Tina's Garden Cafe

168 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720, United States

Tina's Garden Cafe
About Us

Thai Fusion Restaurant

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Customer Reviews
Diner Review №1

The food was absolutely amazing. So glad we stopped for dinner. Had red curry and yellow curry. Fabulous dishes. Highly recommend this place. Very good value.

Diner Review №2

Some of the best yellow curry I’ve ever had

Diner Review №3

Nice little location in the waterfront district. Food is very flavorful and authentic to its origins. Servers are very welcoming and very knowledgeable about the foods.

Diner Review №4

Food was amazing! I had noodle dish! Amazing

Diner Review №5

Diner Review №6

The watermelon salad was hands down the best!!

Diner Review №7

Diner Review №8

Such tasty and fresh food. Really wonderful customer service too. They made me feel like I'd known them for years even though I was picking up takeout.

Diner Review №9

You aren’t going for the atmosphere. The food is on point. It’s a big menu, and we stuck with traditional curry and noodles and were thrilled with our lunch.

Diner Review №10

Amazing food!!! 100% recommend, only thing is that the food comes in a random order and might take a while to get to the table.

Diner Review №11

Best place for mango sticky rice! Only place to get a Thai pizza and it's bomb! Don't knock the price of the fruit salad because it's worth it. Small story about the salad.. so my son ordered it and barely touched it. So we tried it and used the dressing with ordered on the side and it was amazing! Friendly staff and entertaining atmosphere.

Diner Review №12

Simply amazing chicken noodle soup, and a Pad Thai dish that beats anything I’ve encountered on the mainland. The menu is so extensive that it would take months of consistent dining to try everything.

Diner Review №13

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Diner Review №15

Excellent food. We ordered the red curry and pad see ew, and both of them were excellent in their flavours. The staff at the place was also very warm especially towards our infant daughter. I'm not sure what all of the negative reviews are about, sadly a lot of folks are super hard on smaller establishments being run by people of colour. If you are in the Hilo area and are craving some excellent Thai food, Tina's Thai Garden will be an excellent choice!

Diner Review №16

De locatie is klein maar gezellig aangekleed. Helaas was het eten en de service wat minder. De bestelling ging niet goed. We kregen kip in de wraps in plaats van de garnalen. De kip in alle gerechten die we hadden was droog en taai.

Diner Review №17

the only shop serving vegetarian food on christmas eve and Christmas day!

Diner Review №18

The best Thai food! Detail to flavor! Family style dining with large, shared portions. Papaya Salad never disappoints, yellow curry is mild and pleasant, chicken dishes are tasty. I come back here every time and Christmas Lunch is a treat!

Diner Review №19

Each dish is incredible. Soooo delicious. Our party was visiting Hilo from many major cities (NYC, Philly, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego) and felt this was some of the best weve ever had!

Diner Review №20

One of the best Thai restaurants in US. The foods SO fresh with lots of local vegetables.

Diner Review №21

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Diner Review №24

Nothing fancy!
The food is delicious!
I visited Tina's each time I visit!

Diner Review №25

Most food was delicious but mine was burnt.

Diner Review №26

THE BEST Thai food in Hilo! Omg, you MUST try it, so good!!

Diner Review №27

VEEY GOOD, I really wish we had in between star rating options because at least a 4.7 on the meal

Diner Review №28

Very delicious dishes. The dishes are made with a lot of love. It’s not a mainstream restaurants. Price-performance ratio is awesome. We definitely recommend!!

Diner Review №29

Just wow. Everything I ate was g.d. delicious!! Best Thai (yes, fusion) I've eaten in America. Best meal I had in Hawaii. Love!

Diner Review №30

Der Papaya Salat hat nicht gut geschmeckt, so wie ich den thailändischen Papaya Salat kenne. Schade.
Kokosnusssuppe riesen grosse Schüssel. Geschmacklich eher bitter und zu wenig Pouletfleisch.
Dritte Gericht war vegetarisch mit braunem Reis. Auch nicht geniessbar.
Wir sind enttäuscht aus dem Restaurant gegangen.
Der Service war einfach das nötigste geredet. Als wir mit dem Essen angefangen haben, kam die Bedienung und fragte gleich wie wir bezahlen möchte. Ich weiss ja nicht, vielleicht ist es in diesem Land so.
Teure Speisen.

