Malee Thai Restaurant

A family operated restaurant located on Keeamoku Ave adjacent to the Samsung plaza.
This review is based upon the food as I placed a take out order last night. Upon arrival, immediately I noticed that it was an open kitchen. I’ve been here before but didn’t realize it then. You can see everything that is going on, which could be a good thing or bad. In the past the food has always been tasty and consistent so I was looking forward to my meal.
I purchashed the Pad thai noodles with chicken (9.50). My only issue with the noodles was basically that they had no color to them. It’s as if after the intital cooking process, the noodles didn’t get that final touch in the wok or pan. Hardly any flavor, a little underwhelming. It wasn’t bad, but usually they turn out a better product which is why I still gave them 4 stars. Not to mention that the workers are very kind, I will be back.

Ordered the spicy Pad Ped. Good quality and taste. You can order it as spicy as you want. Good atmosphere and excellent service. First time and will definitely be back. Excellent value. Free parking with validation is a plus.

The food is great. I ordered the Pad Se-​Ew it was great. My dad order the red curry. The curry was rich and delicious. My brother ordered the chicken and it was nice and crunchy.

PAD WOON SEN TO GO
Malee Thai used to be in Maunakea marketplace, tucked away in the corner, in Chinatown for over 10 years. I liked the food there and would stop by whenever I was in the area, but it was never very often. I didn’t even realize they had moved until New Years Day when I discovered my go-​to Thai place was closed. Pulled out the Unilocal app and found Malee Thai.
CURRENT LOCATION: Samsung Plaza facing Keeaumoku next to Masala, in the spot that used to house S&T Thai.
PARKING: Validated parking in Samsung Plaza.
PRICE: the curries, noodles and other entrees are around $ 10, which is about the same as other Thai places in the area.
FOOD:
Curries: I only tried the green curry with chicken here, and it tasted just like the ones they served in Chinatown, which were always very good. I have yet to try the pineapple curry, but that is next on my radar and I will update my review once I get my hands on some of that.
Noodles: I didn’t like the PAD THAI here, but you might like it. It was more reddish orange, with a more ketchup like flavor. I prefer mine more dark brown. However, the PAD WOON SEN (clear glass noodles) was excellent and better than the other ones I’ve tasted, and I’ve also had the PAD SEE EW in the past at their other location and that was also excellent.
BOTTOM LINE: I will be back. Pad Woon Sen to go please. Curry all over.

I’ve been eating here since they opened. I could eat here everyday. Everything is made to order. The staff is wonderful. The prices are very fair. Validated parking.

3.75 stars… We did take out from Malee Thai on a Friday evening. When I walked in to pick up our order, the restaurant was completely empty and I immediately had a scary feeling that the food was going to be awful.
Luckily though, my fears were resolved after my toddler and I sat down to eat their summer rolls with veggies and tofu. he is a picky eater so I was really happy to see him dip vegetables into the accompanying peanut sauce and actually eat them!
We got summer rolls, pad Thai, drunken noodles and the pineapple curry with brown rice. The only thing I would change is that request extra spice/​sauce on the noodles so that it can be more flavorful.
The portions are generous. We would definitely order again when we are craving Thai.

I plan on coming back.
Papaya Salad: THICK julienned green papaya! I actually prefer my papaya salad this way so there’s more of a «crunch». The sauce was tasty and not too spicy (ordered medium). What was unique about this papaya salad was the abundance of roasted peanuts, quartered tomatoes, and cabbage wedge! The salad was very refreshing!
Green Curry (with seafood): The curry was creamy but not too rich. There was plentiful bamboo shoots and fish in the curry. Green curry is my favorite type of Thai curry and this dish did NOT disappoint at all! Also, I love bamboo so I was happy with the amount of bamboo used in this dish!
Pineapple fried rice: Yummy and not oily at all! This was the first time I tried pineapple fried rice and I was definitely happy with my decision! The rice is a little sweet, a little tangy, but definitely savory! And to my surprise, it tasty pretty darn good with the green curry spooned over it!
Thai Iced Tea: NOT TO SWEET! AND I LOVED IT! For my preference, I prefer drinks that are not too sweet so this was nice and balanced for myself.
Portions: These above items were split between a friend and I for lunch and we were stuffed and had leftovers (enough for one more meal). I personally believe the portions are a good size! Not too little and just enough if you have a big appetite!
Décor: The bright orange walls gave my mood a boost and the tables were nice and clean!
Service: Our waitress/​cashier was nice, but there were times where were we left unattended when we were one of three tables dining at opening.

