Bangkok Chef

Really nothing bad to say about this joint more it’s just not worth the cost especially with Siam Garden a block away who is hands down the best Thai on island IMHO; still was in the area (planning to go to Siam Garden) but forgot to check hours and didn’t realized they weren’t open for lunch on Sunday so hit up Bangkok Chef (third time in as many years). Got the spicy chicken green curry and while OK, wasn’t spicy. Friend got the non-​spicy fish red curry, wasn’t spicy and while OK, was too thick for her taste. Kid got the chicken wings, no complaint. Thai ice tea was excellent and tapioca inedible. Curry wise I agree with my friend in that I prefer it more soupy in a bowl as opposed to thick and eating it with a fork on plate but have had it both ways. Flavor wise was standard fare though bummed wasn’t spicy when I explicitly asked for such (and yes I tasted my friends non-​spicy and had identical spice so it wasn’t just my palate).
Pro: Has parking
Con: Slow service plus TBH way over priced. Party of three cost me $ 55, I can get the same identical food with better taste, atmosphere, and service for $ 40 at Siam Garden.

Food is good. But one of the employee is really rude. I refuse to eat here when she is working. Problem is she is always working.

Panda Express of Thai cuisine. Watered down mediocre at best taste. I would rather pay an extra few dollars per entrée and get high-​quality vs. Bangkok Thai

Love it. I flavor fried chicken wings, fish patty, ice cream, ice tea, mango salad (seasonal) and of course a sticky rice. Parking can be a bit tricky at Nu’uanu one.

YES. i always go here… like… always. im surprised they dont recognize me, actually. my grandma and i are always in the mood for thai food and this is our go-​to spot! be warned: the food does take a while! usually we wait about 15 – 20 minutes. i would suggest calling in and ordering so your food is ready when you arrive! its always a hard choice between the pad thai and the basil chicken for me. you really can’t go wrong with pad thai! the basil chicken has a ton of bamboo shoots, which i love!
*parking is a bit challenging! the parking in the front of the building is as tight as it gets. if you turn into the tiny street on the left of bangkok chef they have some stalls in the back!

There noodle and rice dishes are good but their «chicken anything» are my favorites. Good place to eat especially if your getting laundry done next door.

IS IT DINNER OR DESSERT?
I’ve been to this place a couple of times as it is close to home and I love Thai food. When it comes to this cuisine, if you can’t get the basics right, then I don’t trust anything else on the menu. To me– the basics being curry and pad Thai. I’ve tried the pad Thai and it was average but they give you a huge serving– enough for 2 people. The curry on the other hand was more like a C– The green curry was a bit salty and lacked flavor. All you could taste was spice. The yellow curry was the oddest curry I’ve ever eaten. The texture/​consistency was goopy, slimy even. I think they use tapioca starch as a thickener. I know this because I’ve used tapioca starch before and it creates a texture like tapioca pudding (duh). Consistency was a little off putting. Also flavor registered more on the sweet side. Not good. Can’t say I’d give them another chance.

This was the first time my husband and I tried Thai food and we are a fan! Their food was very good! I can’t even remember what we had but we will definitely be back for more! Just the smell as we walked in had my mouth watering.

This place was specifically recommended to us so we decided to go out of our way to check it out. It’s a converted garage/​restaurant that gives off a unique vibe. I’m not as big of a Thai fan as my husband. but he’s jaded because he’s been to Thailand and eaten the real deal. So… I ask the lady at the counter… so what’s good? What do you recommend? To which she gave me a blank, «are you stupid?» look. Hubby got the pad thai… and I got some chicken dish that was kinda meh. Didn’t really do much for me. His pad thai was ok, but he said north shore truck was a bit better.
Had some spring rolls and I don’t know if it was the lack of air conditioning or the fear of my car getting smacked as others rolled by (parking is TIGHT!) But I didn’t really enjoy the meal or my dining experience. I’d probably do carryout if we lived in the area, but as we don’t … we won’t go out of our way to eat here…

The Panang Curry is my favorite! It comes with pork but I ask for chicken and they substitute it for me with no extra charge. My boyfriend always gets the Pad Thai with chicken and there’s a good mix of noodles, veggies and meat. Some places we’ve went to in the past either put too much bean sprouts or too much veggies but this is perfect! The wait for your food is not bad at all (10 – 15 minutes tops) and the food comes out FRESH.
Parking is hard to find sometimes with there only being 3 spots they share with another restaurant. We park at the Walgreens really quickly when we order take out.

