Khao Thai Takeaway is a small, family-run Thai kitchen on Karori Road in Wellington's Karori suburb, open seven days a week from 4:30pm to 9:00pm. Their aim is stated simply: cook restaurant-quality, authentic Thai cuisine using the finest and freshest ingredients possible, and get it to you fresh and fast — whether that is across the counter or to your front door. The menu covers the Thai classics, each prepared by experienced chefs: pad thai in tamarind sauce, green curry with coconut cream and Thai herbs, hot and sour tom yum finished with creamy milk, fried rice and more, with most dishes available with a choice of meat. Regulars also swear by the pad see ew, the house special, the chicken cashew and the pork larb salad — dishes reviewers rank among the best Thai food in Wellington. The verdict from customers is emphatic: an excellent rating built on more than 120 Google reviews, with the pad thai, tom yum and yellow curry all name-checked as favourites, and one regular calling it the favourite Thai food they have eaten anywhere outside Thailand. It is takeaway and delivery only — order by phone on 04 476 0325 or online for easy pickup or delivery, with free delivery on online orders of $25 or more using the promo code EatLocal.
Tucked along Karori Road in Wellington's suburb of Karori, Khao Thai Takeaway is a tiny, family-run kitchen that has quietly earned a reputation as one of the city's most consistently loved spots for Thai food. The idea behind it is simple: cook restaurant-quality, authentic Thai cuisine using the finest ingredients possible, and get it into customers' hands fresh and fast — whether that is over the counter or at their front door.
Customers describe Khao Thai as the most unassuming place you will ever walk into — a true mom-and-pop operation where the parents cook in the kitchen and their daughter runs the counter. The menu may look familiar, but reviewers keep returning to the same verdict: this is Thai food that stands with the best in Wellington, and one regular goes as far as calling it their favourite Thai food eaten anywhere outside Thailand.
Khao Thai's menu covers the Thai classics, done properly. The pad thai — rice noodles tossed with beansprouts, garlic chives and egg in tamarind sauce, with your choice of meat — is a repeat favourite; one customer admits to coming back three times in three weeks for it. The tom yum, a hot and sour Thai soup layered with herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes and shallots and finished with creamy milk, has its own devoted fans. Curries come in green, red and yellow: the green is built on coconut cream with seasonal vegetables and Thai herbs, while the red wins praise for being tasty and full-flavoured without being watery.
Beyond the classics, regulars point newcomers to the house special, which one reviewer calls a highlight of the menu. The chicken cashew and the pork larb salad, served with rice, are singled out as some of the best versions in Wellington, with flavours one diner says come remarkably close to what they ate in Thailand. Pad see ew, fried rice and curry puffs round out a menu that rewards repeat visits, and most dishes can be prepared with your choice of meat.
This is a takeaway and delivery operation — there is no dine-in — so the plan is to take your meal home, where it arrives hot and fragrant. Orders can be phoned through on 04 476 0325 or placed online through Easy Eats for easy pickup or delivery, and delivery is free on online orders of $25 or more when you use the promo code EatLocal at checkout.
What customers mention almost as often as the food is the people. The shop promises fast, attentive service; customers simply call the owners lovely. One longtime regular even brings their own glassware so they don't need plastic takeaway containers — an unusual request the owners happily accommodate, and a small gesture that says a lot about how this kitchen treats its neighbourhood.
The reviews back it up. Khao Thai holds an excellent rating built on more than 120 Google reviews, where words like consistent, delicious and 10/10 appear again and again. For a small suburban shop, that is a remarkable record — and it is why Khao Thai describes itself, without much argument from locals, as Karori's leading Thai takeaway.
Khao Thai is open seven days a week from 4:30pm to 9:00pm at 102 Karori Road, Karori, Wellington 6012. Note that the shop has taken a break over the Christmas and New Year period in the past, so it is worth checking ahead during the holidays.
Whether you are craving a comforting green curry, a fiery bowl of tom yum or a plate of pad thai that rivals anything in the city centre, Khao Thai delivers the taste of Thailand to Karori — cooked fresh, delivered fast, and made with care every single time.