If you’ve been traveling on Keeaumoku Street, you’ve probably passed this little, er, not so little restaurant many times. It’s located right next door to Masala Indian restaurant and near the entrance of the Sam Sung Plaza.
The other evening, we wandered about the Ala Moana neighborhood and started to consider dining at Masala again. However, we saw the sign for Malee Thai and quickly changed our minds as Thai cuisine is one of our favorites. When we walked in, we noticed that the smallish entrance belied the depth of this restaurant. It was bigger than we expected. We were greeted by a friendly, gracious and smiling female server who introduced herself as «O».
It was our first time to dine here so we asked her about their signature dishes. O politely said their appetizers/​salads, curries (notably, their curry stir-​fried crab) and their noodles were all popular. Um, with that thought, we decided to try a couple of dishes as we looked the menu to find them to be reasonably priced.
THE FOOD:
— Thai Fried Chicken: we debated between ordering the stuffed chicken wings aka Angel Wings (peek kai yad sai) and this item. O recommended this item as it features the chicken thigh (dark meat) and is meatier. The golden brown crackly crust used very little cornstarch or flour to crisp. The chicken had been marinated in various Thai seasonings with just a mild kick of chili pepper. It was served with a sweet and spicy sauce. My husband was very happy with this choice as it satisfied his fried chicken cravings. I was pleased with the flavors, crispiness and non-​greasiness. $ 8.75
— Seafood or Calamari Salad: we chose calamari instead of the seafood because for us, the test for proper preparation is the tenderness and crunchiness of the calamari. The calamari (strips & tentacles) were tossed with roasted chili paste, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, mint leaves, lettuce, vermicelli and house dressing. The house dressing was fresh tasting and not didn’t have an overpowering fish sauce flavor. The salad was served warm yet it was refreshing to our palates. $ 10.50
— Drunken noodles, basil noodles aka Pad Ki Mao: a rather hefty plate of Chinese-​influenced sizzling stir fry of ground pork, garlic, basil, beansprouts, chilis, egg, fish sauce and broad flat rice noodles was served to us. The flavors were on-​point without being overly salty or fishy while the broad rice noodles were soft and supple. It was delicious and very satisfying. $ 9.50
We ordered all of our dishes MILD as we weren’t sure about the spice-level…um, we’ve been «victim» to having our lips burnt off with Thai «medium» before. But, at least this way, we were able to control the spice level by adding their chili paste or sambal oelek (not the Huy Fong Sriracha). That sambal oelek was plenty spicy and I only needed to just dab to add some heat to my portion. I don’t consider myself a «chili wimp» but compared to my husband, I am!
O told us that her family had just taken over ownership of this site as their original restaurant was located in the Maunakea Marketplace. Parking can be found in the Sam Sung Plaza parking lot or along Keeaumoku Street at metered street stalls. We can’t wait to return to try more dishes.
Come on, let’s go to «Thai one on!» Speaking of which, this restaurant is a BYOB without corkage fee.
#453

My friend and I flipped a coin because we were undecided – Thai food or Indian food. We ended up choosing Thai food and we are both so glad we did.
We ordered Thai tea, chicken satay (peanut sauce was perfect), crab curry, and Thai hot basil (veggie style). We were served pretty quickly, and the food came out nice and hot. We both were quite satisfied with the presentation, serving sizes, and flavor of our food. In addition, the staff was really nice and attentive. Great experience! And, they validate!

Love this place. Family owned friendly and great prices.
Try their red curry chicken with sticky rice.
Seafood fried rice is amazing too.
Never had a bad experience here. Thank you

Thai food is just one of my favorite meals to eat. I had worked up an appetite after my bootcamp class. During my workout, I was thinking about what to eat for dinner as I completed a push-​up;) Well, I have been craving Thai for a few days now, and it was time to give in. I had bookmarked this eatery, so I was pretty excited.
It’s hard for me to try something new when I have been ordering the same thing for years. I looked through the menu, and I kept to what I was comfortable with. I ordered the basil chicken noodle extra spicy with green chicken curry. I also opted for a side of brown rice.
The green curry was spicy, and the coconut milk made it very smooth, aromatic, and flavorful. I mixed in some of the rice into the sauce with a piece of chicken and basil. It was wonderful, and I couldn’t stop eating it. My tastebuds were celebrating in my mouth. I had to pace myself since I wanted some of the noodles.
The basil chicken pad Kee Mao was good. I felt they were too soft to my liking. I tend to eat my noodles al dente.:) The colors of the basil, green peppers, red chilies were vibrant in my dish. When it comes to Thai, I order my food very spicy to the point of having tears coming down my face with a numb tongue. I could tell they tried;) I had a good amount left over and was pleased overall. The food was delicious.