Bangkok Chef has been a favorite Thai go-​to, whenever we have that hankering for some good Pad Thai, or green chicken curry!
As aforementioned, favorites here are the Pad Thai of course, the fried spicy chicken wings, the spring rolls, and the Thai green chicken curry. What distinguishes this Pad Thai, is the fact that it’s a little less sweet than other Thai places. I like that, since I’m not a fan of sweeter Pad Thais. The fried spicy chicken wings are definitely delicious, they’re nice and crispy, plus they have always been nice and moist. They’re not extremely spicy, but they do have a bit of a kick. The Thai Green Curry is very nice, it’s savory and creamy, but maybe a little runny. I recommend enjoying this with a side of jasmine rice! Delish!!!
Parking might be a challenge, as it’s a small row of parking stalls that’s shared with 3 other businesses. I recommend calling in your order ahead of time, so that you can just run in and pick up your food, without having to struggle to find long-​term parking.
If you yearn for some good Thai, I recommend checking it out here! It’s nothing fancy, more like a hole-​in-​the-​wall place, but I guarantee you that the food does not disappoint!

In Hawaii we are fortunate to have many good Thai restaurants to choose from. Because ingredients, preparations, and other variations exist, there is no need to pledge allegiance to one.
One of my favorites is Bangkok Chef. It’s not fancy; it’s Thai street food. Over the years I’ve made many trips to the Nuuanu, Manoa, and Iwilei locations. Quality and taste are consistent across locations, dishes, and over time.
I’ve tried about half the items on the menu. My favorites are yellow chicken curry, chicken fried rice, fried long rice with pork, fried chicken wings, pad thai, and the spring rolls. All the curries are good. The only mis-​hit for me was the chicken sateh, but that was a long time ago, so I’ll try them again soon. Good place for meat-​eaters and vegetarians.
Want it hot? Let them know, and you’ll be sweating in no time. You can pick white, jasmine, brown rice, or no rice. (Note that if you choose no rice for a dish that usually comes with rice [à la carte], the price will be slightly higher since the portion is larger.)
At Nuuanu and Manoa, order off the menu board at the counter and pick up your order when your name is called. You can purchase a drink or ask for a cup for water. At Iwilei there are servers and you dine off of china, rather than out of styrofoam. Eat-​in or take out at all locations. Catering available.
Parking can be difficult. At all three of these locations you are competing for spaces with patrons of other businesses. Few spaces in front of Nuuanu and small lot in back, or street parking. Small lot in front of Manoa or street parking. Bigger lot at Iwilei, but more businesses vying for the spaces.
The 6 bus stops right in front of Manoa, at East Manoa and Lowrey. The 4 bus stops a few feet away from Nuuanu, at the Nuuanu Shopping Center, by the Walgreens at Nuuanu and School. Walk mauka (towards the mountains) up Nuuanu, past Walgreens and the laundromat and the other restaurant whose name I sadly cannot recall. The 19 and 20 go by Iwilei; get off the bus and walk Ewa, past La Tour Café and Party City, around the corner on the end of the building.
I have not yet visited the new Ewa Beach location. Have fun trying Bangkok Chef and other Thai restaurants in Hawaii.

The cook must be new here.
The #10 «eggplant chicken» is so much more tasty. A little more liberal with the oyster and black bean sauces. More and thicker pieces of eggplant too it seems. At $ 8.85, price is higher but still reasonable I think.
For the last 2 times I’ve ordered the dish, on Friday’s, at ~1:00 P.M.—
^ ^
o
Keep up the good work guy/​gal! Improvement is GOOD. Improvement is our friend.

So, I know that this is supposedly the cheaper version of Thai food but I LOVE the food here and yeah, it’s so much cheaper for the amount you get compared to other restaurants! I always call ahead (on my way to the restaurant), pick up the food and take it home to eat. I love the pad Thai and Panang chicken curry… I always ask for them a little spicier. Parking here is a pain but there is a lot in the back or sometimes I’ll just park at Walgreens and run over so I don’t have to deal with the hassle. I do wish they would switch from styrofoam though and get something more environmentally friendy– they use so many containers per day since it’s the only way they serve food.

8 years ago, this was my first thai place. A few days ago, I took my family here and this was my 2^nd time. It’s a decent size restaurant located across 7 eleven gas station, around the corner of Walgreens. It gets busy during peak hours.
Parking is really limited and very tight. We parked by Walgreens to make life easier. Shhh.
The restaurant is spacious. There were a lot of choices on the menu. It took us a while to decide. Finally, we made our final decisions: chicken cashew with rice, chicken pad thai, pork curry, and chicken yellow curry. Our food were ready in 10 minutes~. We were soo hungry we started eating it before I can take a picture. The chicken pad thai was more on the sour side than sweet side. My mom noticed the noodles were phở noodles. I thought it seemed a little different. The chicken curry was better than the pork curry. The pork had too much fat on the meat and there were too much potatoes. The chicken cashew was a little spicy. Overall the food wasn’t too salty. It was quite yummy.
This is a cheap eats place. Big portion for under $ 10. Our total came out to $ 40 for 4 plates. It was a great deal!

