Sala Thai

Love the pad Thai and spring rolls. Panang is ok. They don’t have beer on tap but rum and cokes are yummy

Best spring rolls ever. Like the food a lot, crunchy rice and green curry were very, very good. Its not exactly a first date type place, but a great place with good friends or for pick up.

Every time I’m in town. I have to stop by here to say aloha to the beautiful and friendly staff. The food is
!!! I love the nam kao, salted pepper shrimp and pad Thai. I’m too afraid to try the papaya salad since it may be too spicy. Love you Jenny!

Sala thai is a small establishment I have both done work for and partaken in their culinary offerings. The owners Vince and Pu are awesome. I agree with Ivy Lou, its a tight knit joint with a lot of regulars so when you walk in everyone checks out who you are. The food is amazing and the drinks are reasonably priced. Ever had Thai style buffalo wings? Aside from that the Thai food is a level of authentic you cannot get elsewhere. NUMBER 1

An interesting hole-​in-​wall place for authentic thai food. It isn’t for the faint of heart however. Also not good for families with kids especially in the evening. It is fun since the staff and their friends are very welcoming, entertaining and love to laugh. The karaōke is pretty funny. Just all around a good place for an interesting night if your are in the mood to people watch or just looking for some laughs.

Bomb ass papaya salad! Thai chicken and the fish was on point and the papaya salad is to die for. This is my second visit time here. The first time they said to try «American spicy» with the salad and it was one of the spiciest Sh*t I’ve ever had. This time I tried the «thai spicy» and holy crap. I couldn’t feel my face. But still very tasty.
Couple tequila shots came our way compliments of the owners. I guess if you suffer enough they hook you up.
Awesome pau hana spot with cold beer and… Papaya salad fo sho.

I’m pretty stoked I’ve finally gone in here!!! I’ve read the Unilocal reviews and had this place on my radar for MONTHS. Finally tonight, after a night out in chinatown, we saw 1 open parking stall on the street and decided that was a sign to go in.
It has all the eye candy you could ever want. See picture of wood carving! And the regulars are as much of a feast as the food. Prime people watching bonus points. The bartender was very friendly, and there was no awkward vibes of «why are 2 drunk girls in my drinky bar»… There’s 1 pool table, a pay for jukebox and 2 dartboards.
The food. So, I was very torn between giving this place a 3 vs. 4 star review, based solely on the fact that the food was not edible. Not because it was bad, it was delicious… But it was blisteringly Thai f-*#ing hot. As in, pain, sweat and tears, and not getting passed a tiny few bites. We had the spice discussion with the woman who took our order. We said, we like spicy, but not Thai spicy. Let’s go with medium, but if it’s super spicy, on the mellow side of medium. It came out Thai hot hot hot. Even picking the pepper chunks out it was unbearable. I had an entire plate of leftover longrice salad that was too hot to eat, and after I took it home, I added an entire block of tofu, 1 big head of broccoli, 2 eggplants and a pound of mild chicken sausage to cut the heat, and it was still spicy! But it became edible.
The papaya salad was similar– too hot to eat. Fresh and delicious (it doesn’t come with any protein or shrimp). The portion seemed small for what we got, but it was good.
Overall, it was a fun adventure. My friend described it as «terrible yet awesome». I will go back, but order everything mild. Extra points (aka the reason for 4 stars) for the glorious dive atmosphere and friendly staff and late night food serving hours.

LOVE this place. Used to come a lot more often in my drinking days. Haven’t been here in a while, but i was craving some of their pad thai and they do not disappoint! Awesome and Hi Pou!

I ordered here early before any apparent sleaziness. Got the tofu green curry and the tofu pad thai. Both were very good. The green curry is on the sweeter side but very tasty. It comes with jasmine rice. The pad thai was excellent. Moist and flavorful with very thin noodles. I would return.

When I walked into Sala Thai it was like those moments in the movies when the music skips then stops and everybody looks at you. Read Unilocaler Joie Y.‘s review for a really accurate description of Sala Thai. The atmosphere is «unique» but the staff do take care of you and were borderline sweet. We ordered a curry and the Thai Fried Chicken and both were pretty darn tasty; much more so that you’d expect from a hostess bar/​restaurant. If you’re in the mood for some yummy thai food, cold beers and a few games of pool then stop on by next time you’re downtown.

