Original Thai Cuisine
73-5629 Kuakini Hwy,Ste 175, Kailua Kona, HI, 96740
Original Thai Cuisine Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Kailua Kona for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant blood pressure menu details.
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant cholesterol menu details.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
73-5629 Kuakini Hwy,Ste 175
Kailua Kona, HI, 96740 - Phone (808) 329-3459
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Kyle G.
This was one of the best meals of our trip! Pad Thai was fresh. Mussaman Curry and Pineapple Curry were amazing!
(5)Ross W.
A Thai lady whom we met earlier in the day recommended this restaurant, and she was right. The Red Curry was yummy. Hubby had Chicken Satay Burger with fries and coleslaw. He enjoyed it but complained that there were only 1 1/2 skewers of chicken. Service was average, but I really appreciated their non-traditional lunch special options.
(4)Julie M.
I love Thai food! Unfortunately where I live we don't have any Thai restaurants. The red curry was so good! I wish I would have had more time because I would have went back in a heartbeat! Everyone we asked suggested this place and they were right.
(5)Jen P.
What??? What's this? OH....it's actually good food on the Big Island!! After eating at a week's worth of gawd awful restaurants, this place was so great to find. I only wish we'd known about it sooner. Original Thai could have saved us from many nights of misery!! I ordered the Drunken Noodles - so yummy. The veggies were fresh and the sauce wasn't too saucy. The Thai Iced Tea rocked too.
(4)Neha G.
We weren't very hungry when we went in for dinner. So we ordered basil fried rice and Thai Iced tea. Food was quite good, so much so, that we ordered another basil fried and finished it all :-) Good food, good place!
(4)Bobby D.
Kona has an abundance of Thai restaurants, and the meal we had at Original Thai was as good or better than any Thai we have had there. Ordered drunken noodles with chicken and a stir fry cashew dish, both were awesome, with great flavors and spice (medium is what we asked for). Absolutely would go back there again.
(5)barry a.
Red curry duck, chef special asparagus, chicken satay, pad Thai. No beer :( overall good. Friendly service. Dependable while in Kona.
(4)Mahikoluia L.
We've been going to this restaurant for years - both for sit-down and take-out. We've almost always had a good meal with just about anything on the menu. Nice, clean restaurant, good staff, fresh food, many choices.
(5)Mark S.
I've not been to every Thai restaurant in Kona, however this is, no doubt, the best so far. The spicing is robust, which should be the case with Thai food. Get a cup of soup; it's enough for 2 as an appetizer. I ordered a curry dish with tofu; they must have cubed a full package of tofu into my dish...you won't leave hungry.
(4)Pedro C.
This was a change of pace restaurant for us. After lots of local food, we came to Original Thai to get our asian fix. The place is clean and organized. It's hidden away in the back of a strip mall. The staff is very friendly and attentive. I honestly don't remember the food we ordered, but we had ordered way too much for the two of us. Food was delicious though and I ate till I could not eat anymore.
(3)Karen S.
For the price, the food was way better than expected. Definitely try one of the curry dishes. The basil chicken thai was decent and papaya salad was very good. They spice the dishes according to your preference and everything was very fresh. One plus is BYOB and it is right next to the Kona Brewery so you can buy beer and bring it in. They even chill the beer for you.
(5)Jonathan H.
Overall this place was more like a 3.5. Although the food was pretty tasty and flavorful, it was a little overpriced for our taste. We had the pad thai tofu and the red curry duck. The pad thai was good but could have used a little more veggies and spice for medium spicy. The red curry duck was really flavorful and one of the better tasting curries I've tried, but it had pineapples which I felt overpowered the curry and would have been better without. Also for the price, I know duck is expensive, but not worth the extra 5 bucks and portion was not so good. Stick to the regular meat and it's a curry to be beat. Pretty good overall but definitely not the best.
(3)Aim B.
Maybe it was because we ate late in the day, but I thought this was just okay Thai food. I think my expectations were pretty high based on the reviews, and perhaps if one key question had been asked, our meal would've turned out a solid 4 stars. We started with the shrimp summer rolls. Not too bad, but nothing out of this world (3 stars). I had a cup of Tom Kha Khai soup-delish! (4 stars) We were not asked what level of spiciness we wanted our food at, and we didn't think to ask because, hey, that's the restaurant's job. Anyway, everything was very sweet and it just didn't do it without the heat. I had a dish with noodles and gravy (1.5 stars), and unlike every other Thai noodle dish with sauce or gravy, where I wish it had a little more, this one was drowning in it! It wasn't drunken noodles, but I don't remember the name. Shy away from the noodle dish with gravy! My friend ordered the red curry and it was fine, but too sweet without the heat. (2.5 stars) All in all, not worth the long drive over from the other end of Alii street, but maybe it was just an off night.
