I had always heard great things about Sawadee, but sadly had never been, possibly due to the fact…read morethat I have only eaten Thai food twice in my life! So, when I was lucky enough to be invited to a dinner at Sawadee, I was super excited, not only for the food, but to get a better understanding of Thai cuisine! Upon walking in, I was warmly greeted with 'Sawadee' and shown to our table. The table setting was very pretty, with royal blue being the main feature colour. I also loved the overall décor and ambience of the place, from the indoor waterfall and the beautiful flowers on our table, to the various pot plants dotted around the restaurant - it had a great tropical and summery feel to it! We first started off with a few drinks. Sawadee had recently compiled a new summer cocktail list, which had an interesting list of drinks. I ordered the 'Sunkiss' which consisted of vodka, strawberry liqueur, banana liqueur and orange juice. I asked the waiter if he could please substitute the vodka for tequila (as I really love tequila) - he was very accommodating, which was great. It was a delicious drink, topped with a cherry and curled orange peel - not something you see in most restaurants! Later on I also ordered a Lychee Mojito, and although very sweet, it was also delicious! Would definitely go back just to order this drink again! Now onto the food. My favourite dishes of the night were two of the entrees (and also one of the mains) including the 'Thai Style Fresh Spring Rolls' with chicken and shrimp and the 'Charcoal BBQ Marinated Pork Skewers'. The spring rolls were delightfully fresh and were accompanied by two dipping sauces. Perfect way to start a meal! The pork skewers were juicy and I could have eaten more than two! But the main dish of 'Mixed Steamed Seafood in a Fresh Coconut' (Thai name is Hormok talay ma praw orn) was definitely the highlight of the night. The dish consisted of prawns, scallops, snapper and squid in a red curry paste, coconut cream sauce with egg and Thai herbs. It took me to a whole 'nother level in terms of the flavours. I also loved the fact that it was served in a coconut, and ordained with edible carrot flowers - it was the most beautifully presented dish I have ever seen! Dessert was 'Jelly Rubies in Coconut Milk' and consisted of coconut milk, water chestnuts, coconut meat and sago jellies. A sugar syrup was also served separately to pour on top (it was served in a patron shot glass - initially I thought we were all having a tequila shot with our dessert!). It was a lovely dish to end the meal - very refreshing and light. As well as the amazing food, I thought the service was also top notch. I loved that the staff were enthusiastic and made the effort to explain each dish. Having very little knowledge of Thai cuisine, it was great to be able to get a better understanding of the ingredients used and what exactly we would be tasting. Overall, I had a fabulous time at Sawadee - I can't wait to go back with friends and family!

Service 4/5 Food 4/5…read moreEnvironment 4/5 Price worth the value Overall, we were very happy that we selected this place among all these Thai restaurants. Good food, it was slightly salty for us. But it is ok. The service was very good. Tips: Many people don't know that Thai restaurant normally charges rice per serve. 2 or 3 dollars per serve. If they come back and ask you, would you like more rice. If you says yes, it will be another 2 or 3 dollars. Doesn't matter if you only want a little bit. Just keep this in mind and it doesn't come with the dish.

It is amazing to dine at Rad Thai. The food is authentic, very close to what I had in Thailand . My…read morewife is Thai and she could not stop raving about the food here . We love our Tom Kha Kai , Pad See Ew , Red Curry and Fried Fish. We will definitely come back when we return to New Zealand.

After hunting for a vegan restaurant to take my Mum on the first Monday of our trip to Auckland and…read morediscovering most that look good quality in the area were shut we discovered Saan. After a quick check over the menu we headed there for an early dinner. Arriving around 6pm on a Monday it was still quiet and no need for a booking. The staff were friendly on arrival and attended to us quickly for drinks then allowing us time to peruse the food menu. With some delicious sounding veg / vegan options Mum felt spoilt for choice. We went with the following: - Salted tofu on perilla leaf - this dish was outstanding - salty, sweet, fresh and crunchy all at once. All the ingredients worked incredibly together. This dish was the perfect, fresh start to our meal (especially with the crisp Albariño we'd ordered) - Roasted eggplant, mushroom and chili dip - these are served with bean curd skin (i think that's right). They came out almost like churros - still warm and something I've never had before like this. The dip definitely had a spicy kick to it, I didn't mind but I guess that's why the serve it with slices of cucumber on the side - Crispy tofu red curry - again, delicious rich flavors, everything worked exceptionally well together along with the addition of the sticky rice on the side. Delicious mix of mushrooms in this and the green beans were a nice fresh mix into this dish Overall, service was great, atmosphere is warm and welcoming, even the dishes they serve the food on was really beautiful. I would recommend this to any local or visitor alike - the meat centric dishes + dessert also all looked great too

