Amazing family, food, and atmosphere. This restaurant is still indefinitely closed. The owners wife was battling cancer and passed away fall 2023. The restaurant instagram's latest post is from February 2023 talking about them being open but some may get confused thinking those were recent but we're in 2024 now. The restaurant has not been open for a long awhile and will be continued to be closed much longer.

My boyfriend and I visited Opal Thai last year during our trip to Oahu. It took us a little while to find parking nearby the location but we were glad to experience this place in the end. We waited about 15 minutes before getting seated but during that time, the owner Opal, came and introduced himself to us and shook our hand. That made us feel very welcome and the ambience was very chill. After getting our drinks, Opal came by and sat with us. He asked us if we ever had thai food before and I shared that I loved pineapple friend rice from a Thai place I used to order take out from years ago. My boyfriend is not much of a talker with people he doesn't know, while me on the other hand, I'm the talker. Opal would sometimes pause me to get my boyfriend's point of view which I did find annoying but it wasn't enough to ruin my experience LOL. After our conversation, he decided what we were having for dinner. The first dish was amazing. Apparently we can't even know what we're eating but it tastes similar to potatoes and nothing we've had before. The entrees were great too. We shared the plates. They would also constantly check in on us which was a plus. Definitely a great food experience. Would love to come back

My boyfriend and I love Opal Thai. We would try to go at least twice a month. I could definitely confidently say that Opal Thai is my favorite Thai restaurant. The first time we went, Opel asked us what our favorite Thai dishes were and ordered for us. It is kinda like omakase, but Thai food. The past several times, Opel has given us a menu and lets us order whatever we please. I think the omakase style is only recommended for first-time customers to help broaden their horizons with Thai food. Everything we have had at Opal has never disappointed. We LOVE the tom yum and can't find anywhere else that does it like they do. I also highly recommend the nam khao with Lao sausage. Opel is very attentive and has such an outgoing personality. I feel like his style of serving may not cater to everyone, but Opel has such good energy and really only wants the best for his customers. His staff members are very friendly and my water cup is never empty! We hope to go back as soon as they open and love supporting this mom-and-pop shop. We definitely feel like family when we're there and are always taken good care of.

Best Thai food on Oahu hands down. If someone reads this and they know a better Thai restaurant please let me know. Flavor is always spot on. Service is spot on. And I trust that whatever he brings out will be delicious. And let's talk about prices. 3 years ago we came here and had a similar menu. Not exactly the same. But the price last night has not changed from 3 years ago. You won't find that any restaurant currently open. Every restaurant has taken inflation to the next level. For all the reviews that cite service as the low rating, you come here knowing and trusting you gonna get what you get. And you enjoy the food and you enjoy the atmosphere.

Long ago, Opal's used to be a Hale'iwa food truck... then they opened next to an L&L and it was mobbed with people all day, every day. And then they came to Chinatown. And I have delightfully overstuffed myself every damned time I visit. Do yourself a favor: let go of any thought that you know what you want and just go on this beautiful culinary ride. Opal and his family will always do right by you. And just take the spice. :-) you can cry into your whisky; no judgements. Just don't say "no spice"; otherwise, why bother eating Thai?? Don't come if you're in a hurry. This food is meant to be savored. You need to hear Opal's laugh; enjoy the chaos of this 'ohana's energy flowing around you. This is Hale'iwa vibes, not downtown.

Opal Thai is a gem that offers an extraordinary dining experience. What sets it apart is the owner, who personally prepares your meal with utmost care and expertise. It's a rare treat to witness the culinary mastery right before your eyes. The servers are incredibly friendly, ensuring a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The combination of exceptional food and personalized service creates an experience that's truly unique and unforgettable. I loved having the owner feed each one of us a bite of our food. Opal Thai is a passionate and dedicated experience made by its owner, making it a dining adventure you don't come across every day.

You just can't help but be in the best mood when you're at Opal Thai- from the open concept kitchen, to the love and care that the owner puts into curating the perfect meal for each guest, this place is filled with the warmest and coziest vibes. Don't even bother looking at the menu, since Opel will come speak with you himself to figure out what dishes you should order based on your meat preferences and previous experiences with Thai food. With 3 people, we were served two appetizers and three entrees, totaling to less than $90 before tip. The Honey B.B.Q. Pork Stick appetizer was seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten and I'd go back just for that. As a noodle fanatic, I also loved the Country Style Noodles, which were cooked to perfection. Do yourself a favor and try this place out!

So exciting to hear of his reopening! My friends have all raved about this restaurant and all the while I have never been. To my excitement, one of my friends was able to get a reservation so cue to my first experience here! He really welcomed me by asking me what kind of Asian I am, and I told him to guess... to which he responded no to HAHA. What an ice breaker and a vibe to start off the experience! We talked about Thai dishes I liked and I told him I'd really like it if we got some sort of noodle dish because I love the flavors and diversity noodles can bring. AND HE DELIVERED! I was so very grateful. We got an assortment of food: Chicken wings, special cake, skewers, some sort of noodle soup, pad see ew (?), and a stir fried pork. All of these dishes I'm making up the names because I forgot them, but this was the general lineup. The standout for me was the noodle soup dish because of the sweet soup. I have never had a dish like that before with the added sweetness to the broth. It brought such depth and flavor to the whole thing! Anyway, I would come back again in a heartbeat!