(3)Paul B.
Best Thai food in Kona. Sure, there's room for some improvement, but its still the best. Try the duck curry, or beef panang. Very good! And for somthing fried and tasty, the crab appetizer (I forget the name).
(5)Andrew M.
Decent meal, but nothing special. I was unimpressed with their mango curry, but the rest was good enough. Not sure it's worthy of the 4-5 star ratings I see, but maybe I ordered the wrong dishes.
(3)Jim F.
Found the place on Yelp and went there for lunch. I had pineapple curry and my wife had massaman curry. It was so good we went back for dinner, I had crispy duck and my wife had mango curry. The meals were delicious, promptly served by a friendly staff.
(4)Tony M.
Simply the BEST THAI FOOD EVER!! Great service, family operated and owned. The curries are excellent, but everything is always good.
(5)Jeff F.
Very good, authentic, and spicy thai food. The tom yum soup with seafood was excellent. It's a bit pricey for Thai, but for good food while on vacation, it's totally worth it.
(4)Dustin H.
This is the best meal I've had since I moved to the Big Island. Original Thai is wonderful. The portions are pretty massive. The food is delicious, flavorful and just the right amount of spice. I really enjoyed the calamari and this very fragrant spicy coconut seafood soup/stew/curry dish. I forgot the name. oops. Spooned over rice it was tasty. Two entrées, two appetizers and two drinks and the bill was less than $50.00 We'll be back for sure. Original Thai is awesome. The location is the only thing not going for this place. It's between the laundry mat and the Firestone Tire Center.
(4)Donna L.
Delicious freshly prepared food at reasonable prices. Nice selection of vegetarian dishes including pumpkin, artichoke, and asparagus.
(5)Soo M.
By far the best Thai restaurant in Kona (and we have about 275). The Siam Fish - unlike any other fish dish. My kids ask to go here to eat this! The curry burger - yummy and light if you don't eat the buns and fries. But that would be an exercise in self control as the fries (curried!) are SO yummy! If you want to try something SPICY, ask for the gravy noodles, Thai hot.
(4)Steve R.
PAD SEE EW is more like pad see ewwwww! The noodles in the dish sucked. We're a pad see ew family and most places it's bad. This place is no exception. I give it 3 stars instead of 2 only because my wife's dish - the green curry chicken - was really good. Service was poor and they forgot our tom yum soup.
(3)J B.
Nice family restaurant. Solidly enjoyed the meal here and was craving it again the day after we ate here. Excellent Panang, flavorful garlic chicken and loved the spring rolls. Will definitely be back. Be aware that they close between lunch and dinner from 3-5pm on weekdays.
(4)Brittany A.
The brown rice was really good- not many places offer a hearty brown rice with a meal. We had our usual Green Curry and Red Curry- we asked for them to be medium hot and were pleasantly surprised that they were accurately spiced. Good classic Thai cuisine that really hit the spot!
(4)Mais S.
Food is very very good! Come on your relaxed day. They make your food when you order it so there is a wait. Prices are reasonable, but if you are on a strict budget, avoid shrimp and fish (they charge more for them) and eat family style (ask for extra plates and say you will eat family style) or come for lunch specials on a weekday.
(5)Nicholas S.
We had heard good things about this place for some time and eventually stumbled upon it. Turns out it was not quite open yet for dinner, but the Owner/Chef was nice enough to accommodate us and then 2-3 other groups that came after us. Food was good and some dishes very unique, I really dug this lau lau fusion dish they had, could not get enough of it. Not sure why the bad experiences, we had 3 great ones while we were in town.
(4)Twanna R.
We looked and looked for the place. Yelp has the wrong address. S/B 75-5629 in the back of a small strip mall. It was worth finding. We had the summer rolls for starters and the lunch specials of stir fried veggies with shrimp, "hot stir fried eggplant with chicken" and Thai iced coffee. The food tasted delicious. Twanna R.
(5)J K.
This place is AWESOME!!! Thai ice teas come in large size, that's a plus. The spicy beef salad is fantastic! The beef is tender and the dressing is perfect and spicy as you request...I had extra spicy. We had the curry fries for an appetizer and I have to say that they were very very good. We also had pad see we and the noodles were perfect and dark, the beef was again tender and the broccoli was very green crispy not mushy. Our last dish was pad kee mow aka drunken noodles and they were also fantastic. I highly recommend Original Thai, I will definitely be back! BTW the staff is very friendly and attentive.
