Original Thai Cuisine

Worse than mall food court Thai. Small portions, bad taste, and a complete disaster if you order anything with noodles. I honestly don’t know how this place is still in business. Pad Thai – They used super thin noodles, which completely ruined the texture. It was way too sweet and sour, like they just dumped bottled sauce over it. Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) – Hands down the worst I’ve ever had. It was watery, not stir-fried at all, and somehow, they also used thin noodles instead of the wide ones that are supposed to be in this dish. Panang Curry – I have no idea why there were so many cucumbers floating in the soup. The curry itself was thin and watery, lacking any richness or depth of flavor. The rice bowl was tiny, literally smaller than my fist—and I’m a slim female! Thai Basil Fried Rice – The only thing I could finish, but not because it was good—just because everything else was worse. When I asked the server about the thin Pad Thai noodles and cucumber curry—he said, “That’s how we’ve done it for five years.” Maybe that explains why everything was so bad. I have no idea how they’ve lasted this long. Do NOT waste your time or money here.

This little Thai café is an absolute gem! First off, the service is exemplary. I was greeted by two lovely young ladies with beautiful smiles who took great care in taking my order. I asked for Pad Thai Shrimp "to go" and sat outside on a bench to wait. Imagine my pleasant surprise when the kind girl brought it out to me in only 5 minutes! Let's talk about the food: this pad thai is the ono kine! It has the thick, sweet sauce that holds beautifully to the noodles. I suspect the satisfying umami flavor comes from a generous amount of tamarind puree. One note of caution: I love spicy food, but the "medium" was almost too much for me. You may want to stick with "mild."

Good customer service. The staff was very clear and nice in taking orders. She thoroughly asked us details about how spicy we would like for each meals we ordered. And she wears a nice smile 😊 I had Pad Thai and it was good. We are satisfied with the customer service and the food. Thank you!

We feel very disappointed with the food: 1. the fresh spring roll is basically lettuce roll + half shrimp. It cost 12 USD with 3 rolls. 2. The Penang curry is a small bowl of watery curry soup cost $22 3. The beef salad cost $27, with a plate of lettuce and onion, some beef covered on the top. The meal cost about $70, and tips with $10 which they won’t even bring you the water, you have to get by yourself. It’s a ripoff, and do not recommend.

Food was good. We got sat down at a table immediately and our server was very friendly and service was very quick. We ordered the chicken pad kee mow (drunken noodles), basil fried rice with tofu, and basil fried rice with chicken. Both basil fried rices were good other than the fact that one was super spicy and we had to send it back. Pad kee mow was a little fishy in flavor but overall delicious.

I love Pad Thai, and buy it the first time I ever go to a Thai restaurant. I've eaten hundreds of Pad Thai dishes at hundreds of restaurants around the world. Let's start with the initial presentation below. Plenty of fresh, uncooked beansprouts for a good crunch texture in the mouth. A small but not tiny amount of chopped peanuts. These are good. However, unfortunately that's where my compliments on the Pad Thai have to end. The noodles were very thin for rice noodles, and seemed overcooked and fell apart into small bits before I had finished. The green onions were plentiful, but due to how large each piece was as you can see, instead of more finely chopped, this meant that some bites didn't have any onion taste, and some bites tasted of nothing but green onion. Worst of all though, is that this restaurant's design of the main flavoring, is a thick gooping of Mystery Red Sauce, what I call it when a pad Thai is just swimming in sauce rather than being lightly tossed in it. (this also contributes to rice noodles falling apart faster too). A good pad Thai should have only trace amounts of sauce left on the plate when finished. It's just overpowering otherwise. Also, as much as I love the fresh beansprouts in general, there seemed to be a weird almost metallic/chemical tang to them. Never have seen that before. Texture great on those, taste, sadly not. Ambiance of restaurant was fine, a little bland with heavy dark wood theme everywhere. Staff were busy and a bit stressed seeming (place was packed with tourists including us) but they were nice. All and all, I would stop by again probably, see how other dishes are, but I would never have the Pad Thai again, personally.

