Christina S.
Yelp
Now this place is the ultimate throwback for anyone who went to Lincoln High School (ayyyy). Does anyone else remember standing in line for a to-go bowl of peanut chicken and rice to scarf down before hustling back to fifth period?
The highlights: Kinara offers a decent selection of menu items, some of which are more familiar fare like papaya salad, salad rolls, and Tom yum soup, and some that I was less acquainted with (Nom Jean pla, pong ga ree, mee gra tee, to name a few). You'll still be able to order your typical fried rices and curries, so for those of you who approach Thai with expectations, fear not. Our meal included Tom kha with veggies, kabocha squash with egg, asparagus salad with coconut lime, and lettuce wrap larb. It is unfortunately my partner's and my "low carb" day, so no rice or noodles for us :( but Kinara made this silly little diet feasible. I would probably bathe in the Tom kha soup, and the flavor of the coconut lime with the asparagus was fabulous. And for $46 WITH tons of leftovers, we can't say we were disappointed.
The improveables: Ever since COVID-19 this place has been take out only. No dine in option, unfortunately. I'm not quite sure why, seeing as it would be nice to be able to sit down and eat rather than having to pick up, but they probably have their reasons that I'm not going to question too deeply. Of our food, I found the larb to have a very strong, distinct flavor...I can't quite put the name to it, and it's not necessarily a gross flavor, but I think that whatever it was, it was too strong. The proximity to the high school also means that you might encounter some juvenile foot traffic, and as someone who lives across the street from the school I can tell you it can be cutthroat out there.
Big nostalgia aside, Kinara is a lovely little neighborhood jewel, and they'll feed you well if you're willing to get up and go fetch your order.