Okay, so I finally gave this place a try. I made sure I went when it was still daylight and people probably weren’t THAT drunk yet. I won’t lie, I was a little hesitant when I went. Everyone stopped to look as we walked in. We sat down and the waitress got us our menus. The wait was a little longer than I expected. But man! Was all the reviews CORRECT! Their food is awesome! Their green curry was the bomb!!! A little spicier than I thought for a medium spiciness, but it was still great. My fiancé also quite enjoyed their fried chicken. It was really loud. The men that were drinking in there were also really loud. Not somewhere I want to be with just some of my girlfriends. But I won’t know their food because it was great. The place is a little sketch, but I’m glad I gave their food a try.

Nice staff but the food got us sick for several days. Ordered a drink and the ice cubes had black particles in them. This is a Dept of Health violation waiting to happen.

DILEMMA: It’s Saturday night and a street festival has just finished on Nu’uanu Avenue. You are sober and starving in Chinatown, what do you do next? You try to head to numerous spots but are met with closed kitchens and ridiculous crowds. Your stomach is screaming at you for some attention and the last thing you want to do is go to Zippy’s. Not that there’s anything wrong with a Zip Pack. But you did that last night!
SOLUTION: Sala Thai. That’s right, it’s the ace up your sleeve that few know about and a surprise to your friends in tow. Not only is this hole in the wall neighborhood bar open til 2am, but at 11 pm the kitchen is still open! The Gods are surely on your side tonight!
PARKING: Metered street parking or if driving Mauka up Nu’uanu Avenue, turn into the driveway of the building that houses Sala Thai. There are numerous stalls you can park in for free and be sure to double check to make sure you’re in the right ones. There’s nothing worse than getting your car towed at 1am.
ORDER: Anything and everything your Thai eating heart desires, it’s ALL good! My favorites are the pad thai (BEST EVER), green curry and this fried rice they make (it might be called fried rice but I can’t remember.) If you’re not into spicy food then make sure to let them know when you place your order because if not, that curry is going to burn a hole in your bottom the next morning. Our bill for three dishes came out to about $ 36 with tax and it was enough to serve four hungry Unilocalers. There were enough leftovers to feed me and my husband for another meal so the portions are big!
DIVEY: Yes, this place is kind of divey but the patrons are harmless older dudes and the women who run Sala Thai are seriously amazing! They’re so sweet and really on it when it comes to getting your food and filling up your drinks. I’ve been here during lunch and worried about coming in at night but I can now happily say that I’ll definitely be back again!

i had the the sala curry as well as the crunchy rice.
not too many thai places offer the crunchy rice so if you come here you should take advantage of the fact that they have it and order you some.
the ladies here were super super nice.
i need to come here for a drink sometime, as it is a bar.

Is the Thai food at Sala Thai worth all the stares from or getting hit on by middle-​aged odd-​looking men?
Is the Thai food here worth the possible encounter by a scruffy long-​haired drunk?
Is the food here worth getting mistaken for a buy-​me drinky girl?
YES! It’s truly that good. I must be out of my mind or just craving superior Thai food. The pad thai and pad ki mao with medium spice level gives just the right kick of heat to get my nostrils stimulated. It’s great with an ice cold beer. The spring rolls are served crispy and packed with flavor. The curry dishes are one of the best on the island. On top of all this talk about great food, the prices are equally good news. Around $ 8 an appetizer and about $ 12 for entrée dishes.
I try to head over during the day for happy hour and when the service is fastest. You only need $ 20 to make me a happy girl at a divy bar.

Dear Sala Thai,
My friend and I were going to eat at your establishment, but upon reading the reviews decided it was not the place for two tiny Asian girls to eat alone.
Fast forward to a few evenings ago, I sent my husband over for some take out and he agreed that my previous decision was a wise one. Apparently there was an out of hand drunkard and some police action? Not what I look for in dinner with a friend.
Your food, though, is incredible! Vegetable green curry, holy cows, our new favorite green curry. We’ve been searching for a green curry for 8 years now ever since our favorite suddenly closed up shop and disappeared without a trace. Sadly, we have been disappointed for eight years. Until you! With your green curry at our side we have renewed hope in existence. Thank you.
Vegetable Pad Thai was also mouth waveringly delicious. We look forward to taking advantage of your take-​out option and enjoying many more items in the comfort and safety of our home.
We will be back soon. Or my husband will.
Sincerely,
Angela

