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Ning's Thai Cuisine
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 12 pm - 9 pm
Sun 5 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
46 reviews for Ning's Thai Cuisine
Review Highlights
"This is a must if you're anywhere on the Big Island."
(in 9 reviews)
"The pineapple curry was spectacular."
(in 4 reviews)
"Their green papaya salad is great."
(in 3 reviews)
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46 reviews in English
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Review from Ariana T.
Glen Burnie, MD
1/9/2012
Would you like to know what happens when you order your Green Curry as "Thai Hot"? You spend 15 minutes crying on to your plate, wanting to shovel in the delicious taste of the curry, but being unable to because they actually made it so spicy that even you, the girl with the iron stomach, cannot handle the level of heat that has overtaken your taste buds. You drink 1.5 glasses of water before the burning sensation is reduced from "Raging Inferno" to "Accidental Electrical Fire".
So I guess what I'm saying here is that I like my meal to be seriously spicy and Ning's knows what's up. The green curry is a huge bowl filled with chicken and vegetables and plenty of sauce. The massaman curry is sweet, with peanuts and potatoes. The spring rolls are delicious, and the green papaya salad was one of the best I've had.
The only part of the meal that let us down was the calamari, which was chewy and possibly over-cooked. I think this may have just been a one-off issue, though, because every other calamari order has been spot on.
Make sure you check out Ning's for lunch or dinner if you're anywhere near Pahoa.
Oh, and you probably shouldn't order "Thai Hot" unless you're really seriously about your heat level. Get a Thai Iced tea to help. They're delicious and they'll help lessen the fiery pain. You've been warned! -
Review from Christine E.
San Jose, CA
1/27/2012
Had a wonderful dinner here with friends that live here. It is located in a community reminiscent of an old "western town"
A lot of locals frequent this place! You are allowed to bring your own wine without any corking fee.
We had the yellow curry tofu, pad Thai, the clams with basil in red curry sauce and coconut soup. Everything was tasty and delicious & reasonably priced.
Staff was welcoming and friendly! -
Review from lonni f.
San Jose, CA
1/27/2012
Pretty good quality Thai food, with a very extensive menu. Service was a bit slow, mostly because they seemed to be very understaffed (only 2 servers, one of which was hiding in the kitchen most of the time).
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Review from Ye P.
Manhattan, NY
1/23/2012
True Thai spicy spicy. Took 20 minutes to recover after my first sip of the Tom Yum soup. Very impressed by the curry fried crab as well.
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Review from Sarah C.
Pahoa, HI
12/5/2011
I have gone to Nings many times and it has always been amazing. I have never been able to find Thai food as good as theirs its unlike any other. Their pineapple curry and pumpkin curry are both excellent. The Pra Ra Long Song is also delicious, I've had it regular with the spinach, but ordering it with mixed veggies instead is even better in my opinion. My brother says their rice dishes dishes are good and my boyfriend liked the basil dish. I've often shared the papaya salad with my family and it is to die for and so is the cucumber salad. How this restaurant could of gotten a bad review is beyond me. Its decent pricing, you can spend about 7 bucks a person and if you get appetizers they run about that price and its WELL worth it considering one order of curry and easily be 2 meals.
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Review from Natasha S.
Los Angeles, CA
7/11/2011
Don't ever order food from Nings in Pahoa. It's a Thai Food restaurant, but they love to try and get you to order more and spend more than you thought. So I order a stir-fried shrimp dish, and then the waitress proceeds to ask "what kind of rice?" So I answered "Jasmine rice." When I got my bill, it was 2 dollars more than I had expected because, my meal didn't come with rice! Even though she asked me! I did not tip her, nor will I eat there again.
I ate there with a friend, who ordered Pad Thai with chicken. However when her meal came there were Tofu pieces mixed with the chicken. My friend was thinking "oh I just figured it came that way." I do not know whether she was over-charged for the tofu. I've ordered Pad Thai from two other restaurants and order it with chicken, but it never came with tofu.
