Thai Town Cafe

8÷14÷13 Came here in February and the portions were amazing for the price. It’s currently August and the portions got really small. Ordered pad thai, eggplant stir fry, and yellow curry — it fed 3 of us ladies but we literally cleaned the plates. Just 6 months ago — if we ordered the same items we probably would’ve been able to feed us plus husbands. The curry is never disappointing but didn’t care for the stir fry or the pad thai. The waitress was «new» and had to read our order back at least 3 times — after having to check the menu for 2 of the 3 items we ordered. This current experience was a little disappointing but I love the fact that there’s thai food so close to home.

OK, so I’m going to start off this review by cutting straight to the very end of the evening.
As we were leaving Thai Town Café and walking to the car, this is what my friend tells me:
«You couldn’t see it because your back was facing the front of the restaurant — but — when we were eating, there was a girl that ran out of the bar next door and threw up in front of the restaurant. Then she ran back into the bar.»
I laughed and immediately raised up both arms and shouted: «I LOVE KALIHI!» :)
After reading the other reviews before coming here, I kind of had a preconceived idea that the area was a bit «interesting» but damn.hehe.
Anyway, back to the normal review…
We came here on a Saturday night, a couple of days before my LivingSocial voucher expired, and was expecting it to be busy. We were surprised that there were only 2 other couples in the restaurant. The place is pretty small and very low key. There’s pretty much no décor to speak of except for a TV in the corner. They were playing thai music videos on it which were actually kind of mesmerizing.
The food was very good overall. There were a couple of dishes that I would pass on the next time we eat here but there were some dishes that were extraordinary. My favorites were the Crispy thai chicken and the Panang curry with chicken, both were exceptional. The other dishes that I thought were good were the Spicy eggplant with pork, and the Spring rolls. The eggplant dish wasn’t really spicy though but you could always ask them to prepare it hotter. They also have house-​made chili oil on each table that’s killer so if you like your food hot, you’re in luck.
The dishes I didn’t care for were the Mee grob, the sauce was just too sweet which ended up making the dish taste odd, and the Pad thai which was just so-​so.
The service was also good, friendly and attentitive. The owner who was in the kitchen cooking, also came out to ask how everything was.
Yeah, there are a bunch of bars in the same strip mall but it didn’t bother us. It’s a pretty busy area so we never felt like we were unsafe. The food here is good and the portions are generous so I’ll definitely be back.

fav spot for a quick lunch. service is awesome; food, awesome-​er. Got the green curry chicken: Thai basil wasn’t overpowering like the curries at other joints, coconut milk brought out the savory creaminess that I love so much, plus the spic– heat level complements without being too intense.
ALSO, their light, crispy fried chicken is phenomenal.

Very good Thai place, I had some pretty good eats! The joint doesn’t have much atmosphere though, there’s a big screen tv playing music but the owner’s kid took it over to watch youtube videos on mute and we ate in silence, haha.
Anyway we had the fried fish filet in sweet chili sauce which was pretty great. The fish was crispy and the sauce, a little creamy, was very tasty. We also had the fried chicken which was freshly fried, hot, and flavorful. I’d recommend these dishes.
Service was very friendly. I’d return if I was in the Kalihi neighborhood again.

First off! BEWARE! Korean bars galore in this area! Hope you’re ok with 90 year old ajummas dressed like they’re 18 and drunk guys sitting on the ground yelling at them right outside the restaurant door. LOL… :|
However, the food at Thai Town was good! It wasn’t amazing but it’s hard for me because I come from Hilo where all the Thai food is pretty awesome! But for the price and what you get, it’s definitely worth a try!

