Karuna’s Thai Plate
1917 E Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85719
Karuna’s Thai Plate Menu
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Address :
1917 E Grant Rd
Tucson, AZ, 85719 - Phone (520) 325-4129
- Website https://karunasthaiplate.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :Closed
- Mon : Closed
Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : No
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Divey
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Zach W.
Not sure what all the fuss is about here. Service I received was lacking, and the food was bland, even for this price point. There are better options in Tucson.
(2)aracely l.
Had the lunch buffet, the food is excellent and so delicious!!!. Arrive closer to opening time so you can have all the food available. Their vegetarian dishes are great! I am not vegetarian, but I really enjoyed all the dishes!
(4)Nori G.
Delicious! My husband and I eat here often. I recommend the chicken satay, Karuna's Fried Rice and the Gang Garee with chicken. Service is slow so go when you have some time, but the wait is worth it.
(5)Jason P.
Food is delicious; service is non-existent. Simple meal took two hours to receive and eat. Appetizers took a good forty five minutes to arrive and main courses came out five minutes later. Maybe they were understaffed. Dining area is very dingy. Four stars for takeout, one for dine-in.
(3)C B.
This place is delicious. Its one of those hole in the walls that only the die hards know about and its so small that you walk right by it without even realizing it was there. The staff leaves something to be desired but that is probably because English is not their first language. The food, its authentic and cheap and large portions. I love spring rolls with peanut sauce, and they did not disappoint. Their noodles were bouncy without being greasy. Definitely will be back.
(4)Victoria C.
Karuna is a local favorite of mine. One of my creature comforts is pad thai without fish sauce, and the spring rolls with tofu. It's comfort food at its best. I can't speak on behalf of its authenticity, but I always have been pleased with the quality. Don't be afraid of the decor. This place is always busy and has a great hole-in-the-wall feel. Plus, the staff is super friendly. If you haven't already tried the pad thai, go for it!
(4)Erin P.
You must get the Tom Kha soup, it will change your life! Pad Thai and curries are also wonderful.
(5)Kavin T.
Situated in the quaint location of Grant and Campbell, Karuna's sure does deliver a punch. Having been to this place on multiple locations, i vastly underestimated its quality. Do not be fooled by it being nestled across the street from Bookman's and another pizza store. The service was fantastic, the location was nice, and the food was great. The first time I succumbed to my weakness, Pad Thai, and had to order it. Best pad thai I have EVER HAD. The peanuts were just the icing on the cake on a wonderful meal filled with flavor and medium spiciness, once again caving to my Indian roots. I appreciated the red curry as well. It was a nice complement to the vegetables and rice platters available. As for as Tucson goes, I will be returning to Karuna's as a starving Medical Student at any opportunity I get. Gotta stick to the best right!
(5)Wen-fai F.
I've been craving Thai food ever since I moved here seven months ago and was very excited to find Karuna's. A friend and I came here after a hike and ordered the pad see ewe and massaman curry, both with fried tofu. The curry was sweet and very coconut-heavy (a good thing in my book) and the pad see ewe was spicy, garlicky, full of complex flavor! The food reminded me of some of the best Thai food back in Boston. And each dish was only $8! We got there ~5pm just before the dinner rush on a Saturday night and still waited quite awhile for our food and our check. Only a few employees work the entire place, so as other reviews have said, service is really slow. But I was so happy with the food that I didn't care. We couldn't find a sign outside, but it's next to the Upper Crust pizza place. And I find the old ratty decor kind of endearing. Probably will be a good take-out joint in the future, or a place to come on off-hours!
(4)Matt T.
Consistently delicious food for take-out, usually a twenty to twenty-five minute wait after ordering, unless it's a holiday or something. I don't understand how there are so many negative reviews. This place is really good and I eat here regularly (usually take-out). I usually get the Pad Thai, which is excellent, but I've tried some of their other dishes and thoroughly enjoyed them as well. Unless they're slammed, the service is usually just fine, and the employees are accommodating and kind. Serving sizes are good and prices are fair. This place is kind of a hole in the wall - there's usually only one cook working and I wouldn't expect to be impressed by the atmosphere or the size of the place - but it's pleasant and the food is delicious. This restaurant is a solid four stars overall, but because I think the rating on here is completely undeserved for the quality of the food, I'm giving it five. Give this place a try if you haven't yet. A couple words of wisdom: they do a good job with the spiciness here, and I usually order one spice level down from what I think I want or else the spice is too much. If you like medium spicy at most places, do mild here. The medium is really hot. Also, the peanut sauce is a good extra for the noodle dishes.
(5)Rory B.
I have had quite a few people say they don't like this place. I don't know because I never stray from my staples and have never been disappointed. I will say that you need to set aside some time to eat here (or order takeout) because the service can be SLOOOOOOW. It's pleasant service, but they seem to move the speed of frozen molasses at times. Ok. Food. I went with my mom and brother to enjoy a little family meal. We decided to go with the spicy beef salad, chicken pad thai, and Karuna's fried rice. The spicy beef salad is always refreshing! Mint, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and thinly sliced beef. I was unsure of this the first time I ordered it some years ago, but have gotten it every single time since. It is a nice light start to the meal. The chicken pad thai is nothing monumental. It is pretty standard, but still delicious. Karuna's fried rice? My absolute favorite. I cannot speak to how traditionally Thai it is, but I don't think I care. It has bacon! Bacon! On top of that, it has chicken, pork, and shrimp to boot. It is a meat lover's dream. Try it (assuming you don't mind eating meat)!
(4)G T.
Went here with a group of friends after work because we had a craving for Thai food. This place is probably the best in Tucson (I know it doesn't mean much because Tucson doesn't have a lot of good thai foods). The pad thai was not bad. We also got the red curry and it was alright (a little too watery). I also like the papaya salad. Overall nothing too impressive but good for Tucson.
(3)Brittany W.
This was my go-to Thai restaurant when I lived in Tucson. You have to know it is more a hole-in-the-wall type of place rather than fine dining. The service may be pretty slow at times, and the decor and place settings are sub-par BUT the food is very yummy. I'm a Pad Thai fan so I always order their Chicken Pad Thai which has never disappointed. I do warn you on the spice level, make sure you tell them medium, hot, etc. Hot will literally make your eyes water and nose run, so be careful! I've had friends order the curry and fried rice and everything was enjoyed thoroughly, plus the prices are cheap.
(3)Dieu C.
Not the worst Thai food I have had in Tucson, and certainly not the best I have ever had. A classmate of mine took me here for dinner earlier this week. It's her favorite Thai restaurant. Pad Thai with shrimp - Definitely way better than Chinese Combo Express. Noodles are well cooked. Flavor was a good combination of sweet, salty, and tangy. However, there was something lacking. Tom yum kai - More on the tangy side. Could use more seasoning and kick. Fried banana dessert - It was pretty much a fried eggroll with plantain inside served with ice cream. The plantain needed to be more ripe. It tasted too bland. Service was very slow. There seems to only be one waitress. Chairs are rickety and interior is a bit run down. Verdict: Would come back for the pad Thai and nothing else. Listen to what everyone else says and get take out.
(3)Crystal P.
Amazing food and great flavor! Always cooked fresh, definitely worth the wait! By far my favorite Thai restaurant in Tucson!!
(5)Sarah N.
I have no idea why this place has such terrible reviews. The food is amazing. My favorite is the pineapple curry. I've always found the woman serving to be very kind and helpful. I always get the same thing and she remembered my order, which I can appreciate as a fellow server. Love this place!
(5)Jessica W.
Ooo. I so wanted to love the food! The best-rated Thai places are all the hell and gone out in distant Tucson neighborhoods, and I hate driving. The prospect of an excellent Thai place close to home sounded too good to be true. Sadly, it was. Our take-out orders--panang curry and pad kao mee with tofu--were just not very good. The curry was kind of watery and bland (seriously--bland curry!), and the noodle dish was dry and unexciting, with super thin rice noodles instead of the typical wide flat ones. We'll try again at some point, in the hopes that this was just an off night.
(3)Brad P.
Easily the worst restaurant I've been to in Tucson. Have they ever been inspected by the health department? I was in there for ten minutes and noticed at least 5 violations out in the open. The service was ATROCIOUS but the food was decent...probably saved by the fact that I was starving. I would never go back, even if I was literally dying of starvation.
(1)Michael C.
This is what passes for Thai food in Tucson. Lacks flavor, has grease. Thai is my favorite cuisine when traveling. I have no evidence to support my hypothesis other than the flavor, but I think their curries come from the $0.99 cans of curry paste sold at grant stone market. I cook better at home for less. Review is based on a half dozen visits over six years. I hope not to return.
(1)NikO D.