Diner Review №31

I’ve always enjoyed the food at Tina’s but my recent visits left me quite disappointed. I usually like them so much that we had them cater our wedding. But after today, I might skip Tina’s and go to Chiang Mai instead. ~ Waitstaff seems like they are 15 years old and untrained. There were only four tables with customers and I waited 15 minutes with a closed menu before finally walking out. Watched waitstaff take orders from the one table that came after me, check their phone, stand around and look confused in general. I don’t think it was malicious, but it would help if they took time to train their staff.

Diner Review №32

Food is the most imaginative on the island. Fantastic salad...so fresh!

Diner Review №33

I love this little restaurant. The amount of food they give you is abundant and it tastes phenomenal!

Diner Review №34

Tina’s Thai Pizza was amazing, though nothing like traditional pizza. More like a Thai quesadilla with a mildly sweet flavor. The red curry was delicious, too. Great service.

Diner Review №35

Food was absolutely magnificent! Totally worth the drive. The atmosphere could be better, re-do some decor and tables. Over all totally recommend!!!

Diner Review №36

Amazing food, Thai yellow curry was my birthday favorite

Diner Review №37

Delicious Thai fusion in a comfortable setting !

Diner Review №38

Diner Review №39

Wonderfully tasteful Thai cuisine in very generous portions. You’re not gonna find white table cloths on the tables, just great food! We had the Seasonal Fruit Salad, Pad Thai and Thai Basil Soup.

Diner Review №40

Diner Review №41

I don’t like leaving bad reviews but this is genuinely the worst food I may have ever had. Got the pad Thai and it was just frozen Costco vegetables with bbq sauce on it for some reason… how this place has 4.5 stars is insane to me.

Diner Review №42

Stopped in for lunch and had the wrap. It was delicious and the staff was attentive and friendly.

Diner Review №43

THE ABSOLUTE BEST FOOD IVE EVER HAD 😍

Diner Review №44

the best kept secret in Hilo! The food is fresh, plentiful and delicious! traditional Thai dishes and some homemade creations with a huge selection. Great prices and the owners, sister team Wilai and Nong are so welcoming. Great service no waiting.
Great location right in town. Must visit when u are in Hilo!!!

Diner Review №45

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Diner Review №47

Amazing Thai food! Also have some really unique Thai/American food, like a Thai burrito, Thai pizza, Thai spaghetti. Very nice staff, the owner is the main cook which always melts me. I love help supporting this place.

Diner Review №48

Diner Review №49

I'm rating the atmosphere a 5 because it is so quaint. There are only 8 tables. We went in at 11:10 a.m., and by the time we left, it was full. The salad was fabulous, and the red curry dish was awesome. This little place is a 'must try' if you're in Hilo, Hawaii.

Diner Review №50

Thai focused fusion, with great vegetarian options. Delicious, and beautifully presented. Quality fresh ingredients. A must when in Hilo for us.

Diner Review №51

Great food and location. Definitely worth a meal if in hilo.

Diner Review №52

Solid take-out place. The Basil Chicken and the pork wontons were especially memorable.

Diner Review №53

Super friendly, super delicious!!!

Diner Review №54

Delicious, super fresh ingredients!

Diner Review №55

Garden Curry with avocado was amazing!

Update: We had to go BACK the next morning for the Mango Sweet Rice. OMG! Not to be missed. Best thing I’ve eaten in quite a while!

Diner Review №56

One of the best Tom Kah soup I ever tasted! The food was great, the Pad see ew was with different sauce than we usually get with this dish & some of us didn't like it.
The staff was great and kin6

Diner Review №57

Yum!!

Diner Review №58

Great little place. The food was delicious. Fair warning to tourists, the pizza is for sharing

Diner Review №59

Place is good if you are into Thai food.

Diner Review №60

Great atmosphere for families. There was no kids menu so I had doubts they were able facilitate us but the workers were so thoughtful and considerate. Brought special dish and silverware for my almost 3 yr old and were so hospitable to my entire family.

And the food was uh-mazing!! I really enjoyed the Garden Curry and Tom kha soup and the chicken wraps worked great for the kids. Highly recommend!!

Diner Review №61

Delicious! Wonderful service as well. Very accommodating to my challenging allergies.

Diner Review №62

Best Tom Kha in town, so fresh and great price.

Diner Review №63

Just wow, amazing flavor and massive portions, can’t recommend enough

Diner Review №64

I ordered Pad Thai with shrimp and tofu and summer rolls with tofu to go from. Unfortunately, the price for the Pad Thai wasn't listed on the menu, and the total came to a surprising $43 for just one dish and one appetizer. After asking the waitress a minute later, I found out the Pad Thai was $30. Absolutely shocking!