By the way, we had to swat flies away from our food the entire time.
I suggest eating at Sombats or New Chiang Mai in Hilo, where your order comes out right. -
Review from Dana S.
3/31/2011
On the mainland I'd give this place three stars. The curries and noodles we ordered had great flavors, but the ingredients were on par with an average Thai take out place. The salad rolls looked promising but were only okay.
However, reasonable (for Hawaii) prices, friendly people and an open air atmosphere with funky statues and lots of bamboo make it worth a stop if you're in Pahoa. -
Review from David H.
8/17/2011
A - List Recommended. This is a fun, well run restaurant in Pahoa. The curry is fantastic. The portions are average to just enough to stem the hunger. The service was very prompt and polite. The place is nicely decorated and comes alive with some nice lighting out front at night. Prices were good when compared to other parts of Hawaii. I would not hesitate to return.
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Review from Jeff M.
Jersey City, NJ
11/4/2010 1 photo
Hell yeah! I am a fan! Our trip to Big Island was well worth it because of this place! The place is definitely family owned! They told us themselves. They are all smiles the moment you walk in the door. We asked to be seated at the window, and as well you should. You can watch people walk by and enjoy the nice cool summer breeze! Its like hanging at your aunt's house. You just felt nice and relaxed! We went there for lunch so we had a lunch special menu. I dont remember the exact price but I knew it was under $10 and it filled the whole plate.
We ordered chicken padthai with thai iced-tea! Medium spice. Wow, was it gooood! The padthai was bursting with flavor in every bite, I was hoping it would never run out! Ingredients are high quality and very fresh.
I also ordered thai fried rice and some type of chicken dish on the side. The fried rice was mind blasting! Its what i expected and more! I wish they had a place like this in the mainland! I thank Ning and her family for letting me in on their little piece of paradise! -
Review from Denise D.
Ventura, CA
3/6/2011
We ate at Ning's on our recent trip to the Big Island. Petra who owns Hale Makamea Bed & Breakfast (where we stayed) recommended the restaurant. She also told us to use one of the B & B's business cards for a 10% discount.
The food was excellent and I'm still thinking about the Massaman's Curry we ate! It was so good - in fact everything we ordered was delicious.
We will definitely eat at Nings again if we are fortunate enough to make it back to the Big Island! -
Review from Josephine L.
Boston, MA
1/27/2011
Thai I like.
I like Tom Yum soup. With plenty of spice and plump, juicy shrimp. With homemade Thai hot sauce. With extra rice noodles I specially order to make it a noodle soup. I like Tom Yum noodle soup that burns my esophagus and makes my taste buds go numb. Mmmm.
I also like Thai steak special with juicy, crispy, grilled steak tips. Yummy, yummy.
I do not like hyperactive blond 3-year-old with extremely loud, high-pitched voice and young unfit parents who don't bother to quiet him down and stop him from wandering into other people's tables. Just because you have tatoos and can't discipline him does not make you a cool dad. Parenting FAIL. -
Review from Ann K.
Napa, CA
9/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good Thai food. Loved being able to look out at the street from the table. My family seemed to enjoy their spicy Pad Thai, and I enjoyed what I ordered okay.
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Review from matt s.
San Francisco, CA
1/2/2011
We were leaving the lava viewing area nearby and hungry as hell. Everything in Hawaii closes early, and we were too far from Hilo to make it before the 9 pm cutoff. Thanks to Yelp, we headed to Pahoa for a highly rated American restaurant (the name escapes me) but they were out of food! However, they recommended Ning's. I was pretty apprehensive of Thai food in the middle of nowhere Hawaii--after visiting Thailand a few years ago, it's hard to stomach most American Thai meals--but it wound up being phenomenally good. We got the pineapple curry and the pad thai, and ate all of the huge portions so we wouldn't have to share leftovers with my family back at the the rental house. My wife literally groaned in pleasure as she ate.
Absolutely positively go here. -
Review from Allison A.
