Café Grand Harue

Excellent choice for Bangkok style Thai. We took a party of 17 and ordered pad Thai, Bean thread seafood noodle salad, cashew chicken, pork laab, bamboo curry, Panama curry and more. I have eaten Thai food all over the US and I promise you won’t be disappointed, every person cleaned their plates, nothing was wasted. Great because the food was excellent a bummer as the portions were on the smaller end. That is really the only reason for the 4 stars rather than 5. While the menu is less extensive than some menus i have seen I strongly disagree with other posts that said the food was bland or unlike the pictures. I am a very very picky Thai food lover and can assure you the flavors were balanced and on point. Maybe the other critics are used to northern Thai style. This is Bangkok style which is less intense, lacking the Burmese influence, it is milder, sweeter, balanced — very pleasing to the palate. The Panang was a stand out thick, creamy, divine. Everyone in our party raved about the food and the server was so kind and sweet. The owner even came out and spent 5+ minutes with us getting to know our party and sharing with us his passion and love for Thai food including why his restaurant was so unique. One final note — the ambiance with open air indoor dining was well done with a Perfect décor. Don’t miss it if you love Thai food.

I think that it is the most delicious Thai restaurant in which I ate in Waikiki. I am so happy to find this restaurant. Note that the alcohol selection is only wine and beer.

Pad Thai Shrimp is AMAZING! I added chili flakes to my plate and it added such good flavor although my mouth is still on fire! Lol. Definitely one of the best food places we have been too during our stay in Hawaii

As god once said. Harue Thai cuisine, is s*it. I know your average review tend to be people who are disgruntled at a place, but I’ll be honest I’ve never had an experience like I did today. I could run through the entire list of why I’m angry. Like the food, service, or forced gratuity… but I’ll be honest with all of you please don’t make the mistake I made and come here. Anywhere. And I mean ANYWHERE ELSE is better

Understaffed, slow service, and they messed up my food. The Pad Thai had zero spice when I ordered a medium, and when I asked the waiter for a medium hot, he recommended against it. Then before we leave, the waitress is incapable of splitting a bill between 7 people and dividing the bill took 15 minutes. There is a forced gratuity of 15% on a party of 7. I have never seen that in my life. They made my friend do the math on the damn bill. They also gave my friend a hot pad thai when he ordered a medium and they didn’t even give him a medium, they just took the hot pad Thai back, waited 5 minutes and brought the same plate back.
Never coming here again.

We had the long bean chicken and ginger chicken, both perfectly enjoyable. We were served by a retired butler; ask for Erin!
The owner cooks and came out to our table – felt like family including the friendly pricing.

Beautiful room with an eclectic mix of European and Asian décor and bosso nova music. Superb friendly and efficient service.
We came in at 7 pm on a Wednesday evening. There were 2 other tables dining.
Over priced for basic Thai dishes. In general about 20%-30% higher than other Thai restaurants. The food was above average. Our favorite dish was the Rad Na Seafood $ 14. Two shrimp, squid, mushrooms, green onions, served on a bed of crispy fried noodles with a brown gravy with a soup like consistency. The gravy and crispy noodles were super good. Very little squid and only 2 shrimps.
We also really liked the Chicken Bamboo Curry $ 14. Diced chicken breast and bamboo in a yellow curry. Velvety texture with good curry flavor.
We didn’t like The Spice Minced Salad ($ 13). It was on the citrusy side and quite below average.
The service was very friendly and efficient. Parking can be challenging. My mother lived nearby so we parked there and walked. Otherwise you’ll probably have to park at the garage at Wailana Coffee Shop and walk.

The location is convenient while staying at the Hilton Doubletree. Due to mixed reviews, we weren’t sure but decided to give it a try. There wasn’t a wait, half empty restaurant. Seemed like more regulars than tourists. We started with spring rolls. The dipping sauce was great. The filling was different, but good. I ordered the shrimp pad thai, medium — which was on the spicey hot side. Wish there were more than 4 shrimp, but for $ 14, I guess the extra shrimp or two wasn’t in the budget. My husband had the chicken and cashew, mild and he said it was on the sweet side but very tasty. If you are in the area and looking for tasty entrees in the $ 14 to $ 20 range, give it a try. Service was good too. Although the guy waiter seemed new, a little confused at times, but very pleasant.