On the way home, I tried to convince myself it might be worth the price. The Pad Thai was okay, but definitely not worth $30—lacking in taste and spices. The summer rolls were disappointing as well. I wouldn't recommend this place and would give it 1 star.

Before ordering, make sure to ask for the price to avoid the same mistake I made. Also, the portion size didn't justify the price at all, and I only got four shrimp in the entire portion.

Diner Review №65

Small place on the main street with yummy food. The curries are really tasty.

Diner Review №66

Best curry we've ever had. The Thai pizza is super unique and delicious!

Diner Review №67

Very innovative menu. Loved the food. I would definitely come again when I visit big island again. Good for vegetarians.

Diner Review №68

Food was hit or miss , service was horrendous. We had a party of 6. Two Curry's and a soup were delicious. The chicken wrap appetizer was good. The Thai "pizza" was a lump of potato in tortilla with some cheese. The Thai spaghetti was a concealed lump of mushy rice noodles with peanut sauce. It resembled a Jello mold a jiggled like one.
Our party of six took over a hour to serve, not that we waited an hour for food , but from the first meal served to the last was an hour. Two meals were served.before the appetizer. Most of the party had finished before the last meal arrived. Several other smaller parties arrived, dined ,and left during our time. Only one chef, food is served as it is prepared, and not as a meal. You will be eating at different times. Not so bad for 2, but not workable for 4 or more.

Diner Review №69

Food was good. Service was slow. Food is family style, but it better for smaller parties.

Diner Review №70

This is by far one of the best Thai foods I’ve eaten in big island! The staff were really warm and friendly!

Diner Review №71

Very unique place ! Been around a while but I’ve never tried. Food was very creative Thai style and loaded with lots of fresh veggies. Service was a little chaotic but otherwise I liked the place a lot.

Diner Review №72

Delicious food, friendly cook and service, 100% recommendation

Diner Review №73

Sehr gutes authentisches Essen.
Die excellente Köchin hat bei uns nachgefragt, ob es geschmeckt hat.
Gerne wieder 👍

Diner Review №74

Super lecker 👍

Diner Review №75

Thai inspired flavors were fantastic and the salads were incredible. My kids loved the wraps and the spicy tuna roll was interesting and yummy.

Diner Review №76

Diner Review №77

Food was very good. Our group had chicken roll, summer fruit salad, panang curry/chicken, Thai Pizza/chicken, sweet & sour shrimp, limeade, cool mint tea and extra thick and yummy peanut sauce.

Diner Review №78

The salads are stars

Diner Review №79

Everything was so good. They do take their spice seriously, spicy was pretty spicy but still delicious. Can't wait to go back again.

Diner Review №80

Very impressed with this little gem in Hilo, big portions, the vegan options were delicious and very feeling, service is great, we will definitely come back. Don’t forget to support small businesses.
Mahalo

Diner Review №81

Outstanding service and food with a beautiful view. Summer roll avocado, tofu Tom Kah, vegetarian pad Thai and Tina’s Thai tapioca.

Diner Review №82

Absolutely delicious! Such a unique menu and everything is so fresh and nourishing. Wish I had found this place sooner! I will definitely be back. Customer service is also stellar and love the family style portions. Loved the asparagus salad and the mango sticky rice is to die for. Yum!!!

Diner Review №83

There are plenty of vegetarian options with a wide variety of foods. Each plate had a large quantity of delicious, well-made food. The sweet mango rice dessert was amazing. Very fast service.
Enjoyed every bit of it.

Diner Review №84

Good value with massive portions! We had the papaya salad and summer roll. Both were fresh and the food came out quickly considering one lady managing it all! Also, the mango sticky rice dessert nearly had me knocked off my chair! The fresh mango and sticky rice was worth it. The size like a small pizza! Would come back again!

Diner Review №85

Pros:
Food was great

Cons:
Service was slow
They charged us $3 for 3 containers to go…
We can’t eat big portions and asked how big the portions were, the waiter convinced us to get two. Neither of us finished our food, more than half of it left. I wish we didn’t listen and split one.

Diner Review №86

Diner Review №87

Cute little spot in downtown Hilo. Great fresh ingredients, which leads to great tasting food. A little slow on service and hot the couple times we went. With that said, we been there couple times and will keep going back!