Had the Spicy Eggplant Basil, the Penang Curry with chicken, Thai Fried Chicken and a Thai Iced Tea. The Spicy Eggplant was very flavorful! By far my most favorite dish! The Penang Curry was also good but for some reason the chicken didn’t carry the flavors very well so the chicken was a little on the bland side. So, if you get the Penang Curry, maybe get it with veggies. We also had the tender and delicious Thai Fried Chicken which was my 2^nd fave! GET IT! The Thai Tea is awesome! Super sweet and strong! I’m a Thai Tea Lover so I like it like that!
The service was very kind. Not very quick, but it was still a pleasant experience! Had a Hot Deal coupon and we got 3 dishes and one Thai Tea for $ 25! That’s a pretty good deal I think! Also had enough leftovers to take home! I will go back again once I finish trying all the different place Oahu has to offer! :D Enjoy!
P. S. Lunch is supposed to be a good deal! Stop by if you’re in the area!

Meh. I’ve experienced better, however I gave this place an extra star because the service is pretty good for such a small place. The prices are about the same as all other Thai places however, items range from 8 – 12 bucks.
I bought the livingsocial or groupon deal for $ 8 bucks but was worth $ 16 bucks. I ordered the grounded beef salad, it was pretty good except I didn’t know it had tripe in it and I don’t remember the menu stating that either. I had to pick it all out. Besides that it was very good especially when I added more hot chili oil to it, spicy and lemony.
From there my bf and I shared Thai fried rice, and Pad Thai. Both dishes were just bleh. Something seemed to be lacking in both. Mostly flavor I guess. It just tasted like nothing. Adding the chili oil helped, but after eating Thai food at so many other places, it just sucked.
I paid an extra 13 bucks not including tip.
Probably won’t come back unless I got another groupon or deal.

I’m always on a quest to find a good Thai restaurant and this one seemed like a nice place to try. The reviews were pretty good and prices seemed cheap so I thought I’d give it a try. Parking is a kind of bad because it’s pretty limited and I don’t really feel comfortable leaving the car in the back where we can’t see it. The place itself is a bit surprisingly empty. It has really high ceilings and the decoration and plates make you feel like you walked into the early 90s café, a bit old-​fashioned. But of course, this is all besides the point because I was there for the food.
We were immediately greeted by a really warm and cheerful lady. She was really sweet and patient with us. The pet names of «honey», «babe», and «sweetie» were pretty cute. She made sure to check on us and see if the food was okay.
Phad Thai: One of the better phad thai’s I have had. The noodles were nice and chewy and they gave big pieces of tofu and chicken. That was nice (although I asked for beef). The problem I had with this is the chicken. It was really dry. The noodles were good but the chicken really threw it off. Not only were they really dry but tasteless.
Garlic Mushroom with Chicken: This was okay. I don’t really like mushrooms to begin with but I eat it anyways just to give it a try. I will eat mushrooms if it’s prepared well but this one was kind of icky. I could tell the mushrooms weren’t very fresh. It may even have been in the refrigerator for awhile. If kind of tasted like plastic and and that refrigerator frost taste to it. It took a lot of will in me to swallow it. The onions were generous but raw. They may have been thrown in a minute or so before they put it on the dish. It was tasteless. The chicken had the same problem as the Phad Thai, DRY. It was so dry to the point that I didn’t want to eat it. I can tolerate some dryness in chicken but this is the first time that I have ever had chicken that dry before.
I’m pretty disappointed and probably wouldn’t go back. Although, the service is awesome there. Also, everything on the menu you see in the Unilocal pictures have been increased by $ 1. I may have ordered the wrong things but from what I’ve tried so far, I’m not very pleased. Also, after eating there. My stomach felt pretty weird and hurt for about and hour or so. I don’t think I got food poisoning but the food may not have been as fresh as it should be.

Groupons can be a hit or miss. They seem to often promote for new and upcoming restaurants which can be good or bad. Thai Town Café has only been around for a few months so at first I was skeptical But after reading a few reviews from Unilocalies I’m friends with (Cin, Yvonne, Ira, Ryan, and Michelle) I knew it had to be a solid meal so I went ahead and purchased the $ 8 for $ 16 deal.
I’m glad I did because although it was in a bit of a shady area the family run restaurant itself was pretty clean. The son was our waiter and his mom was cooking up a storm in the kitchen.
Idk why James G and I thought we could eat so much food but we ordered a papaya salad to share and I got a calamari/​shrimp pad thai while James ordered a Tom Yum soup
and their fried chicken appetizer. It was a crap ton of food. It probably could have been shared by 4 people. We ended up taking home lots of leftovers.
I would have loved some slices of shrimp on our papaya salad and maybe some more spices. It tasted and smelled a little too much fish sauce.
The fried chicken had a thin layer of batter coating the moist and tender chicken. And the pieces were HUGE! Great dish! They used thinner noodles than I’m used to for the Pad Thai but it was good nonetheless. Not too sweet with tender and plentiful pieces of calamari and shrimp.
After our living social deal it was only 22(w/ tip). Not bad seeing how much food we got!