Overall great experience. Décor was quaint and lovely. Not very busy which helped us enjoy our time. Had the spring rolls, crab fried rice and beef stir fry with chicken. All dishes were tasty and reasonably priced. Worth the trip to stop in and try.

The meals are overpriced (not enough food), it doesn’t look like the pictures of the menue. we waited to long for the food.
We were the only customers and we have waited for over an hour to be served.
The restaurant manager was really rude and kept the change without asking us.
I strongly advice you not to go there, everything is criticizable

We had dinner here last night and loved this place! The food was fresh and delicious, service outstanding and décor lovely! We visit Honolulu often and will be back for sure.

First time visiting since it switched over to a purely Thai restaurant. Lovely décor and nice lounge music playing. The food was good. That’s the positive. Poor wait service. Never wipped off our table, never refilled water, empty tables remained uncleared of dirty dished the entire time we were there. We ordered three dishes and it quite literaly took nearly one hour for the food to arrive. When it arrived, we were only then informed that they were «out of eggplant» so our eggplant dish was unavailable & «would we like to order something else?» While we were waiting another couple left without ever getting their food as they couldn’t wait any longer. I had hopes for this place when it opened as it’s so lovely, but there’s no way, it’s doomed.

I have to say, I passed by this place a couple of times on my way to work and was excited to try it out for lunch, but goodness! When I sat down and was rummaging through the reviews, it was making me nervous! Either people completely hate it or love it!
I definitely feel like the three stars Harue is currently averaging is a fair rating. Their décor is absolutely gorgeous, background music notable and enjoyable, and they have a nice variety of dishes. But, it isn’t the best location since it’s right next to a bustling intersection and it’s open air seating. And while I enjoyed my Tom Ka (which I was craving like a madwoman), it was a little pricey ($ 13). If you’d like rice, you pay for it separately and can choose from jasmine or sticky. My jasmine rice must have been short grain because it looked like regular white rice and I was very surprised to find that it wasn’t warm when it came out. Thankfully, I was pouring steaming hot soup over it, but it did catch me off guard. I will note, that it’s nice they gave me an extra small bowl so I could enjoy smaller portions of soup so it would cool off faster.
Overall, I’d say it was nice. Server was attentive enough and I enjoyed my lunch. But I feel like it has so much more potential! We’ll wait and see what happens after they are a little more established. ;)

This was a sad, sad experience!!! Yes the restaurant is beautiful — I would love this ambiance for a pau hana cocktail but… I will not be going back.
The restaurant says Thai and the names of the dishes are Thai but the food is not Thai. I ordered dinner to go — one order of Panang curry with Shrimp and an extra order of shrimp which the menu says is $ 5 for five shrimp. I get home and the order is chicken with four shrimp. What is this!!! I called and the waiter said come back and get the right order. I was starving so I ate and when we went back he made a HUGE deal on where is the food — did I bring back the order. Very rude and somewhat insulting.
So the panang chicken/​shrimp curry did not taste like panang at all — it was clear that the kitchen had tried to create a richness by adding loads of oil to the coconut milk.
All in all — beautiful environment — bad food and horrible customer service.
I do not recommend this establishment and I will not be going back. Too bad as it is in my neighborhood.

I love Thai food. If you love Thai food, this is not your place. We ordered the shrimp pad Thai. It was not good. The service was bad. And one of their smoke detectors kept sounding off with a low battery noise. Went off the entire time we were there. And we were the only people in the place, so it’s not like they were too busy to change the battery.

This review is for the overall experience.
Let me just start by saying the food here was very good. And the restaurant décor and atmosphere is quite nice. However, it is not ADA accessible.
When we arrived, there were only two other tables. One was already eating and the other was looking at the menu. We sat down and the waitress had only given us one menu. We asked for more (there were four of us) and she said they were out. Um, WTF. The place had 15 – 20 tables total. How can they be out of menu’s when only one other table (party of 3) is using them?!
Anyway, we manage to get a hold of one more menu, and proceed to order. The number items on the menu is extremely small. I’m used to seeing bigger menu’s at Thai restaurants. For being an empty place, our food took over 45 minutes to arrive. A little long for being an empty restaurant. But, like I said in the beginning, the food was very good.
I would’ve given this place a three star, but I downgraded to two because they automatically added gratuity to the tab. It did not state anywhere that gratuity would be added. I believe in the state of Hawaii, that it is illegal to automatically add gratuity without stating it prior.
Hopefully, they can speed up the cooking and take the automatic gratuity out and this place has potential to be a great restaurant.