(5)Julie S.
This is the best Thai food I've ever had. I started my meal with a cup of the ginger and coconut soup. We ordered Chicken Phad Thai and Yellow Curry for entrees, and we also had the Thai Iced Tea. The food was amazing, with complex flavors and everything was beyond delicious. The service was a bit slow, but there was only one waitress working (she was also the hostess). The restaurant was very busy when we were there. If I go back to the Big Island, I will definitely stop here again!
(5)Robyn A.
Love this place for Thai in Kona! The service is friendly and food is consistently delicious.
(5)M W.
From a vegan's perspective, this place isn't bad at all. They can make nearly any item into a vegan item, and they know that means no fish sauce or oyster sauce. The prices are good for the Big Island, and the service was very good. Why only three stars? Because it's average Thai good. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't come here expecting a meal to remember. The vegetables were fresh. I always order very spicy food, and this place's spice level is higher than average, though if you want Thai hot instead of salsa hot, look elsewhere.
(3)Kristin Y.
I love the favors of Original Thai! They are unique and delicious! It's my favorite Thai restaurant in Kona!
(5)Richard M.
This was by far one of the best dining experiences (food wise) I have had In Kona. The staff was attentive, the were willing to make the food as spicy or bland as you like. the quality of the food was great, and the price was reasonable. The did lack some of my favorite Thai food, and some were different than I expected, but all and all it was great food good service and the price was right! The have all of the stapeles and a nice selection of Thai soups. The portions were nice! I would definitely suggest dining here if you like Thai!
(4)Mark J.
The service was good and it is very clean. We all had different dishes and all were pleased. I had the Half crispy duck with asparigus, it was excellent. the english is good We will be returning for more meals.
(5)J Y.
First off, the waitresses are very nice and friendly +++. That being said, the food was mediocre Definitely, not authentic Thai as some would claim. Our rahd na had regular broccoli in it?? Our order tasted more like Chinese food than the Thai that we were used to in Southeast Asia or Southern CA (L.A. Thai Town etc.). I almost downgraded it another star because it was pricey, but then I remembered I was eating in a tourist spot.
(3)Erin S.
I've tried most of the Thai restaurants in town and keep coming back to Original Thai. I've tried all of the curries, sometimes with chicken, sometimes with tofu. I've had the phad thai and several other noodle dishes (I'm not going to spell these correctly, but then again, since you can't directly transliterate from Thai script to English, the spellings are just guesses anyway) including lard na and phad seiew. Everything I've tried there has been tasty and worth eating; the curries and phad thai are my favorites. I also love their papaya salad. For people who wish to argue about what is authentic and what is not, I'll point out that the Original Thai papaya salad does not have the little shrimps in it like the papaya salad I got in Bangkok last year. The flavors, however, were spot on. It's an easy choice for a consistently good meal. Don't forget to order rice if you want it -- it does not come automatically with your curry. (For what it's worth, that also seems to be authentically Thai to me, based on my short vacation experience last year.) For two adults, each ordering an entree, rice and Thai iced tea, expect to pay about $30 plus tax and tip.
(4)Nanana A.
The place was difficult to find, it in the strip mall next to Kona Brewing Co. and on the back side next to a laundrmat. The interior was nice, but we had a waitress who was not very accomodating and seem like she didn't want to be there. The food was okay, but I've had better in the San Francisco bay area. I tried the golden baskets, but it was more of a fried wonton with filling and a rice vinegar syrup sauce. The red curry was pretty good and had wonderful flavors. The pad seuw noodles was good, but I don't think I would order it again. I was turned off when I asked about the special sauce and the lady I asked didn't know about it (she didn't speak English too well) and asked our regular waitress who ignored the request, as well as took over 10 minutes to get us our bill after we finished. Overall....the food is good, but we had so so service. Sorry, but I don't think I would return.
(3)Christina W.
Thanks fellow Yelpers for your reviews on this place. Decided to try it after reading other reviews and had a great meal! We had the Red Curry Duck and Chili Basil w/Pork. This is one of the few places that offers a Krathong thong appetizer and it was nicely done. I think it's BYOB - we saw other diners bringing in their own beers & wine.
(4)Victoria K.
Great local restaurant! They offer good lunch specials Mon - Fri. Every dish we've tried was delicious. Have Thai tea if you have not had one yet.
(5)Leena C.