My new favorite for panang! Mmm. Found this gem on a whim last night. Thanks to Unilocal,my bf and I were able to search for good eats nearby and came across this place. After reading a review that said the owner previously worked as the chef at Siam Garden, I was convinced we should try it.
Located in Kalihi on King street in the complex with New Diners Drive Inn, Old Saimin House, and Sunny Chinese food (across Blazin Steaks), this little restaurant definitely has some good eats!
We had the Crab Fried Rice, Beef Panang Curry, Fried Chicken, Thai iced tea, and a side order of plain right rice for just $ 29!
The Crab Fried Rice was interesting. Tasted very filipino to me with the saltiness and tomato and onions. I liked it but dont think Id eat it again unless I ate it with some take-​out crispy pata from Max’s. The winner of the night however was the creamy thick peanuty panang curry. It was the first time I enjoyed everything in the curry! The beef, green beans and bell pepper were delicious. I had the leftover panang again today for lunch and it was just as good if not better the second time around.
The chicken is crispy and reminiscent of the fried chicken from souvaly. Except, unlike Souvaly, this chicken was perfectly trimmed and cooked… no pink!
My boyfriend really liked the thai tea that was «real», not pre mixed or from a can. I thought it was a little too strong for my tastes (I guess I like the fake watered down stuff haha).
I cant wait to come back and try the pad seeow and maybe a stirfry item. Everything sounded so good.
This place is a winner. Check them out!

WOW. I went here because I got a Hot Deals Hawaii coupon for $ 25. We ordered the Tiger’s Tear salad (it’s a beed salad with long rice noodles, but not too many vegetables), pad thai, and green curry (extra spicy, of course). They were all delicious! The servings are gargantuan (we had leftovers we had to take home), and in the end we only ended up paying $ 1 and some odd cents for the difference.
In the end, the cook came out and asked how our food was. She seemed genuinely interested in our experience there, and it’s so nice to not just feel like a number. She told us a little about her cooking and really made it feel like a home-​cooked meal!
It was a pleasurable experience eating there, and combined with the value of the food, I will most definitely be back. :)

Let’s start with the good things. One, the portions were pretty substantial and good size. Second, the prices are very reasonable and a tad lower than other Thai restaurants. The Thai iced tea is the way it should be.
It goes downhill from here. We ordered the pad thai and it wasn’t very good, the noodles was cooked ok at least. Where is the egg or the tofu or peanut? It was too sweet and had too much fish sauce or something else. Also where is the lime?
We also ordered the evil jungle curry, it was on the watery side and the veggies over cooked. We picked the pork as our meat and it was overcooked and tough.
We hope that this place gets better so we can have another try.

Let’s face it; of all the factors that matter when writing a review, food quality matters the most. If the food is crap, I don’t care about the price, or the service, or anything else. I’ll write a bad review and not eat there again. But if the food is good… then it starts to get complicated.
For good food, I’ll tolerate some other sins, like high prices for instance. Some of my highest rated restaurants have outrageously high prices. For this to happen, they need to serve outstanding food and get everything else perfect. Otherwise, the high prices cannot be overlooked.
Thai Town confronted me with a conundrum… a rating situation I don’t believe I’ve faced or even considered… You see, their food is good… very good in fact. However, they seem to get very little else right: the service was slow and inconsistent, the flatware wasn’t quite clean, the tables and chairs are uncomfortable, the décor is lacking, and the parking spots are narrow.
The one thing they get right, besides the very good food, is value. Their price to portion size ratios are generous. The other evening for $ 24, including tax and tip, my wife and I ate very well, and we even brought home some leftovers.
So here’s the answer: Yes, apparently I am willing to forgive other restaurant sins if you serve me a lot of quality food at a bargain price. Thai Town did that and they just earned 4 stars. They’ll likely get their 5^th if they can work out the other kinks.