This place is 5 Stars if you order take out, but 3 Stars when you dine in, so I averaged it out. Why you ask? The food and service are pretty good either way, but dining ambiance, damp smell, stained dishes, etc. make dining in a bit less appealing. ^__^ Great Pad Thai & veggie curry. The koo chi appetizer is delicious as well (kinda oily, but totally worth it!) The owners are really friendly. The buffet is really good when it first opens....don't go too late or sometimes it gets dried out. If you are not doing the buffet, always get take out! The ambiance is very hole-in-the-wall, and sometimes the restaurant has a damp smell to it. :/ Be wary of ordering the Thai iced tea or Thai iced coffee. I have been ordering them for the past decade or so. However today my friend ordered the iced coffee and it tasted rancid. I think the milk they used went bad. Also, my Thai iced tea had clumps of milk on the bottom of the cup, and there were tea grounds floating in my cup. :/ Maybe they just don't make those drinks very often anymore?? :(
(4)Sammy M.
This is THE BEST Thai cuisine in Arizona. The place is kind of a hole in the wall, and I've had my car broken into once in the parking lot a few years ago when I used to dine in. However, the food and service make up for it all and more-- such is the case usually with little gems like this! I live close now, and it's in my weekly rotation for take out.
(5)Bobby C.
Small establishment which can get crowed during busy hours. Came for dinner on a Sunday night; ordered fried wontons and Gang Ped Phed Yang. The wontons were not spectacular but not a disappointment, the curry on the otherhand was amazing! The roasted duck was done perfectly while the spice and flavors of the curry were well balanced and robust. The service from the waitress/hostess/busser/cashier was good, although she was busy she was attentive and very pleasant. Looking forward to returning!
(4)Megan B.
It's a shame there isn't better Thai in Tucson. I used to frequent the place often until I saw some their kitchen back door practices. Let's just say the parking lot is practically in the back door so you can see everything. Recently they were in the paper for prep violations, not surprising. Regardless of all of that I still order pad tai and chicken skewers. Some habits die hard.
(3)Aishan S.
I lived right across the street from Karuna's and didn't check it out until I almost left UA. I'm really glad I stopped by for a visit though. Their pineapple fried rice is really good: a lot of pineapple chunks and raisins just as I like it. However, part of what makes this dish so yummy is that it is also quite greasy. Fried rice is supposed to be cooked with oil under high heat, but I don't like fried rice soaking in oil. My boyfriend also ordered a curry for dinner. It tasted pretty good, but he felt a little funny later. Overall, it was a decent, affordable dinner, but for Thai food in Tuscon, I'd recommend other places.
(3)Brian Z.
Don't let the atmosphere fool you! Karuna's is a place where the appearance screams food poisoning. I'm serious, the moment you walk in, every ounce of your intuition will tell you to run for the hills... but this time, it is wrong...dead wrong. (puts on CSI glasses) Karuna's is a place where taste matters more than decor and owner is more than willing to prove it with her down to earth mom and pop Thai meals. Everything from the stay chicken, or the roasted duck gang ped phed yang is delicious and at a price that will not break the bank while also impressing those picky taste buds. P.S. BEWARE: if you have to ask how spicy "spicy" then prepare for a furry worse than anything you have ever felt in your life... this woman does not joke around! haha Overall: Great food for the price. this is no fine dining establishment, but what you see definitely isn't what you get, since the food is far better than the decor. My advise: get the 57,58,or 59. some satay chicken, and order to go so you can have a romantic at home eat while watching a movie.
(4)T A.
This is my go-to Thai place in Tucson. The lunch buffet leaves much to be desired as does the atmosphere, but for your money--this place will do. (I'd go here over Bai Thong.)
(4)Jerry F.
Last couple of take outs have been mediocre. That, coupled with the health inspection failures, has taken Karuna's off of my list of acceptable eateries.
(2)John M.
Decent food, but nothing spectacular. We got the Pad Thai and the Thai Fried Rice. Both were enjoyable but of only average quality compared with the other Thai restaurants we've been to. The steamed Spring Rolls are actually filled with raw vegetables (lettuce, etc.). They were okay, except that my wife got a bite with some vegetables that didn't taste quite right. However, the dessert we got (Fried Bananas) was wonderful. It consisted of pieces of banana inside folded wonton wrappers in a honey sauce. Prices are very affordable--most dinner entrees were in the $6-8 range. There's no atmosphere to speak of; it's really just one step above that of a take-out Chinese restaurant. Service was good. Bottom line: not bad, but Saing Thai is a thousand times better. Go there.
(3)Chris B.
ALWAYS GET TAKE OUT! This is important, Karuna's is a serious dive and you have no benefit to sit on their old rickety tables/chairs, just eat their great authentic thai. Must trys: Pad Thai with Tofu Poh Thak - my favorite (if your stomach can handle crazy looking seafood) Green Curry Pork Red Curry Chicken and Bamboo Beef Gang Penang Prices range $6-9, again well portioned and full of flavor, especially if its a spicy dish. Don't ask for extra spciy though unless your prepared, they use authentic thai chilli peppers!
(4)Grace T.
Service is extremely poor. Environment is poor. Would not recommend.
(1)Yogi B.
Karuna's Thai Plate is a very good place to get cheap Thai food. While the service isn't "cheery" per-se, the food is plentiful and tasty. I've been here a number of times (most recently in early September, 2007) and everyone in my party has always enjoyed their food. I agree that the owner could be more friendly. She's mostly matter-of-fact. But I've always had fairly prompt and accurate service.
(4)Dieu C.
Not the worst Thai food I have had in Tucson, and certainly not the best I have ever had. A classmate of mine took me here for dinner earlier this week. It's her favorite Thai restaurant. Pad Thai with shrimp - Definitely way better than Chinese Combo Express. Noodles are well cooked. Flavor was a good combination of sweet, salty, and tangy. However, there was something lacking. Tom yum kai - More on the tangy side. Could use more seasoning and kick. Fried banana dessert - It was pretty much a fried eggroll with plantain inside served with ice cream. The plantain needed to be more ripe. It tasted too bland. Service was very slow. There seems to only be one waitress. Chairs are rickety and interior is a bit run down. Verdict: Would come back for the pad Thai and nothing else. Listen to what everyone else says and get take out.
(3)Crystal P.
Amazing food and great flavor! Always cooked fresh, definitely worth the wait! By far my favorite Thai restaurant in Tucson!!
(5)Sarah N.
I have no idea why this place has such terrible reviews. The food is amazing. My favorite is the pineapple curry. I've always found the woman serving to be very kind and helpful. I always get the same thing and she remembered my order, which I can appreciate as a fellow server. Love this place!
(5)Jessica W.
Ooo. I so wanted to love the food! The best-rated Thai places are all the hell and gone out in distant Tucson neighborhoods, and I hate driving. The prospect of an excellent Thai place close to home sounded too good to be true. Sadly, it was. Our take-out orders--panang curry and pad kao mee with tofu--were just not very good. The curry was kind of watery and bland (seriously--bland curry!), and the noodle dish was dry and unexciting, with super thin rice noodles instead of the typical wide flat ones. We'll try again at some point, in the hopes that this was just an off night.
(3)Brad P.
Easily the worst restaurant I've been to in Tucson. Have they ever been inspected by the health department? I was in there for ten minutes and noticed at least 5 violations out in the open. The service was ATROCIOUS but the food was decent...probably saved by the fact that I was starving. I would never go back, even if I was literally dying of starvation.
(1)Michael C.
This is what passes for Thai food in Tucson. Lacks flavor, has grease. Thai is my favorite cuisine when traveling. I have no evidence to support my hypothesis other than the flavor, but I think their curries come from the $0.99 cans of curry paste sold at grant stone market. I cook better at home for less. Review is based on a half dozen visits over six years. I hope not to return.
(1)NikO D.
This place is 5 Stars if you order take out, but 3 Stars when you dine in, so I averaged it out. Why you ask? The food and service are pretty good either way, but dining ambiance, damp smell, stained dishes, etc. make dining in a bit less appealing. ^__^ Great Pad Thai & veggie curry. The koo chi appetizer is delicious as well (kinda oily, but totally worth it!) The owners are really friendly. The buffet is really good when it first opens....don't go too late or sometimes it gets dried out. If you are not doing the buffet, always get take out! The ambiance is very hole-in-the-wall, and sometimes the restaurant has a damp smell to it. :/ Be wary of ordering the Thai iced tea or Thai iced coffee. I have been ordering them for the past decade or so. However today my friend ordered the iced coffee and it tasted rancid. I think the milk they used went bad. Also, my Thai iced tea had clumps of milk on the bottom of the cup, and there were tea grounds floating in my cup. :/ Maybe they just don't make those drinks very often anymore?? :(
(4)Sammy M.
This is THE BEST Thai cuisine in Arizona. The place is kind of a hole in the wall, and I've had my car broken into once in the parking lot a few years ago when I used to dine in. However, the food and service make up for it all and more-- such is the case usually with little gems like this! I live close now, and it's in my weekly rotation for take out.