We were eating at a lousy but ok mexican place in Kona. We finally came upon this thai place and had to go since it was run by Thai people. It just opened up a few months ago. The food is definitely authentic and even compares with some of the Thai places we go to in San Francisco. Prices are excellent for Kona too. We went there 3x in 3 days! The last time we brought our cousin and she loved it. She usually goes to Thai Orchid but she says that the prices here were much better. On our last visit, the owner gave us an extra appetizer. And we ordered 2 already. He is so nice. He thought we were local and was trying to find out where we go. If we stayed in Kona any longer, or even found out about the place earlier, we would have visited more often. It's a small little restuarant located near the Firestone, same side of the street as Ross. It's so tiny, you would totally miss it. However, the place is pretty busy. Word of mouth travels fast if the food is good! Ask for the special sauce. I think they put soy sauce, cilantro, garlic, maybe some vinegar. but you gotta ask for it. Pad kee mow, pad thai, the summer rolls, the curry, and i'm forgetting the other names we ordered but they are really good. the appetizer: golden basket (#10) is really good too. Miss this place.
(5)Anand And Lux K.
Actually didn't eat here. We walked into the restaurant and asked to see the menu for vegetarian items. We were flat out told that they have only two vegetarian items and that they could not make the other items without meat. Oh well. We went over to Krua Thai, who were extremely accommodating to us..
(2)Kir U.
Good solid Thai food. The vegetables tasted very fresh. Would definitely go here again.
(4)RZ H.
This is our favorite Thai place on the island. It has excellent food, friendly staff and reasonable prices. The pumpkin curry seems to be a really popular dish but get there early because sometimes they run out! :)
(4)Jessie L.
I love Thai food. But I do know good Thai food from average. This place has earn a place in my heart. My husband and I always eat here whenever we visit Kona. I just don't like the wait. But overall the pad thai, the chicken green curry is awesome. It would've been great if they have Tod mun pla (fried fish cakes). The first time we pulled up tot his place we thought it was so out of the way. IT was near a bar and you just don't think much of it. But the food is awesome! I really wish I took pictures of this place. Not that it's so beautiful that I have to take pictures but of the food I meant.
(4)Kona Boy P.
aloha: it should be named thai behind the firestone. sorry new owners food has went way down hill
(2)Sandi C.
Excellent Thai food at a very reasonable price. Went there twice during our week long stay (11/4-11/11/10) in Kona and got great food both times. Very busy with locals. Try their fresh rolls and the coconut and lemongrass soup.
(4)Emily O.
there are sooo many choices of thai restaurants in kona, and this place is the best of all of them. never overly busy, food is cheap, and great quality. the spicy fried rice is GREAT, as are the soups and the rama chicken. its in a shopping center, so there's no view or much of an ambiance, but worth going to.
(5)Gail F.
I had the green curry and loved it. It had just the right amount of ingredients. My boyfriend had the papaya seafood salad and also loved it. We will be going back :)
(4)J K.
I wonder about people who crab about service at a restaurant where I find exceptionally good service. Are they bringing poor service upon themselves? I don't mean to sound naive on this topic. Some wait staff are truly awful. I'm simply surprised, in this case, how my experience so completely differed from some adamant reviews. Tonight, my wife and I ate at Original Thai Cuisine. We enjoyed the warm, gracious and attentive service very much. The food, while not extraordinary, was perfectly good Thai. We will definitely return. One last thought and then I'll let it go. I've found being friendly and interested in others attracts friendliness and attentiveness.
(4)Sterling B.
Delicious spices and flavours. We went on a Sunday night, and it got busy fast. The waitresses got a bit swamped, so service was diminished. But the menu had some very unique items - satay burger with yellow curry fries, larb wrap, etc. I had delicious drunken noodles, and my wife had a cashew stir fry that was very tasty. No alcohol, but we saw folks BYOBing it so that is an option. No mention in the menu of a corkage fee. All in all, a very nice option for Kailua and well worth seeking out.
(4)Suzshi L.
I remember this place from when I used to live here.....used to be awesome. Don't know what happened. It is hot inside, and more importantly, My SHRIMP KWA soup came without shrimp. I had to actually ask for my shrimp, and it did not come until I was done w my soup. They packed 2 bland sad pieces of shrimp w no seasoning, etc in a to go box. Ugh. Top it off w bathrooms that compare to a bathroom of a 711 or a gas station. Did I mention... Ugh. Oh, and did I mention that they did not even give me a pen to give my signature. My son had to go and get one on top of all the other "quality " service. My irritation at this point is just ugh.
(1)Madeleine L.
Always have great meals here. Green and red curry are stand by favorites. Tom kha soup is fantastic. Surprised by the crab rangoons, super crabby and flavorful. Pineapple curry is a great new dish to try. Spicy and sweet with a red coconut curry sauce and plenty of pineapple. Amazing with shrimp, bet it'd be good with pork or chicken too. Love coming here, can't wait to come back.