Delicious Thai food in Kalihi?! Check! This place is legit. The owner was a cook for Siam Garden Café so I knew it was gonna be good.
For a small restaurant in a strip mall of other eateries, Thai Town Café has an extensive menu of all the popular Thai dishes. I’ve tried their Red Curry with Beef, Tiger’s Tear Salad, and this mung bean dessert.
Red Curry with Beef
The curry was the perfect consistency for my liking. It’s thick without being pasty. I dislike watery curries. The dish came with bamboo shoots but I was able to get it substituted with eggplant. The beef was tender and the veggies were cooked perfectly. At medium spice, it has a good kick so choose your spice level accordingly! It was so tasty, I ate almost the whole thing in one sitting. I ordered it with a side of sticky rice, $ 2.
Tiger’s Tear
It’s the sliced beef salad which I know it as Yum Num Tok. It’s sliced beef tossed with Thai spices with cilantro, mint, green onions, and cucumbers; served with a wedge of cabbage. The flavors were on par to what I’m used to and the mint leaves made the dish extra refreshing. It’s the perfect light meal for one!
Mung Bean Dessert
I guess I missed their «grand opening» free dessert special so I tried ordering the tapioca. They had sold out of it so I opted to try this. It was different but very good. The beans had a nuttiness to it that you wouldn’t expect from a dessert and it went well with the coconut milk soup.
Both times I’ve been here was for takeout. Service was friendly and they whip out your dishes quickly.
I love their food but I feel it’s a bit pricey for a restaurant in Kalihi since there are cheaper options in the surrounding area. Definitely worth visiting and I want to come back for their lunch specials!

came here because of a half off coupon i bought. ordered the tom yum soup (7.75 $)
with tofu, Pad Kee Mao with beef (7.75 $), lemongrass stir fried with chicken (7.95 $) and fish fillet with garlic sauce (8.95 $).
the portions are very generous. the tom yum soup was not authentic, tasted more like a bowl of vegetable soup. the lemongrass stir fry didn’t have enough lemongrass flavor, but the garlic fish was pretty nice. the owner was really nice though… when i was paying the bill, she asked me if it was my first time there. when i said yes, she offered us a free tapioca desert.

I always hang out on North School Street and Kamehameha Shopping Center during the work week, so when I do venture out to that stretch of North King Street between Houghtailing and Liliha Streets, it’s not really by accident. I really have to make myself go and explore new places, otherwise, I wouldn’t really go. Now, I really love my thai food, especially sticky rice and those curries, but there’s more to that in Thai cuisiine — or at least, from what I have seen before, but never did dare try. So, here I was on North King Street looking for a new lunch spot, craving Thai food, and I came across Thai Towne Café.
I have been through a few Thai places, most notiably Bangkok Chef, and Thai Towne Café does not compare. Maybe it’s me, but Bangkok Chef is still in my top 10, but Thai Towne Café is increasingly becoming up there on that short list. The prices are somewhat competitive with other Thai places that I have been to. The curries are about $ 8 and the Pad Thai was around that much too. I’m not sure if you consider $ 8 entrees as cheap, but it’s Thai, so I guess it can be. If you enjoy spicy, this place may be your best bet, but you got to tell them you want Lao Hot spicy, otherwise, they will do whatever hot they think you’d want. Of course, I want the Lao Hot spicy, and needed to see something other than stars when I eat my curry. So good when it’s über spicy, let me tell you. With sticky rice, I am in heaven, pretty much.
They have over 55 menu items, so there is lots to choose from. When I first got here, I didn’t know where to find this place, until I realized I needed Unilocal to reposition me. The overall service was good and I just waited 15 minutes for my order, which was pretty good. Located next door to the US Post Office, it’s in a small strip mall, which can be overlooked if you are not really looking for it and driving on North King Street without a care in the world. The cashier was cool and they accept credit cards, so that’s always a good plus, especially when you don’t need to run out to the ATM for ca$h.
I basically got the green panag curry with sticky rice — yes, lao hot and it was pretty damn tasty. While I did need some water to pass the food down, it was a great mixture of curry and spicyness that I enjoyed. Maybe next time I will try the Pad Thai and see how that is, but for now, this place is pretty kick ass and I recommend this place to anyone who loves Thai food. While I did not go inside and dine, my time was tight during the week day, so maybe during the weekend if I have business in the area and feeling Thai food.
Support local!
A