Diner Review №88

Horrible food. It’s kinda Thai but not Thai food. Ughh. And they want minimum 18% tip. Bruh. C’mon

Diner Review №89

Delicious Specialty Cuisine Restaurant!
Love this place n their food!
Always busy n line involved.
Enjoy!

Diner Review №90

Diner Review №91

Great food, friendly staff. Huge portions

Diner Review №92

Excellent Thai at reasonable prices. Offering avocado as an option instead of protein made the Garden Curry ($16) extra delicious.
The Pad Thai ($20 Sunday special) was also outstanding, chicken was tender, vegetables were flavorful and cooked just right.
Their "mild" is very mild, you may wish to go one step up, or do what we did and add a little soy sauce.
Portions were healthy, enough food for lunch and dinner for both of us. The service was friendly. This place appears to attract locals.
We were very happy to find Tina's Garden Cafe.

Diner Review №93

The ONLY reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is "Covid's fault". Take out only. But, as always, the food is 5 BIG STARS !!

Diner Review №94

Friendly owner, very generous portions

Diner Review №95

Excellent service and food at this quaint restaurant. We were promptly seated and served by a friendly and personable waitress who took our order in a timely manner. We started with salad rolls, enjoying the colorful array of veggies, shrimp, tofu, and a tasty peanut dipping sauce. The portion size was ample which was delightful. This is an awesome starter to share and could even suffice as a light meal.

Considering a single woman prepared food in the kitchen, our food came out so quickly! We shared massaman curry with chicken and the opakapaka with jumbo shrimp.

The market price was worth paying for this seafood dish. The lemongrass sauce over the veggies and perfectly steamed fish was fresh and unique, the perfect fusion of Thai and Hawaiian flavor. The curry was excellent too. Go easy on the spice level as the food IS spicy.

I loved this spot and it was some of the best Thai food I’ve ever eaten.

Diner Review №96

Highly recommended! Excellent food!!! And they just started opening on Sunday's.

Diner Review №97

Tina’s is the literal best. Fresh delicious huge portions. Amaze forever 💕💕💕

Diner Review №98

Small cute local Thai fusion restaurant with amazing food and delicious handmade lilikoi juice.
We have been a number of times and the food is always fresh and full of flavour. The summer rolls with huge, beautiful avo chunks and fresh mint are the perfect starter. The Tom Kah soup is a cup creamy coconut goodness with perfectly cooked asperagus spears and beautiful chunks of soft squash and hearts of palm. Mouthwatering. The green papaya salad is delightful. Recommend medium or mild spice level.
The food is satisfying, flavorful, and wonderful to share.
So many dishes to try when we return. Thankyou thankyou thankyou!

Diner Review №99

Cute little cafe on the Hilo waterfront. Flavorful but not excessively rich, well portioned, there are even some great vegan options!

I highly recommend the mango rice, and opakopako if they have any left from today's catch.

Diner Review №100

The two kids running this place Monday nite are not what you want presenting your buisness. There is so much competition in Hilo, and espically the waitress is way to inexperienced for this job. Walked out!

Diner Review №101

We stopped in for lunch and were thrilled with our meal. The papaya salad and spring rolls were incredibly fresh. The curry was the best we’ve ever eaten. Great depth of flavors. Truly one of the best meals we’ve had on the island- worth the drive over from Waikōloa.

Diner Review №102

Absolutely delicious Thai fusion, very fresh with delightful taste and spice combinations. We were greeted
by the chef de cuisine, very friendly and hospitable. The curries are fantastic as are the fruit plates. The spicieness levels are Thai, so be conservative.
Mahalo nui

Diner Review №103

Quick service, great atmosphere and delicious food! Great for vegans and vegetarians as well! Highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the Big Island.

Diner Review №104

The best food to be had in the entire island. A very good spread of vegan, vegetarian and meat options, favouring all palates! Loved the food and would recommend to everyone to make a visit to this restaurant.

Diner Review №105

Diner Review №106

Family run homemade super high quality Thai dishes. Super friendly kind staff, very nice and accommodating for our toddlers. Every dish was made to order and were absolutely amazing. Tiny indoor place, very popular with the locals. Highly recommend.

Diner Review №107

I can't beleive anyone would review this food as flavorless. I could see not liking Thai food but if you like Thai food you will love this place. Might be the best food I've had in Hawaii since moving here 3 years ago most of that time on Oahu.