So good and delicious.
I ordered the chef’s special curry stir fry crab. It was so flavorful. The sauce was sweet, salty, gingery, and the crabs were succulent. There were at least 5 large pieces of crab. Perfect for someone that has been craving for crab for a while. The crab tasted fresh and juicy.
My hubby’s peanut curry was equally tasty. The sauce was so flavorful. It actually doesn’t taste very peanut-ty…and i liked it that way.
The summer rolls were fresh and healthy. The Thai ice tea was very good.

The parking here is free, you just need to get the ticket validated here. However, the parking is a little bit cramped. Malee Thai is located right next to Subway near Ross. If you’re going down Keeaumoku, you can’t miss it. The place is nice and comfortable. The way it’s set up almost seems like a hole in the wall. The lighting is okay and the table and set ups are nice. They are clean for the most part.
We tried 4 dishes while we were here. We tried the fried chicken, fried fish patties, pad thai, and the garlic stir fried. The fried chicken was good but not too special like other Thai joints. The fried fish however, was very interesting. Can’t describe the taste but I thought it was really awesome! They both come with sweet and sour sauce. The pad thai was good and the texture perfect like how it’s supposed to be (sweet, sticky and delicious). This last dish was the most interesting to me and my gf. The chicken in the garlic stir fried had this after taste like how you eat BBQ that’s been smoked for many hours and you taste the wood it was cooking on. I thought that was something special. You could also taste garlic in every single bite of mushroom and chicken.
The service here was good and they were very respectful of everyone. They were attentive to filling the cups with water and always asked if we needed anything. I also love how this place isn’t as pricey as other Thai joints on this island. 4 dishes here was around $ 40 with tip. Other places are $ 50 without tip. If price and Thai food is what you’re looking for, I recommend coming here.

Very cute place. Very small but they use the space very well so you don’t feel cramped dining in. We had Summer Rolls and the Pad Thai.
Summer rolls were pretty big and the peanut sauce was very yummy.
Pad Thai was soooo good! Tons of flavor and good quantity! I got to eat it for lunch the next day too!

They are so friendly here and truly is a «mom and pop» run operation. The service was spot on and everytime my water glass got empty, the woman was there to fill it up. The portions are very decent and prices very fair in comparison to the nearby competition. This is one of the good choices if you are shopping at the nearby Walmart or Sams club and looking for a meal.

After a couple years of visits, it was time to update
Malee Thai… and happy to teport they still can deliver the goods.
Varied menu with all the ‘essential’ offerings. Portions are respectably sized, so its easy to have some leftovers for taking home. They all share fresh, vibrant flavor & attractivly served. Excellent, friendly service every time.
Favorites are the Som Tom, Laab, Penang Curry, Pad Thai, Thai Basil stir fry… the lust goes on.
Appetizers that rock are the Summer Rolls, the satay, and the fried calamari.
They are very accurate in your spiciness request. I’ve been here numerous times with those ordering mild to medium to Thai-​hot (for me) and the cooks here are pretty accurate to your request.
Penang Curry is my worldwide litmus for Thai places and gggg hits the target spot on with a rich, flavorful sauce, perfect consistency and presentation.
The Thai Basil stir is really, really ggod here and superior to any other place in recent memory. Usually opt fr the pork, which here is ground. The sauce, the flavor and the brilliant, vibrant ingredients vare just plain off the hook good.
Everyone’s favorite of Pad Thai is an easy homerun at Meena.
Say hi to Bia & see you there.

Maile’s Thai? No!!! Malee Thai! MALEE! Not Maile!
Now that that is out of the way. Malee Thai is truly a hidden gem. It is located in the Samsung Plaza facing Keeaumoku, right next to Subway. You can park in the lot, and it is free with validation.
I came here for dinner with a sickly friend who was dying for soup. This place is very small, so be prepared for that. When we came in at around 7pm, it was pretty empty, but picked up along the way. Take out is seemingly popular. As the night went along with other patrons coming in to dine, the odd thing was that I was the only Asian person in there for the longest time, especially dining in the heart of Koreamoku. Now, I am not sure what that truly indicates, perhaps it shows this place caters to a wider clientele? Anyway…
.. we ordered the Tom Yum (Spicy Sour Soup) with Chicken, mild (You can choose mild, spicy, and extra spicy). It comes with mushrooms, lemongrass, cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal in a clear broth. The portion is huge, and it is more than enough to feed 2 – 3 people. The broth was clean and flavorful, and had the perfect amount of sourness from the lime juice. The other ingredients were all fresh and really stood out in the soup. The herbs gave off a very fragrant aroma and distinct flavors in the broth. All in all, it was a very pleasing soup with a multitude of flavors from sour, sweet, spicy, bitter, etc.
We also ordered the Larb or Larp (Noo, not Live Action Role Playing ;p), which is Minced Meat Salad, spicy. You can choose from chicken, beef, or pork. We opted for the beef. It came with scallions, white onions, cilantro, and mint all on a bed of fresh cabbage. Everything was mixed in with spices without the fish sauce and lime juice (like the Lao-​version of Larb). I really enjoyed this dish because each ingredient was fresh and fragrant, and stood out individually with everything working collectively. Also, the beef was not overcooked! All the herbs and spices made this dish very flavorful, and at the same time, very light.
My dining partner just recently vacationed in Thailand, and she said the Tom Yum here at Malee is exactly the same there. That right there shows this place is authentic.
The service was very good. The lady in glasses was very patient and attentive, and the food came out at the right time, not too fast or too slow. The prices are really good, especially with the amount you receive. We were both very full from just those two dishes.
Overall, I’d come back to this place in a heartbeat to try all the other Thai dishes. This place is truly authentic Thai. Each dish provides a multitude of flavors with fresh aromatic ingredients that each stands out and works well together.

