I love Thai Food. I’d have a really tough time naming my very favourite cuisine but Thai is definitely in my top 5. In most cities there are dozens of great Thai joints serving up Pad Thai quicker than you can blink, but not so in Waikiki. We had to hunt long and hard to find Noi Thai Cuisine when I was hankering for a curry while visiting the Aloha state. So how does it compare to the brilliant Thai I have eaten all around the globe? Read on for all the details …
Noi Thai Cuisine Hawaii Overview
Noi Thai Cuisine has restaurants in Bend, Oregon and Seattle, Washington as well as the Honolulu restaurant we visited which was just a block away from our hotel The Sheraton Waikiki. On our last few visits to Hawaii we struggled to find a decent Thai restaurant in Waikiki and after a very disappointing meal at Keo’s (now closed) we were a little gun-shy to try again. On this particular night the cravings were strong so we took a chance on Noi Thai Cuisine, the newcomer on the block which had been open under a year. Given Noi Thai Cusine is located on the third floor of the Royal Hawaiian Center (read my Waikiki shopping tips here) you are unlikely to wander past it, but we didn’t want to chance anything less than Trip Advisor’s #1 rated Thai restaurant so we purposely sought it out. On entering we found ourselves in a generous sized bar which had quite an appealing aesthetic except for the strange addition of several large screen TVs which seemed like a rather strange addition and detracted from the upscale atmosphere they are clearly trying to create. The main dining exudes understated elegance with dark furnishings, modern fixtures and discreet lighting.
The Food
Everybody loves satay right? We sure do and we started the night with two satay chicken skewers which were served on a modern slate board. The generous serving was accompanied by two dipping sauces and rather bizarrely toast fingers. Each chicken morsel was perfectly cooked and the flavour was helped along by a drenching of the accompanying sauces. We left the toast on the table.
Thai food is perfectly suited to sharing and we ordered our chicken panang curry and beef and cashew nut stir fry to be served communally in the middle of the table. The presentation of the dishes at Noi Thai Cuisine was exceptional and they looked almost too pretty to eat. Almost! Both dishes were perfectly pleasant but the flavours were slightly different to what I am used to getting both in Thailand and Australia. I have never seen celery in a Thai stir fry in my life! It wasn’t awful, just different. The serving sizes were standard and we were unable to finish it all so dessert was never really an option.
Final Thoughts
We had an almost laughable experience ordering drinks at Noi Thai Cuisine Hawaii. The first cocktail I ordered was unavailable as they had run out of watermelon and I was also unable to get my second choice; a glass of Sauv Blanc. To make matters even more laughable they had run out of Singha (Thai Beer) so The Hubs also had to choose a substitute. While we had a perfectly pleasant meal at Noi Thai Cuisine I have certainly had better, but it did satisfy my Thai cravings. Thai is typically considered good value but the prices at Noi Thai run high and this is by far the most expensive Thai meal I have ever experienced anywhere around the globe. If you are keen to get a better bargain on your meal, check out my post on Waikiki cheap eats. While there was nothing earth shatteringly wrong, I’m in no real hurry to get back to Noi Thai Cuisine. See what other diners have to say here. Dreaming of Hawaii? Read my tips on grabbing a bargain flight here before you book.
Essential Details
Location: C308 Royal Hawaiian Centre 2301 Kalakaua Ave Honolulu HI 96815 USA
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun 11am – 10pm
Average Cost: I paid approx AUD $150 for two courses for two with drinks and tip.
Contact Details: Phone +1 (808) 664-4037 or email [email protected]
Do you like Thai food? What’s your favourite dish? Let me know in the comments below.
Until Next Time …
Disclaimer: I paid for my meal at Noi Thai Cuisine in full and as always, all opinions are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.
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Punita Malhotra says
Reading your post has reminded me of my fave Thai restaurant and I can smell the aromas right now. Thai cuisine is so flavorful to taste and vibrant to see. The dishes you chose are all so appetising! Yumm.
