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Definitely the best Thai food in Hilo! Best ambiance and best food in town, period. The food is fresh and authentic, and thet'll spice it up as hot as you like! So many of their dishes are good, but I particularly like their Tofu Panang Curry, Mussaman Curry, and their Pumpkin Curry. Their salads are great, too. I haven't had anything I didn't like. The service is prompt and friendly.
They are particulalry accomodating to veggies/vegans because unlike the other Thai places in town, they don't use fish sauce! Also, they don't charge extra for fried tofu (Sombat's does).
Their lunch specials are fantastic. They cook it fresh for you, and very quickly. It's much better than the goopy steam-tray stuff at the other places.
Their food is very fresh and local. They are very environmentally conscious -- they walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Extra points for the compostable/recyclable to-go boxes!
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Hi, new Yelper here that has lived in Hilo for a few years.
Naung Mai is known to be one of the best Thai places in Hilo, and on the entire island. I can not add much to the other reviews except to say that many of the folks you see eating there are Hilo natives.
I believe that the three best places for Thai on the Hilo side are (all 5-star): Sombat's, Naung Mai, and Ning's in Pahoa.
I stayed in Hilo for four days and this was the place I had most of my meals. Hidden on a side street behind the flower exchange, Naung Mai was a great find! I ordered the Cucumber Salad a couple of times and although it was more spicy the second time around, it was fresh, crispy and tasty. Everything else I tried, Massaman Curry, Basil Eggplant and Cashew Chicken was delicious. The vegetables were fresh and the chicken very tender. The Coconut Ice-Cream at the end was just the cherry on top! Great food, good service, reasonable prices in a very unassuming and understated restaurant.
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I read all of the yelp reviews and maybe I was expecting too much coming here but I thought it was average at best. The vegetables seemed undercooked and I like them on the raw side. Also the sauces seemed watery and not that much flavor. The service was good and the food seemed fresh that is the only reason for the 3 stars. I am looking forward to trying Sombats because I have heard from locals that it is the best around.
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So far the dining highlight of our trip to hawaii. We ate there based on Yelp reviews. After eating at other restaurants around the island, most of which were much more expensive (and mediocre), this place was a welcome change. Great authentic Thai food (some of the best I've ever had, and I've tried lots of Thai food) with very fresh ingredients/veggies, and good atmosphere with the thai ladies amusingly chattering away in the kitchen. The fresh spring rolls are quite large, the green curry was sweeter than I'm used to but in a good way and overall quite good, and the green papaya salad very fresh.
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Awesome. What a great ending to a five day stay in Hilo. I ordered the green curry with chicken and medium spice and boy was I sweating. It was hot but GOOD! Anyways the service is friendly and helpful and they are very clean. Please visit if you dig thai food and are visiting Hilo!
My boyfriend thought I was crazy for wanting to search out this random Thai place on our first night in Hawaii, in the pouring rain. Crazy I may be, but I trust you yelpers, and you did not disappoint.
Complex flavors, portion size is just right, excellent service. I like that they ask you how hot you want your food, and they will hurt you with fire if you ask them kindly.
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Thanks Yelpers!!! This place rocks! Super clean, nice décor for a tiny joint built in a shipping wharehouse? The bathrooms were sparkling. Service was perfect. Lunch specials! Entres are big enough to share so that makes this place very affordable!
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SO AWESOME!
Found this place on Yelp while visiting the Big Island for a week. I must say that this place is TOP NOTCH! The Food Was soooo fresh and delicious. I had the Green Papaya Salad (the best I've ever had...and HUGE portion), the Pad Thai w/ Pork (perfect pairing of ingredients; and noodles, veggies, and meat cooked just right), and my wife had the Pumpkin Curry (wonderful dish!). The staff was super friendly and fast, I would recommend Naung Mai to anyone who wants a delicious meal at very cheap prices, served by great people. Will definitely eat here next time we visit the Volcanoes
After several years of hearing about how good this place is and ALWAYS driving by....I FINALLY stopped in today for dinner. The place itself is small, however, it is very clean! The friendly service was just awesome and my "to go" order was quick! I went with the traditional chicken pad thai and got it "hot". I love spicy and this dish just hit the spot!! Definitely will be trying some other dishes soon.
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Let me first preface this review by stating that I live in San Francisco, where we have lots of excellent restaurants. In all honesty, I do not believe this place deserves to be the highest rated restaurant in Hilo (as it is at the time of this writing). First of all, they brought the entree out before the soup. The Tom Kha soup was very bland and a bit too rich with coconut milk. For the entree we tried a vegetable stir fry which was also fairly tasteless. Overall, I would say this place is just OK -- definitely not anything special.
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We found this place after the strong recommendation of a local friend, who could remember neither the cross streets, nor the name, nor the general location of this gem. All we knew was that it was next to the Garden Exchange.
Enter stage left:
NICK H: I'm starving. This is bullshit. I'm hungry, let's just go to that Italian place instead. There's no way we are ever going to find it. My foot hurts.