(5)Haley D.
If you're looking for good service along with your Thai food, Original Thai is not the place for you. Though the food was delicious, it took the waitress a half an hour to take our order and then another 45 for the meals to arrive. It was a little busy and she was the only waitress, but it was obvious that some tables took priority over us (esp. quicker, more diligent and friendly service). So if you have time to kill, I recommend it, but if you're hungry or want to be in and out in an hour, go somewhere else.
(3)Christine S.
I would definitely return for another meal here. The food is very good, however it took a little longer than I expected to arrive at our table. The staff we experienced were gracious and attentive. Only 4 stars because of the time to get our food. The ambiance was ok; a little tight on space, but I'd rather be seated sooner than have a wait with a little more space when busy. Location is listed wrong. It's in 'ilima court off of kuakini.
(4)Paul H.
Dropped in while getting car with dinner nearby, there food was great the service was fast and the staff was professional. Try the Crab Rangoon!
(5)Karen R.
It was a bitch finding this place. Ambiance: 3 stars I read that it had been remodeled, it this is remodeled then I would hate to see what it looked like before! But it was pretty cute inside and I can appreciate the effort that they put int disguising the fact that they are in a crappy old mini mall structure. Service: 3 stars they are nice but kind of absent. Oh and no fortune cookie or goodbye Food: everything was piping hot and fresh. Best coconut lemongrass soup I have ever had so 5 stars for that. However the main course and reason for the drive was Panang with chicken and this was a 3 star meal. It was lacking in sweetness and basic flavor. It was good but it was barely Panang. Price: 4 stars. Pretty fair for being in Hawaii and tourist spot.
(3)Dania-Maria K.
We showed up on a Tuesday night and it was slammed. Later we found out the night before was That New Years, so service may have been slow because they were understaffed. Not sure if that was the case or not. When our server did finally come to our table we ordered the Thai iced tea. It took about 15 minutes if not longer for that to arrive and another 10 minutes for water to come to our table. We ordered and waited some more. My man's bowl of tom ka soup arrived first and it was delicious! So well made and all around comforting. Next came his plate of mung bean something. It was bomb, so good! He got it at the spice level of medium which had us both sniffling a bit. The Thai iced tea helped cool us off. My soup came later and had half an egg shell in it. We mentioned it to our server and she was very accommodating. She took it back and had another made. We ended up taking it home. All in all, great food (except for the egg she'll in my dish) and I think the service would have been better had we maybe arrived a different night. We will probably return.
(3)Amber H.
Chicken phad thai with a side of peanut sauce please? It's the best!
(5)Christy M.
We are seattleites and I often travel to Thailand for work - we eat a lot of Thai food. This place is subpar if you know Thai food. The pad Thai was the worst I've ever had. They put bbq sauce in it. The bbq taste was undeniable. There was no egg and no lime. It was a saucy mess with no balance. The satay chicken was ok and so were the summer rolls. Tables weren't cleaned, service was slow but fine. I just can't get over how bad the Pad Thai was. Don't go for pad Thai.
(2)Kristin C.
Despite a valiant effort by our waitress to cover the whole place, the food came very slowly and little attention was paid to us. The food came in two stages and only when the second batch came did they mention they were out of duck and asked what we would like to substitute. This meant one person had to wait for 15 more minutes to get too hot to eat food. The food was just ok when it finally came, with the exception of the pad Thai which was fantastic.
(2)Amy C.
We were pretty pleased with this Yelp find! First off, we liked the interior as it felt welcoming and was clean. Service was friendly and didn't have to wait long for our orders. We had their pad thai, yellow curry chicken and mango sticky rice for dessert. The pad thai was very good just like the stuff we have here in LA. I really enjoyed the yellow curry with chicken as they used all white meat. Nothing bugs me more than having yellow curry with brown meat. Ughh! Anyhow, it was delicious and would recommend it to others and will order it again when I return to the Big Island. The mango sticky rice was excellent! I would for sure order this again in a heart beat! YUM! This definitely silenced the sweet tooth cravings! Overall, great place for Thai food and I would for sure recommend it to others. Can't wait to dine here again when we return to the Big Island.
(4)Dani B.
Would give this place a zero star if I could. Horrible service & very disappointed!!! We walked in for lunch on a Sunday (empty except for 2 tables) and were not greeted, waited awhile then sat ourselves all while the waitress just turned her head and ignored us. After we sat down for another 5 mins and watched the waitress continue to ignore us we finally decided not to spend our money here. Figured out the reason it was empty!
(1)Mary D.