Seattle, WA
7/5/2011
Excellent Thai, fast and inexpensive. Got takeout one night -- so much food we had to (regrettably) leave about two extra helpings in the fridge the day we left. Good restaurant!
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Review from Annie W.
7/6/2010
The little town of Pahoa doesn't really offer much, but they do have this fairly impressive Thai restaurant.
We've only had the opportunity to visit this place on two occasions, including this trip.
The restaurant is filled with Thai music, big enough to accommodate medium sized parties. The whole town basically closes at 9p.m. so we barely made it time for some take out.
What to order for a party of four: Spicy crab curry, vegetarian curry, beef stir fry, brown rice, beef pad-see-ew, chicken pad Thai.
Both noodles dishes were cooked al dente and it's quite out of the norm. I wish they would have left it on the wok or pan for a little bit longer. The spicy crab curry was by far the best dish we ordered and the pad Thai was the worst dish that was prepared. I'm not sure if they ran out of chicken, but there was maybe a sprinkle of chicken and the rest of the dish was plain noodles.
This tiny outlaw town offers decent food and it was well worth the trip. Our friends that were with us, who returned from their Thailand trip last September would probably agree with most of my review of Ning's. -
Review from Jonathan W.
Los Angeles, CA
12/9/2010
I was pretty disappointed in Ning's. After a long day at the National Park, we stopped here before heading to our vacation rental in Kapoho. We ordered fairly standard thai food - pad thai, pad see ew, spring rolls - and it was among the worst meals we've had.
The pad thai was heavy on the carrots, light on the tofu and egg, and had very little seasoning. The pad see ew was similar, and the beef was very chewy. The egg rolls were too greasy and had too much potato - of course, I thought it was strange to have potato at all. I was thinking it was taro, but I didn't see any purple in it.
I see a lot of good reviews, so maybe we went on a bad night or Thai food on Hawaii has its own thing going on, but I wouldn't recommend this place. -
Review from TJ J.
Burbank, CA
10/16/2010
Got take-out from Ning's while staying on the Big Island. It's located in Pahoa Village, a small strip of restaurants. Compared to most of the Puna district, this area actually felt a bit charming. Ning's itself appeared to be clean, the staff was very friendly.
I ordered the Thai fried rice and the Pad See-ew. The Thai fried rice was excellent. The Pad See-ew was a little different from what I usually get on the mainland, had more vegetables mixed into it besides broccoli, and the noodles were a bit undercooked, but overall it was OK.
If you find yourself stuck in the Puna district and need somewhere to eat, Ning's is a solid choice. -
Review from Kelly P.
New Paltz, NY
10/4/2010
I didn't think I would be able to find any good Thai food in Hawaii after being spoiled in New York for so long, but DAMN it's good! We came when they have the lunch special going on which is only
$8.95 for a nice and full plate of food. I got the pumpkin curry with beef and I shared this with a friend who got the ginger dish, and both were absolutely wonderful. The decor is comfortable and very much like being welcomed into a home and the service was very friendly. It was overall a wonderful experience and I'll certainly be back before I leave (pssh IF I leave, that is)! -
Review from Victoria G.
San Jose, CA
7/6/2010
Best thai food I've ever had hands down.
It's a family run business on a busy street. We sat near the open window so it was nice and breezy. My sister and I shared the Pad Thai and the On-Choy. MMM It's so good here. I even tried some of my parent's curry and it was pretty tasty. -
Review from Mark H.
6/8/2011
Not bad but the veggies were sort of boring.
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Review from Marc W.
Honolulu, HI
3/3/2010
I've had Thai from the east to the west and this is easily the THE BEST THAI FOOD I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.
Perfectly prepared. Super fresh. Excellent balance of flavors.
I have to agree with the others in that it trumps any and every thai restaurant on Oahu. It literally is motivating enough to make me wanna hop a flight to the Big Island. mmmmmm just thinking about it makes my mouth water. =P
The taste of this alone ma -
Review from carla y.