Sandy N Vyjay says
We love Thai cuisine, though we are restricted to the vegetarian variants. Love the curries, especially as there is a lot of similarity to Indian cuisine. Of course, to really enjoy it, the cuisine needs to be authentic. I can understand your craving for Thai cuisine and why you were not really satisfied. We have had some amazing Thai food when we were in Bangkok a couple of years back.
Allison Smith says
I’m crazing Thai right now! So hungry lol
Deni says
This post definitely had me craving Thai food! It’s too bad that it wasn’t as good as you’d hoped, especially since you had to pay more for the meal itself. Did the meal end up costing more because of the price itself or because of the dollar exchange? Also, I would definitley be disappointed too if I couldn’t have a refreshing watermelon drink. (Those are the best!) I hope you were able to get one later that night!!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I think I just have really high standards on Thai Deni lol. The low AUD was defo a factor!
Tina and Jimmy says
The food photos look amazing, but I can completely relate about how food has different flavors or flares from country to country. I can’t wait to go home in a week to visit family and satisfy all my cravings of food I just can’t find in England. While food here is good, it’s not the same 🙂 I love Thai cuisine myself and most likely would have been happy but disappointing to pay high prices and not really getting what I wanted.
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I know it’s so bizzare … You think Thai would be the same around the globe but there are subtle differences everywhere.
Lauren West says
Wow, that sure is a lot of money to shell out for a meal you weren’t fully satisfied with! Sorry you had a less-than-stellar experience, because a Thai meal should always hit all those flavor cravings and not break the bank 🙁 I hope you had some other good food in Hawaii, though!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Considering I’m used to paying about $50 for brilliant Thai at my local the bill hit hard. It wasn’t disastrous by any means but just wasn’t as good as it could/should have been.
Janine Good says
I am sad to read that your Thai food experience was expensive and you weren’t able to get the drink choices you wanted! The food looked delightful, but overall you weren’t too happy. I hope you find that amazing little Thai cafe somewhere that ticks off all the boxes!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I guess it was just that I was expecting so much Janine. And I have such good Thai experiences to compare it to that it come up a little short.
Munchkin Treks says
This post made me hungry for Thai food. I first got hooked on Thai food when I lived in Los Angeles. When I lived in Dubai, I found a few good Thai restaurants too. I will definitely keep this place in mind when I go to Oahu again. The satay looks amazing!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
The best Thai food I have ever eaten is 20 mins away from me. And that includes in Thailand lol
Ivy says
I LOOOVE Thai food! My favourite is the green curry 🙂 I’ll be sure to check this place out when we go back to Oahu!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
I love green curry to Ivy but can never resist a Panang curry. My local also does a pretty fabulous crispy calamari that is hard to resist!
Roger Wellington says
I love Thai food – my favorite dishes are rah na and khao soi. The chicken skewers and curry look so delicious. I’ll be sure to try this restaurant next time I am in Honolulu!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Great to find another lover of Thai. Funny thing is first time I ever tried it I wasn’t that fussed. Needless to say I am a convert. We have a fantastic Thai locally that seriously has the best Thai food I have ever eaten and they never let me down.
blondemoments says
I don’t know how you do it – but your food pictures are just always so crisp and on point. now I finaly wish that they would invent a “smell app”. this just looks sooo yummy!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
A smell app would be sooooo cool lol. I might never leave my laptop if that was the case lol. I do take a number of pics of each dish which drives The Hubs insane just quietly … He just wants to eat lol
Diana - MVMT Blog says
I’m sorry to hear about the overpriced meal, but I know the feeling of really craving a certain type of food and not even caring at that point how much you pay for it. One time when I was living in China for 2 months, I started really craving western food, so I went to Pizza Hut, and I have never paid more for Pizza Hut in my life than I did in China. Did you end up ordering Pad Thai there? It’s always so hard for me to resist ordering pad thai when I visit a Thai restaurant. I could eat that all day!
Sydney Fashion Hunter says
Exactly Diana! It just had to be Thai this night, nothing else would do lol. To be fair the weak AUD played a big part in the cost! No Pad Thai this night my go to is always a Panang Curry when it’s in the menu but as a lesser known dish it isn’t always. Hope you enjoyed that Pizza!