Went to have lunch after church on a Sunday afternoon and they refused to let my grandmother and a couple family members dine in due to the time. It was 20 min before 3, Other parties were still waiting for their food. I was completely astonished as I have worked In many restaurants and what they did was completely unacceptable. We did not plan on camping out. We all already knew what we wanted. Never will eat there again. Customer service was horrible. The way we're told we weren't able to dine in was rude. If they said it nicely, it would have been different and maybe a little more expectable being that I know how it feels when someone walks in 15 before closing. But we weren't told anything You until being sat, with no menus. Customer service was inadequate and their employees are incompetent. OG Thai used to be the best around, but I've got to say customer service can be everything. I have been to Kruas 10 min before closing was want given any disrespect.
(1)Hilary O.
Amazing Thai food! Little hidden gem in kona. I've eaten at several around town and this is my favorite. They do not dilute the flavors like you can find in some Thai restaurants (ie watered down curry or soup broth). They give you three choices of rice with your meal. Portions are very generous. I also like that they ask for a temperature preference from no spice to extra spice.
(5)Neal C.
Now living in Kona, this is my new preference for Thai. I'm finnecky, so when I think something is good, it'pretty good. I like that they pick up on my vegetarianness. Always polite, and very quick kitchen staff, even when swamped on a Fri or Sat eve. Kona Brewery is next door. I like that I can fill my growler there, then "BYOB" at Original Thai. The girls put a frosty galss on the table when I walk in with my growler! Grateful to have this spot in Kona.
(5)Erin B.
We love Original Thai. The owners are so friendly and gracious, the vibe is relaxed and the food is delicious! I love that the Thai hot is not just a bunch of chiles dumped on top, but heat throughout the whole dish and the crab rangoon is awesome. Make sure to ask for some spicy sauces, and they will bring out all kinds for you.
(4)Lucy S.
Got lucky, just happened to be next door and decided to try this place. So glad I did. Garlic Pepper Chicken was amazing!!!
(5)Kirsten S.
We had red curry and mussaman. It is the best Thai I ever had. 29$ awesome! I recommend this place.
(5)Amanda C.
The food was good; I don't have many complaints about it. The curry was average-good but the spring roll and Thai tea were some of the best I've had. The main reason this restaurant gets three stars is because of our terrible waitress. She basically ignored our table and was extremely rude. She barely said anything to us and had a major attitude problem. Regardless we tipped her about 25% but she didn't deserve it. Bad service all around. Also the lunch special has jumped up quite a bit in price and is now $10.25! A lunch special should definitely be under $10 but that's just my opinion. This may sound horrible but I probably won't go back in fear of getting that waitress again :/
(3)Deborah N.
Delicious, authentic Thai food - the best in Kailua-Kona Village! Kind of hard to find - it's in the back of a shopping center - well worth the trip! The owner/chef comes out to check on folks, when she's not swamped in the kitchen. Small restaurant, but I've never had to wait for a table. I pick up lots of food to go from Original Thai - the quality travels well, too ;) A good pick, if you love good Thai food!
(5)Nari H.
Yes, another good thai place. However, I wished their portions were bigger and priced a little cheaper. I'd come back but you kind of need a car to get here. The decor is very nice here. A good place for a date or nice group atmosphere. Pad Thai is on the ketchup side which i didn't expect.
(3)Kristina D.
This was the best place we ate at while staying in Kona. We had to wait quite a while for a seat but the atmosphere was chill and relaxed. It looked like you could bring your own wine and there were lots of families eating there. My food was nice and spicy just like I wanted.
(5)Dee D.
Hands down my FAVORITE Thai restaurant in Kona. I probably eat here once a month and if I could, I'd eat here everyday! Pretty much every Thai favorite is delicious here... Papaya salad, pad Thai, all the curries and they're burgers are yummy too! I highly recommend the Artichoke Panang Curry! It's served inside of an artichoke and you can add any choice of protein you want. It's a special so they don't always have this available... But if they do... Get it! You won't be sorry! :)
(5)Bigvai E.
Tourist trap! They charge a mandatory 15 percent tip upfront even if less then 6 people. If more then 6 people 18%. Food is ok. Service is lacking however. Water tastes like tap water. Sticky rice comes in a big container with a false bottom. Canned sodas, no fountain drinks.
(1)Megan S.
Our favorite little dinner spot in Kona. Food is always good the prices are affordable.
(5)Anabelle D.
I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THAI FOOD HERE. The chicken wings, the fries and pad thai. It was decent price and the Thai tea, I always have to get a large that thing is like orgasm once you take that sip. I swear I was going for another glass but I thought about my diet. Lmao It's peaceful, not that loud good place to go on a date or family dinner! Good customer service. Restrooms are clean, I checked. Not crowded just moderate.