Thai food is one of my cravings (whether I’m pregnant or not). I like to eat Thai food at least once a month. Siam Garden was too expensive, Siam Kitchen Express was too far, and Bangkok Chef is meh… I wanted to try a new Thai restaurant! Hmmm… looks like Unilocal has a Thai restaurant on it’s list of hot new businesses! Yay! Here I come! Take out for now.
FOOD
1) YELLOW CURRY with chicken $ 7.75
–Coconut, spicy goodness.
2) PAD THAI with chicken $ 7.75
–Every noodle was covered with Pad Thai sauce. Just how I like it! Delicious!
3) SIDE JASMINE RICE $ 1.50
–cooked just right.
**They have over 55 menu items! So much to choose from curries, soups, noodles, rice dishes, and stir-fry’s**
ENVIRONMENT
Located on North King Street in Kalihi. It is in a small mall next to the post office. Plain green and white décor. Private lot. The area is a little ghetto, because there is a couple of bars and a liquor shop around there. But, this ain’t no Compton.
SERVICE
I ordered take out, so not sure how service is. The food was ready in 15 minutes like they said. Cashier seemed nice.
TIP
–BYOB!
–Brown rice available!
–Lunch specials are cheap!
CONCLUSION
I am coming back again! This place is almost as good as Siam Kitchen Express! Great, new cheap Thai food eat/​takeout! And curious to try the Naughty Evil Curry…

You can add Thai Town Café to the list of great cheap eats in the Kalihi area. Open for about 3 months, I had heard about a new Thai place setting up shop in the area but did not feel compelled to visit until I read Cin T’s review.
Located in a strip mall with Diner’s Drive Inn and next to Han Yang, Thai Town Café is truly a hidden gem that more people need to check out. Since I work in the area, I am always looking for new places to eat at that are not the typical plate lunch places that are prevalent in Kalihi.
The Thai food here may not be the best on the island but what brings me back are the awesome lunch combos which are all under $ 10 and is worth 1 star alone for the tremendous value. I don’t know about you, but I do not ever remember spending less than $ 10 at a Thai restaurant with Bangkok Chef being the lone exception. That being said, the food is actually pretty tasty and the generous portions certainly make me happy after a long morning of hard work. As far as the food goes, here is a quick rundown of what I have tried so far on multiple visits.
Pad Thai
— Sad to say, this was probably my least favorite dish that I ate at Thai Town. Although the portions were huge, the noodles tasted a bit gummy to me and maybe should have been cooked a bit longer. Other than that, the taste was not bad but still did not come close to the pad thai at someplace like Sala Thai.
Penang Curry with Thai Fried Chicken
–The fried chicken here reminded me of a Japanese style chicken with a light flour batter. The chicken itself was crispy on the outside while still juicy on the inside. The dipping sauce that accompanied the chicken was a bit on the sweet side, but still tasty nonetheless.
–I am by not means a curry expert, but the Penang Curry here was delicious. Consisting of chicken and green beans, the curry had a great coconut milk and peanut taste, both items that I just love. My only wish was that I had sticky rice in my lunch combo.
Spicy Basil Eggplant Beef with Thai Fried Chicken
— Not sure why they call this spicy since it is absolutely not hot at all. That being said, the beef was a little tough but the generous portions of eggplant topped with garlic bits more than made up for the beef. The combination of basil and the soy-​based stir fry sauce were just right.
All in all, if you are in the Kalihi area, and craving Thai food, Thai Town Café is definitely the place to eat at. Tasty food with generous portions at a reasonable price.

