Sombat's Fresh Thai Cuisine

Glad this veg friendly place is here. They were very friendly and obliging. The place is small and seating is a bit tight, but worth the try. I enjoyed running through the pouring tropical rain to get to the front door. It was also nice that they have earlier island dinner hours.

We had a fantastic lunch at Sombat's. We had a small wait because there aren't many tables, but it was well worth it. We ordered the delicious spring rolls and Pad See Ew with tofu and no egg. We forgot to order it without the fish sauce, but the waiter actually asked us about it. Nice! We ordered it spicy and it was actually pretty spicy (usually it's never as hot as we like it). It was some of the best Thai food I've had in a long time. Highly recommended!

We live in the area and through the years have tried most of the Hilo restaurants. Sombat's is one of our favorites for dinner. EXCELLENT food and service.
The restaruant is small, so if you are a crowd make a reservation. We usually choose Sombat's for a special family dinner when everyone is visiting...often have 12 or more in our party. They'll push tables together for you and make your visit memorable.
We often order srping rolls to start (yum!) a selection of their vegetarian dinners, mildly spiced. Then we pass it around the table so we can all sample some of everything. Those who like it hot and spicy can add sauce. Even mildly spiced the food is wonderfully tasty--even my youngest grandchild loves it.
Not inexpensive, but worth the price for a special treat.

Skip popular Ken's House of Pancakes, and visit Sombat's (right behind Ken's) instead! So glad I found Sombat's (from happycow)during my week in Hilo. The vegetable curry and the hot mamaki tea were excellent. My server explained mamaki to me and even took me to the little garden to show me a mamaki tree on premises. The owner visited my table and told me she used to be vegan, and fully understood and answered my questions about the menu. One night during my stay, I tried the cold beanthread noodles -- also very good -- and it was such a large portion I had leftovers (nominal charge for take-out container, but it's Hawaii!).

My husband, our friend who ate with us, and I agree that Sombat's is one of the best Thai restaurants we have ever eaten at. Unlike Thai restaurants that used canned coconut milk and other canned and frozen ingredients, Sombat grows some of the foods she uses (all organically), and obtains the rest locally. Combine this with the fact that her recipes are awesome, and we have a delicious "do not miss if you're in Hilo" restaurant.

We ordered the pineapple fried rice (made vegan) and the yellow curry, and another dish which I don't remember--all delicious. In addition to the tasty food, I appreciate that a vegan can choose from such a wide variety of Thai food by requesting other dishes be prepared vegan with tofu substituted for meat. Also it's helpful that they have ample parking at this restaurant.