Bangkok Chef

I was so excited to see that Bangkok Chef was opening up a third location. And it isn’t just any location; this restaurant is in a brand spankin’ new building on the corner of Nimitz just down from Costco. They are on the opposite side of the building of the new and popular La Tour Café. Yes, the parking here is strange because it is one way and most of the stalls are marked reserved but overall it is a good central location.
I personally love Bangkok Chef. It is the best bang for your buck when it comes to Thai food in Hawaii. I’ll be honest, it isn’t the BEST Thai food I’ve eaten but is so economical. Where else can you get a huge plate of Thai food for less than seven dollars? And although eating out of a garage reminds me of eating at most restaurants in Bangkok, I can’t deny that I appreciate a cleaner eating environment.
As for the food I’ve only eaten on Nimitz and at the Garage on Nuuanu. The food at the Nuuanu location did taste a little better than the new location but I think they are just working out the kinks. I ate there twice since they’ve opened and I can say they second time was better than the first. The first time I ordered Pad Si Ew and got Pad ki Mao which wasn’t a bad mistake because they both tasted good and I had to remind the server we had ordered Tom Yum soup too. On that trip we also had Cashew Chicken which although was very tasty was extremely oily. It was so oily that the lettuce garnish was mush on the bottom. On my second trip there I had Pad Ki Mao Again, Tom Yum (I’m a tom yum fiend) and Mee Krob (thai crispy noodles). Both times I had the Tom Yum I felt it could have had a stronger flavor. The Mee Krob on the other hand was excellent. My mom said this is very hard to make because you have to get the right temperature for the sauce so it doesn’t weigh down the noodles. While this dish doesn’t fill me, it sure was tasty and prepared beautifully.
I’ve loved watching this company grow over the years. It first started off as a vegetable stand, and then a garage restaurant, to a double garage restaurant, to a full service dine– in. I’m glad they seem to be doing very well and I hope they continue to deliver great Thai food at great prices!

I’ve tried the other two Bangkok Chefs and this is the worst one among the three. I usually order Basil Shrimp when I go there. The food is salty and not spicy enough, compared to the other two locations. Parking is kind of limited. I don’t think I will order from this one again.

So I’ve been waiting for months now for their 3^rd Bangkok Chef chain to open up closer to my work on Nimitz Highway. I actually now save a whole 5 minutes of travel compared to going to the Nuuanu location and 10 minutes round trip. That’s 10 minutes of my life I’m going to save at least 2 times a month. That’s almost two hours a year I save and can apply to something more productive like work! Ha ha, well maybe not but it looks good on paper.
This is also the third restaurant to open up in this Old Weyerhauser Building location along with La Tour Café and Tanaka Saimin. Bangkok Chef did a pretty decent job with the interior work and I really liked the brick wall on the one side of the store. Being that it’s recently renovated, the restaurant looked very new and clean. This one is more of a sit down and be waited place with amazing plain white dishes compared to the take out style at Nuuanu. They do have take-​out available as well.
The menu is practically same with all the other locations and with the same great price. Most meals come in at around $ 5-​$ 7. I tried their House Special which was chicken mixed with tons of ginger and bamboo. It was ok. Definitely not the best dish I’ve had there. My favorite is still the Panang Curry. It’s soooo dakine!
My only complaint about this place along with the other restaurants in this complex is that parking is very limited. Well, unless you work for 900, LLC which seems like they have more than 50% of the space reserved for them and mostly left empty! I really need to get to know the owner of 900, LLC so I can score a parking pass! But winners for them. They have 3 decent restaurants in one location. I’m sure parking is going to be even more of a mess. Maybe, it’ll lighten up a little after Lowes open up their store! Maybe I can steal their parking lot too! I hope they don’t read this!
Overall, not the best Thai Food on the island here but pretty decent and can’t beat it for the super low price. A great place to have lunch! I’ll definitely be coming back here many many times!