record I do eat Thai Panang Curry quite often (albeit not with steamed cabbage) so I am quite aware that peanuts can have a peculiar smell but this aroma was similar to fish sauce. The tofu was nice and firm which I did enjoy but the rest of my curry was underwhelming. I asked for the "5 star" spice level (High) which had a nice overall kick. I felt my cheeks tingle followed by my tongue. A nice heat profile. If I came back to TTF, I would order the green curry sans the cabbage now that I know it's steamed. --- All in all, the difference in curry style is what ultimately makes me realize TTF is "not TO THAI FOR" as far as my palate is concerned. Side story: I'm not one to rate service at all, so I won't. However, I will say this is one of the few instances where the service we received was absolutely comical! Our waiter took our order then came right back to tell us we didn't tell him what type of veggies or protein we chose. (We did order our proteins at the time we gave our order which he was writing down on a note pad!?) When our waiter brought our food to us, he didn't know who ordered what so he just left everything in the middle of the table. (At this point we were still the only other party dining in.) At the end of our meal he took all of our dishes and boxed them up but didn't tell us what was in each container. Our waiter just dumped everything in front of the BF and said the boxes were the BF's order. So after hearing that and giving our waiter 5 more minutes, we all started searching high and low for our friend's noodle dish. We asked the waiter if he had packed our friend's noodles. He incredulously said he never took the dish and that he didn't know what we were talking about. (At this point our table was cleared of everything including our glasses so unless we magically cleared our own table, I am pretty sure he cleared it for us?? Especially since we already had a few boxes packed up to go...) After all that, the owner came out looking pissed and opened up one of the boxes and there were the noodles. She just glared at us and walked off... That would have been fine except the waiter had to come back and say, oh yeah, see I did pack them. That is why I say our service was comical... it went from, "I have no idea what you are talking about, I never took your noodle dish!?" to "See, I knew I packed it." LOL... read more

I wouldn't be surprised if this place started to charge you extra for breathing air in their restaurant. They overcharge and extra charge on everything. Asked for an extra thing of sauce, similar size to a ketchup packet, and they tried to charge $1. I used to purchase plants and food from here, but the lack of respect and cate for the customer, especially when their credit card machine is broken, is absurd. I will gladly support any other Thai restaurant, such as Red Elephant or Thai Issan or Bangkok Chef than go back to this place. read more

My goodness. This is the best thing I've had all week while in Honolulu.. I ordered the Satay chicken then the shrimp Tom yum soup on Level 3 heat. When I walked in, the chef wasn't here and I thought "uhoh. This is already downhill. Let me find somewhere more professional." But I'm super glad I decided to look over the menu while I was trying to beat the heat and enjoy a cocktail read more

To Thai For - Tomyum soup (shrimp) - Thai Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Haven't ordered takeout from To Thai Fir in a few months. We ordered enough for our family of five. Mom's Radna has been one of our favorites. Full of fresh veggies and moist pieces of chicken with a great sauce. It's great with or without sticky rice. The spring rolls wrapped with lettuce and Thai basil is dipped in the special sauce and is just fabulous. The devil wings are crispy with a nice sticky chili sauce that my grandkids ate them all. Love the green papaya salad. Really delicious pumpkin curry with just the right amount of pumpkin. Went perfectly with sticky rice. Finally, a family favorite which is lived by everyone. It's the Muay Thai Porkchops. Excellently prepared. It's juicy and tender. Great black pepper garlic sauce. What a feast we had and just enough leftover for me to have for lunch the next day. Looking forward for our next Thai meal from To Thai For. read more

I haven't been here for a really long time, but the food is just as good as I remember! While there are a lot of good restaurant options around To Thai For on Waialae, I would highly recommend popping in if you like good and fresh Thai food! The spiciness was perfect: we got Thai mild/low on pad thai w/tofu and Thai medium on green curry w/beef. The medium gave just the right amount of chili sweats without burning your taste buds off. One minor complaint was that the beef was a touch tough/chewy. That being said, I would still certainly come back. We also requested a side order of chicken satay to be without any heavy spices added for the 1 year old. She loved the flavor of the chicken and sat nicely in the highchair for the majority of our meal. The kiddo could additionally not get enough of their sticky coconut rice. I mean, who wouldn't? I've tried, unsuccessfully, to make a version of this at home. So I'm not sure what magic gets added, but I'd love to know the secret! read more