One of my colleagues is a Thai food enthusiast and highly recommended Malee when it first opened. His description of his experience almost made me drool and I have been meaning to come here since!
I got to catch up with a friend over lunch here today. We were able to find street parking and the restaurant only had two other parties when we arrived a little past noon. We could choose our own seats so we chose the table closest to the entrance for the natural lighting.
We ordered summer rolls, pineapple curry with pork, and pad thai with chicken. The summer rolls were packed with fresh veggies and I liked the accompanying peanut sauce. We went with mild level of spicy since our waitress said even the mild’s a little spicy. We should have gone with medium – I didn’t really taste any spiciness in the curry. Although the curry was tasty, it didn’t blow me away and lacked the vibrancy and consistency seen in other Unilocalers’ pictures. The pork in the curry was also dry, which sadly detracted from the value of the dish. The pad thai was a saving grace – it had great flavor and the chicken was cooked well. The portion sizes were good and the prices were competitive. With tip, our meal came out to $ 35 and we left very full.
The service was pretty good. Our water glasses were refilled and the food came out quickly. We were checked upon periodically and the check came as soon as we asked for it. I would come back to try other items on the menu.

I was sad when the owner of the Malee Thai told me she was closing business at the end of the year to retire. Only for moment. Then she gave me the business card to her daughter’s restaurant. Looking at the address I see it has easier access and closer to my location. I started smiling.
The owner greeted and escorted us to our table. Our mouths were already salivating because it’s not the same menu as her mom’s. I’m set to order the basil beef and my lady-​love wants the green curry. But wait, I see something on the menu I don’t normally see and it’s something I enjoy immensely. Thai spicy clams. We had plan to order only 2 dishes but after seeing that I get the O-​K to add the spicy clams as the 3^rd dish.
As I order I am told the basil beef is made with ground beef. Not good. She saw my disappointment and offered to make it with strips of beef. Better. This is savory dish for me. The ground beef does not pick up the sauce and flavor as well as beef strips. We order everything spicy with the sticky rice.
The green curry comes first. It smells divine and tastes fantastic. Happy about that. Next comes the basil beef and I am pleased with that. Plus there’s a nice amount of basil there. This is one of my fave Thai dishes. That hit the spot for my Thai food craving. Next up, the spicy clams. This put it over the top. It was so delicious. I could taste all the flavors there swimming in my mouth. Although this was the priciest of the dishes it came with a generous amount. Well worth every penny. I highly recommend those clams if you’ve never had them before. I had other people tell me they don’t particular like clams but those they will eat.
The owner finally came by our table once we were slowing down and there wasn’t much left. She asked if we were from here and we talked about her mom. I told her I love the clams and she said it was her favorite dish. The conversation enhanced our evening meal the better.
When that Thai food urge shows up again, this is where I’ll be. Good service, good food, fair price… that’s all I need.

Located across the street from the Keeaumoku Walmart in the Samsung building. Same great quality as their sister location in Chinatown. The place is very small, and the design appears to be former Ramen restaurant, rather than a Thai restaurant.
The entire staff was very friendly throughout the entire dining experience. The hostess stopped by our table several times to ensure that we were pleased with our dishes.
Calamari salad, which was more like squid, long rice over lettuce. We ordered this dish spicy and loved every bite.
Jasmine sticky rice served in traditional Thai containers. Perfectly cooked and a great compliment to the green curry.
Green curry with sliced beef — delicious, well seasoned, and creamy coconut milk.
Feature item — fresh crab curry dish for $ 13.99 this is a steal! Amazing!