(5)Olga H.
We had drunken noodles and an iced tea. Both really good and pretty cheap if you go for beef, chicken or vegetarian. I'm a big fan of both and I can say I really enjoyed. Definitely recommended if you are in Kona.
(5)Cesar R.
Sadly, one of the more mediocre pork dishes I had on our whole Hawaii trip.... BASIL PORK STIR FRY yelp.com/biz_photos/Szy8… Basil, bamboo shoots, green beans, onions, carrots, bell peppers tossed with some sadly, dry and overcooked pork. All in all, it was just....mediocre, edible and forgettable. For what it's worth the wife enjoyed her Beef Pad See Ewe yelp.com/biz_photos/Szy8… I had a bite and shed a tear when I realized the beef was better than my pork.... Maybe I ordered wrong, maybe it was a bad day for pork....wait, pork doesn't have bad days.... that's impossible, nevermind.
(3)Hema K.
We checked out Original Thai cuisine after reading it in the Revealed book (rated as one of the best) and suggested by fellow Kamaainas. In all of Kohala-Kona district, most of the businesses are located where Hwy 19 and 11 meets. While ordering my usual pad kee mao and basil fried rice, I tried their Thai-hot spicy level. Boy it was HOT! Literally having sweat beads and drinking lots of water. Loved it, though should have dial it down to anywhere between Medium to Spicy level. The pad kee mao noodle wasn't really the chow-fun type thus 3 stars.
(3)Trisha G.
My first trip here for lunch. I had red Thai curry with chicken. The lunch special comes with summer roll, jasmine or sticky rice, and toss salad. It was just the right spice level. Good amount of food for the price. I haven't tried anything else off the regular menu. So good. Another one to add to my list when I come home. Note: I always come here with my cousin. My most recent visit was when she was preggos. She swore that this was the best Thai in Kona and that the baby craved this place at least twice a week.
(5)JK C.
Surprisingly good and authentic Thai food in the middle of Kona!
(5)Kona K.
The price keep going up and the portions are getting smaller every time I go. I have been going to a new Thai restaurant "Phuket Monkey" in Kopiko plaza for better experiences.
(1)Jenny H.
This restaurant is not worth trying. Their Pad Thai ($12) had an odd taste of BBQ sauce which added some smokiness and the noodles were extremely over cooked and fell apart as I tried to pick them up with my chopsticks. I actually wondered if they had accidentally used the wrong sauce when they cooked the dish, but we were in a rush and I didn't want to bother asking. The Tom Yum noodle soup ($14) wasnokay but tasted like it came from a powdered mix.
(2)Hussain T.
The best Thai food ever. Was there on Big Island for three night and ate at this place 3 times in a row. I don't like Thai food at any other place after eating here..
(5)A P.
From out of town looking for where the locals eat. This is the place. Great choice after getting off a 6 hr flight. ....
(5)Melani S.
Price is decent, food good and I love their planed wood tables. Also a little understaffed so service was a bit slow... Still all around good. I had the green curry which was very tasty. The only low point in that dish was the bamboo shoots. They were chewy and tasted like they were taken right out of the can and put in the dish, instead of being incorporated into the sauce. I know almost all bamboo shoots that we get here are canned to some degree, but you can cook that taste out of them and make them soft and not so stringy.
(4)Katie R.
we had some beer and wine to finish up before a flight and went on a search for BYOB in kona... this is where we ended up, and i am so happy we did! the food was really, really good. it wasn't what i'm used to in chicago, but the flavors were spot on. i had the lad nar equivalent, which was almost like a huge soup - it came with a spoon and everything - TONS of gravy, and slightly chewy wide rice noodles. again, not what i am used to, but i couldn't stop eating it. my boyfriend raved about his pad ke mao, although the thai spicy wasn't spicy enough for him. service was good and it was very busy for 11am (yes, we were doing BYOB at 11am.. sad but true). it was very clean and the decor was welcoming as well. while the prices are a little high for thai, they were still cheaper than anywhere else we ate on the island.
(5)S D.
Tastes exactly right, and is good, but what do I know as an American who's never been to Thailand. Atmosphere is typical of an asian restaurant feel. Cleanliness wasn't bad. Nice, cute waitresses. I believe everyone is actually Thai, minus the one halfy, so that means the food is probably authentic. One less star because it's hard to be perfect in this world, and I could find something negative to say but you get the idea.
(4)Brennan T.
