Koloa Thai Bistro — Restaurant in Kauai

Last evening, our visit to Koloa Thai Bistro was profoundly disappointing due to the abysmal service we received. After being seated, we observed not one, but four other groups arrive, get seated, and have their orders promptly taken. In stark contrast, we were utterly neglected. Despite our attempts to catch the attention of the staff multiple times, we were dismissed each time without any assistance. It was only when the same host who initially seated us returned that he inquired if anyone had attended to us yet—clearly, they had not.

Once our order was finally placed, the food delivery was staggeringly disjointed, arriving one plate at a time with lengthy five-minute intervals. Adding to the chaos, they completely forgot one of our main items—a sushi roll, which was meant to be a highlight of our meal. This disorganized service was not only frustrating but also surprising, considering we saw a manager personally delivering hand wipes to another table, an attention to detail that was starkly missing from our experience.

Despite these issues, the management did not acknowledge the oversight or offer any form of compensation, not even an apology was forthcoming. This lack of response was as disappointing as the service itself. Other members of our travel party shared that they experienced similar service issues, suggesting this may not be an isolated event. Although the food we did receive was tasty, the overall experience left us dissatisfied to the extent that we had to seek out additional food elsewhere to complete our evening.

It is my hope that our experience was an anomaly tied to that specific night and not indicative of the usual standards at Koloa Thai Bistro. Nonetheless, based on this visit, I cannot recommend this establishment, as they have shown a significant disregard for customer service and...

I rarely write a review on Google maps but cannot help but feel indignant to discourage any prospective customer from trying the food here. We ordered a $20 Tom Yum soup with only mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes in a tomato-soup base. No hint of shrimp paste, Thai chili base, fish sauce, lime leaf, and galangal. Very bland taste of lemongrass. Adding shrimp costs $6 more.

The green curry tasted like just thawed from a microwave. The broth was over diluted with congealed oil floating around. The thinly sliced chicken was overcooked and very tough to chew.

I ordered the “must try” crying tiger which is a steak with a sweet and sour sauce. I ordered it medium but it came well done. The steak had grill char marks on it but looked and tasted like thawed from frozen. No juice came out of it while cutting the steak. The sticky rice that goes with the dish came in a plastic bag hoarding inside a basket.

This is simply the WORST Thai food I’ve ever had anywhere and I paid $100 for it. The service was good and the wait time for food was okay. At this price point you must hire a better chef and make food fresh or the customers will...

The restaurant felt like a sauna inside—uncomfortably hot and stuffy, which made the dining experience unpleasant from the start. The food itself was extremely underwhelming. The flavors were bland, the tofu in the dishes was actually cold inside, and overall, it didn’t even meet the standard of average American-style Thai food, let alone authentic Thai cuisine. It was by far the worst Thai food we’ve had on the island.

To make matters worse, they automatically added a 22% service charge because we had five people, but there was no signage anywhere in the restaurant indicating this policy. The service was mediocre at best, and it felt unfair that the tip was forced rather than based on customer satisfaction.

We’ve been trying Thai food across the island in recent days—in both Lihue and Kapaa—and this was hands down the worst experience. The prices were the highest we’ve seen for Thai food during our trip, yet the quality didn’t even come close to justifying it. In short, overpriced, subpar food, and misleading service charges. Would not return...