So happy to celebrate the reopening of Opal Thai, one of my favorite restaurants in Hawaii and that's saying a lot!! It's been waay too long and I had forgotten just how amazing the food is and how much of a character the owner Opel is (yes, it's spelled with an e even though the signage and menu are not). After glancing over the seemingly simple and not that unusual looking Thai menu, we had a very brief conversation with Opel. We told him that withIn our group of 4, we could not eat shellfish, onions, or spicy food, and he walked away. We felt like we had struck out since apparently more than half their dishes contain onions and real Thais like it spicy. Anxious to get started with our order because our friend had a flight to catch, we called Opel again and asked him If we could order sautéed eggplant and string beans. In his characteristically dramatic and joking manner, he stared at us, whipped out a slip of paper with our order that we did not order and showed us that he had already ordered the eggplant for us!! It reminded me of those magicians who somehow seem to be able read your mind. Apparently he had already put in our full order of 6 dishes. He then flipped the order upside down, hid it under my bowl, and told us not to look and to just wait and see what dishes would appear. I knew he prided himself I being like a Thai "omakase" chef, but I mean he didn't even ask us anything about preferences or what kind of protein we wanted! And he was right. We liked everything and ate it all up with gusto! We did notice that several of our dishes looked similar to those on the tables surrounding us. 1)Looks like everyone starts with the Special cakes which are like turnip cakes similar you get at dim sum but smothered with bean sprouts and cilantro. They ask you to try it with and without the hot sauce which looks like Sriracha but is toned down with other ingredients. Yum! 2)Next comes Honey bbq pork sticks which come with sticky rice and a nice spicy tamarind sauce to balance it out. Also good though pork wouldn't be my first choice. 3)Spicy glazed garlic chicken wings with crispy basil followed. The chicken was tender inside but nice and crispy on the outside. Yum! 4)Then we got three dishes that came out all together. Once again Opel got it right with our Pad se-ew, a wide chow fun noodle that we always like to order covered with Choi sum and shrimp. Yum!! 5)The braised duck noodle soup was divine with it's deep dark concentrated broth full of flavor and thin wide noodles cooked just right! Yum!!! Yum!! 6) Sautéed eggplant and string beans with garlic and basil as prescribed by the magician. It delivered!! Yum yum!!! I think what sets Opal apart from other Thai restaurants is their sauces and flavors which are more layered and interesting than your average Thai restaurant. Everything is generously garnished with cilantro and many dishes come with condiments and sauces that you can choose to use or not. We ordered mild but some dishes had a little extra kick which I did not mind, but did prompt me to ask for my silver cup of water to be refilled. Our only complaint was the paper and plastic dishes that did not do justice to the delicious food served on them! After a while they got soggy and limp and the divine duck broth deserves better than plaatic. Everything tasted even better with our Asahi beer but their sangria kicks butt! You can also order from an assortment of whiskeys which I didn't know was one of Opel's areas of expertise. You know you've got it going on when there is zero parking and your tables are full!

Oh, Opal Thai, you will forever be one of my favorites! You are still the only place to make one of my absolutely favorite dishes a full decade after I first fell in love with the flavors. Other places I've visited have realized that Spicy Thai Basil chicken wings are a reliable crowd favorite, but no one else has realized how many more people they can reach by offering the same flavors with tofu as the protein. I love you for this and for a few other reasons as well. That's right, Opal Thai has skipped over the boring deep fried but completely unseasoned tofu blocks you will find elsewhere and has instead cut the tofu into thinner triangles, tossed them in a spicy garlicky sweet sauce, and then topped them with flash fried Thai basil leaves. If I could only order one thing on the menu, this would be the thing- and it was only officially added to the menu when they moved to this location! I'm not a vegetarian, but I am a much bigger fan of tofu than chicken wings, and this is the dish that will help sway others to my side. All of the flash, all of the flavor, none of the flesh! My second favorite dish is actually still not officially on the menu, though it is a regular special request order from those who know. The fried "Special Cake" is probably a radish cake, though they won't confirm this, served under a mountain of bean sprouts and cilantro and alongside a special dipping sauce. These are delicious, with a perfectly custardy interior texture and just the right amount of crunch. This dish is perfect for sharing, but only so you save space for your main dishes! If I was eating at Opal Thai on my own I would probably just order these two dishes and call myself full. Since I am almost always with at least one other person, I share and then struggle to pick my main meal. The struggle is felt by many regulars, as there are so many delicious choices. My most recent choice was the Thai Basil Fried Rice, topped with a fried egg. Delicious, of course, but I know I'll rotate to something else the next time I visit. The good news for those trying Opal for the first time is that Opal is happy to choose for you! If you let them know the type of thing you like and your spice tolerance AND if you are willing to trust them, you will probably end up with something you like without having to make the decision. Visit often enough and you'll have to start figuring out your favorites on your own. (Big sigh...) I always have a hard time deciding! I occasionally get to cheat by bringing someone new to the table, but it's normally up to me at this point. Side note- I've been a guest at Opal's table more times than I can count, in all three of their locations, and at this point I truly consider them friends. My son is the same age as theirs, and it has been a joy watching Lio grow up and carve out his place in the family business. I promise that this is an unbiased review, but understand if you need to look at all of the other reviews to believe me when I say that this is a restaurant worth the hype.