My family's favorite Thai restaurant in Kona. Every time we drive to Kona (we live in Hilo), we need to stop at Original Thai for lunch, dinner, or a mid-afternoon snack. Service is good, and the food is delicious.
(4)Jackie H.
As soon as I arrived in Hawaii, I felt it coming. I needed a red curry fix. After doing some searching in both a tour guide that I was using for my trip, as well as other yelper reviews (and Lotus Cafe being closed on Sundays and out of the question) we decided on Original Thai. Walking in, the place is very small and cozy. There was only one waitress working and the wait when we first arrived was long, but she was very polite. After finally getting menus and ordering thai iced tea, which come in both size small and large (because you can never drink enough of that stuff) we settled on the Red curry and the Drunken noodles. Both were exceptionally good. The Red curry was filled with lots of vegetables and the right amount of creamy and spicy. Speaking of spice, after reading some reviews about the spice, I decided to settle for mild (which I usually avoid), if I go back later before the end of my trip (which I intend to), I would try the medium for spice. After being around a bunch of mediocre at best thai places back home, eating here was refreshing and just what I was craving. Definitely recommend if you are in the area.
(4)Carl P.
I've been here several times and have been happy but this last time I was disappointed. I ordered the pumpkin curry with tofu and found it mostly full of liquid, short on pumpkin/vegetables. I brought this to the server's attention but she simple shrugged her shoulders and told me it's made that way. No attempt at rectifying the situation or offer to come half way to please a customer! A simple gesture would of gone a long way... the indifference was apparent.
(2)Jill and Ying J.
With all the sushi and poke we'd been eating on the Big Island, we were pretty stoked to have a hot meal finally. And boy, was it HOT. More on that later. First, the tom yum soups we got were solid. Not too spicy, with just the right flavor, and the perfect amount of meat/veggies. Then we moved on to the salmon penang curry and drunken noodles. "Medium spicy," we ordered. We're obviously not up to par on the spiciness scale. We were dying by the end, sweating profusely, and pounding our waters like it was about to run out. Even the sticky rice as a side didn't help much. If there's anything we'd recommend, it's not to be shy about ordering the mild -- if we'd ordered the right amount of spicy probably would've been at least a 4-star. Dessert was solid. With a name like Volcano Fried Ice Cream, how could anyone resist? It was this vanilla ice cream filling, covered in a deep fried dough layer, then drizzled with syrup. YUM.
(3)Andrew L.
Really fresh, really tasty dishes; both traditional and creative items on the menu. This was a great find and while we didn't try the neighboring Bangkok House, the obvious Thai competitor, I'd return to OTC every chance possible.
(4)Shawnee G.
I definitely love this restaurant better than any other Thai place here on the island. You get a lot of food for your money, we got out spending less than $80 for 4 entrees and 2 appetizers. The atmosphere was nice, the server was polite and attentive, and the food was delicious. We will be returning again, you just made a regular out of me!!
(4)L U.
Curry fries are to die for. The Papaya salad is perfect! Thai glass noodles are amazing.
(5)Josh M.
The chef / owner came out and greeted at least 3 different tables full of regular clients and talked with each for a while. If locals favor this place, you know it must be good. The crab rangoons have real crab and just the right amount of cream cheese. The drunken noodles and red curry dishes were delish. Everything was great. Very glad I followed other recommendations to come here.
(5)Savannah G.
We went sportfishing and caught a 38lb Ono but since we were staying at the royal kona resort we didn't know where we'd be able to cook it. We asked the bartender at our hotel and he recommended this place to have them cook our Ono. It's a little off the beaten path but only about a .8mile walk. We brought in our fish and they prepared it four different ways! All of them were incredible and they far exceeded my expectations. It only cost $50 too and the portions were huge! It's byob too!
(5)Nancy Z.
We met a friend at the bar located on the front side of this outdoor shopping mall and decided to pop over to Original Thai for dinner. This restaurant is located on the backside of the mall so it does not have pretty local views. We stepped through the door and were pleasantly surprised by nice welcoming décor. We order appetizers and dishes to share. Except for the salad, everything was really tasty. Not inexpensive, but very good.
(4)Dede T.
Our favorite Thai place on the island and surpassed only by Siam Cafe in Albuquerque NM! We love the cow put guy, and order it spicy with extra hot sauce on the side. The sauce is sour and blistering hot with a wonderful oystery, cilantro taste, words don't do it justice. We also love the pad thai and pad krapow. Metsai and Ilena remember us by name and usually guess our choice before we order. Fun. We've also enjoyed the curry burger with curry fries, and the coconut soup, though we usually stick to our favorites. Shrimp satay is wonderful, though I'd like twice as many in an order.
(4)