Diner Review №108

Diner Review №109

Their nut medley salad looked good (huge) and tasted good with sweet pineapples, sour lemons, crunchy nuts, cucumbers, and celery. Two other tables ordered the same after watching our salad.
We also ordered their popular tofu pizza but didn’t like it much. It was bland with pumpkin and tofu mashed together.

Diner Review №110

Try the nut medley salad. Did not enjoy their popular Thai pizza as much.

Diner Review №111

Wonderful non descript but great food spot. Unique fusion dishes were fresh and tasty.

Diner Review №112

Green papaya salad and tumeric chicken wrap were excellent. Spicy tuna roll was almost inedible- the tuna was extremely fishy- ...like we eat a lot of tuna in Hilo and I can't remember the last time I had fishy tasting tuna. We will definitely try another dish next time.

Diner Review №113

The food here is fantastic. Everything on the menu that our group of 9 tried was excellent.

Diner Review №114

Left the restaurant without ordering as the prices are arbitrary.

Diner Review №115

Trust Tina. Most restaurants decline over time, but Tina's has been coming up with incredible fresh dishes for the 15 years I've been coming. I didn't think a Panang curry with apple banana could work, but it's perfect.

Diner Review №116

So so so good! I was in Thailand for two months last year and this food was honestly better than any I had there. High quality, delicious, fresh, so good. I had the cup of tom kha, green curry with shrimp, and mango sticky rice. The soup itself was hearty and delicious, and the cup was plentiful. I wouldn't have needed anything else but it was so good I had to try more things. Tina the chef came out to say hi and was very sweet.

Kap kon kaa!!! Thank you!

Diner Review №117

The Ocean in the jungle was amazing. It was big enough for two of us to share.

Diner Review №118

The veggie curry was delicious, I got it w hearts of palm. I ordered “spicy” without really thinking, (I like spicy food, but ethnic spicy is usually too much for me). It lit me up but I could still eat it. Fresh and delicious. I would definitely eat here again. Nice owners. It’s small inside and was starting to fill up by 6pm.

Diner Review №119

First time here, food was perfect and didn’t have to wait at all! Very nice people, I would definitely recommend 🙂

Diner Review №120

They charge $1 for one Togo box which they did not let us know ahead of time. No other restaurant charge extra for Togo boxes.

Curry is watered down, not much flavor, more vegetable than chicken.
Special pizza was decent but dry.

Diner Review №121

sehr lecker wars! super service und sehr engagiert! authentisches ambiente und neben thai-klassikern auch gerichte mit spanndenden eigen-kreationen! kommen gerne wieder 😋🤩 preis-leistung 👍🏻

Diner Review №122

Very good food! And quite the variety, a must try.

Diner Review №123

Ocean in the Jungle for $50 was a great deal.

Diner Review №124

Super Essen, super Service, gutes Preis Leistungs Verhältnis!!
Danke!!!

Diner Review №125

In the bay front of Hilo 😊 amazing foods and desserts . If you like Thai food this is the go to place at a fair price 🌴

Diner Review №126

Fast and tasty vegan options, and a great location amid the shops in the city center.

Diner Review №127

They were extra accommodating to my weird dietary restrictions. The food was great! The presentations with plates and bowels they had the food in was very nice too. Will definitely come back.

Diner Review №128

Incredible curry cuisine for visitors in the heart of hilo! Had few meals at this location and always amazed by the options we found. On the top of the list is the apple banana red curry, it is just delicious, refreshing and tasty. The catch of the day with curry presented in a pineapple is also a preferred. The portions are big, however no food was left on the table. Take your time to explore this fantastic gem.

Diner Review №129

Very flavorful food and good sized portions. Waitress was very nice. We are glad we stopped by here!

Diner Review №130

Hole in the wall with great food and service. If you like Thai food this we'll do!

Diner Review №131

We had the Panang curry dish and the Thai pizza. Amazing!!!

Diner Review №132

Such delicious food and a homey, family feel.

Diner Review №133

This place is a must visit. We absolutely enjoyed the vegetarian options and the papaya salad and yellow curry with avocados was so good!

Diner Review №134

Diner Review №135

Delicious family owned and run. Close to the market. Everything was great, my fave was the masman curry with shrimp. And the Thai ice coffee with coconut. Smackin!

Diner Review №136

Food tastes good. Tom kha had only 4 shrimps so it's hard to justify its 25$ price.

Diner Review №137

The food is just simply amazing! One of the best curries I have ever had in my life (and I eat a lot of curries ;-)

Diner Review №138

Delicious food and friendly people.

