Ratana&#x27;s

Great Thai food in the Hilo area! The wait staff works their butt off, the lunch rush is very busy,…read moreand the food tastes great! I ordered the red curry. The lunch special is served with an Asian side salad that has a vinaigrette dressing, which was a nice way to start the meal. The curry itself was also great. Portions are large, and the curry is served with a side of rice. The dish has a lot of veggies, a lot of flavor, and a perfect kick of spice. Seems to be a local favorite during the workweek for people who work in the area, and I can see why!

Came here for a late dinner on a Saturday night. There wasn't a designated parking lot, but we were…read moreable to find street parking up the road. The restaurant wasn't super crowded, so we were able to get seated right away. For three of us, we shared the green papaya salad, pork basil, green curry, and pad kee mao. I loved the variety of the food. You can never go wrong with a Thai noodle dish, and the pad kee Mao was definitely my favorite. The noodles were the perfect texture and very flavorful. The papaya salad had a good crunch, and the green curry was delicious. The pork basil dish was a little interesting, and I would probably skip this the next time. Overall, this meal hit the spot, and I would definitely come back here if I'm craving Thai food.

I'm a sucker for bathrooms while out to eat

Pad see ew beef

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Tiger Lily is a drink to remember. Liliko'i purée, Thai tea, ginger liqueur, and tequila. Ono and oh yes.

Naung Mai Thai Kitchen

3.8(451 reviews)

0.1 mi

Our family has been coming here for YEARS. This is a solid Thai place. The service is great, the…read morefood is hella good, cute little hole in the wall restaurant. Come check it out!!

Amazing mom and pop type restaurant! Loved the restaurant and food was amazing - you can definitely…read moretell it is authentic! highkey recommend! Service was super friendly! Restaurant felt like a place where you would come for comfort Thai food!

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Exterior

Nim’s Chiang Mai Thai Cuisine

4.4(63 reviews)

1.3 mi

Food was excellent! Ordered their pad Thai with shrimp at medium spice level, spice was perfect!read more

It's a cute little spot and they have a little air conditioner to keep it cooler than it is…read moretypically outside. Best part - The Summer Roll with shrimp and peanut sauce was delicious. It was refreshing and a great appetizer to start with. Healthy and savory at the same time. The Spicy Basil was a little bland for us, the meat was the best part. The Pad Thai seemed to be over cooked and slimy. The Yellow Curry was fine, nothing extravagant to write about. Service was fine, all in all, it definitely was not worth the $100 we spent. I hope you have better luck if you decide to try it out.

Dinning Room

Pad see ew beef

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Moon & Turtle

4.6(875 reviews)

Quaint local restaurant that has a creative menu with a personal flare of the Owner chef. Staff is…read morevery knowledgeable about their menu and makes excellent recommendations. My husband and I sat at the bar and enjoyed the excellent company of our bartender server who gave excellent descriptions of the menu items ...making our mouth water before we even ordered our dinner. At Her recommendation, we enjoyed the ricotta gnocchi's As our shared starter and the pan seared local Opah fish dish which was amazing.. Reservations are highly recommend as this is a locals favorite... so tables fill quickly.. and you don't want to miss this exquisite restaurant in service and food quality!

I usually avoid writing reviews for heavily reviewed businesses, but I'm making an exception for…read morethis one as it was the best eatery my wife and I visited during our nearly week long honeymoon on the Big Island split between Hilo and Kona. We ordered the risotto, fresh catch (marlin), crispy rice, gnocchi, and finished off with the mac nut ganache mascarpone pots de crème. We did share a Lemon peel lemonade cocktail. The Lemon peel lemonade was basically spiked lemonade. Well balanced for being a tart oriented drink, but I didn't care for the floating bits. The risotto which comes in full and half order, was very rich and had chunks of mushrooms for flavor. We're glad we got the half as this was a heavy, rich, and cheesy entrée on its own. If you love risotto, you will love this dish. The marlin was perfectly cooked and balanced out with a locally inspired vegetable succotash. Fried bits of kalo were also added in for added texture. The special and new item, the gnocchi was the star of the show. This is by far the fluffiest gnocchi we've ever had. Crispy on the outside, little potato clouds of fluff on the inside. The gnocchi came over a tasty sauce with bits of fried onion for absolute perfection. The crisp rice was recommended by Yelpers and it was alright, crispy rice with a spoon of poke. Not bad, but did not live up to the hype. Get another order of the gnocchi instead. It's fairly rare to see pots de crème on restaurant menus, specials or not, so we had to get this. It came in a cute little glass jar, with rich chocolate and mascarpone flavor with a hint of mac nut. This desert was an absolutely delicious perfect end to the meal. You can make reservations online, street parking is quite limited, and it can get busy as the night goes on, so recommended to get an earlier dinning time. Staffs regularly checked in on us and were polite and efficient.