Good food (thought won’t say the best Thai food!) The avocado fried were great! Something unheard of so we tried them. Really crispy and fun to eat! Do ask for the lunch special on weekdays - rice, egg roll and an entree. Decent quantity and good value for money! Decent service and good food.

Good Thai food. Made our dishes vegan for us which was amazing. Our panang veggie curry was priced $16 on the menu but we were charged $20 and also overcharged by another $1 for not having tofu for some odd reason. If you like spicy, you need to go for at least 5-6 on scale. Portion for curry a bit small for the price but worth trying and stopping by. Glass noodle dish was just okay.

I've been to Original Thai at least 10 times. I know the 11th will be even better. And the 12th. N+1. Best in class Curry Puffs, Pad Thai, Pad See Yew... everything!!!! We walk out with the biggest box every time and clean it out

Yall the food here is FIRE! We ordered the combination fried rice and the pad Thai with chicken and the pineapple fried rice. I also got a Thai tea with coconut milk. So BOMB. It's a bit of a wait but that's ok because it's worth it. The portion sizes are filling and the price is pretty decent. If you have a gluten allergy they do preserve their meat in cornstarch and flour, however, they had some put aside that they hadn't yet preserved so we were able to eat our noodles with chicken. I recommend coming here if you're visiting the island and don't want to blow a ton of money on food.

We order shrimp pad thai, chicken and broccoli, and crab rangoon. The food was good. I was disappointed with the amount of shrimp for the price (5). Everyone has to get their own water and it has lime in it. I'm not a fan of lime in water, but I probably could have asked for plain water. Overall, everything was okay not sure it's a place I'd go back to. Plenty of parking and seating.

Quick service delicious food! I had the pineapple curry and my friend had the eggplant. My daughter had the beef all were delicious. Lunch specials go till 2:30 and come with salad with an awesome peanut dressing and spring rolls. Try the Thai ice tea or the amazing special teas. Plenty of parking in the lot

Awesome thai food in Kona! We went twice during our trip and had the Thom Kha soup with chicken, crispy chicken wings, summer rolls with shrimp, pineapple curry and pad thai with shrimp. All fantastic, fresh and delicious flavors. Great service and a cozy space. I always order pad thai at every thai restaurant and this pad thai is literally the best I've ever had anywhere in the world and I've had ALOT! Can't wait to go back!

Love their Thai Fried Rice or Basil Fried Rice. Also their chicken satay and Curry puffs. Their Thai curries are also spot on. Unfortunately, they could be so much better if they managed their phone in or online orders better. The experience at the restaurant is much better. Not all restaurants can do dine in and take out at the same time. Staff is working hard and is great but they get really busy at times - so service can be slow. The restaurant itself is simple and practical with several tops for a medium size dining area.

Really nice food at great prices! Thai food has become quite popular worldwide, but few Thai restaurants are noteworthy in our book. My wife and I have lived and traveled throughout Asia for many years. While vacationing in Kona, we carefully researched where to dine and our homework really paid off with Original Thai. Conveniently located in a newer shopping center off Palani Drive near the center of town, the restaurant is inviting, casual, moderately sized, and with attractive décor. Service is friendly and prompt. The menu is broad with many reasonably priced selections (a pleasant surprise in Hawaii). We ate at this restaurant several times during our stay. As serious foodies, we found the freshness and delicious seasoning of our dishes to be unusually good (you can select your heat level). From the appetizers to the soups and entrées, each dish was thoughtfully prepared, nicely presented, and exceptionally tasty. For fans of Thai food or for visitors seeking something deliciously different, we can highly recommend Original Thai.

I googled and yelp searched best Thai food on Kona and restaurant had so many good reviews and I see why! The wait staff was amazing and so nice and funny to talk too. I had a cup of the Tom yum soup with chicken, this cup of soup did NOT disappointment me at all!! One of the best soups I have ever had! I asked the waitress her favorite and she said "order the ramma with chicken, it has an amazing homemade peanut sauce on it and comes with cabbage and carrots and broccoli. It is not on the menu". NOT on the menu! Sign me up but I am not a broccoli fan and has taken off. This plate of food came with sticky rice and it was so damn good! Order the ramma with chicken! I highly recommend this place!!