Diner Review №139

Highly recommend. Unique and very tasty menu items that the chef Tina created. Tried the pineapple nut salad and it was spectacular - perfect balance of fresh flavors and LOTS of nuts. Delicious. Also tried the Thai pizza. The squash balances out the flavors very well. Portions are huge and definitely for sharing. I would absolutely come back here.

I noticed some comments below commented on the wait staff being rude - I didn’t think this AT ALL and thought our waitress was very nice and attentive.

Diner Review №140

Amazing delicious and fresh food. Huge portions. Unique and quaint atmosphere. Service was great. We really enjoyed the Cara Cara Orange Salad and the Tina's Thai Pizza. Fantastic. Highly recommend!

Diner Review №141

Super Thaifood mit sehr gutem Service. Gute Auswahl an Gerichten und hilfreiches Personal bei der Entscheidung. Als wir wegen der Schärfe unsicher waren, wurde uns einfach angeboten die etwas mildere Variante zu nehmen und Chili separat zu bringen zum Nachwürzen.

Diner Review №142

Délicieux!! Les portions sont généreuses et la cuisine excellente, allez-y les yeux fermés, c'est une excellente adresse! Nous y sommes retournés le lendemain tellement c'était bon :-)

Diner Review №143

While the food was amazing the service was the complete opposite. A young waitress displayed terrible manners and was extremely rude! How do you expect to run an establishment with inexcusable behavior like this representing your business? I will not returning until this egregious behavior is handled accordingly.

Diner Review №144

This is a truly special place to enjoy a delicious meal. Great vegetarian options.
Very friendly, attentive, and thoughtful service! We'll definitely be back!

Diner Review №145

Extremely rude employee (the younger female) who was talking to me and other customers in a very disrespectful manner. Not really sure what her problem was but I have been here before when she was not there and never had an issue. It’s very unfortunate because I am sure they lost customers today due to her awfully poor service. Even more unfortunate because there are other employees here who are much nicer. I don’t know, maybe she was having a bad day? Maybe she is always having a bad day??? Not sure since I read another 1 star review about a young woman waiting tables and they also experienced her unprovoked rudeness so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it was the same girl I had the misfortune of interacting with. Her response to being asked if I could speak with a manager instead of her was “I am on the verge of a breakdown”. Like..huh? Go home then?? Honestly, she was quite unhinged and probably could benefit from seeking professional help. Either way, no excuse to treat people that way and I hope she is able to seek the help she desperately requires to become a functioning human in society.

Diner Review №146

First and foremost, the young waitress at this establishment needs some kind of customer service training. Her unruly behavior must be evaluated quickly. We all have a job to do and there can be stressful moments but don’t take it out on the customer that did nothing wrong. Secondly, if I’m ordering food and the restaurant is empty, why am I being told to move from waiting in the dining area. Of course if people came I would move. But waiting in the dining area has never been an issue. This young waitress was a bit hostile not only to myself, but others as well. What a shame! I know she does not represent the whole establishment.

Diner Review №147

Diner Review №148

Great Thai food ; very delicious and tasty. Portions are quite huge and filling. All types of Thai curries were simply amazing and we loved every bit of it. We also loved the raw papaya salad which was again in huge portions. The noodles soup was also excellent and tasted like pho.
The host was very friendly and service was pleasing. Looks like it’s a family run business and they work really hard to make their customers happy.

Diner Review №149

We love this place. We live 1.5 hours away and every time we visit Hilo, we ALWAYS EAT HERE. The food is so good and Tina makes it so healthy. Every time family visits from the mainland we take them here. The staff are always super nice too. My husband lived in Thailand for several months back in the day on a remote island with lots of dirt roads and not much tourist catering- and he loves this place. It says Asian fusion but that's just because she fills it with all the local veggies she can get (yeah they don't grow in Thailand), but the flavors are still there.

Diner Review №150

Diner Review №151

Best Thai food my girlfriend has ever had!

Diner Review №152

We came here for lunch. Great food. Cheaper than we saw on the Kona side.
We had the garden curry and the red curry medium spiced with Tofu. Also had 2 Thai iced coffees.
Loved it. Leftovers were gladly finished off for dinner.

Diner Review №153

Off the scale good food and huge portions.