Limited seating so it fills fast - so make a reservation

Market fish (Ono)

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Market Fish - steamed mahi with garlic, ginger, scallion and soy in roasted bone congee with chili oil and wild rice

Tina's Garden Cafe

4.4(364 reviews)

It was my first time eating at Tinaʻs, and I was so happy my sister brought our party of 5 here…read more We ordered the Thai pizza, yellow curry, tom kah, pad thai, summer roll and mango sticky rice. I enjoyed each dish especially the Thai pizza since it was so different than any dish I tried. The vegetables from the summer roll tasted fresh and crisp....and the mango sweet rice - a must if you love mangoes!

The sweetest ladies Everything is made with love,…read morereasonably priced and definitely worth it. FRESHLY brewed Thai tea that fills the restaurant with a sweet scent & you can choose to have it with coconut milk or regular milk or half and half! I prefer coconut milk. So creamy makes a perfect Thai iced tea. Enjoyed our papaya salad & our veggie pad Thai. There were so many other dishes on the menu that sounded amazing but I already had a plan as I was craving papaya salad and pad Thai hit the spot .. They even brought out a sippy cup for my 7m old. He loved the noodles and the veggies. Plenty of parking. Thank you aunties.

Papaya Salad

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Thai Iced Tea

Bangkok Villa Hilo

4.5(74 reviews)

This place is great for takeout. There are a couple of tables on the side of the place outside but…read morethat's it. The food is delicious and well-priced. It has an authentic homemade taste to it. Service was fast and the people are super nice. Mahalo

My partner and I both ordered that pad thai, only I ordered mine with shrimp. Hers, chicken, was…read morefine. I spent the entire night with severe food poisoning. Once I felt the symptoms come on, the ordeal lasted nearly twelve hours. We joked about getting poisoned by the looks of the place, but I felt confident once we were served. It's tasted alright. Pretty good. Never again. Do not recommend. Zero stars.

Front door, street hang. Not raining.... Yet! It's Hilo

Red curry loaded with veggies

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Pad thai with shrimp.

Hilo Siam Thai Restaurant

4.2(107 reviews)

0.1 mi

I ordered from here a couple of days ago and it was genuinely some of the best Thai food I have…read moreever had. My mom and I got the green curry and the Buddha Rama curry with sticky rice. They were both so good we couldn't decide which one we liked more. They were also very generous with the amount of chicken they gave us in the curry. We got a side of shrimp summer rolls which were also excellent. The owner was very nice as well and made good recommendations. I would suggest doing takeout here because the restaurant is very hot.

Not bad! The place we were planning on eating at was closed…read morewhen we came by so we came here instead. The seating area was very small, only a couple tables and it was empty when we went. It was very hot inside without AC, which was unfortunate, but otherwise it was not bad. The noodle soup had great flavor, good comfort food. The chicken was a bit tough and dry though. The green curry had excellent flavor. The prices are pretty low (plates around or under $15)! Service was excellent, they were very quick and attentive. Overall not bad, but 4 stars for not the most comfortable atmosphere and dry chicken

Interior

Eggplant w/ Sweet Basil & Pork.

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Located on Furneaux Lane in historic Downtown Hilo. Serving lunch and dinner, dine-in or takeout.