(5)Bobby C.
Small establishment which can get crowed during busy hours. Came for dinner on a Sunday night; ordered fried wontons and Gang Ped Phed Yang. The wontons were not spectacular but not a disappointment, the curry on the otherhand was amazing! The roasted duck was done perfectly while the spice and flavors of the curry were well balanced and robust. The service from the waitress/hostess/busser/cashier was good, although she was busy she was attentive and very pleasant. Looking forward to returning!
(4)Megan B.
It's a shame there isn't better Thai in Tucson. I used to frequent the place often until I saw some their kitchen back door practices. Let's just say the parking lot is practically in the back door so you can see everything. Recently they were in the paper for prep violations, not surprising. Regardless of all of that I still order pad tai and chicken skewers. Some habits die hard.
(3)Molly H.
Yeah, well it's gross. The front wall of the building is crumbling away and the silverware/dishes would probably be re-run through the dishwasher in your own home. The food on the other hand is not bad. I think the salads are where it's at. They have my favorites larb and woon sen. That gets points already. My husband had a cod fish curry. It was really nice. We both requested 8 on the spicy scale but were served a step above bland. Authentic flavors, but definetely toned down for Americans who, according to the owner, are spice wimps. Why ask spice levels if you refuse to abide? I don't blame the owner for not improving. I am sure this whole shopping center, and almost everything on Grant, will be torn down when they do the widening. I hope she can find a new location.
(3)Aishan S.
I lived right across the street from Karuna's and didn't check it out until I almost left UA. I'm really glad I stopped by for a visit though. Their pineapple fried rice is really good: a lot of pineapple chunks and raisins just as I like it. However, part of what makes this dish so yummy is that it is also quite greasy. Fried rice is supposed to be cooked with oil under high heat, but I don't like fried rice soaking in oil. My boyfriend also ordered a curry for dinner. It tasted pretty good, but he felt a little funny later. Overall, it was a decent, affordable dinner, but for Thai food in Tuscon, I'd recommend other places.
(3)Joshua B.
Karuna's: when the hole in the wall fights back. Hole in the walls should be good, right? This place proves that theory horrendously wrong. Although the place needs some upkeep and the service is subpar, the worst offense is the bland, greasy food. Setting Actual location across from Bookman's isn't terrible, but the minute you walk in, you have a small nagging feeling telling you to walk out again (listen to it!). The interior is dirty, feels dim (though it's not actually), and slightly falling apart. But, I can live with bad interiors if I'm wowed with the food (which won't happen here). Service In one word: slow. Lagging to refill drinks, surprisingly not around when you want them. On top of that, they're not exactly unfriendly, but neither are there smiles or even much eye contact. Food Let's start with the appetizer. I was curious about the Mee Krob. It's described with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and onions on crispy noodles. The last thing I was expecting was a mound of crispy noodles (obviously from a package) soggifying in the worst prepackaged sweet and sour sauce. I hoped the add-ins would make me hate it less, but only found a few stray strands of spouts, the lightest possible sprinkling of onions, one small, solitary piece of pork and no shrimp (ground or otherwise)--I even poked around the middle. Already disappointed with the dish, the lack of shrimp was the last crispy straw. I politely asked them to take it away, pointing out that there was no shrimp. Not 5 minutes later, the server came back with the dish, pointing to a small shrimp on the side as if it had always been there. This was unacceptable to me, but my friend didn't want to make a scene and urged me to let it go. Perhaps it was my fault for venturing out on this appetizer, but it's Karuna's fault for making such a terrible appetizer. I should have taken my cues from what happened with the appetizer, but we'd already ordered our meal and my friend, at least, was still curious to try what we blindly hoped was good Thai food. Luckily (so we thought), we'd ordered in the safe range: a pad thai and red curry to share. Although I'll admit that the pad thai wasn't overly sweet, neither was it particularly flavorful or memorable and it left us with a heavy, greasy feeling afterwards. When the curry arrived, I was confused that I'd ordered some sort of curry soup. Curry should have a consistency, some thickness, not arrive as a sort of dull, watery soup. The last thing I'd expect curry to be is tasteless, but this was! All in all, a terrible experience that I wouldn't recommend to anyone else. Perhaps they have ups and downs as suggested by some of the other reviews. So, the next time I'm prepared to risk lackluster service and dull, watery food, I can try Karuna's again.
(1)Zack J.
I had the gwaytio nuea nam (beef soup with noodles) this evening and it was definitely lackluster. The soup wasn't that hot, the broth wasn't that tasty, and the noodles were overcooked. Overall it was a poor experience. I recommend Char's Thai instead.
(2)Jennifer D.
Stopped by here on the way home from church today. I didn't feel like cooking so I thought "Thai food would hit the spot" The lady there calls everyone "Honey" Usually thats annoying to me, but I wasn't annoyed. I had ordered red curry and some tom soup. Both were really good but the soup was HOT as in spicy! Lots of good flavors too and "Cute little mushrooms" as my husband called them. Its not the best thai food in town, but its better than another review for another place I had wrote about.
(3)Jo T.
I love this place. It's one of those classic hole-in-the-wall-but-you-go-anyway-because-the-Âfood-is-fantastic restaurants that I return to every single time I get back into town. The atmosphere is a little dingy but well loved and the staff is very friendly and personable. Overall the restaurant is tiny with maybe 10 tables, but this lends a feeling of intimacy to the meal. The wait time for food is very fast as well which is a huge plus in my book, fresh food and fast service all for an insanely low price. The pad thai noodles are amazing, you can choose your topping too: chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu. Delectable flat noodles seasoned with peanuts, fresh green onions and a large serving of topping. The dish is large enough that diners can either split plates or elect to bring the leftovers home. The level of spiciness is customizable, which is wonderful when choosing a from their wide range of curries. By far my favorite item on the menu is the hot and sour soup, which can either come in a large bowl big enough for several people or in a personal sized bowl. Generous chunks of tofu mixed with slices of green onion, mushroom and bamboo in a delicious broth flavored with eye watering chili seeds makes for a soup unlike any I have found elsewhere.
(4)Jess S.
Not for the faint of heart, but a nice local thai shop. No bells and whistles (no music, no table service for lunch), but decent inexpensive lunch buffet with plenty of vegetarian options.
(3)Jasmine N.
This place is authentic! I haven't had Thai food this good since I since lived San Francisco. I had the yellow curry and it was amazing! Love the staff too!
(5)J W.
I work close to this place and have lunch there fairly regularly. The food is of good quality. While friendly, the service can be a bit slow. The atmosphere is in need of an update. I recommend the red curry, but the pad thai is also very good.
(3)Saba B.
Karuna's has been making the best phad thai in town since Grant Road was a cattle path, or so it seems. Their lunch buffet is a slamming deal under $10, and the only reason I sometimes forget they exist is because they are closed on Sundays. We called in last night as I had a hankerin for their unparalleled tom kha gha and couldn't help but wonder, could it survive the trip? They offer four spiciness options, and I chose "spicy." I abandon the playing field to those who can tackle theirs "hot." The thai toast is a tender-crisby melange of peanuts, eggs, and onion, and the curry here rivals Sher-i-Punjab's. Their egg rolls are nothing special, and the service is notoriously, if not hilariously slow, but the family is also attentive and thorough. A steaming cauldron of spicy coconut soup rich with tender little shittake mushrooms on a cold winter night makes me giddy with delight.
(4)Brian Z.
Don't let the atmosphere fool you! Karuna's is a place where the appearance screams food poisoning. I'm serious, the moment you walk in, every ounce of your intuition will tell you to run for the hills... but this time, it is wrong...dead wrong. (puts on CSI glasses) Karuna's is a place where taste matters more than decor and owner is more than willing to prove it with her down to earth mom and pop Thai meals. Everything from the stay chicken, or the roasted duck gang ped phed yang is delicious and at a price that will not break the bank while also impressing those picky taste buds. P.S. BEWARE: if you have to ask how spicy "spicy" then prepare for a furry worse than anything you have ever felt in your life... this woman does not joke around! haha Overall: Great food for the price. this is no fine dining establishment, but what you see definitely isn't what you get, since the food is far better than the decor. My advise: get the 57,58,or 59. some satay chicken, and order to go so you can have a romantic at home eat while watching a movie.
(4)T A.
This is my go-to Thai place in Tucson. The lunch buffet leaves much to be desired as does the atmosphere, but for your money--this place will do. (I'd go here over Bai Thong.)
(4)Jerry F.
Last couple of take outs have been mediocre. That, coupled with the health inspection failures, has taken Karuna's off of my list of acceptable eateries.
(2)John M.