Diner Review №154

Favorite Thai food on island (actually favorite Thai food ever, period). Best papaya salad I've ever had, garden curry and Thai spaghetti are a couple of my favorites. Tina is a hard-working angel! Mango sticky rice and Thai ice tea never fail to satisfy a sweet tooth 😁 also, my man and I are vegan and we have tons of options here, all made with super fresh local ingredients, and love 💚

Diner Review №155

Diner Review №156

Diner Review №157

Outstanding food. If you’re in downtown Hilo, this is your spot. My husband had the yellow shrimp curry and he loved it. I got the tofu wrap and it was incredible. Highly recommend. Many vegan options too, which is always amazing! 🌈💚 🌱

Diner Review №158

Nice place, food very good, service good, good price 👍

Diner Review №159

Had a delightful summer salad special, should have taken photo, however all the three various dishes we shared together was very pleasant to our palates, as well as, sight.

Diner Review №160

Arrived at 7:32 . . . No seating after 7:30. Ordered for take out; no setting inside while you wait. Of the three dishes we ordered ($60) the chicken curry was good but not exceptional. The Papaya salad was absolutely tasteless; just shredded raw green papaya and carrots and a few tomatoes and peanuts. No flavor. The Tom Kah soup was huge chunks of carrots (purchased pre-cut and frozen?), a couple pieces of squash, a bit of basil but no galanga root, no lemon grass, no mushrooms and not much flavor. It cost an extra $7 for "jumbo shrimp" of which there were only three! I've had worse Thai food, but rarely. I do not recommend this restaurant.

Diner Review №161

Diner Review №162

Food was fresh and flavorful. Vegan options were good. Staff was friendly and kept up with the Hawaii spirit.

Diner Review №163

Diner Review №164

Diner Review №165

This is my 2nd time trying the Thai food here. They are a lovely small, family-run establishment. Service has always been on point. Too bad the food doesn't match the service. I had the green curry with tofu and brown rice as well as the summer rolls. The rice and vegetables were overcooked in the curry. The peanut sauce that goes with the summer rolls was over-flavored with fish sauce with the rolls themselves being bland. So...perhaps I will try back another time.

Diner Review №166

My new favorite spot to eat in Hilo town. Her Thai pizza is yummy, and her Thai spaghetti is my new favorite "Thai" dish! Definitely recommended this place.

Diner Review №167

Diner Review №168

A delightful restaurant with delicious selections, fine service, and good music!

Diner Review №169

Das rote Curry war mega lecker, ein bisschen scharf aber nicht zu scharf sehr empfehlenswert immer wieder gern ☺️🌟

Diner Review №170

מרק קוקוס ופטריות טעים מאוד והקינוח מנגו עם אורז וחלב קוקוס מומלץ ביותר

Diner Review №171

Best mango sticky rice in Big Island!!

Diner Review №172

Great, innovative food. Portions huge (to us).

Diner Review №173

We absolutely loved our meal here. The restaurant is cosy, service is good, and food is excellent. Lots of choices for vegetarians. We loved how nicely the food was served down to the aesthetic dishes, bowls and cutlery. Strongly recommend this Asian fusion restaurant which has a strong Thai affinity in its dishes.

Diner Review №174

Best!!! Friendliest!!! Most professional!!! Aloha in every detail!!!

Diner Review №175

The best thaikitchen of the Hawaii Island.

Diner Review №176

Essential to your visit to Hilo. This is a dinning experience that will bring you back again again and again!

Diner Review №177

Always the best food here! she puts love in it.

Diner Review №178

The Thai-Food is very delicious and the place is cool, a little Hippie-Style and cool 70ies music when we were there. We will make another stop there in our holidays

Diner Review №179

Diner Review №180

Diner Review №181

Absolutely top-notch. Hole-in-the-wall sort of Thai, this is adventurous eating in the very best way - so hard not to like

Diner Review №182

I disagree with one reviewer- Not at all desirable for picky eaters, not to mention just about the slowest service I’ve ever received. It took 43 mins for my daughter to receive her food. My party had eaten and went in to do something else while we waited. We asked several times and then they came up and asked if we had ordered anything else.

Diner Review №183

Diner Review №184

Best Thai food on Big Island

Diner Review №185

When you see a bunch of signs saying "no refunds!", There's a reason. Food is lacking flavor and spice, something I didn't think I'd associate with Thai food.

Diner Review №186

Absolutely delicious and top quality ingredients, laid back Hilo style place, highly recommend!

