Ka-Lae Garden

One of the most delicious meals I had on the Big Island. Most ingredients are grown organically behind the restaurant. They also sell the produce they grow too. The Thai food is authentic… with Thai people cooking. Service is slow, and they warn you about it on their menu. The restaurant is clean and casual, as if you are eating in their home. The employees there were friendly and always smiling.

This is a small restaurant on highway 11 that has really good thai food for a reasonable price. They accept credit cards. We are vegetarian and ordered coconut soup, panang curry, jasmine rice and Lilikoi cheese cake. The soup and curry were served fresh and hot. They have paper plates and plastic forks and spoons available. They had about 6 to 7 tables. The cheesecake was yummy and very fresh. I

We just had a fresh and delicious dinner here! I was skeptical of all the 5 star reviews but this is a true gem. My husband and I ordered the papaya salad, satay chicken, and stir fry pumpkin. All dishes were quickly devoured and licked clean! I highly recommend them all. You can see from the fruit/​veggie stand that the ingredients are fresh from their outdoor garden.
Papaya salad: crisp, light, refreshing, and an interesting touch is that it is topped with avocados. Tasty seasoning.
Chicken Satay: this was more tender and better seasoned than the chicken satay I had in Bangkok, no joke. The peanut sauce and salad accompaniment were delicious.
Pumpkin Stir Fry: I recommend ordering this with the sticky rice. Delicate balance of kabocha squash, bell pepper, onion, and chicken with a slightly sweet sauce. Wonderful.
One of the best meals we had on the Big Island.

It was a total surprise. We are from Seattle. My husband and I visited green sand beach, on the way back to Waikoloa, I had to pee really bad and found this place. Since there is nothing around there after 6 in the evening.
This family style restaurant has the best papaya salad and fresh roll. They are not fast, but the food is absolutely worth to wait. There were two ladies got the papaya salad before us. And since their first bit, the sounds like they are in heaven. I was so doubt about their reaction us till we got ours. The salad dressing is perfect! Well balance of sweet, sour and spicy. Love it.

Awesome, fresh, homemade-​to-​order Thai!
Driving back from Black Sand Beach, we scoped out Ka-​Lae Garden & decided to make a stop.
Best Papaya Salad I’ve ever had… ever! Tender slivers of fresh papaya & a ton of jalapenos in a delightful soy-​based sauce. They even actually ask on the menu to specify either fish sauce or soy sauce so no threat of meaty misunderstanding… AWESOME!
Stir Fry Pumpkin — nice mild spice & lots of squash chunks — they didn’t skimp on the pumpkin
Green Curry — lots of different veggies like broccoli & pumpkin in a spicier sauce. This rocked & the Mr even went so far as to drink the leftover sauce he didn’t want to leave any drop behind
Paired it all up w/​their sticky rice — b/​c anytime you want to offer sticky rice, I’m going to take it & let’s just say this was the perfect pairing to soak up all those delish sauces
The place was totally packed — albeit there are only a few tables & everything is made to order so it takes some time but believe me when I say it’s well worth the wait!
If you’re looking for a refreshing & delish Thai experience, this is place to be!