Past the bar and to the left. We had a little trouble finding it but we're glad we eventually did. Staff was quick to find us a table. Literally the second we walked in we were addressed. This staff is quick to serve and address your concerns. Clean place, silverware was clean as well as the floors, etc. excellent. Sadly I forgot to get a picture of the Thai fried rice with shrimp. Snapped a photo of the pineapple fried rice with tofu though. I kid you not, absolutely delicious. My shrimp friend rice I ordered with level 4 spice. Was actually not bad! But I love hear. ASK FOR THE SPICY SHOYU SAUCE!!!! it was soo amazingly good!!!! We loved this place. Perfect after a day of walking, swimming, snorkeling. We slept like bears after we were done haha. Excellent work!!! Will recommend to anyone headed that way.

Located across the street from the Kona Marriott Courtyard. Very small and very casual. Dine in and Take out avail. Fresh fast table service with delicious entrees. We had a variety from Fresh Summer Rolls, Calamari, Thai Larb Wrap, Green Curry, Thai Basil Fried Rice, Pineapple Curry and Thai Iced Tea. Everything was exceptional!! It was so good I went for lunch the next day!

Been a few times..have had Pad See Ew and Drunken Noodles. Great flavor. I get it mild but get their homemade hot cause on the side. Comparative prices, it is Kona? My only complaint was a lack of veges, but the last time was a little better? I'll keep trying other places but this is my fave so far

I went to this restaurant for lunch. I did not order the lunch special. I ordered chicken pad tai on their regular menu. I was very disappointed as the portion of the dish is small (not a lunch special) then the chicken meat came in only bits & pieces , like leftovers. It costs $17. I know Hawaii food is expensive but for this price , certainly not like leftover chicken & noodles. Will never go back ! Service is pretty friendly but don't ever go to this restaurant. I feel like I was scammed.

We heard about this place through a conversation at a bar, and wow - what a great recommendation! The food is so fresh and the flavors like not other than place I've tasted (not discounting other Thai places I've visited). Definitely recommend the Thai Heaven spice level (if you like heat) - and what's awesome, is the heat doesn't overtake the dish (but stays hot!). I can't pronounce what we had but. It was chickens, garlic, and veggies - with sticky rice. House fried rice is awesome as well. The servers are super nice and never stressed - even when busy. Get here early as it can get super busy with takeout.

Excellent food with Authentic flavors utilizing fresh ingredients. Their homemade mom sauce is Outstanding. We stock at least two bottles in our fridge at all times!

The absolute best Thai food I've ever had - the Thai beef salad + noodles and the pineapple fried rice were both to die for. Could not recommend this place more for true, authentic, flavorful food. Plus the service was excellent - 10/10 would recommend

Excellent! Everything was so flavorful and yummy. Rivals some of the best Thai food ever! Friendly staff.

BE VERY CAREFUL!!! I typically pay tips in cash because it is usually the server's preference. Recently, on a "Take Out" order, I think their credit card machine was "rigged" for an automatic tip. Nothing wrong with the food, but I think the "automatic tip" is a pretty sleazy way to do business.

Hidden gem, one of the best spots to eat in Kona!! Super friendly and fast staff, great verity of food and size of plates. Nice casual restaurant with laid-back vibes. Great for lunch or dinner. Family owned and operated so you can taste the love in the food and service is always impeccable. Don't miss this place!

Excellent food, good service and good value. Dressing up here means a clean t-shirt. If you want ambiance and to spend more money, go somewhere else. We'll be back. The food is too good to ignore.

Everything is delicious so far. I tried the SSS duck after seeing Guy Fieri on DDD rave about it. Today I had the red curry chicken lunch special. Great value. Comes with a veggie spring roll, sticky rice and a nice salad. So many yummy veggies and very flavorful curry sauce. Friendly staff and cute decor. Excellent parking too.

