TV Restaurants

Is Original Thai Still Open? Update (Kailua-Kona, HI)

Open verified

As of September 2026, Original Thai is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed June 2026.

Primary source
Yelp ·
Secondary source
originalthai.co ·

Last verified

What the source shows: A Yelp listing updated June 2026 shows an active, well-reviewed business, and the restaurant's own website, checked September 8, 2026, still lists current hours under the same name.

  • Season / episode Season 28, Episode 18
  • Original air date
  • Address 75-5629 Kuakini Hwy, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

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What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Original Thai in the episode "Far East Flavorfest," aired August 31, 2018, for its family-style Thai home cooking. The restaurant is family owned and operated by Saing and her two daughters, according to its own website, and sits along Kuakini Highway in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. A Yelp listing for Original Thai Cuisine, updated June 2026, shows an active base of more than 500 reviews, and Tripadvisor's 2026 ranking of Kailua-Kona restaurants rates the business 4.3 of 5 across 262 reviews. The restaurant's own website, checked September 8, 2026, still lists current hours and an online ordering option under the Original Thai Cuisine name, matching the Kuakini Highway address in Google's Places listing, which likewise shows the restaurant as operational.

Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season / episode
Season 28, Episode 18
Original air date
Episode title
Far East Flavorfest
What was featured
family-run Thai home cooking and curries
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Original Thai

Frequently asked questions

Is Original Thai still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Original Thai is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed June 2026.

What happened to Original Thai after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Original Thai in the episode "Far East Flavorfest," aired August 31, 2018, for its family-style Thai home cooking. As of September 2026, Original Thai is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed June 2026.

Where is Original Thai located?

75-5629 Kuakini Hwy, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Original Thai?

Season 28, Episode 18 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, first aired August 31, 2018. The episode is titled “Far East Flavorfest”.

What do reviews say since Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

A Yelp listing for Original Thai Cuisine, updated June 2026, shows an active base of more than 500 reviews, and Tripadvisor's 2026 ranking of Kailua-Kona restaurants rates the business 4.3 of 5 across 262 reviews. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
75-5629 Kuakini Hwy, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
originalthai.co

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