I've eaten here twice in the last month because it's that good! I've gotten the pad Thai, yellow curry, green curry, and pumpkin curry. Each curry had amazing flavor and was rich in texture, full of the veggies described on the menu, and came with a good amount of protein depending on what I ordered. They have a solid list of curry so I'm planning to come back and try them all. That's great is you can choose your spice levels and the range is between American low, medium, high to Thai low, medium, high. I went with the American high with every curry and the heat was perfect for me, spicy enough to have some heat lingering in my mouth but I wasn't in desperate need to cook it down. As for the pad Thai, noodles were cooked PERFECTLY. Pad Thai is usually hit or miss at some places but this place is definitely a hit! Besides the food, service was very nice and friendly. We were helped and offered refills for water several times. It felt a little pricy for the portions especially since you pay an extra $3 for a small bowl of rice but I will be coming back to try more. read more

The food was delicious, ready in a timely manner, and the staff was friendly upon our arrival for pick up! I loved the amount of flavor they packed in without apparently relying on heavily salting the food, like many places can fall back on. I look forward too visiting again, hopefully getting the chance to dine in once things settle down. read more

Sitting here at the bar having a refreshing Chang Beer and listening to the Blues! Putting me in a Mello mood to relax and enjoy my Chicken Satay appetizer! This place ROCKS! read more

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Our other go to Thai Place! When we are in the neighborhood this is our spot. Chicken wings hot and ONICIOUS! Paid parking. Can be busy. Awkwardly lined stalls not easiest to negotiate. Service great. Can be busy so be patient people. Can be loud, entertaining if you like to ease drop! Highly recommend. Will definitely be coming back over and over and over and over.... read more

"To thai for"? I gotta know who was the person that came up with that name!!! I want to hire him/her to work on my own marketing!!! That was genius!!! An extra star just for the name!! Jk' lol *Ambience: place is nice and clean. *Service: my waitress was super nice and friendly. Even that i got there 15min before the restaurant closes (yep, sometimes i am one of those the waiters hate. Hey! I work LONG hours!) *Food: -Crab fried rice ($16) I love that it is REAL crab and not your wanna be crab type if fried rice. I also liked that they weren't selfish with the quantity of meat they put in it! (Some places they literally put a pinch of crab meat only). This was the best of the night -Pumpkin Curry ($17) It was today's special! I asked for mild but still had a lot of spice in it! I had to ask the waitress to put extra coconut milk or something. When it came back it was way better! But to be honest, i may skip it next time! Overall, i am not sure if this place is to "thai for" for but will definitely come back to try other items in their menu! #staytuned read more

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Food is always solid. Nice little bar off to the side. Parking is usually the municipal lot and not bad unless you hit the heart of lunch hour. Some feel it's a little pricey, but I think the food and service are worth it. I always get the pineapple rice to go. Great for breakfast the next day. read more

"Thai" food for people who don't know better. Bland, perfunctory, just ok food. Modest portions with few ingredients. There is a corkage fee for opening your own beer (it's a BYO). Odd space, not decorated, folding chairs. There are dozens of better choices. read more

Just an FYI for everyone, they are open through this virus period, and still kicking butt w the best Hot Basil I've had in the US! read more

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Their menu is filled with every delicious items. My favorites are the Tom Yum soup, Green Curry and Red Curry. All Great tasting dishes on their menu to select from! Try them ALL! read more

I ordered delivery from To Thai For. When I saw the prices, I was apprehensive but I hoped that meant that they must have a great chef and high quality ingredients. I was sorely mistake. I've never ordered Thai food that had so little flavor. Everything was bland and very greasy. I also ordered the golden tofu and it was mushy and unseasoned. I wish I could get a full refund because the food was nearly inedible. Now I'm going to have order from somewhere else because this is trash. read more

This was my first time trying this place and it was a "to go" order so the review doesn't cover service or what you'd expect if you sat in. Called around 5pm and the wait was 15min which is pretty normal for a take-out order, right? Food was ready right when I got there and was hot and delish. The mild is on the spicier side but still manageable. The restaurant itself is right off Waialae so there's metered street parking, or you can park in the back of the lot (don't know if they validate). read more

My absolute favorite Thai restaurant for years! Family owned and operated, delicious food, and welcoming vibe. I dine in or takeout at least once per week! read more