I am seriously addicted to this place. I’ve been coming here for years now and I’ve never been disappointed. The dishes that I’ve tried are all amazing and full of flavor. I highly recommend the basil chicken with sticky rice, that is my all time favorite and go to dish. It is full of flavor and has a little kick to it which I love. The portions are usually very generous and the food comes out quickly. Their spring rolls and chicken sateh are also amazing along with any of their desserts, although I urge you to try their house delight. I definitely recommend this place!

Love the coconut sticky rice with mango ice cream here. The warm rice with the the cold ice cream is just perfect. (3.75 $)

I have only eaten take out at Bankok Chef. I would call in the food, & my friend will always grab it & we are happy people afterwards.
I am addicted the the green curry! The green curry has a lot of bamboo shoots, vegetables, thin strips of chicken breast over a heaping bed of rice. The amount of curry itself is little because they pour it on top the rice instead of ina soup take out container.
The red curry has the same amount of spiciness as the green curry but less vegetables. I think it’s the same curry base but different food coloring. Haha.
The fried chicken is crispy, and the dipping sauce is sweet, spicy, & tangy. They have two pieces of cucumber in the plate lunch.
The pad ki Mao chicken tastes a lot like peanuts! The noodles were fat & thin, & there was thin pieces of chicken breast.

Bangkok Chef is a popular Thai chain in Honolulu. This location on Nuuanu Avenue is the original shop. It is easy to locate as the storefront is painted bright green.
I was nearby and looking for a lunch spot, so I decided to check Bangkok Chef out for the first time. The restaurant has a few spaces in front of the shop. Though the parking is VERY tight. It was a good thing it was a Sunday since there are a couple of other businesses that utilize this parking. But Bangkok Chef is the only one of them open on Sunday.
Restaurant interior is utilitarian. If you are looking for ambiance, you won’t find here. I did notice that the restaurant seems to have expanded into a space next door to offer additional seating.
The order setup is fast food style. You pay at the counter and wait for your food. Thai food tends to be higher priced than other Asian cuisines, but I found the prices here to be reasonable. You can get a filling meal here for $ 8.
I was dining with my dad so we got two entrees to share. Ordered the Panang pork curry ($ 7.95) and chicken pad kee mao ($ 9). The food took a while to come out. I would estimate 20 – 30 minutes. Bangkok Chef has a bustling takeout business. So I would recommend calling in your order or be prepared to wait a bit.
The meals were served in styrofoam containers filled with tons of food. The portions are large. You could probably share one meal and be full. The Panang pork curry was decent. Could have used a little more spice, but tasty and filling.
The pad mee kao is basically a Thai chow fun for those unfamiliar. Rice noodles were nice and fresh. Chicken used appears to be lean chicken breast which was alright. Not a whole lot of flavor. I would rather use beef or pork instead though. My suggestion would be to douse some of the curry over the pad kee mao for more flavor.
If you are looking for large portions of decent Thai food, Bangkok Chef is the place to go in Honolulu. Though I would highly recommend calling in your order ahead of time.

1. Value: good food without having to pay for the price of a fancy environment!
2. Food: our latest trip here saw us ordering #5 — Panang Pork Curry ($ 7.45) with sticky rice ($ 1 extra) which had a bit of a kick to it, but featured tender pork and potatoes. The sticky rice is ono with the curry sauce and well worth the $ 1 extra. We also got #16 — Pad Raumit ($ 8.30) which was really a dish of pan-​fried mixed vegetables, all of which was still crispy and featured beans, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, mini cobs of corn, tofu, and cherry tomatoes — a great way to keep the Thai meal flavorful yet healthy!
3. Service: Choose from a board of 25+ items, pay at counter and help yourself to water or purchased soda fountain drinks. Pick up your takeout containers of food when your name is called. Not much in the way of service, but what is there is reasonable.
4. Atmosphere: Imagine someone opening up a three-​car garage and making it a cafeteria/​restaurant — you’re not in fancy surroundings but it’s clean and comfortable enough to enjoy good food with friends for a while. They sell Thai-​style foods and spices on the side.
5. Verdict: Just outside of downtown, you’re in for a Thai treat — what is lack in atmosphere compared to other Thai sit-​down restaurants, it makes up with a decent level of food quality and low prices. Bravo!

Im kinda addicted to this place.