Decent food, but nothing spectacular. We got the Pad Thai and the Thai Fried Rice. Both were enjoyable but of only average quality compared with the other Thai restaurants we've been to. The steamed Spring Rolls are actually filled with raw vegetables (lettuce, etc.). They were okay, except that my wife got a bite with some vegetables that didn't taste quite right. However, the dessert we got (Fried Bananas) was wonderful. It consisted of pieces of banana inside folded wonton wrappers in a honey sauce. Prices are very affordable--most dinner entrees were in the $6-8 range. There's no atmosphere to speak of; it's really just one step above that of a take-out Chinese restaurant. Service was good. Bottom line: not bad, but Saing Thai is a thousand times better. Go there.
(3)Chris B.
ALWAYS GET TAKE OUT! This is important, Karuna's is a serious dive and you have no benefit to sit on their old rickety tables/chairs, just eat their great authentic thai. Must trys: Pad Thai with Tofu Poh Thak - my favorite (if your stomach can handle crazy looking seafood) Green Curry Pork Red Curry Chicken and Bamboo Beef Gang Penang Prices range $6-9, again well portioned and full of flavor, especially if its a spicy dish. Don't ask for extra spciy though unless your prepared, they use authentic thai chilli peppers!
(4)John B.
Karuna's is good, not great, but good. I give them credit for fresh ingredients and adhering to 'hot' food being actually spicy. The thom kha soup is the best I've had from a lot of different places in a lot of different states. The curry, red, green...tasty as well. I've never had the buffet and don't now that I ever will as I generally avoid buffets. What with people poking their heads under sneeze guards, reusing plates and utensils. Sorry everybody, I love you all but am not ready to eat family style with all of Tucson. But I digress... Three stars for a ho-hum establishment and atmosphere. Great take-out place, though.
(3)Anna W.
I'm giving this place 5 stars due to the authentic thai food that they serve... Pretty run down thou but they do serve very yummy thai food... Only go there if u are looking for food... Atmosphere and decor can be disappointing...
(5)Melissa J.
Karuna's is not my favorite Thai restaurant, but it's really close to my house and the food is pretty good. I really like their Pad Thai and I recently tried some of the pineapple curry which was tasty. I would never eat in the restaurant, it smells a little strange and is pretty run down, but when we've gotten the food for take out we've never been disappointed.
(3)Conchita C.
I met friends there - they had already ordered the soup. It was amazing! The coconut came thru like a tropical breeze in my mouth. My friends ordered extra hot, so I ordered hot - both came x-HOT. the curry dishes were sooo good we had no leftovers, a first for me! The ceiling bespeaks the hole-in-the-wall, and the melamine plastic dishes really need to be replaced by some china worthy of the great food. Our service was very good. We'll be back. On my 3rd visit, I waited over 30 minutes just to place my order. For the entire meal, they 'forgot' my tea. The meal wa another 30 minutes waiting. No updates, no apologies, and still no tea. It felt very rude. It'll be a long time before I return.
(3)Dylan R.
Consider this a 2.5 review rounded up. The food is fantastic especially the red curry.But the Ambiance Is sub par, and the service is horrible! Most of the people there don't speak English and the times they are open can be a pain! My me and my family were waiting outside and the people came and discreetly changed the time to an hour later without telling us! However if you can stand this, the Red curry and coconut soup are fantastic, most of the menu can be converted to vegetarian, and the take out system is efficient and probably easier than going. I would recommend the food, but not the restaurant.
(3)Coley W.
This place gets low grades for ambiance, but has delicious food and super affordable prices. I recommend the vegetarian versions of their fried rice, pad kee mao, pad see ew, and massaman curry.
(4)Chris R.
only been here once, the pad thai is pretty good. true hole in the wall, check it out!
(4)Janice M.
I can almost give this place a four star rating but I held back because the overall experience was just OK. The food here is just OK in my opinion, which is better than how other Thai restaurants in Tucson are doing in my book. I went to this restaurant with a couple Thai people as I was told that Karuna's serves the best Thai food in town. As we were making our decisions, the restaurant owner mention that they are known for their salad dishes. We ordered Tom-Kha-Gai, Garlic Pork, and Yum-Woon-Sen. Tom-Kha-Gai was very very soupy but tasted decent. The garlic pork was as expected, nothing special. Lastly, Yum-Won-Sen was just Okay. A couple months after, I decided to give Karuna's another chance. I went with my mom and we ordered Po-Tak, which is a seafood soup dish and it was good BUT I could taste MSG from every bite I took. Overpowering MSG. One thing I admire Karuna's over other Thai restaurants in Tucson is the fact that they still keep it traditional. Some dishes elsewhere, I could hardly recognize what I was eating. Sad but true. Karuna's has its own private lot right next to the restaurant, which is definitely nice and convenient. However, the restaurant is kinda a hole in the wall. It ain't pretty. In fact, I find their serving ware selections a little sketchy, and perhaps questionably dirty?
(3)Patricia O.
If this is the best AZ could do for Thai food, Thai people should feel disgraced. I'm from Seattle and this is the first place I went out to eat in Tucson. I'm disgusted that they had the nerve to call my dish "phad kee mao". I've never had pad kee Mao made with phad Thai noodles and included baby corn and mushrooms ( that looked hallucinogenic ). I also ordered my food extra spicy and it tasted like it had no spice at all. Dear people of Tucson, take a trip to the pacific northwest for the closest thing to real Thai. You are being ripped off.
(1)Jen W.
Karuna's is the epitome of hole in the wall; in fact, waiting near the cash register will make you cringe. The silverware seems ancient too. The first time I went to Karuna's, I had some green curry that smelled like cat pee. Not sure how that happened, but it took a year for me to eat Karuna's again. I had Karuna's at a catered lunch and it was not bad. Not great, but definitely not bad at all. I tried pad thai, drunken noodles, and fried rice. The fried rice is more like short brown rice fried up. The pad thai is not overly sweet or sour; it is more like comfort food pad thai mush. The vegetarian drunken noodles were better. They were not like any pad kee mao I have ever tried - more like a milder version of pad thai, but the fried tofu and the enoki mushrooms were excellent inside it. Overall, I will pass on Karuna's though - sorry.
(3)Yogi B.
Karuna's Thai Plate is a very good place to get cheap Thai food. While the service isn't "cheery" per-se, the food is plentiful and tasty. I've been here a number of times (most recently in early September, 2007) and everyone in my party has always enjoyed their food. I agree that the owner could be more friendly. She's mostly matter-of-fact. But I've always had fairly prompt and accurate service.
(4)Amanda L.
Karunas is always a great choice for good Thai food. I usually get tofu pad Thai, but their lunch buffet is really where it's at. 7 bucks, and a huge vegetarian selection!
(5)Barnabas L.
This is a great thai food place for Tucson in my opinion. I say don't judge the book by the cover or else you won't probably eat here. I really love going here when I am craving some thai food! I usually go for the Pad Thai (yes so standard but its good), Pad Sew (i think there is another word im forgetting) or the Yellow Curry (i forget the name i know it when i see it though). These are a definite winner in my opinion to get if you are there. Their spring roll's and egg rolls are EH... nothing to rave about, but i definitely will support this Mom and Pop place. To be fair I am not comparing this to the places outside of tucson, but in my honest opinion this is the best in Tucson. You seat yourself when you go and pay upfront after the meal. I wouldn't bring a group over 5-6 people, but it's very easy to split check's there. when its normal meal times its crowded so get there early or really late. MMM now im craving some thai food. Oh yah, great price for us College Students! I hear they have a buffet type thing for lunch and my friend's say it is good, I have YET to try it but definitely want to.
(3)Alexis H.
This place is a diamond in the rough. I'll be the first to admit that it's a hole-in-wall; the furniture and decor are well past their prime, the lighting isn't great, and the overall impression of the place is that it's a bit run-down. Now ignore everything I just wrote. Karuna's may be dated and void of fancy furnishings, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste. I love their Pad Thai with chicken so much that I get it every time. The spring rolls are fantastic. As an added bonus, the portions are HUGE! My boyfriend and I split an order of Pad Thai and spring rolls for a whopping $10. To sum up Karuna's Thai Plate: great food, great prices. If you're looking for atmosphere, I recommend dining elsewhere, or better yet: carry-out. No matter when I call they have my order ready to go in about 10 minutes.
(4)Malachi A.
Tiny little joint, have not been there for lunch/buffet. I love to come here for dinner, sometimes it's hard to find a seat, since it is so small, but that appeals to me, the food must be good, right? In this case, yes, it is. The coconut soup and shredded papaya salad are to die for. I can't get enough of them! HUGE portions, at reasonable prices. Great for sharing! (Or take home leftovers if you're selfish)
(4)Justin R.
Food: A- Cleanliness: C Service: B Dank Rating : A This place is a perfect cheap sit down restaurant. It has good portions and authentic food. You definitely don't overpay here and its good for a low key dinner with friends. The noodles are really dank being extra thin and they are in a bomb sauce. I saw some other people eating this sick huge bowl of something that looked good with rice, so get that. The noodles and fried rice were both very good. Their service wasnt great but not a big deal....my water cup was always full so i was chillin.