Music lovers top 500 Rock’n Roll Songs of All Time Review:
Me: Hey «Hot Stuff» (Donna Summer)!! «I Heard it Through the Grapevine» (Marvin Gaye) that a new Thai restaurant opened in Kalihi. You want to try?
Come on! Get in the car! I’ll «Play that Funky Music» (Wild Cherry)! It’s «Now or Never» (Elvis Presley)!!
I drive into this strip mall parking lot ewa of the Kapalama Post Office.
Me: «Hey! There’s Sunny Chinese Restaurant! „Joy to the World“ (Three Dog Night)!!!»
I look a couple of stores makai …“Whoomp! There it is!” (Tag Team) …Thai Town Café!!
The inside the restaurant looks «Like a Virgin» (Madonna). Kind of Thai; kind of plain… kind of empty. There wasn’t a «Whole Lot of Shakin Going On» (Jerry Lee Lewis). I was thinking …“I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor)!!
«I Swear» (All-​4-​One)! I went in with an open mind and was greeted with «Open Arms» (Journey). I wanted this to be «Another Day in Paradise» (Phil Collins). I wanted this place and the food to «Light My Fire» (Doors) … That’s What’d I Say” (Ray Charles).
From the standpoint of Thai restaurants… «I Get Around» (Beach Boys) and have been to many. If this place doesn’t meet with my expectations … «I’m Walkin» (Fat Domino).
The waitress comes and she has… tattoos! She looked like a «Wild Thing» (Troggs) that was «Born to be Wild» (Steppenwolf).
We browse the menu and we’re ready to order.
Me: «Say You, Say Me» (Lionel Richie)! We’ll have the stuffed chicken wings, drunken beef noodle and the spicy basil pork with rice and two easy eggs .Let’s «Shake, Rattle and Roll (Big Joe Turner)… „Let’s Get it On“ (Marvin Gaye)!!»
The stuffed chicken wings arrive.
Hmmmm! That was some «Funky Chicken» (Rufis Thomas). Taste was OK but «Good Golly, Miss Molly» (Little Richard) it had a strong smell that I wasn’t expecting.
The drunken beef noodle arrives!
«Jumpin Jack Flash» (Rolling Stones)! This was really «Something» (The Beatles). This was a great Thai dish. «My Sweet Lord» (George Harrison) and «Great Balls of Fire» (Jerry Lee Lewis)… this one won a «Piece of My Heart» (Janis Joplin).
The spicy basil pork with rice and two easy eggs arrives!
«Another One Bites the Dust» (Queen)! Taste was there but a little on the salty side for me. I think it’s «My Generation» (The Who). We like things less salty! But to your credit, «Be Bop a Lula!» (Gene Vincent): It was spicy like a «Heat Wave» (Martha and the Vandellas) in my mouth!
The summary.
I know you are new and just opened; and you need time to be work out the (Kinks). I cannot say that «You are the Sunshine of My Life» (Stevie Wonder) just yet. I can see you have potential. I had some «Good Vibrations» (Beach Boys) and I think this place is like «The House of the Rising Sun» (Animals) so I’m coming back.
«For What it’s Worth» (Buffalo Springfield) service needs to improve and «Please Please Please» (James Brown) use the freshest of ingredients.
Hey Val… «Don’t Be Cruel» (Elvis Presley)!
Me: I’m trying not to be. «Big Girls Don’t Cry» (Fergie). Don’t be «Dazed and Confused» (Led Zeppelin) cause I’m «One» (Metallica) that is on your side. «That’s What Friends Are For» (Dionne Warwick).
«Yeah!» (Usher)! I’ll be back soon. Maybe the next time I come I’ll say «I’m a Believer» (The Monkees) and «I Can’t Stop Loving You» (Ray Charles) …“Bye Bye Love” (The Everly Brothers).
«P.S. I Love You» (The Beatles): It’s BYOB!