La Honda, CA
4/7/2010
Alright here we go! Don and I are Thai food fanatics. I've been living in CA for 23 years. Wow, who ever thought the best Thai Chef would be chilling in Pahoa!?!? This place is truly the best Thai food we have ever had. They have the flavors down. I can't remember the exact name of the dish but it consisted of chicken, spinach and peanut sauce. It was off the hook! My family from Hilo came down to Old Town Pahoa and after a not so eventful fishing excursion to Kapoho, we remembered Ning's from our last visit to Pahoa.
There was 8 of us and we ordered a bunch of dishes family style. Delicious is all I can say. We visit Pahoa around twice a year and Ning's is on our list of have to have its. -
Review from Tad D.
Ventura, CA
2/10/2011
We have not had a bad meal since we have been in Pahoa HI. Ning's Thai Cuisine was a great choice to have dinner, the food was excellent, the prices were very reasonable, and I especially liked the Thai ice tea. If we didn't live 5000 miles away, this restaurant would be a regular place to eat. If we weren't leaving to go back to Kona tomorrow I believe we would go back one more time. Be sure not to miss this great food!
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Review from Colin M.
Placerville, CA
4/26/2011
Yum! Delicious Thai food in a cute little town.
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Review from Tyler D.
Honolulu, HI
1/28/2010
What is up with super good food in the middle of nowhere (pahoa)...must be all the cash income people get from growing buds out here.
I think Nings probably trumps any Thai spot I have ever been to on Oahu. It is damn good! I haven't been in a while, but I don't think I ever had anything bad here...the evil prince is super good though...only thing I can remember -
Review from Scott F.
Washington, DC
5/18/2009
I like Ning's quite a lot. It has personality.
The food seems very fresh to me and they will make it as spicy as you can handle. As a person who lives in Hilo I can say that Ning's is one of the better places to get Thai on the east side. In the top five on the island I think. -
Review from Forrest S.
Happy Valley, OR
5/30/2011
Best Massaman curry I have ever had. Ever. The curry was amazing and very spicy just like we ordered it, but it wasn't so overpowering that it burned out the taste of the delicious coconut milk that was so creamy, it tasted like it could have been freshly grated. It was so good in fact, that I can't remember the name of the other dish I had, which was in itself fantastic. I may not remember the name, but it was bean sprout noodles, shrimp, scallops and squid, none of which were in the least bit rubbery. Oh yes, it was also made with pure hellfire. When you ask for it spicy, they make it spicy. Not painful spicy, but warm enough to clear up any congestion you may have from season allergies. They could be a bit more generous with the seafood, especially the shrimp, but that could be said for just about any restaurant. Oh, the massaman curry. So good. Why oh why is this place three hours away? Because if it was any closer I would be broke in a week.
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Review from Alex R.
Sugar Land, TX
8/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
So it's been awhile. Been awhile since I've written a review. Been awhile since I've been out of the house and its been awhile since I've had time to do anything other then school. I have in other words been yelped out.
I thank Nings because it has helped me away from my funk. I am still broke, I am still taking a lot of classes, and my knee still has a torn MCL and meniscus shocks keeps me from doing many things. I however now am amazed and I remember how splendid food can be.
Nings thai cuisine is ridiculous, ridiculously amazing and now that my family is not only driving, not only paying but taking me from my dark dungeon full of school at home to this beautiful State of Hawaii. Yelp made this dinner come true because after reading about their own garden, reading about how it's some of the best thai in the world and reading how it was only thirty minutes from where we were, we decided to go.
I can't describe how amazing this food is, if you have ever seen those Sprite commercials where the people get nailed with water or Sprite or what ever it is, then you have visualized how it is to eat this food. It explodes with the best flavors in every single bite. I ate the Pineapple Curry and it literally blew my mind. I am only thinking about that food right now, I am unable to think about anything else. Even after an hour since I ate here my mind is still devoted to unraveling the flavors in every bite. Goodness, it was so stinking ridiculously amazing that I am at a lose for words. The feeling is kind of like seeing the most beautiful thing you have ever seen and not being able to talk or think, all you can do is stare. Or the feeling when you see your new girlfriend dress up for a super nice outing and she walks down the stairs and all that happens is your jaw dropping and the heavens opening up.