I met some friends here for drinks at night and it’s a cute little place. Darts, pool table, a bar, tables, music, and good food. The staff is friendly and did I mention the food was good? Be sure to specify if you want American medium or Thai medium because as with any good Thai place, there is a difference!
Good, chill place to hang out and get some good food later than most restaurants. Small, old school bar feel, nice and casual…

«Let’s just walk past the restaurant to see how bad it is and if its bad, we’re walking straight past» says my husband. I determinedly held his hand and led him inside, despite the couple of older buzzed guys having a rowdy time out front. We never walked past.
The food is pretty good. Pad thai had more flavor than the average Thai place and the Evil Jungle curry wasn’t bad either. All in all prices and food were average for a normal Thai restaurant, despite the ambiance. They have bottled beers, a pool table. Satellite and kareoke… (heh heh heh).
Service was good. She refilled waters often and asked if we needed anything else. Not bad, not sure how I ultimately feel about this place, maybe if I’m dying for Thai food and Bangcock Chef is closed.

I’ve definitely expanded my horizon when it comes to eating Thai food since I moved to Hawaii. It’s a prevalent Asian cuisine on this island so I’ve had the opportunity to try dishes that I never ate back home.
Sala Thai is a hidden gem. You could walk by it over and over again and never think to walk in. Its not a restaurant persay, rather a bar hence why you might miss it during the day time.
I’ve been a few times and have only tried about 4 – 5 dishes. 3 are the same every time but they are so damn good that its a shame not to order them.
1. Spring rolls — by far the best I’ve had on the island. Not the least bit oily and great filling.
2. Pad thai — unlike many places it’s not at all sweet so you might be thrown off but it has a bold flavor that is unique — and I’m guessing more authentic?
3. Crunch rice — OMG. this dish is amazing. The times I’ve had it, I couldn’t stop serving my plate it was that good. Clumps of rice are deep fried (I think) to make it really crunchy — and then mixed with a variety of things from ginger, meat, and scallions to name a few. It’s served cold so its a bit of a surprise at first but man it is a killer dish. I could just eat this for a couple meals.
The prices are very reasonable for their generous portions. Order family style!

Came here today for lunch w/​some fellow Unilocalers.
First of all, a huge mahalo to Russel M. for organizing this UYE! I have driven past here many times and just thought this was a Korean bar (apologies if I offended anyone, it’s not my intention). But when I saw the posting and I enjoy eating Thai food, my schedule was open so I just had to come here.
As you walked in immediately I realized this was not your typical restaurant but it’s a bar that serves awesome Thai food! We had a total of 12 people show up and I sat with fellow Unilocalers Yuko A., Gary N. and Ryan P. for the foursome to our table.
We had the highly recommended crunchy rice, the evil jungle curry w/​chicken and the spring rolls. First came the appetizers and it was very good. Crunchy and not even oily at all for deep-​fried foods. It came with a sweet-​sour and spicy dipping sauce served w/​romaine lettuce leaves.
There was a waiting period for the rest of the food to come out but it gave us a chance to socialize as I am still very new at attending Unilocal events. But the wait was sure worth it as we exchanged info on dim sum, Thai food, hiking and gym talk. When the crunchy rice came to the table I was in awe as it was very colorful and also came with romaine lettuce. O-M-G…I totally had a foodgasim at the table!!! The flavors and textures were so complex and hit sooooo many notes! The crunchy rice was like eating cracklins minus the PIG taste. Totally fell in love with this dish. It was a bit spicy but it just made me want more!!!
Because this dish was spot on, when it was time to eat the curry dish, it didn’t match the same level so I was somewhat disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, the curry was good but the crispy rice his so many levels in texture and flavor but the somewhat flat tone of «curry» didn’t make the cut.
We were also able to sample the Pad Thai w/​beef from the other table and for me, it was too bold. The flavor was very strong and perhaps too much for me.
The portions are very huge and satisfying. Unfortunately one person was not feeling that well and he barely ate. But these 3 dishes came out to $ 36 and even had leftovers to take home!
This is a place I’d be sure to come back but more to take-​out than to dine in. I like to eat w/​family and not sure this is the right place for my niece and nephew.
Overall, the service was really good and with great food, surely a solid 4-​star rating from me.
NOTE: Parking can be a challenge as there’s metered street parking. Saw a sign in the restaurant of some stalls but I ended up parking elsewhere.