(4)Ferdinand B.
thai food here is pretty bland: This thai food is pretty bland and awful, mostly filled with grease but that doesn't stop people from packing it in at night. It isnt at all a good restaurant & the service is hostile to take-out, I waited 45 minutes for one dish to go, & when I came back, it had been made 10 minutes earlier & was cold when I ate it. Most dishes run $8 but they have no taste. Pad Thai was greasy & prepped sloppily, mixing 'other' items from other people's orders in the mix.
(2)Stephen Z.
I come here often for lunch. They have a small buffet setup with pad thai, fried rice and a few different curries and soups. The pad thai is great and the prices are very reasonable.
(4)Matthew S.
Let me start by saying I love food. I really love Thai food. I recently moved to Tucson and this place is one of the closest places available so I figured I would give it a try. It took me about fifteen minutes to drive there and when I went to look for the restaurant I walked past it the first time. Maybe it was because it was dark out but I saw no sign anywhere that said "Karuna's Thai Plate" I just happened to see the name by chance on a menu sitting on a table. When I walked inside I was far from impressed it was very dark in the restaurant and seemed dirty. The seating was limited and I felt almost unwanted. The only lights on in the place were some overhead halogen lights that looked very dull, almost as if they were going to burn out. The other lights I saw were some spot-light like lamps, the bottom half of the lamp heads were white and the top halfs were black with dust and grease. I could see some debris on the floor and the walls looked like they could do with some cleaning or a new paint job. After looking over the menu I decided on my old stand-by, Tom Kha Gai soup and chicken panang curry. The soup took forever to get to me, where as with most restaurants it usually comes out very shortly after you order it. Now, I understand every restaurant has a different way of making things but this soup tasted revolting. The taste of the coconut milk was almost overwhelming. Other tom kha soups I have had, had a nice mix of sweet and sour flavor. The lime juice usually added cuts the strong flavor the coconut milk just enough to provide a symphony of flavors on your tongue. This soup just did not live up to the soups i have had from countless other thai restaurants. When my panang curry arrived I was very excited it smelled absolutely wonderful and It actually did taste very excuisite but where I feel the dish fell flat was everything else. The carrots and the peppers in the curry tasted overcooked and partially like they had been left in the fridge too long. The rice was very dry and the curry itself was more of a soup than a curry. Every other curry I have had at every other restaurant was thick and creamy; this curry was neither. While I did love the flavor of the curry the other aspects of my meal at Karuna's left me feeling dissapointed. The limited lighting usually set aside for fine dining establishments left me feeling isolated, even in the small compact space. The fact that I almost didn't even realize this restaurant was Karuna's left me wondering how they do buisness, no signs anywhere. I most certainly will not be going back for Thai food there anytime soon. I should have just gone to the pizza joint next door.
(1)S. M.
I am obsessed with their coconut soup! OBSESSED! It's incredible. I've tried a few other things (some noodle dishes, spring rolls, etc.) and they were all okay, but nothing that I'd really like to get again. But the soup... Oh how I love the soup! I could eat it literally every day. You must give it a try. They can customize it to your tastes, too, which I really like since I'm quite picky. So, I feel as though I must warn newcomers: the restaurant's appearance is a littttttlllle sketchy... It's really run down and quite crappy. It's appearance would've caused me to never order from there had I not already been introduced to their soup by a friend without having seen the restaurant. Okay, enough of the bad- just give it a try, you will love it!!
(4)Grace T.
Service is extremely poor. Environment is poor. Would not recommend.
(1)Anny C.
Some tips for the owners: PLEASE CHANGE YOUR MENUS!! My noodle soup did not come with fish balls (which is why I ordered the dish to begin with) because, as the server told me, Americans think that fish balls are weird. (?!?) Then, my friend got charged an extra $2 for duck and when we asked about that, the waiter pointed to a small handwritten sign posted across the room that said "Duck $8.99" Can you say SHADY?! At least tell us when we order that the duck is going to cost extra! Also, they were stingy with the shrimp in their spring rolls (and tell me, why does steamed cost MORE than fried??) And to top it off, service was excruciatingly slow. Sigh, this is enough for me to give up on trying to find good Asian food in Tucson...
(2)Tony F.
Total hole in the walk place, but that's usually a good sign. Great location and quick service! They even have a buffet. The Pad Thai was yummie!
(4)P B.
Average to not-that-good Thai food. Weird plastic plates. The women who ran it were nice but I'd say service was ok. I've eaten here a few times because I used to live near it so it was convenient, but after the first time I never really wanted to go back. Haven't been in a while, maybe over a year.
(3)Caitlin H.
I am never disappointed with Karuna's food. Everything that I have tried (the Green Curry Chicken is my favorite) has been delicious. Very authentic, home cooked feeling. Mostly because it is. Don't expect fine dining because you won't get it here. I usually carry out, which is usually ready in less than the 10 minutes it takes me to get there. The owners actually are quite nice, I believe, but sometimes social pleasantries can get lost in translation. The few times I have eaten here the service was fair, if not outstanding. The restaurant is small, and the furniture was probably used new in the 1970s. But again, the point is the food. Which is fantastic.
(4)Ess Y.
Budget-friendly Thai food, close to my house. Sign me up. Their Pad Thai is usually bangin', but they often decide that my desire for "extra extra spicy" means that I don't realize the magnitude of my request and they give me a medium-spicy dish that I end up bathing in Sriracha and cayenne pepper when I get home. Their Tom Ka Gai is excellent and they always dutifully honor my request to ease up on the coconut milk. My internal neurotic germaphobe/bacillophobe is horrified at one small, star-deducting detail, though: they let people re-use their plates at the buffet, which I thought was a health department violation (your utensils have been in your mouth and have touched your used plate, which is now touching the buffet tongs, which will now go back in the steam table's food, which will now become MY FOOD AND GO INTO MY MOUTH, HOLY GOD). Never buffet again. Never.
(3)Brooke R.
$14 for two orders of Pad Kee Mao. Good deal. Or so I thought. The food was bland and I couldn't force myself to finish my plate. The half-eaten meal left me feeling nauseous and miserable. Why even bother with this place when there's a perfectly acceptable Thai place a couple blocks away (bangkok cafe)?
(1)Rachel W.
This place was absolutely vile. From the moment you walk in the door you could detect the hint of a not so friendly odor. I was told that due to their poor attention to cleanliness, the food would probably be really good because that's what they were focused on. That was quite far from the truth. We ordered the Red Curry and some sort of noodle with tofu. Both were quite terrible. The red curry was a little soupier that I thought it should be and upon entering my mouth had a striking taste of cleaning product, which soon heated up to the spice level we requested. The only way I could describe it to my friend was to say it tasted how the dollar store smelled. The noodle tofu concoction was a tiny bit better, but hardly palatable. The broccoli was really the only part worth eating, however, even then it was covered in the greasy sauce. The tofu was soggy and gross and I started imagining at the ingredients for my entire meal came from the Asian market on Grant and Stone. That was enough for me to completely stop eating despite how starving I was.
(2)Lauren L.
I'm always looking for a good Thai place. The one at Tucson/Speedway (Bangkok) used to be hellsa good but now it just sucks. So I needed a new Thai joint to waste my dinner money on. I'm going to keep searching.
(1)atchi k.
The owner cooks on Saturday and Sunday for certain. Lad Nar and Pad See Euy are the best in Tucson. Som Tom (papaya salad) is to die for (just like Thailand).
(4)Katie G.
love love love their yellow curry!!! I highly recommend it!
(5)Tyne M.
I have wanted to try this restaurant for several years but always seemed to miss the opportunity. I finally made it in yesterday and ordered the pad thai and pad see yew. I tried to order the Tom Ka Gai but was told it only comes in the large portion and not a cup. Seemed fairly simple to scoop up half the amount for half the price but I let it go. The Pad Thai was ok. A bit heavy and nothing special. The Pad See Eww was the worst I've ever had. the noodles were mush and it was swimming in oils. The prices are good but in my opinion you get what you pay for in this case. At least for now I'll be sticking to the best Thai I've found in Tucson so far.. Bangkok.
(1)Kelly A.
Fast, cheap, efficient, and tasty. My introduction to Thai food, with a great selection. Passable decor - not a place to go for a date, just the source for great-tasting cheap food. Excellent for takeout!
(4)Victoria C.
Karuna is a local favorite of mine. One of my creature comforts is pad thai without fish sauce, and the spring rolls with tofu. It's comfort food at its best. I can't speak on behalf of its authenticity, but I always have been pleased with the quality. Don't be afraid of the decor. This place is always busy and has a great hole-in-the-wall feel. Plus, the staff is super friendly. If you haven't already tried the pad thai, go for it!
