Kuno — Restaurant in Portland

I’ve driven down Cumberland Avenue countless times and somehow never noticed Kuno. It’s an easy spot to miss — definitely in “hole in the wall” territory —but it’s one worth finding.

On a recent snowy Saturday night, we were looking for a casual, affordable sit-down dinner. The challenge? It’s Portland, so most places close by 9 pm. Kuno, open until 11 pm, was a welcome surprise. The restaurant has a cozy, neighborhood feel with plenty of free street parking nearby. When you walk in, the bar area is the first thing you see. It almost feels like the bar’s the whole restaurant, but there’s a small dining room tucked in the back. The bar itself seemed like a great spot to grab a cocktail and a bite, and I’d come back just for that.

The menu isn’t huge, but it has a solid variety. I stole a bite of my husband’s spicy chicken sandwich, and it was easily a 10/10. The bread was fluffy, the chicken thick and juicy, and the slaw on top gave it a yummy twist. My ground chicken with basil came with a crispy fried egg, but it leaned a little salty. I also assumed the egg would be sunny-side up, which was on me. I’d still order it again, but the chicken sandwich was the clear winner. We also got a few apps: the wings were juicy with a generous portion, the pork dumplings were delish, and the crab wontons, while tasty, leaned more cream cheese than crab filling.

Drinks-wise, they offered cocktails, beer, and even full bottles of wine; we ordered a $40 bottle of Italian red. Our two entrées, three apps, and wine came to about $110, which felt reasonable for the portions and quality, especially given the area. We left happy and will definitely be back when we’re in the mood for no-frills Thai food. Kuno is exactly that — homey, unpretentious, and casual, but still a place where you can order a reasonably priced bottle of wine and get...

Kunos was a huge disappointment for us. After reading reviews and convincing my family that we should order from here, I was really surprised by how bland the food was. Thai food usually has amazing depth of flavour, but this was one-note and bland. The "spicy" wings? I'm not sure if they were even a spice level of 1 if at all. Wings weren't crispy and sauce was liquidy and pooled at the bottom, just syrupy and sweet without traditional Thai flavours. The Nasi Goreng, a popular menu item, tasted no better than a fried rice you would get at a food court. Bland, no Thai flavours, no spice/heat. The addition of fried egg doesn't add much when there's no flavour. The ground chicken with basil was a little better, but still nothing at all like the ones I've had at other Thai restaurants. I really wanted to like this place, and I don't often write reviews, but if you're looking for good Thai food with the amazing flavours that Thai food is known for, look elsewhere to avoid a disappointing experience. We had Boda recently and it was far superior. Looking forward to trying a few more...

The last few months I’ve been on a mission to find the best Thai place in the greater Portland area and more specifically to find the best curry. I’ve probably tried about 30 places at this point and nothing holds a candle to this place. I’m writing this literally after finishing Thai food from another very top rated place in Falmouth for the first time because Kuno was closed - thinking about Kuno the whole time I ate it. Kunos curry has HUGE portions so if you like a lot of curry sauce this is definitely for you! Their vegetables and tofu are extremely fresh and cut up super small within the curry so it’s very easy to mix and eat with rice to get a bite full of curry, rice, and multiple veggies all at once. If other Thai food places are rated five stars then Kuno...