This food is just like that. It's that good. The food once it's in your mouth bursts with such a variety of flavor that your mind can not comprehend it all. They say we only use a few percents of our brain, well when you eat this food your brain will be using all of itself and it still will have trouble with just how good and complex and just soooo aweeeeeee good.
It's like that feeling when your at your graduation ceremony when your throwing your hat in the air screaming because your so happy your finally done. It's like when you went hiking for days on end and your sore and you come back and get a massage by two people.....
No. It's like none of those, but instead all of them rolled into one. This meal is like being born, your world of food being open up to you because you have never experienced something so amazing. Like the most beautiful Hula girl giving you a long deep kiss on the lips. This food is something like that. It's something everyone on this planet needs to experience. Visiting this little place to eat that has people so friendly, an atmosphere so perfectly romantic that it's great for that date or a visit with the family and the food so...perfect.
The big island of Hawaii has been an incredible trip, full of wonderful stories, beautiful people with an equally as beautiful culture and food that goes well with it all. However this Nings thai cuisine is in a world of it's own, a little town that has been the focal point for my obsession. I plan on returning, and eating here again. If I have to max out my credit card I do not care because eating this food will make it all worth while. -
Review from Jessica L.
Portland, OR
6/6/2011
Ning's, what have you done?! You have set Thai food on a pedestal that no other Thai restaurant can ever live up to, that's what you've done. There will never be another Massaman curry that can compare to what they've got going at Ning's. The spice factor was high- we ordered it hot, and it came out HOT! Exactly what we'd wanted. This wasn't spicy to the point of misery, but hot enough that any form of stuffiness you've got going on will be blasted to kingdom come- we were both rocking runny noses by the end of the meal. And we were loving it. I have never experienced a coconut curry that was so, well, coconutty. It was creamy and the flavor was very present, as opposed to most other curries I've had where the coconut sort of gets overpowered by everything else happening in the dish. Nope. This Massaman was all about flavor harmony from start to finish. We had some sort of noodle dish too, but I was so focused on the Massaman curry that I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called. Trust me though, it was delicious too. Noodles and seafood and slices of fresh ginger. I think my basic advice for anyone visiting Ning's would be just to get one of everything on the menu. But get two of the Massaman curry. Trust me, it's worth it.
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Review from Emily C.
San Jose, CA
10/2/2010
Great Thai food just a short drive away from such sights as the Hawaii County Lava Viewing Area (at least, as of late Sept. '10). We asked for spicy, they made it spicy. The veggies were fresh and well-cooked. The flavors were solid. The rice was good. The village is a bit of a kick -- like a technicolor Old West town. They made a mistake on the first bill they brought us -- it was over by around $10 -- but fixed it immediately and with a friendly laugh when we pointed it out. No complaints, this is a good place!
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Review from Basil B.
Portland, OR
1/1/2011
Our family stayed on the Big Island for a week and this cute little restaurant was our favorite meal! We ordered pad thai, green curry, spicy fried rice and pad see ew -- all very tasty!
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Review from Leslie S.
Naples, NY
2/16/2011
The best Thai food in Hawaii !! My girlfriend who lives in pahoa turned me on to Ning's, we ate there 2-3 times a week while I was there visiting my family. The pumpkin curry w/ chicken is the bomb!! And the Thai brown rice...awesome!!! I would recommend this place to anyone who enjoys authentic Thai food. Great family owned business, and they atmosphere is warm and inviting, don't even hesitate....go!!! You won't be dissapointed!!
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Review from Kevin G.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/3/2010
Really tasty thai food with a good spice level (asked for spicy and got spicy). The service was a little slow, and sitting by the window (open wall) was nice - but you might be swatting mosquitoes.