(4)Erin P.
You must get the Tom Kha soup, it will change your life! Pad Thai and curries are also wonderful.
(5)Kavin T.
Situated in the quaint location of Grant and Campbell, Karuna's sure does deliver a punch. Having been to this place on multiple locations, i vastly underestimated its quality. Do not be fooled by it being nestled across the street from Bookman's and another pizza store. The service was fantastic, the location was nice, and the food was great. The first time I succumbed to my weakness, Pad Thai, and had to order it. Best pad thai I have EVER HAD. The peanuts were just the icing on the cake on a wonderful meal filled with flavor and medium spiciness, once again caving to my Indian roots. I appreciated the red curry as well. It was a nice complement to the vegetables and rice platters available. As for as Tucson goes, I will be returning to Karuna's as a starving Medical Student at any opportunity I get. Gotta stick to the best right!
(5)Wen-fai F.
I've been craving Thai food ever since I moved here seven months ago and was very excited to find Karuna's. A friend and I came here after a hike and ordered the pad see ewe and massaman curry, both with fried tofu. The curry was sweet and very coconut-heavy (a good thing in my book) and the pad see ewe was spicy, garlicky, full of complex flavor! The food reminded me of some of the best Thai food back in Boston. And each dish was only $8! We got there ~5pm just before the dinner rush on a Saturday night and still waited quite awhile for our food and our check. Only a few employees work the entire place, so as other reviews have said, service is really slow. But I was so happy with the food that I didn't care. We couldn't find a sign outside, but it's next to the Upper Crust pizza place. And I find the old ratty decor kind of endearing. Probably will be a good take-out joint in the future, or a place to come on off-hours!
(4)aracely l.
Had the lunch buffet, the food is excellent and so delicious!!!. Arrive closer to opening time so you can have all the food available. Their vegetarian dishes are great! I am not vegetarian, but I really enjoyed all the dishes!
(4)Nori G.
Delicious! My husband and I eat here often. I recommend the chicken satay, Karuna's Fried Rice and the Gang Garee with chicken. Service is slow so go when you have some time, but the wait is worth it.
(5)Jason P.
Food is delicious; service is non-existent. Simple meal took two hours to receive and eat. Appetizers took a good forty five minutes to arrive and main courses came out five minutes later. Maybe they were understaffed. Dining area is very dingy. Four stars for takeout, one for dine-in.
(3)C B.
This place is delicious. Its one of those hole in the walls that only the die hards know about and its so small that you walk right by it without even realizing it was there. The staff leaves something to be desired but that is probably because English is not their first language. The food, its authentic and cheap and large portions. I love spring rolls with peanut sauce, and they did not disappoint. Their noodles were bouncy without being greasy. Definitely will be back.
(4)Zach W.
Not sure what all the fuss is about here. Service I received was lacking, and the food was bland, even for this price point. There are better options in Tucson.
(2)Matt T.
Consistently delicious food for take-out, usually a twenty to twenty-five minute wait after ordering, unless it's a holiday or something. I don't understand how there are so many negative reviews. This place is really good and I eat here regularly (usually take-out). I usually get the Pad Thai, which is excellent, but I've tried some of their other dishes and thoroughly enjoyed them as well. Unless they're slammed, the service is usually just fine, and the employees are accommodating and kind. Serving sizes are good and prices are fair. This place is kind of a hole in the wall - there's usually only one cook working and I wouldn't expect to be impressed by the atmosphere or the size of the place - but it's pleasant and the food is delicious. This restaurant is a solid four stars overall, but because I think the rating on here is completely undeserved for the quality of the food, I'm giving it five. Give this place a try if you haven't yet. A couple words of wisdom: they do a good job with the spiciness here, and I usually order one spice level down from what I think I want or else the spice is too much. If you like medium spicy at most places, do mild here. The medium is really hot. Also, the peanut sauce is a good extra for the noodle dishes.
(5)Rory B.
I have had quite a few people say they don't like this place. I don't know because I never stray from my staples and have never been disappointed. I will say that you need to set aside some time to eat here (or order takeout) because the service can be SLOOOOOOW. It's pleasant service, but they seem to move the speed of frozen molasses at times. Ok. Food. I went with my mom and brother to enjoy a little family meal. We decided to go with the spicy beef salad, chicken pad thai, and Karuna's fried rice. The spicy beef salad is always refreshing! Mint, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and thinly sliced beef. I was unsure of this the first time I ordered it some years ago, but have gotten it every single time since. It is a nice light start to the meal. The chicken pad thai is nothing monumental. It is pretty standard, but still delicious. Karuna's fried rice? My absolute favorite. I cannot speak to how traditionally Thai it is, but I don't think I care. It has bacon! Bacon! On top of that, it has chicken, pork, and shrimp to boot. It is a meat lover's dream. Try it (assuming you don't mind eating meat)!
(4)G T.
Went here with a group of friends after work because we had a craving for Thai food. This place is probably the best in Tucson (I know it doesn't mean much because Tucson doesn't have a lot of good thai foods). The pad thai was not bad. We also got the red curry and it was alright (a little too watery). I also like the papaya salad. Overall nothing too impressive but good for Tucson.
(3)Brittany W.
This was my go-to Thai restaurant when I lived in Tucson. You have to know it is more a hole-in-the-wall type of place rather than fine dining. The service may be pretty slow at times, and the decor and place settings are sub-par BUT the food is very yummy. I'm a Pad Thai fan so I always order their Chicken Pad Thai which has never disappointed. I do warn you on the spice level, make sure you tell them medium, hot, etc. Hot will literally make your eyes water and nose run, so be careful! I've had friends order the curry and fried rice and everything was enjoyed thoroughly, plus the prices are cheap.
(3)Joshua B.
Karuna's: when the hole in the wall fights back. Hole in the walls should be good, right? This place proves that theory horrendously wrong. Although the place needs some upkeep and the service is subpar, the worst offense is the bland, greasy food. Setting Actual location across from Bookman's isn't terrible, but the minute you walk in, you have a small nagging feeling telling you to walk out again (listen to it!). The interior is dirty, feels dim (though it's not actually), and slightly falling apart. But, I can live with bad interiors if I'm wowed with the food (which won't happen here). Service In one word: slow. Lagging to refill drinks, surprisingly not around when you want them. On top of that, they're not exactly unfriendly, but neither are there smiles or even much eye contact. Food Let's start with the appetizer. I was curious about the Mee Krob. It's described with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and onions on crispy noodles. The last thing I was expecting was a mound of crispy noodles (obviously from a package) soggifying in the worst prepackaged sweet and sour sauce. I hoped the add-ins would make me hate it less, but only found a few stray strands of spouts, the lightest possible sprinkling of onions, one small, solitary piece of pork and no shrimp (ground or otherwise)--I even poked around the middle. Already disappointed with the dish, the lack of shrimp was the last crispy straw. I politely asked them to take it away, pointing out that there was no shrimp. Not 5 minutes later, the server came back with the dish, pointing to a small shrimp on the side as if it had always been there. This was unacceptable to me, but my friend didn't want to make a scene and urged me to let it go. Perhaps it was my fault for venturing out on this appetizer, but it's Karuna's fault for making such a terrible appetizer. I should have taken my cues from what happened with the appetizer, but we'd already ordered our meal and my friend, at least, was still curious to try what we blindly hoped was good Thai food. Luckily (so we thought), we'd ordered in the safe range: a pad thai and red curry to share. Although I'll admit that the pad thai wasn't overly sweet, neither was it particularly flavorful or memorable and it left us with a heavy, greasy feeling afterwards. When the curry arrived, I was confused that I'd ordered some sort of curry soup. Curry should have a consistency, some thickness, not arrive as a sort of dull, watery soup. The last thing I'd expect curry to be is tasteless, but this was! All in all, a terrible experience that I wouldn't recommend to anyone else. Perhaps they have ups and downs as suggested by some of the other reviews. So, the next time I'm prepared to risk lackluster service and dull, watery food, I can try Karuna's again.
(1)Zack J.
I had the gwaytio nuea nam (beef soup with noodles) this evening and it was definitely lackluster. The soup wasn't that hot, the broth wasn't that tasty, and the noodles were overcooked. Overall it was a poor experience. I recommend Char's Thai instead.
(2)Jennifer D.
Stopped by here on the way home from church today. I didn't feel like cooking so I thought "Thai food would hit the spot" The lady there calls everyone "Honey" Usually thats annoying to me, but I wasn't annoyed. I had ordered red curry and some tom soup. Both were really good but the soup was HOT as in spicy! Lots of good flavors too and "Cute little mushrooms" as my husband called them. Its not the best thai food in town, but its better than another review for another place I had wrote about.
(3)Molly H.