Saan, from the people behind Hanoi Kitchen is brand new to Ponsonby Road on the newly refurbished…read moreVideo Ezy site and what a welcome addition to the neighbourhood it is! My partner Ryan's mum was in town with a friend. Being a Saturday and given the restaurant had been open less than a week I went in mid-afternoon to book. It turns up they only take walk ins but I was assured we would be fine if we came before 7 pm. We did just that and were fine. The place is large and spacious and exquisitely decorated in simple beige colours with interesting textiles and fittings. There is a selection of interesting looking booths, small and large tables. There are two open kitchens, a grill and the main kitchen where you can see the chefs at work. It's style all the way. Sit down the back - it had the best atmosphere. The staff were professional, fast and friendly and soon we were looking through the impressive drinks list. Always a fan of something sparkling we chose a rather delicious Gustave Lorentz Cremate d'Alsace which it turns out would compliment the food perfectly. The wine was very well priced at $11 a glass and it wasn't long before we were onto a bottle of the stuff at $53 a bottle. The rest of the drinks list has a great range of predominantly New Zealand and French wines, cocktails and craft beers - plenty of interesting things to try including a Thai beer. The menu is very interesting, made up of small, medium and large sharing plates. Each item in each section is listed by heat scale. Not a chilli emoji in site, simply listed mild to spicy down the page. We selected a selection from each and none of the dishes were uncomfortably hot. The food was quite simply sensational. We selected two items from the small plates and four from the large and a pickled vegetable side dish. The waiter informed us that he would send the dishes out over time which happened without a hitch. First up came the small plates and the side - deep fried taro cakes and tofu, pork sausages and the picked vegetables. The taro cakes and tofu came with an amazing chilli dipping sauce but it was the sausages that would turn out to be the highlight of the night and gave us a new 'go back for' dish to add to our list. The pickled veg was mainly cabbage; mild and refreshing and plenty of it. Next came a mains. First to arrive was rather spectacular looking fried fish. All of the flesh had been removed, chunked and deep fried, then piled back onto the also fried head, bones and tail. It looked amazing, the only problem was we hadn't ordered it. The waiter had confused the order - we'd ordered chargrilled chicken. Once the confusion was sorted we were gifted the dish anyway by the maître d' or owner who told us "we have a no waste policy here, the fish is on the house". Impressive, as I've seen these sorts of situations handled poorly in the past at other places. The fish was great and next up came twice cooked beef cheeks, crispy pork belly, braised beef neck and the chargrilled chicken with a single side of rice we ordered. We barely touched the rice as there were too many tasty delights that simply didn't need the accompaniment. Of the two styles of beef we ordered, the beef checks in tamarind and chilli were by far the best - melt in you mouth stuff. The beef neck came with large egg noodles and a coconut broth. Everyone raved about the egg noodles. The crispy pork belly by nature of the dish would never be crispy. It's done in a red curry paste with snake beans, chilli, kaffir lime and a sprig of young peppercorns - the latter the kind of thing that just adds something interesting sight wise to the dish. The grilled chicken with lemongrass and Thai spices was simple but good. Boned out apart from the wings and legs it was tasty and plentiful. Completely satisfied, the bill came. Split four ways including tip we each parted with $70 - great value for what we received. Another simple but impressive touch were the needle fine, cinnamon flavoured bamboo toothpicks that were delivered with the bill. There was no room for dessert but we'll most certainly be back! Saan, welcome to Ponsonby!

I love Thai food so can be pretty critical when it comes to recommending good places to eat…read more However I would send my friends to Aroy Thai Express without a moment's hesitation. Aroy is a Thai eatery that opened recently in Ponsonby. Located on Ponsonby Road, it is sure to be a hit - especially with such delicious, well priced food on the menu! Chicken with oyster sauce stir fry and a side of rice only costs $12 and the portions are huge. I had it for lunch one day when I was starving and it still managed to beat me. Luckily this just meant could have the leftovers for dinner! Two meals for the price of one - bonus. The staff at Aroy are all incredibly well spoken and friendly, and are happy to take phone orders to ensure your meal is steaming hot and ready when you come to collect it.