Went here for take out. Girl working just looked at me without saying anything… horrible service. She had the angriest look on her face; it was as if it was such an inconvenience for me to order. The only time she was nice to me was when she asked if I needed change (if I was going to leave her a tip). Salad was ok.

I’m giving 5 stars here because of the food. Best Thai food on the Island. We’ve been there several times and when they are busy the wait is long, but the food is worth waiting for.
Recommend: Crab Curry, Green Curry, Spicy Chicken Basil
Our server told us we can have a spicy chicken basil with noodles – kind of like drunken noodle, but with the small vermicelli noodles like you have in phở. We asked for Thai Hot and It was AMAzING. And extremely hot.
The Tom Yum Kung and Thai Phở here are also really lovely. If you ask, sometimes they have a brownie desert that is brownies deep fried in sweet batter and topped with ice cream – heavy, decadent, yummy.
Great décor too. Feels like a café in Paris or Greenwich Village. Relaxed atmosphere and chic Bossa Nova Music. There’s really nothing else like this in Waikiki.

WORST RESTAURANT EVER
I ordered a clam dish and waited about an hour (or more?) and the food was «literally» trash. There were about 5 tiny, torn apart clam meats and 30 empty shells. I’m not kidding or exaggerating at all. I could not dare to have a single bite and left without paying for the food (or, trash). Even the waiter agreed that it was not really «food.» Overall, the service was horrible as well. I would give a negative amount of stars if it was possible. RUN AWAY FROM THIS PLACE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.

New place trying to make its mark, food is amazing and with time I hope it grows to a thriving place that I can enjoy for much time to come

The taste of Thailand in Waikiki!
Restaurant has very nice décor with calm and relaxed atmosphere. The staff are very pleasant and take the time to explain any item on the menu to you in detail. Perfect for a nice Thai food date or a great spot to gather with a group of friends.
As for the food, I tried the Shrimp Pad Thai. This dish was full of rich thick flavor that is sure to leave your taste buds and belly satisfied. I’ve traveled to Thailand several times and this place is without a doubt AUTHENTIC Thai food.

I love the décor and ambience in this new Waikiki Thai restaurant! It’s worth stopping by just to sit, watch passers-​by, and enjoy the luxurious European-​style décor. The tables even have fresh flowers on them! It was mostly empty early on the Saturday night when I stopped in – I hope that’s not bad news for this quaint café, as this neighborhood was lacking a good Thai option until it opened.
The menu is relatively limited and lacks some of the usual dishes I’ve come to expect at American Thai restaurants, but I’m looking forward to trying some of the unusual options. I ordered the green curry and the chicken basil stir fry dish, each for about $ 12. Portions were a little small for the price. The chicken basil stir fry was delicious! We ordered medium spicy and it was perfect. The green curry was also good, though a bit heavy on the eggplant for me. I’m looking forward to going back and trying some of the other dishes!

Hands down the best Thai food on the island. As other reviewers have mentioned, this is truly authentic, Bangkok-​Style Thai – if you’re looking for Issan style or Laotian food, go somewhere else.
The green curry is a standout as others have noted – the flavors are complex and the texture is like silk. All of the vegetables we’ve had on 5 visits have been extremely fresh and cooked perfectly tender crisp. Their stir fried Morning Glory is the best I’ve had since I was living in Thailand. Beautiful décor and attentive waitstaff. Wine list is sophisticated and all of their beers are $ 5 – Steal.
On one of our visits with a large group, we asked for a vegan version of their red curry and it was absolutely phenomenal. The chef/​owner, Miki – a gorgeous thai lady with a genuinely warm attitude – came out to make sure it was what we wanted. Apparently she runs the kitchen with only one assistant, but they took care of our party of 10 without a hitch.
The open air seating on the terrace makes this the best place in the area for a pauhana glass of wine, or anytime people watching. You’re not going to get any closer to Bangkok than an ice cold Singha and their Laarb Moo. The Parisian décor (think French Roast in Greenwich Village moves to Waikiki) and Bossa Nova music would’ve kept us coming back for drinks and snacks, but the quality of the food and the warmth of the staff and chef are above and beyond anything we’ve experienced in Waikiki. Highly recommend.