Yeah, well it's gross. The front wall of the building is crumbling away and the silverware/dishes would probably be re-run through the dishwasher in your own home. The food on the other hand is not bad. I think the salads are where it's at. They have my favorites larb and woon sen. That gets points already. My husband had a cod fish curry. It was really nice. We both requested 8 on the spicy scale but were served a step above bland. Authentic flavors, but definetely toned down for Americans who, according to the owner, are spice wimps. Why ask spice levels if you refuse to abide? I don't blame the owner for not improving. I am sure this whole shopping center, and almost everything on Grant, will be torn down when they do the widening. I hope she can find a new location.
(3)Jo T.
I love this place. It's one of those classic hole-in-the-wall-but-you-go-anyway-because-the-Âfood-is-fantastic restaurants that I return to every single time I get back into town. The atmosphere is a little dingy but well loved and the staff is very friendly and personable. Overall the restaurant is tiny with maybe 10 tables, but this lends a feeling of intimacy to the meal. The wait time for food is very fast as well which is a huge plus in my book, fresh food and fast service all for an insanely low price. The pad thai noodles are amazing, you can choose your topping too: chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu. Delectable flat noodles seasoned with peanuts, fresh green onions and a large serving of topping. The dish is large enough that diners can either split plates or elect to bring the leftovers home. The level of spiciness is customizable, which is wonderful when choosing a from their wide range of curries. By far my favorite item on the menu is the hot and sour soup, which can either come in a large bowl big enough for several people or in a personal sized bowl. Generous chunks of tofu mixed with slices of green onion, mushroom and bamboo in a delicious broth flavored with eye watering chili seeds makes for a soup unlike any I have found elsewhere.
(4)Jess S.
Not for the faint of heart, but a nice local thai shop. No bells and whistles (no music, no table service for lunch), but decent inexpensive lunch buffet with plenty of vegetarian options.
(3)Jasmine N.
This place is authentic! I haven't had Thai food this good since I since lived San Francisco. I had the yellow curry and it was amazing! Love the staff too!
(5)J W.
I work close to this place and have lunch there fairly regularly. The food is of good quality. While friendly, the service can be a bit slow. The atmosphere is in need of an update. I recommend the red curry, but the pad thai is also very good.
(3)Saba B.
Karuna's has been making the best phad thai in town since Grant Road was a cattle path, or so it seems. Their lunch buffet is a slamming deal under $10, and the only reason I sometimes forget they exist is because they are closed on Sundays. We called in last night as I had a hankerin for their unparalleled tom kha gha and couldn't help but wonder, could it survive the trip? They offer four spiciness options, and I chose "spicy." I abandon the playing field to those who can tackle theirs "hot." The thai toast is a tender-crisby melange of peanuts, eggs, and onion, and the curry here rivals Sher-i-Punjab's. Their egg rolls are nothing special, and the service is notoriously, if not hilariously slow, but the family is also attentive and thorough. A steaming cauldron of spicy coconut soup rich with tender little shittake mushrooms on a cold winter night makes me giddy with delight.
(4)John B.
Karuna's is good, not great, but good. I give them credit for fresh ingredients and adhering to 'hot' food being actually spicy. The thom kha soup is the best I've had from a lot of different places in a lot of different states. The curry, red, green...tasty as well. I've never had the buffet and don't now that I ever will as I generally avoid buffets. What with people poking their heads under sneeze guards, reusing plates and utensils. Sorry everybody, I love you all but am not ready to eat family style with all of Tucson. But I digress... Three stars for a ho-hum establishment and atmosphere. Great take-out place, though.
(3)Anna W.
I'm giving this place 5 stars due to the authentic thai food that they serve... Pretty run down thou but they do serve very yummy thai food... Only go there if u are looking for food... Atmosphere and decor can be disappointing...
(5)Melissa J.
Karuna's is not my favorite Thai restaurant, but it's really close to my house and the food is pretty good. I really like their Pad Thai and I recently tried some of the pineapple curry which was tasty. I would never eat in the restaurant, it smells a little strange and is pretty run down, but when we've gotten the food for take out we've never been disappointed.
(3)Conchita C.
I met friends there - they had already ordered the soup. It was amazing! The coconut came thru like a tropical breeze in my mouth. My friends ordered extra hot, so I ordered hot - both came x-HOT. the curry dishes were sooo good we had no leftovers, a first for me! The ceiling bespeaks the hole-in-the-wall, and the melamine plastic dishes really need to be replaced by some china worthy of the great food. Our service was very good. We'll be back. On my 3rd visit, I waited over 30 minutes just to place my order. For the entire meal, they 'forgot' my tea. The meal wa another 30 minutes waiting. No updates, no apologies, and still no tea. It felt very rude. It'll be a long time before I return.
(3)Dylan R.
Consider this a 2.5 review rounded up. The food is fantastic especially the red curry.But the Ambiance Is sub par, and the service is horrible! Most of the people there don't speak English and the times they are open can be a pain! My me and my family were waiting outside and the people came and discreetly changed the time to an hour later without telling us! However if you can stand this, the Red curry and coconut soup are fantastic, most of the menu can be converted to vegetarian, and the take out system is efficient and probably easier than going. I would recommend the food, but not the restaurant.
(3)Coley W.
This place gets low grades for ambiance, but has delicious food and super affordable prices. I recommend the vegetarian versions of their fried rice, pad kee mao, pad see ew, and massaman curry.
(4)Chris R.
only been here once, the pad thai is pretty good. true hole in the wall, check it out!
(4)Janice M.
I can almost give this place a four star rating but I held back because the overall experience was just OK. The food here is just OK in my opinion, which is better than how other Thai restaurants in Tucson are doing in my book. I went to this restaurant with a couple Thai people as I was told that Karuna's serves the best Thai food in town. As we were making our decisions, the restaurant owner mention that they are known for their salad dishes. We ordered Tom-Kha-Gai, Garlic Pork, and Yum-Woon-Sen. Tom-Kha-Gai was very very soupy but tasted decent. The garlic pork was as expected, nothing special. Lastly, Yum-Won-Sen was just Okay. A couple months after, I decided to give Karuna's another chance. I went with my mom and we ordered Po-Tak, which is a seafood soup dish and it was good BUT I could taste MSG from every bite I took. Overpowering MSG. One thing I admire Karuna's over other Thai restaurants in Tucson is the fact that they still keep it traditional. Some dishes elsewhere, I could hardly recognize what I was eating. Sad but true. Karuna's has its own private lot right next to the restaurant, which is definitely nice and convenient. However, the restaurant is kinda a hole in the wall. It ain't pretty. In fact, I find their serving ware selections a little sketchy, and perhaps questionably dirty?
(3)Patricia O.
If this is the best AZ could do for Thai food, Thai people should feel disgraced. I'm from Seattle and this is the first place I went out to eat in Tucson. I'm disgusted that they had the nerve to call my dish "phad kee mao". I've never had pad kee Mao made with phad Thai noodles and included baby corn and mushrooms ( that looked hallucinogenic ). I also ordered my food extra spicy and it tasted like it had no spice at all. Dear people of Tucson, take a trip to the pacific northwest for the closest thing to real Thai. You are being ripped off.
(1)Barnabas L.
This is a great thai food place for Tucson in my opinion. I say don't judge the book by the cover or else you won't probably eat here. I really love going here when I am craving some thai food! I usually go for the Pad Thai (yes so standard but its good), Pad Sew (i think there is another word im forgetting) or the Yellow Curry (i forget the name i know it when i see it though). These are a definite winner in my opinion to get if you are there. Their spring roll's and egg rolls are EH... nothing to rave about, but i definitely will support this Mom and Pop place. To be fair I am not comparing this to the places outside of tucson, but in my honest opinion this is the best in Tucson. You seat yourself when you go and pay upfront after the meal. I wouldn't bring a group over 5-6 people, but it's very easy to split check's there. when its normal meal times its crowded so get there early or really late. MMM now im craving some thai food. Oh yah, great price for us College Students! I hear they have a buffet type thing for lunch and my friend's say it is good, I have YET to try it but definitely want to.
(3)Alexis H.
This place is a diamond in the rough. I'll be the first to admit that it's a hole-in-wall; the furniture and decor are well past their prime, the lighting isn't great, and the overall impression of the place is that it's a bit run-down. Now ignore everything I just wrote. Karuna's may be dated and void of fancy furnishings, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste. I love their Pad Thai with chicken so much that I get it every time. The spring rolls are fantastic. As an added bonus, the portions are HUGE! My boyfriend and I split an order of Pad Thai and spring rolls for a whopping $10. To sum up Karuna's Thai Plate: great food, great prices. If you're looking for atmosphere, I recommend dining elsewhere, or better yet: carry-out. No matter when I call they have my order ready to go in about 10 minutes.
(4)Malachi A.