Ning's Thai Cuisine

4.3(356 reviews)

18.2 mi

Great flavor!!! Our favorite is the crab fried rice and the Thai steak. Mango sticky rice and ice…read morecream is the perfect finish to the meal. We tried various curry dishes, all delicious! Papaya salad was refreshing too. Our friends stayed in Hilo for 4 days and went back to Ning's 3 times. It was THAT good!

So yummy! I'm obsessed with the food here. It's a little pricey, but the quality and flavor are…read moredefinitely there. Very family-oriented business, and their food is to die for!

Interior

Evil Jungle Prince with yellow curry

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Fresh shrimp spring roll

Puka Puka Kitchen

4.4(519 reviews)

0.2 mi

Food is consistently good. Ahi don with garlic rice and toss salad! The absolute best. The space is…read moresmall and parking can be hard on market days.

Walking the shops here in Hilo, on vacation from Portland Or. After a bit of shopping, the tummy…read morerumbles kicked in and the four of us decided to swing in to Puka Puka Kitchen on a whim. We ordered an Ahi Poke bowl, an Ahi-Don, and a small salad with added Ahi. This place is a gem. Service was great. The food is fantastic. Ahi in the poke was as tender as we've ever had, and their seasonings were on point. Ahi-Don was a tiny surprise for us, as we were expecting what would normally (stateside) be raw tuna on rice, but this turned out to be fried Ahi on a curried rice. No matter; the fish was great and oh, that curry rice was incredible. Couldn't stop eating it. Side salad, "small", was larger than expected, and the added Ahi on top made it a full meal. Pricing was VERY reasonable--as tourists we've gotten somewhat accustomed to paying exorbitant "island prices" but this place had very moderate prices in the range of $16 (poke bowl) to $25 (Ahi Don plate). Excellent. If we have the opportunity to eat here again, we'd be back.

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Storefront from the inside. The daily bento lunch boxes sold out before noon.

Aloydee's Thai Food

4.5(45 reviews)

0.1 mi

•$

Very friendly and quick service! I ordered cucumber salad was not on the menu but I asked and she…read moremade it for me! so good got it medium spicy. Makes me miss home but this was a good choice!

Aloydee's is located in a space with other food vendors along Kamehameha Ave near Hilo Farmers…read moreMarket. There are lots of stalls along Kamehameha Ave, but you may need to be patient, especially on weekends. The space that Aloydee's is in was pretty empty when I went on a Saturday afternoon, and there were also seats inside. I ordered a pineapple curry with tofu and brown rice. I love pineapple but never had it in curry before! It was a refreshing curry, and I will definitely be on the hunt for pineapple curry from now on. The worker made the food fresh, so it stayed hot for a long time. The only complaint I had is that she put chicken instead of tofu inside, and I don't like chicken! But I totally understand, since maybe she misheard me, and people make mistakes all the time. Overall great food, but don't forget to check what's in your container!

Chicken pad Thai

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Cucumber salad not on the menu but I asked

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E K.

0

3

0

7 years ago

Best Thai food on Island/World! Very well priced! Ratana offers her world famous green papaya salad. Locally sourced ingredients. You can really feel Ratana's love and commitment to health in her fresh food. KAPA radio station jams accompanied with her ear to ear smiles help Hold a peaceful and zen sanctuary space downtown. read more

George M.

0

4

0

5 years ago

They have the best mango and sticky rice. It is served warm with the yummiest coconut milk sauce. Sometimes I just order the mango sticky rice because it's that good! The summer rolls are also very good, we love the sweet chili dipping sauce. The ladies there are also very friendly! read more

La H.

223

16

5

9 years ago

The food is delicious, but I like coming here the most because the nice lady that cooks the food. She seems so happy and the food tastes like happy. read more

Frances K.

0

3

0

8 years ago

Love this place, my fav Thai restaurant in the area. Great food and prices, lovely staff. Ono curries and papaya salad, I'm going again this week! read more

David L.

0

6

2

5 years ago

Have been eating Ratana's food for 15 years. Always consistently good, and fairly priced.