Piece of advice, go to this place before everyone finds out about it and the wait gets long.
We were driving around not knowing where to eat and we passed by the Kapalama Post office and turned into the parking lot next door, we almost went to Diners, but saw a big sign that advertised Free Dessert with $ 10 purchase, so we went in.
The place was kind of slow being that they just opened not too long ago, we sat down and looked at the menu and we made our choices.
Naughty Evil Prince (beef): very nice flavor good combination of Spicy, Salty and a touch of coconut sweetness but not too overpowering, the only thing we noticed was that the bamboo shoots were either old or not rinsed well but not a deal breaker.
Shrimp Pad Thai: another good dish, done perfectly, not too much beans sprouts and a nice balance of flavors with the charred wok flavor that accentuated this dish. enough shrimp and some peanuts and garnishings on the side.
Priking Chicken with long beans: nice pungent combination of chiles and fish sauce that made this dish very good, beans were stir-​fried to perfection nice and still crunchy. served on a bed of cabbage that I could’ve done without.
Free Dessert: Sweet Tapioca with coconut milk, they cook the tapioca separate and add the coconut milk later which gives it a different dimension.
Thai Coffee: Humongous cup of sweet and strong coffee with evaporated milk that can easily be 2 cups at any other restaurant.
Things could be better tho, for starters they need a more attentive wait staff, the one that served us was probably the owner’s daughter and was a little disorganized, she brought us the lunch special menu after we had already ordered ala carte and didn’t seem to know where things were because she was asking the cook questions too often.
Nice touch: the Cook/​owner came out and asked us how everything was.
Again, this can be a good place to go get a bite and since I live in that ‘hood, may be easier for me to go there than to other Thai restaurants in the area.

Thai Town just opened about 3 weeks ago, so not much people know about it yet. Located within a tiny Kalihi strip mall, it’s easy to pass right by it unless you drive through into the parking lot. The food is tasty and affordable.
AND it’s BYOB!!!
There’s some things that they need to work on, but it’s a place I wouldn’t mind revisiting if I’m ever in the area again. The extra star is for the Beef Larb, would’ve been 3 stars if it weren’t for that dish.
SPICY BASIL EGGPLANT BEEF W/​CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN & RICE (combo $ 6.50):
I was craving Thai food and fried chicken this morning, so imagine how happy I was to see this combo on their lunch special!
****reg menu item of their Spicy Basil Eggplant is avail with chicken, pork, tofu & beef for $ 7.50, $ 8.50 for seafood (shrimp, calamari)****
The eggplant was cooked perfectly, tender yet still retaining a slight crunch to it.
The soy-​based sauce was delicious and had just the right amount of seasoning. The fried garlic bits and basil adds extra levels of flavor to this dish.
There was a lot of beef, but it was overcooked and tough. This dish would’ve been perfect if the meat was cooked properly. There was nothing «spicy» about it.
The Gai Tod (crispy marinated fried chicken, $ 7.50 ala carte) was tasty! The soy & ginger marinade reminds me of Imanas Tei’s Mochiko chicken. I would definitely order this again.
PAD SEE-​EW w/​beef (also avail w/​tofu, chicken or pork for $ 7.50, $ 8.50 for seafood):
Thick chow fun noodles stir-​fried w/​egg, veggies and gai lan/​chinese broccoli. Some of the noodles were too thick and needed to be cooked longer, but the pieces that were softer tasted great.
There was a lot of the same overcooked/​tough beef, perhaps more sauce would’ve helped.
BEEF LARB (also avail with chicken or pork, $ 7.50):
Thai salad consisting of ground beef cooked w/​basil & onions, served w/​cucumbers and cabbage.
I LOVE this dish! Lots of book/​leaf tripe and tons of beef in one order!
It had just the right amount of fish sauce and lime juice, just perfect for my taste.
My only complaint would be the absence of sticky rice.
My fault for assuming that it automatically comes with sticky rice like most places. An order of sticky rice will cost you $ 2 here.
TAPIOCA PUDDING W/​BANANA ($ 2.95): Free w/​any orders order $ 10.