Satay chicken was good, your usual appetitizer. I was looking forward to the eggplant, I requested spicy... no peppers, not one piece of Thai chili in it, it was watered down, bland I should say and disappointed that I could barely taste any spice. I specifically ordered "spicy" knowing that it probably won't meet my level of spice and even requested for side of chili and was told they didn't have fresh Thai chili, but have me a small container of ground dried red chili and jalapeños. Sorry ... what Thai restaurant doesn't have Thai chili peppers. If you know authentic Thai food, then you know... based on this I wouldn't recommend this place.

Good food. Good service. Lively ambience. My parents liked the Panang curry. Hubby enjoyed the yellow curry. The pad kee mao: 3.5 stars. Tasted pretty decent. They gave me a side of spicy sauce as I ordered it mild. Adding the spicy sauce definitely made it taste better. Curry puff: 5 stars. Got to eat it hot. The filling was savory but not too bland or salty and the potatoes were completely cooked. Balancing out the flakiness of the outside pastry shell. It's a must try.

Great food food - Great service - Very helpful when ordering to ensure you get the heat level you want from 0to6

Incredible flavors perfectly cooked dishes. We were on vacation and had enough of overpriced hotel and resort food. We found this on yelp and went there 3 times after tasting their food. Thanks for saving us from burger deep fried greasy resort food. Cashew chicken is the best I've ever had!

I must say, I was a bit hesitant. Because of some of the poor reviews but I figured, come on let's give them a try. My hubby and I love Thai food and we're set on our traditional orders but saw two kinds of burgers and we were intrigued. Thai Basil burger & Chicken satay Burger ?? Ok we ordered it along with summer rolls and of course the sticky mango rice. Ohhh my goodness!! Gotta come try for yourself!! Ladies wee great and helpful! So they aren't dining in BUT they have tables outside you can sit and eat your mea

Really good food! A little more expensive than I expected. Next time I'll have to purchase strategically.

Best food every visit always with a smile! They are good so they are busy!!Worth the wait.

The food at OG Thai is the best thai in the area and there are 3-4 within a mile. Krua comes in a close second, but OG is much more inventive and the flavor of their food is so robust! Try the Rama chicken, which is off-menu. Its da bomb! Oh and we just tried the SSS Chicken Wings and man are they good! Sweet, sour, and spicy (SSS) all at once and super crisp. Best asian wings in town! Otherwise, try the wings at Magics Grill or Off-menu at Willies.

We get takeout from here when next door, food is good, their spice levels are 0-6 but it definitely differs with same number on who is in the kitchen, going lighter with a side of spice sauce works great. Service is always very nice and as for the inside I've only seen it quick as I order to go but it's nice.

Populer local thai restrant. taste good all ways busy no ansewer phone. Now starting eat inn.

My go to Thai place in Kona. Love their mango sticky rice and a must when they have it available.

So, we've been regular customers of this restaurant for the last 5 years since becoming residents. Today, we ordered 2 portions of chicken pad Thai. We were shocked by the small portions and 5 skinny pieces of chicken slices per portion. $33.00 for two orders which are basically child portions. Amazing shrink flatiron.

Food here is delicious! Service is always amazing! This is for sure my favorite Thai place in Kona!!

Good food and a great service .Not sure why people posted negative about this restaurant. I found the food and service better than many restaurants in Big Island.

The food here is incredible. I have been a loyal customer and eat here at least twice a month. (Trust me, if I was not an adult with a budget it would be way more) I always order take out because I'd rather eat on the beach than in the restaurant. They are always prompt and friendly. All of the curries are Gluten free and they can make the pad Thai gluten-free as well. Currently salivating and wishing it was not a Monday... because they're closed today.

Beyond excellent food! YUM! This place has served me well over the last 10+ years! YumYumYum!

This was the best thai food I ever had! We came here twice during our week visiting Kona. Both times I had the panang chicken curry and it was soo delicious. The lunch special is the perfect portion size. The sticky rice was amazing also. We also tried the mango sticky rice for dessert for the first time and it was to die for!

This was the best Thai food I've ever had! Just go you won't regret it. We got the summer spring rolls, yellow curry with tofu, the Thai fried rice, and I had to get the mango sticky rice to go. It was so delicious.

My favorite Thai place in Kona. Excellent, flavorful food and lovely, friendly service. If I happen to be in town I always order Pad Kee Mao; Drunken Noodles or one of their lunch specials.