Ratana's - thai - Updated September 2026

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Great Thai food in the Hilo area! The wait staff works their butt off, the lunch rush is very busy,…read moreand the food tastes great! I ordered the red curry. The lunch special is served with an Asian side salad that has a vinaigrette dressing, which was a nice way to start the meal. The curry itself was also great. Portions are large, and the curry is served with a side of rice. The dish has a lot of veggies, a lot of flavor, and a perfect kick of spice. Seems to be a local favorite during the workweek for people who work in the area, and I can see why!

Came here for a late dinner on a Saturday night. There wasn't a designated parking lot, but we were…read moreable to find street parking up the road. The restaurant wasn't super crowded, so we were able to get seated right away. For three of us, we shared the green papaya salad, pork basil, green curry, and pad kee mao. I loved the variety of the food. You can never go wrong with a Thai noodle dish, and the pad kee Mao was definitely my favorite. The noodles were the perfect texture and very flavorful. The papaya salad had a good crunch, and the green curry was delicious. The pork basil dish was a little interesting, and I would probably skip this the next time. Overall, this meal hit the spot, and I would definitely come back here if I'm craving Thai food.

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Food is consistently good. Ahi don with garlic rice and toss salad! The absolute best. The space is…read moresmall and parking can be hard on market days.

Walking the shops here in Hilo, on vacation from Portland Or. After a bit of shopping, the tummy…read morerumbles kicked in and the four of us decided to swing in to Puka Puka Kitchen on a whim. We ordered an Ahi Poke bowl, an Ahi-Don, and a small salad with added Ahi. This place is a gem. Service was great. The food is fantastic. Ahi in the poke was as tender as we've ever had, and their seasonings were on point. Ahi-Don was a tiny surprise for us, as we were expecting what would normally (stateside) be raw tuna on rice, but this turned out to be fried Ahi on a curried rice. No matter; the fish was great and oh, that curry rice was incredible. Couldn't stop eating it. Side salad, "small", was larger than expected, and the added Ahi on top made it a full meal. Pricing was VERY reasonable--as tourists we've gotten somewhat accustomed to paying exorbitant "island prices" but this place had very moderate prices in the range of $16 (poke bowl) to $25 (Ahi Don plate). Excellent. If we have the opportunity to eat here again, we'd be back.

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My friend and I have been trying a bunch of different places for Pho lately. I think this might be…read morethe best so far! The broth was deeply flavored, the perfect mix of all the flavors. Not only is the food great but the service was as well. We waited a little bit because it was packed and as we're waiting we got to talking story with an auntie that was also waiting. Long story short she ended up joining us and we had an awesome time! Pho Viet is an awesome place in Hilo. It feels warm and inviting. Everyone was very friendly.

My wife has been raving about this "pho" place in Hilo for a while now. I finally got a chance to…read moretry it and it did not disappoint. First off, any place my wife wants to go to several times means it must be at the top of the food chain! Pho Viet is located in back of Garden Exchange. Apparently there are two pho places so look for Pho Viet - on the right side. Be careful when walking from Haili street as there are sketchy people hanging out on both sides of the road. (What happened Hilo??). Unfortunately there is hardly any parking so you probably have to walk to the restaurant from away. When you go inside the place is pretty small like 6-8 tables but it's constantly filled with people. They all look like they are enjoying their meal. The lady that runs the place is super nice and lets my wife bring her own "additions" to the pho. The pho is really good and you can choose from the usual choices - flank, beef round, tendon, meatball. The broth is delicious and you can order extra noodles which I did. The chili pepper sauce is really really good but make sure you taste and taste. I made mine a little too spicy and had to add more broth - which they made and gave to me. Excellent!!!!!! After eating the bowl, I felt good. I was stuffed but in a good way. The feeling lasted all night and I never had to eat again for the rest of the day and I slept great ! There was a constant flow of people. I guess everyone knows how good this place is. My brother in law says this place is the best in Hilo. I believe it.

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Food is okay, service is not great, we have to wait for a refill as our server (we feel like)…read moreflirting with a customer, and she did not pay attention to what we need like water, etc, ambiance is okay.

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