Diner Review №187

Expensive but good and large portions. Mango sticky rice to die for, and it's like 4 portions at other places

Diner Review №188

This place is amazing and food is to die for 😋😋😋😋😋

Diner Review №189

Such a treat for your palate, skillfully prepared with exquisite balance. Do not miss the Asparagus Salad.

Diner Review №190

Diner Review №191

Really disappointed with the food here. The masaman and Penang curries were not good. Too much salt and too much cinnamon. The veggies in the curries were still raw and hard.

The spring rolls had long white hairs all through it like there was a cat running around in the kitchen.

There are a lot of fantastic Thai places in town. Try a different one.

Diner Review №192

Never go to this restaurant!!!! Very very bad food and poor service. We ordered green curry with chicken for 5 persons to take out because we didn’t have time to eat there. They even didn’t allow us to sit inside while waiting for the food. When we returned to pick up the food, it’s horrible. Almost nothing except 3 very small pieces chicken, 2-3 small pieces vegetables and water. It was almost like 1 order in other restaurants. Tastes nothing but coconut smell. Never had that so bad restaurant experience in my whole life.

Diner Review №193

Hands down best panang curry on the island! Tinas place has the kindest service, high quality food, large portions, and just feels like a great ohana. They also have fresh fruit they sell there too 🤗 would suggest to anyone going to Big Island and staying/visiting Hilo.

Diner Review №194

Huge servings

Diner Review №195

Food good. But they really close at 7:30. Not 8 as advertised. We got there at 7:31 and they would not seat us. We got food to go and the staff was so unfriendly. Barely help us order. And then would not let us sit in the restaurant and wait for our food. And the to go food took 30 min. The restaurant had only three tables to serve. Sooooo rude. I think the young waitress is bugged she has to work for family and took it out on us. Not good enough food for the drama. Skip

Diner Review №196

The best Asian we have had! Very creating, fresh and delicious!

Diner Review №197

Great Thai pizza!

Diner Review №198

The chef gave is chicken soup when wasked specifically for tofu . It is a big deal if one is a vegetarian.

Diner Review №199

Very generous portions of very delicious food served in a very friendly manner.

Diner Review №200

Be careful when entering this restaurant. You risk moving to the Big Island, only to come here as often as possible. It's very tasty here. Can't describe how delicious it is. And one portion is enough for two and maybe three people.

Details
  • 12 photos
  • 200 reviews
  • 4.6 Health Rating
  • Contact: +1 808-935-1166
  • Website: http://www.tinasgardencafe.com/
  • Location: 168 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720, United States
  • Map: 19.725479, -155.086356
Menu Highlights
  • Asian fusion restaurant
  • Fusion restaurant
  • Thai restaurant
  • Veterinarian
Opening Hours
  • Monday: 11 AM–8 PM
  • Tuesday: 11 AM–8 PM
  • Wednesday: 11 AM–8 PM
  • Thursday: 11 AM–8 PM
  • Friday: 11 AM–8 PM
  • Saturday: 11 AM–8 PM
  • Sunday: 11 AM–6 PM
From the business
  • Identifies as Asian-owned: Available
  • Identifies as women-owned: Available
Service options
  • Takeaway: Available
  • Dine-in: Available
  • Delivery: Available
Popular for
  • Lunch: Available
  • Dinner: Available
  • Solo dining: Available
Accessibility
  • Wheelchair-accessible car park: Available
  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance: Available
  • Wheelchair-accessible seating: Available
  • Wheelchair-accessible toilet: Available
Offerings
  • Alcohol: Available
  • Beer: Available
  • Coffee: Available
  • Comfort food: Available
  • Healthy options: Available
  • Organic dishes: Available
  • Vegan options: Available
  • Vegetarian options: Available
  • Wine: Available
Dining options
  • Brunch: Available
  • Lunch: Available
  • Dinner: Available
  • Catering: Available
  • Dessert: Available
  • Seating: Available
Amenities
  • Gender-neutral toilets: Available
  • Toilet: Available
Atmosphere
  • Casual: Available
  • Cosy: Available
  • Trendy: Available
Crowd
  • Family friendly: Available
  • LGBTQ+ friendly: Available
  • Tourists: Available
  • Transgender safe space: Available
  • University students: Available
Planning
  • Accepts reservations: Available
Payments
  • Credit cards: Available
  • Debit cards: Available
  • NFC mobile payments: Available
  • Credit cards: Available
Children
  • Good for kids: Available
  • High chairs: Available
Parking
  • Free of charge street parking: Available
  • Free parking lot: Available
  • Parking: Available