Red curry was good with lots of veggies. Pad Thai was disappointing mostly noodles and bean sprouts on top had a strange chemical taste. Red curry comes with rice and also ordered an extra serving of rice. When we got home we were disappointed to see two small scoops of rice which was not even close enough to eat with the red curry.

It might be the original but definitely not authentic Thai cuisine. We love Thai food and have tried many restaurants but this one the servers were too comfortable she seems off kinda rude. Once she seated us without a smile, she said water is self served. The food came out at a good time. We liked the Thai tea and the Thai coffee. The pad see ew was very salty with very little broccoli and carrots, it's suppose to be Chinese broccoli and had this weird fishy taste. We had the Tom yum soup and that was tasty but it wasn't the best I had. The pad Thai had raw bean sprouts but smells like chlorine water. The fried rice was very soggy and didn't look appetizing but my daughter liked it. The presentation wasnt that great either. They re cleaning products and water bucket was right at the register where we can see. I shouldn't expect too much for good food in Hawaii since I'm from California.

Stopped in for a quick dinner....my go to is the Thai green curry but I wanted to try something different. I ordered the larb - meat was juicy, fries were crispy and overall delicious. I really like the dipping sauce. Was very filling and I liked that it came with a side salad. The Thai green curry is still My favorite though. Pad Thai with chicken. Great, delicious, generous serving. Flavors are on point and what you expect from a Thai restaurant. They were very busy on a Friday night, service took a little longer but they were friendly, polite and helpful. Our fav Thai restaurant on the big island.

We ate here twice while in Hawaii last week. We got fried rice, egg rolls, the basil burger, chicken satay and pad Thai with tofu. All the food was lovely, well made and delicious. We wished there had been AC and seating inside but understand if there are covid precautions and gladly ate outside. The server, order-taker and cook seemed to possibly be one person so we weren't checked on once our meal came out in to-go boxes but that was okay.. we knew there must have been limitations to service level. Price was good for the islands and two excellent meals were had!

Had a craving for Thai. There are several restaurants I've eaten at in the area, each one delicious in their own way, but I've never eaten at Original Thai Cuisine. Ordered the Curry Puffs after reading a review here and I selected the Khing Sod ginger stir fry with chicken. It was out of this world! The best Thai food by far I have ever had. However, membership has its privileges, but they don't take American Express. Don't leave home without a different form of payment.

This place is tricky to write up. If we look strictly at food it's hands down five star worthy! However we had so many service issues from it being packaged wrong, served incorrectly and promised to be taken to our table outside after a large tip had been given to the young man at the counter. NONE of this happened. Topped with the fact that they never came out for refills on our drinks. But the icing on the cake came when a member of our party went back in to order a dessert and was told a mango sticky rice would take approximately one hour because they worked the tickets in order. It's literally two items you put on the plate and after all we had been through and the apology given to us from another server it was kind of a slap in the face. I'm sorry when you pay $20 dollars a plate and leave a $10 tip the least you can do is give me more water and get a simple dessert in less than an hour. I would say if you do eat here order to go only and make sure if you want dessert to order that as well. Eating at this restaurant could lead to dehydration and time warp, so be warned.

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Some of the best Thai food I've ever had. The spicy shrimp salad is divine, so fresh and healthy and great taste. The drunken noodles were also delicious. The service was excellent. I'll be back to visit whenever I'm in Kona.

You HAVE to try their curry puffs! Sometimes we will come here and just order their amazing appetizers for our entire meal. There is always at least a 25 minute wait when we go so I recommend checking out the menu and ordering over the phone before you drive over. Over time my family has tried almost the entire menu with no complaints and will keep coming back for more. There are a few different thai restaurants in Kona but this is the best! It is a little pricey compared to other places but willing to pay a bit extra for the great food.

From the moment we walked in we were greeted with extremely friendly hosts. The server recommendations were great and every dish was delicious. Would definitely recommend stopping by and trying this great spot. I have some severe allergies and they were great about making sure that none of the allergens were in the food.

We ordered a Pad See Ew and we found a fly with half of its body left inside. Worst food we have ever had.