Café Grand Harue… more like Café Grand Tourist Trap. Rip-​off value for mediocre food. Open air to a very busy intersection in Waikiki, you can hear loud buses and cars going by, the noise literally echoes in the restaurant. There is no breeze at the restaurant, just the hot air blowing off of the car exhaust. I can literally breathe in the break dust while eating. Not very appetizing.
The food here is tasteless and covered in oil. The worst Thai I have ever had anywhere. Crappy frozen Thai dinner at Sam’s Club tastes better than this. The food here is not fresh, so they cover it up by frying it in oil. Without a doubt another overpriced tourist trap. If you want quality Thai food in Waikiki, check out Noi Thai ($$$$ Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center 3^rd Floor) and for a less fancy version, Siam Square ($$).
After paying for my meal I noticed the waiter shortchanged me. I asked him about the discrepancy, he became rude and started making excuses. Nothing like catching your waiter stealing after a crappy meal. I didn’t really want to get in to it with him so I told him I didn’t need the money and he can keep it, I pitty the foo. I don’t like businesses and wait staffs that are dishonest with their customers, huge red flag for Café Grand Harue.
Terrible location w/​break dust, terribly oily thai food, Tourist trap + dishonest wait staff/​business.
One star for interesting décor, but this would be a better retail clothing store than a restaurant any day of the week.
Café Grand Closing is terribad. It will fold within the year. This restaurant is a total disappointment in every aspect.

This is definitely a different sort of Thai restaurant, with the décor and ambiance being more akin to a Parisian café. I thought that was both unique, as well as interesting. I had the tom kha soup and had to request to substitute tofu instead of the usual chicken. The menu was a bit more limited then what I was used to, with the entire piece being pictures only, which I imagine would be more helpful for an international crowd.
The soup came out delicious and chock full of vegetables, lemongrass pieces, and galangal, with a slightly sweeter flavour.
I would recommend this place again for those looking for something a little bit different. The pricing is a bit higher (especially if one is used to getting their Thai fix in SF or LA) but given that its on Waikiki, its about on par with its neighbors. The location is a bit further out, being in the edge of all the action, so I worry about their foot traffic.

Second time here, we ordered the Pad Thai and the Green Curry both times. Both dishes are delicious and full of complex, yet balanced flavors. The chef knows what she is doing. The taste is fantastic and amongst the best Thai food I’ve had on the island. highly The owner (s) and chef talked with us about the preparation (we have these dishes made vegan) and the service is very good! You can tell that it’s a family run business and this results in a relaxing atmosphere. Big thumbs up for the bossa nova music! We’ll definitely come back to try other dishes.

We were hesitant to try this restaurant because it’s so new. We are big fans of Thai food and have spent weeks in Thailand… This place was really good. Limited menu but good. We got the fried rice and pad Thai to be on the safe side but wish we had been more adventurous …
A little on the expensive side…

Spring rolls fried = tasteless, no sauce. Oily AF!
Pad Thai = chewy, «hard» un-​cook noodles, and bland texture. Oily AF!
Green curry = barely any veggies or meat. OILY AF!
Everything we ordered was OILY and the flavoring is not even authentic. On top of that, they charged for rice but didn’t give us any. Shame on you…
I hope you DO NOT give this place a try. Cheers!

This is true Thai food as far as flavors go. 99% of the «Thai» restaurants in Honolulu have Laotian chefs, while the taste is close its really not the same. There are staffing issues to workout here as the resturant has only been open a few weeks but the servers do their very best and when their not buried service is polite and attentive. In fact even when they are slammed service is sincere. I am sure once the owner figures out the appropriate staffing formula things will be fine.
The menu is limited now but even so you can find several Thai dishes not offered in other establishments. Such as Pu Pad Pong Gari a rich fried crab curry or Pad Kra Pao Gai stir fried minced chicken with chili and basil.
The interior of the Resturant is an interesting mix of Italian and French provincial. Making for a unique setting. There is also validated parking across the street at the Landmark condominium.

This place was excellent. I has the chicken pad Thai (a safe choice always) and my husband had the green curry. The curry was so complex and delicious, that I will be getting that dish next time. Mr. Chuu (the owner) was walking around and talking to each table, which added a personal touch.
The only thing that would make this place better is more meat per serving. Other than that, five full stars for flavor!