MARI C: Dammit we are meeting Sky AT THE RESTAURANT in ten minutes. We will find it.
NICK H: It's not even coming up on Yelp. [continuing general crankiness]
MARI C: The entire town is about three blocks long, it can't be that far. And we walked past it the other day, remember?
NICK H: huuuuuuunnnnnnggggrrrrrreeeeeeeee....
15 MINUTES LATER...
MARI C: Holy guacamole! This green curry is orgasmic!
NICK H: nom nom nom nom nom I'm so glad I ordered two entres for myself! nom nom nom! ...and a thai ice tea with coconut milk instead of half-and-half! nom nom nom ...and an order of summer rolls... and Hilo-made tropical icecream with tapioca on top!
MARI C: This may be the best Thai food I've ever had.
SKY O: They grow most of their vegetables themselves. And all the pork and chicken comes from the Island.
NICK H: Let's live here.
MARI C: Get away from my curry, Grabby Hands.
So the three of us had summer rolls, four entres (leftovers for our plane ride home), two Thai ice teas, three ice creams (homemade) and everything was utterly delicious. AND the bill was only $55, which is pretty phenomenal for what we got, especially since it was in Hawaii!
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Thank you, Naung Mai, for spawning my unconditional love for Thai food. All because of your spicy eggplant and sticky rice, I have this mean addiction to Thai food that requires me to seek out a good coconut curry at least once a week.
For being housed in a dark, dingy alley in downtown Hilo, Naung Mai has a surprisingly clean and cozy atmosphere. The service is spot-on, and the food is phenomenal. Their dishes are refined, yet unpretentious, and perfect for sharing--get 2 or 3 dishes to share between two people. This is easily the best Thai restaurant I've ever been to--on the Big Island and in the U.S.
Parking and locating the restaurant can be tougher than the the meat at Cafe 100. But Naung Mai is worth walking more than a mile for. Don't cave in to nearby Royal Siam.. take the time to find Naung Mai--it's worth your while.
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This is a tiny hole-in-the wall type of restuarant, but the food is amazing. Some of the stand-out dishes I have tried there have been the yellow curry and the cashew chicken. Yum!! So good!!! It's kind of easy to miss because of its somewhat awkward location, but I definitely suggest looking for it and trying it out- you will not regret it! Naung Mai is definitely one of the best Thai places I have ever eaten at in Hawaii.
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Pretty good food. Everything was fresh and tasty.
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Near the end of our first-time visit to the Big Island, Mari C. and I agreed that it is awesome and that we should probably abandon our careers and become beach bums there. Our only lament was that the restaurants on the island, while reasonably good occasionally, were mostly disappointing.
On our last night before heading back to the mainland, our friend Sky took us out to Naung MAI Thai Kitchen and showed us that the Big Island does have at least one incredible restaurant.
Here is my untempered praise for the restaurant:
BEST THAI FOOD EVER, including everywhere I've tried in California.
FRESH, island-LOCAL, ingredients.
CHARMING staff and ambiance.
INNOVATIVE, EXCITING menu selection that goes well beyond the typical Thai restaurant menu.
Hands down the best restaurant I have ever eaten at anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands (I've spent time on Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii).
The NY Times has a pretty good summary review from Frommer's quoted here:
"This quintessential hole in the wall has gained an extra room, but even with 26 seats, it fills up quickly. In a short time, Naung Mai has gained the respect of Hilo residents for its curries and pad Thai noodles, and its use of fresh local ingredients. The flavors are assertive, the produce comes straight from the Hilo Farmers Market, and the prices are good. The four curries -- green, red, yellow, and Mussaman (Thai Muslim) -- go with the jasmine, brown, white, and sticky rice. The pad Thai rice noodles, served with tofu and fresh vegetables, come with a choice of chicken, pork, or shrimp, and are sprinkled with fresh peanuts. You can order your curry Thai-spicy (incendiary) or American-spicy (moderately hot), but even mild, the flavors are outstanding. Owner-chef Jirawan Onmai also makes wonderful spring rolls and a Tom Yum spicy soup that is legendary. Lunch specials are a steal. Naung Mai is obscured behind the Garden Exchange, so it may take some seeking out."
http://tinyurl.com/5z3xes
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Thai for those that know Thai. If you get here, don't miss it.
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3/12/08: Lunch meal, this is our favorite thai restaurant in Hilo. Very small, quaint restaurant, any patrons are given full attention by the staff. We ordered the pad-see you (chicken), chicken yellow curry and pork larb salad. The dishes are prepared differently than what we've traditionally see, usually with extra vegetables that add color. Great atmosphere in the evenings, lighting is intimate.
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A real cozy and comfortable hole in the wall place with wonderful food. It is definitely the best Thai food in Hilo.
yum yum yum yum yum!!
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Hilo, HI
Hilo, HI
Category: Diners
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Hilo, HI
Category: American (New)
Hilo, HI
Category: Thai
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