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Review from Boward O.
Minneapolis, MN
12/31/2010 3 photos
Simply delicious. We enjoyed dinner here two nights ago - and came back for lunch today since the food is so yummy. I have never been to Thailand - but spent 35 years eating Thai food in NYC - and Ning's food is excellent. My motto is "by your Larb Gai shall your Thai restaurant be known". Nings serves their own version called "Chang Mai" salad (number 11 on appetizer list) which is superbly prepared - the best version of Larb Gai ever. I recommend medium spicy with a side of sticky rice. Also - the summer shrimp rolls are yummy - meticulously made and served with a peanut sauce and a sweet/sour sauce. The crispy fish entree was also quite good. Atmosphere here is great, service is impeccable/friendly. Would go back in a heartbeat. BYOB for wine/beer is great too.
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Review from Ron L.
Oakland, CA
9/7/2006
Ning's is great! We tried many of their salads, a pineapple curry, and the pad kew mow. Everything is wonderful. They will make it SPICY if you ask. We ate there twice during our week long stay on the Big Island. One of the best Thai meals ever with many veggie options.
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Review from Daniela A.
Fremont, CA
11/1/2006
This is possibly one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to. The waitresses were extremely nice, the service was excellent, and the food- INCREDIBLE. The curries are all excellent here, and they serve a mean papaya salad. Everything tastes extraordinarily fresh. Warm, romantic atmosphere = great place to go on a date.
Listed in: My favorite places in Hawaii
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Review from Aaron E.
Urbana, IL
8/24/2008
We too made a stop for dinner here after watching the lava flow. I had seen the previous reviews that raved about the place, so I had to see for myself. The reviews are dead on - this place is quite a find! The flavors are incredible, but what really sets Ning's apart is the quality and freshness of the vegetables.
I was part of a group of 8 and tried at least 5 different dishes, ranging from panang curry to their cucumber salad (with the tastiest tomatoes included) - everything was terrific.
The setting is informal and comfortable, and suitable for kids.
I've had Thai food in DC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Honolulu - but Ning's is now on the top of my list! -
Review from Steve P.
Soquel, CA
3/24/2008
After viewing the lava flowing into the ocean, my wife and I stopped off at this lovely little restaurant in the very strange town of Pahoa.
The waitstaff was very attentive and seated us right away, taking our drink orders and filling our water glasses right away.
The room is quiet and comfortable. Pink antheriums in a small vase adorned our table. The cloth napkins were clean and folded into the traditional Thai hat shape.
We ordered coconut soup, green papaya salad, green curry with vegetables and I forgot what my wife's main course was. She ordered mild, I ordered medium, and their temperature scale is pretty low compared to the traditional Thai measure. So if you want it hot, tell them really, really hot. My medium had just enough kick to bring it all to life.
The vegetables taste like they were picked that morning. Crisp and delicate cabbage, carrots, peas, onions, potatoes and that curry! Sweet from the coconut milk and basil, and tempered by the curry and chili.
The green papaya salad was spiced perfectly with crunchy peanuts chopped and sprinkled over the top.
The waitress was very charming.
I will definitely go back on my next visit. -
Review from Brooke M.
Honolulu, HI
10/11/2008
Hmmm... I hate to be the lone dissenter, but I was not impressed with Ning's. I went on the recommendation of our B & B owner and all these great yelp reviews, but we found the food to be rather lacking in flavor. The veggies were pretty fresh, but the boy was dismayed by the frozen peas (didn't bother me) and the tofu tasted like it was starting to go bad. If I was judging on decor alone, I would give it five stars. It was really cute and clean, unlike any other Thai place I've been to, but for me, flavor comes first. Sorry folks...
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Review from Chris E.
Fairview, OR
8/29/2007
Definitely a highlight of our trip. The pineapple curry was spectacular. Nice and relaxed. The hostess was very sweet.
