Secret Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

The Secret is... It's Not Thai!!! Owner had replied to my review, and I totally disagree!! As a chef, you should give your customers what they expect, not what you think is right… with Thai food, you should at the very least ask- how spicy would you like… not assume that a customer cannot have spicy foods! It’s insulting to me.. I'm torn. Truly, utterly torn. I had such high hopes for this place, especially with all the glowing reviews. The secret is out, and it’s a big, fat letdown. Let me start with the good, because there's a lot of it. The moment you walk in, the atmosphere is charming and the staff is genuinely kind. Our server was attentive and kind. The plates that came out were nothing short of art—beautifully presented with a clear emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients. The portions are also incredibly generous; my plate felt like it could feed a small family. And let's be real, the food tastes good. The Duck was cooked perfectly, the vegetables were crisp, and the sauce was well-balanced and savory. So what's the problem? The secret is, this food isn't Thai. At all. It's like Thai food went on a vacation to the Midwest and forgot its passport. Every dish we ordered—from the curry to the pad thai—lacked the foundational pillars of Thai cuisine: the aromatic complexity of lemongrass, the sharp tang of lime, and most importantly, the fire of chili. We asked for "Thai spicy," and what we got was a dish that a one year-old could handle. It was, in a word, bland. The flavors were so muted that they were almost unrecognizable. It’s a complete and total bait-and-switch. It’s frustrating because the potential is there. The ingredients are top-notch, the service is wonderful, and the presentation is beautiful. But without the authentic flavors and, let's be honest, the spice, it's just another well-prepared but ultimately boring meal. I wish I could give it more stars, but for a restaurant that markets itself as "secret Thai," the lack of genuine Thai flavor is an unforgivable offense. It’s proof that sometimes you just can’t...

The Secret Thai Kitchen in Freeport, NY just Celebrated its Grand Opening on the Famous Nautical Mile. So my wife and I thought we’d give it a try…

When we walked into the restaurant we were greeted immediately by a lovely woman with a big smile. She seated us immediately and the server came to our table to take our drink order. I had a IPA 🍺 Draft Beer and my wife ordered a glass of wine.

Within a few minutes our drinks were served and we placed our order. We ordered the peanut dumplings as an appetizer, fried chicken over rice and the chicken & vegetable Pod Kee Mao. The dumplings were absolutely delicious and presented in a very inviting way. The fried chicken had a heavy crust and prepared to perfection. My wife raved about the Pod Kee Mao, taste and delicious. The size of the servings were large, much more than we could eat so we each had a take home box.

The restaurant is clean and beautifully decorated in dark wood with a small bar that can accommodate 7. This restaurant offers a full bar and speciality mixed drinks.

Halfway through the meal the owner, a very polite woman came to our table to inquire about our selection of entrees and if we were enjoying the food. Her Name was Vasinee Levy and goes by the Nick Name “NOKI”. This restaurant also offers an option of peanut free meals.

We finished our meal and asked for the bill. I was pleasantly surprised when I received the bill. My wife and I both ate for $69 (+) tip. This restaurant is very affordable.

This restaurant is a wonderful addition to the Nautical Mile and sure to be a success with NOKI at the helm.

Thank you NOKI an outstanding eating experience!!! You made our short list of go to restaurants for our friends &...

Was happy to see a new Thai place on the Nautical mile. The food was overall good but maybe not our favorite locally. The Pad Thai and Drunken Noodles were nice sized portions. The Drunken noodles I ordered medium and didn't find it to be spicy at all and I just felt it was lacking some flavor overall and there didn't seem to be a lot of chicken for the price. Overall, the prices are a bit high but the portion sizes do reflect that at least for the items we ordered. The Zabb wings were definitely unique and flavorful. They had a thick and crunchy coating and the dry spicy lime seasoning was really good, definitely had a kick. However, the salt level was super intense and I love salty foods. Just a warning if you don't prefer or try to avoid a lot salt. I also tried the secret thai wing sauce (I requested a side of this) and that was unique and delicious. We had a young man as our server and he did a great job! He was friendly and took accurate orders on his electronic device. There was no problems with asking for slight modifications to a dish (either requesting the addition or omission of an ingredient.) I would like to try their dumplings but the chicken dumplings also have shrimp which I avoid. Overall, it was a good...