Incredible Thai food. This is a meal we are going to be talking about long after we leave New…read moreZealand. It is a hip and vibrant place and our waiter was very, very good at what he does. For starters we got the fish wrapped in betel leaf. It was heavy on the lime which I love but the hubs thought was a little intense. We moved on to the duck fried rice with no garlic and onion (I hate this but I have an intolerance to both so the chefs were amazing at reducing those from our dishes in a cuisine that relies heavily on both). The duck was so tender as if it had been confited before being fried. The whole dish was perfection in a bowl. Then my favorite dish of the night came out - the crispy chicken. The chicken was in a sauce but still stayed crispy and was packed with flavor along with a little heat from the chili's. I ordered a side of sticky rice and taking little chunks of the rice and scooping up chicken and sauce made for perfect bites. Amazing experience from start to finish.

Go Go Daddy Thai Canteen is situated within a complex of small eateries in Ponsonby, one of the…read morebustling upscale neighborhoods in Auckland. Since it was summer when we visited Auckland, we decided to just walk it from our hotel at K road and it only took us 15 minutes to get here. It was already busy when we arrived yet even without reservations we were able to snag a table for 3 al fresco. The ambiance is casual and relaxed, yet it exudes some class that I'd probably be embarrassed to come here in flip-flops. The bar is right in the middle of the restaurant, the dishes are rustic elevated Thai street food. We decided to order Thai family style dining and we started with papaya salad to share. For our main dishes we shared duck fried rice, stir fried chicken and Spare ribs Thai curry. Our dishes came in together and I enjoyed it with a local Cabernet from Marlborough. The staff are awesome, very customer service oriented, so do visit this place when you are in the neighborhood!

We really enjoyed our meal here; service was excellent, food was exquisitely spiced, and the place…read morewas filled with people who were enjoying themselves...which can be infectious. We shared the Double Crispy Satay Tofu appetizer which started the meal off on a positive note. The peanut based dipping sauce worked with the crispy tofu well; I appreciate that the fried batter complemented (vs. dominating) the tofu. Our mains were the Ducking Good Curry, Tempeh Black Pepper Stir-Fry (subbing tofu for the tempeh), and the Tempeh Pad Thai. I don't think you can go wrong ordering anything on the menu, all were outstanding. Definitely would return.

Fantastic vegan Asian food. We've never had vegan duck before so that was in both of our dishes…read more The desserts- also vegan- are also delicious

Now renamed "Nora Thai Street Food". The owner was very warm and welcoming as soon as I walked in…read more I was craving pad kra pow and asked if they could make the authentic Thai style for me. They did and did not disappoint. Every bite was a blast of Thai spiciness, sweetness, and savoriness. The Nam Tok salad was a nice tangy contrast in flavor to the kra pow. The seating is spacious and cozy. The decor is colorful and resembles the Thai spirit. I enjoyed my dinner here and would come back anytime!

This place is a gem! We ordered the chicken satay and basil chicken stir fry for dinner. Both were…read moredelicious! Food came out quickly. Free water is available, self-serve. Definitely worth checking out.

A good thai restaurant in the Auckland CBD. They have an extensive menu, the quality of the food is…read morehigh and the service is friendly and attentive. I was here with a party of 11 and they did a wonderful job hosting our group.

The menu in the glass case out front did not list Pad Thai - which I was craving - but I was sold…read moreonce we peeked inside and asked if they had it and we're told yes. It didn't hurt that he place was packed. That was a good sign and we were off to a good start. The inside was very lovely and we were fine with eating at the bar, but they were able to squeeze us into a 2-top in the dining room. We shared the pad thai and got some sides to split. Man! When they say "sticky rice", they mean it! Not that that's a bad thing. I smothered it in peanut sauce and wa a happy camper. The cocktails are a little on the spendy side, but then, they are spendy anywhere compared to back in the USA. We got very good service and would return over and over again - if we lived there. Alas, the locals get to enjoy this gem and we just get to have found memories from 6,889 miles away.

A friend took me here for dinner as she said she went the Friday before and loved it!…read more We ordered both chicken stir fry dishes. Waiter was very attentive and friendly. Both dishes were around $21.90 i believe. Tasty and filling, the dishes do not come with rice so you will need to order that separately. It wasn't the best tasting Thai, so i don't think the prices suit it. Maybe because its it a fancy area they up their prices? Overall, great first time experience.

Star thai has a celebrity theme to the place, hanging a bunch of portraits of old and new famous…read morefaces on the wall. Service was good and the curries were flavourful.