Thai Moon Carry-Out — Restaurant in Ocracoke

Summary: Eating here puts you highly at risk for severe food poisoning/ stomach virus, the noodles are NOT GLUTEN FREE, the prices are extremely high, and the service is unreliable & rude.

My dad and I ordered from this place out of desperation as we needed a gluten free and vegetarian option. From the many good reviews, we figured it was worth a chance. However, the noodles were not made of rice. Specifically the noodles used in my pad see yew dish appeared to be flat Italian egg noodles (made of wheat). Rice noodles are the standard for most Thai dishes so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Again, I was desperate and hungry. One of the worst mistakes I've made.

About 10 minutes later I was violently ill, throwing up numerous times (6+ rounds) before it stopped. Afterward the pain persisted, along with on and off chills and other symptoms. Yesterday (5/30/21) it reached the point where I needed to go to the hospital due to being unable to eat and sometimes drink without throwing up, for 4 days. The pain was so bad that I couldn't sleep. The symptoms were showing no signs of improvement before I decided to go to the emergency room. I was diagnosed with gastroenteritis, aka a stomach virus. First time I have ever been hospitalized. Today it has been 5 days since the initial incident and I am still very sick. I'm only starting to get better after seeking medical attention.

I think getting sick from this restaurant was a combination of their use of gluten and most of all, their unsanitary kitchen conditions (as I have never had such a severe reaction to gluten before, despite being very sensitive).

Other problems with this restaurant are its extremely high prices and its unreliable customer service. Their food quality is pretty much cheap trash with big city prices. Two extremely basic noodle dishes cost almost $40. At least in another town I can get amazing, high quality food for a lower price that also won't get me sick. Seriously disgusted with what happened here.

Not to mention, we tried to eat there the day before only to find the online hours were not accurate. The next day we called over an hour and a half before their closing time and they said they were at max capacity, so not accepting any additional orders. Unfortunately for us, they changed their mind afterward and took the orders. They were also pretty rude, you could hear the lady "chef" yelling in the background, and they put us on hold for over 20 minutes for no clear reason. Plus they actually had a note on the menu or the dry erase boards that said "same day service is not guaranteed."

Please take my warning to heart, this restaurant is absolutely NOT WORTH IT.

It's like something out of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, but completely unredeemable. Don't trust the good reviews, it's not worth risking your health and throwing money away. I have never once had such a horrific experience anywhere that I've had to leave a bad review. This is my genuine, honest attempt to keep others from experiencing the same fate (otherwise I wouldn't go out of my way to type out a friggin' essay lol). Thank you for reading this far.

UPDATE (6/8/21): I have fully recovered now, my feelings about this place remain the same. Eating here is not worth the health risk. Especially if you are Celiac or gluten sensitive, this place is absolutely...

It's honestly surprising to see a Thai restaurant in a place like Ocracoke! That being said, it's a good place to eat but there's a few rules to follow. One being that this is carry-out ONLY. There is no place to sit inside, there is outdoor seating which is also shared by Helios' and Moonraker.

Lunch is between 2:30-4 and you can takeout by going there in person or by calling ahead. Dinner is until 8:30. Dinner is call ahead ONLY. If you show up at 8 pm wanting to order you don't have a shot. You can show up at 2:30 to order for dinner however. So the best thing is to honestly just call ahead to guarantee your food.

Second thing is that it's cash ONLY. Most businesses accept credit card on the island except for this restaurant and some others. It's smart of the owners to charge cash only to avoid paying taxes. If you choose to buy any of the Thai clothes, jewelry, etc inside their mini gift shop, credit/debit cards are accepted. So food is cash only. As for ATMs, there's not a ton and most are broken. The one in the Ocracoke Variety Store is functional though charges high transaction fees so be aware. There was a large amount of people that came and wanted to takeout but couldn't because they had no cash. Cash is slowly phasing out nowadays and it's smart to accept card, but that's how the store is.

Food itself - good. Drunken noodles and fried rice were great, even though we picked Thai spicy it didn't seem too spicy. The flavor was good and portions were big, though there was an exorbitant amount of tofu. Like, so much, which can be taken in a good or bad way. The chicken satay was also good and cooked well. The coconut milk soup was OK and not great, and the mixed vegetables were also okay. Overall food is flavorful, lot of salt, but it's good food. 4/5.

Service itself is a Thai lady and I believe her son. She doesn't speak English well and also cannot hear well, she didn't respond to all of our questions or comments. For example, we asked if there were vegetables in the fried rice, to which there was no response. Based on what I've seen she can be two sided, good or bad, based on...

Was craving Thai food and decided to ride over to Thai Moon for dinner. The food here is authentically Thai cuisine and just delicious!

WARNING: Thai Moon is carry out orders only & cash only so come prepared.

This is a SMALL business so be specific with your pick up time and don’t expect to be chatting up a storm with the staff here when picking up your food. They are working as fast as they can to get fresh food out and take orders. Please be mindful of this.

All orders on the menu are custom made to your spice level from mild to Thai level hot.

MOON EGG ROLLS These egg rolls were so deliciously fresh and crunchy. Every bite was full of minced pork, shredded carrots, cabbage and vermicelli. Dipped with their homemade sweet chili sauce, just divine!

SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS Rice paper rolled with vermicelli, fresh greens, carrots, cilantro, and shrimp. Dip into the housemate peanut sauce for the best bite. Every bite was so crunchy and fresh, just delicious. The rolls were rolled nice and tight, zero spillage. Very impressed with how stuffed these were. So yummy.

DRUNKEN NOODLES We got a medium heat and Thai level hot. Oh my lord these were tasty! We chose chicken for our protein. I love drunken noodles and Thai Moon’s style is veggie and flavor heavy, just how I like it. Chewy, flat rice noodles, onions, tomatoes, chilis, garlic and fresh basil leaves; every bite was just an explosion of saucy flavors and textures. In hindsight, we should’ve just gotten medium because the Thai level one had us SWEATING and chugging our drinks. Delicious nonetheless, but note to self stick with medium if you like spicy, but want to enjoy your meal.

Portions are generous, so you'll have enough for leftovers to enjoy the next day. Love the Thai food here,...