Tiny little joint, have not been there for lunch/buffet. I love to come here for dinner, sometimes it's hard to find a seat, since it is so small, but that appeals to me, the food must be good, right? In this case, yes, it is. The coconut soup and shredded papaya salad are to die for. I can't get enough of them! HUGE portions, at reasonable prices. Great for sharing! (Or take home leftovers if you're selfish)
(4)Justin R.
Food: A- Cleanliness: C Service: B Dank Rating : A This place is a perfect cheap sit down restaurant. It has good portions and authentic food. You definitely don't overpay here and its good for a low key dinner with friends. The noodles are really dank being extra thin and they are in a bomb sauce. I saw some other people eating this sick huge bowl of something that looked good with rice, so get that. The noodles and fried rice were both very good. Their service wasnt great but not a big deal....my water cup was always full so i was chillin.
(4)Matthew S.
Let me start by saying I love food. I really love Thai food. I recently moved to Tucson and this place is one of the closest places available so I figured I would give it a try. It took me about fifteen minutes to drive there and when I went to look for the restaurant I walked past it the first time. Maybe it was because it was dark out but I saw no sign anywhere that said "Karuna's Thai Plate" I just happened to see the name by chance on a menu sitting on a table. When I walked inside I was far from impressed it was very dark in the restaurant and seemed dirty. The seating was limited and I felt almost unwanted. The only lights on in the place were some overhead halogen lights that looked very dull, almost as if they were going to burn out. The other lights I saw were some spot-light like lamps, the bottom half of the lamp heads were white and the top halfs were black with dust and grease. I could see some debris on the floor and the walls looked like they could do with some cleaning or a new paint job. After looking over the menu I decided on my old stand-by, Tom Kha Gai soup and chicken panang curry. The soup took forever to get to me, where as with most restaurants it usually comes out very shortly after you order it. Now, I understand every restaurant has a different way of making things but this soup tasted revolting. The taste of the coconut milk was almost overwhelming. Other tom kha soups I have had, had a nice mix of sweet and sour flavor. The lime juice usually added cuts the strong flavor the coconut milk just enough to provide a symphony of flavors on your tongue. This soup just did not live up to the soups i have had from countless other thai restaurants. When my panang curry arrived I was very excited it smelled absolutely wonderful and It actually did taste very excuisite but where I feel the dish fell flat was everything else. The carrots and the peppers in the curry tasted overcooked and partially like they had been left in the fridge too long. The rice was very dry and the curry itself was more of a soup than a curry. Every other curry I have had at every other restaurant was thick and creamy; this curry was neither. While I did love the flavor of the curry the other aspects of my meal at Karuna's left me feeling dissapointed. The limited lighting usually set aside for fine dining establishments left me feeling isolated, even in the small compact space. The fact that I almost didn't even realize this restaurant was Karuna's left me wondering how they do buisness, no signs anywhere. I most certainly will not be going back for Thai food there anytime soon. I should have just gone to the pizza joint next door.
(1)S. M.
I am obsessed with their coconut soup! OBSESSED! It's incredible. I've tried a few other things (some noodle dishes, spring rolls, etc.) and they were all okay, but nothing that I'd really like to get again. But the soup... Oh how I love the soup! I could eat it literally every day. You must give it a try. They can customize it to your tastes, too, which I really like since I'm quite picky. So, I feel as though I must warn newcomers: the restaurant's appearance is a littttttlllle sketchy... It's really run down and quite crappy. It's appearance would've caused me to never order from there had I not already been introduced to their soup by a friend without having seen the restaurant. Okay, enough of the bad- just give it a try, you will love it!!
(4)Ferdinand B.
thai food here is pretty bland: This thai food is pretty bland and awful, mostly filled with grease but that doesn't stop people from packing it in at night. It isnt at all a good restaurant & the service is hostile to take-out, I waited 45 minutes for one dish to go, & when I came back, it had been made 10 minutes earlier & was cold when I ate it. Most dishes run $8 but they have no taste. Pad Thai was greasy & prepped sloppily, mixing 'other' items from other people's orders in the mix.
(2)Stephen Z.
I come here often for lunch. They have a small buffet setup with pad thai, fried rice and a few different curries and soups. The pad thai is great and the prices are very reasonable.
(4)Anny C.
Some tips for the owners: PLEASE CHANGE YOUR MENUS!! My noodle soup did not come with fish balls (which is why I ordered the dish to begin with) because, as the server told me, Americans think that fish balls are weird. (?!?) Then, my friend got charged an extra $2 for duck and when we asked about that, the waiter pointed to a small handwritten sign posted across the room that said "Duck $8.99" Can you say SHADY?! At least tell us when we order that the duck is going to cost extra! Also, they were stingy with the shrimp in their spring rolls (and tell me, why does steamed cost MORE than fried??) And to top it off, service was excruciatingly slow. Sigh, this is enough for me to give up on trying to find good Asian food in Tucson...
(2)Tony F.
Total hole in the walk place, but that's usually a good sign. Great location and quick service! They even have a buffet. The Pad Thai was yummie!
(4)P B.
Average to not-that-good Thai food. Weird plastic plates. The women who ran it were nice but I'd say service was ok. I've eaten here a few times because I used to live near it so it was convenient, but after the first time I never really wanted to go back. Haven't been in a while, maybe over a year.
(3)Caitlin H.
I am never disappointed with Karuna's food. Everything that I have tried (the Green Curry Chicken is my favorite) has been delicious. Very authentic, home cooked feeling. Mostly because it is. Don't expect fine dining because you won't get it here. I usually carry out, which is usually ready in less than the 10 minutes it takes me to get there. The owners actually are quite nice, I believe, but sometimes social pleasantries can get lost in translation. The few times I have eaten here the service was fair, if not outstanding. The restaurant is small, and the furniture was probably used new in the 1970s. But again, the point is the food. Which is fantastic.
(4)Amanda L.
Karunas is always a great choice for good Thai food. I usually get tofu pad Thai, but their lunch buffet is really where it's at. 7 bucks, and a huge vegetarian selection!
(5)Ess Y.
Budget-friendly Thai food, close to my house. Sign me up. Their Pad Thai is usually bangin', but they often decide that my desire for "extra extra spicy" means that I don't realize the magnitude of my request and they give me a medium-spicy dish that I end up bathing in Sriracha and cayenne pepper when I get home. Their Tom Ka Gai is excellent and they always dutifully honor my request to ease up on the coconut milk. My internal neurotic germaphobe/bacillophobe is horrified at one small, star-deducting detail, though: they let people re-use their plates at the buffet, which I thought was a health department violation (your utensils have been in your mouth and have touched your used plate, which is now touching the buffet tongs, which will now go back in the steam table's food, which will now become MY FOOD AND GO INTO MY MOUTH, HOLY GOD). Never buffet again. Never.
(3)Brooke R.
$14 for two orders of Pad Kee Mao. Good deal. Or so I thought. The food was bland and I couldn't force myself to finish my plate. The half-eaten meal left me feeling nauseous and miserable. Why even bother with this place when there's a perfectly acceptable Thai place a couple blocks away (bangkok cafe)?
(1)Rachel W.
This place was absolutely vile. From the moment you walk in the door you could detect the hint of a not so friendly odor. I was told that due to their poor attention to cleanliness, the food would probably be really good because that's what they were focused on. That was quite far from the truth. We ordered the Red Curry and some sort of noodle with tofu. Both were quite terrible. The red curry was a little soupier that I thought it should be and upon entering my mouth had a striking taste of cleaning product, which soon heated up to the spice level we requested. The only way I could describe it to my friend was to say it tasted how the dollar store smelled. The noodle tofu concoction was a tiny bit better, but hardly palatable. The broccoli was really the only part worth eating, however, even then it was covered in the greasy sauce. The tofu was soggy and gross and I started imagining at the ingredients for my entire meal came from the Asian market on Grant and Stone. That was enough for me to completely stop eating despite how starving I was.
(2)Lauren L.
I'm always looking for a good Thai place. The one at Tucson/Speedway (Bangkok) used to be hellsa good but now it just sucks. So I needed a new Thai joint to waste my dinner money on. I'm going to keep searching.
(1)Jen W.
Karuna's is the epitome of hole in the wall; in fact, waiting near the cash register will make you cringe. The silverware seems ancient too. The first time I went to Karuna's, I had some green curry that smelled like cat pee. Not sure how that happened, but it took a year for me to eat Karuna's again. I had Karuna's at a catered lunch and it was not bad. Not great, but definitely not bad at all. I tried pad thai, drunken noodles, and fried rice. The fried rice is more like short brown rice fried up. The pad thai is not overly sweet or sour; it is more like comfort food pad thai mush. The vegetarian drunken noodles were better. They were not like any pad kee mao I have ever tried - more like a milder version of pad thai, but the fried tofu and the enoki mushrooms were excellent inside it. Overall, I will pass on Karuna's though - sorry.
(3)atchi k.
The owner cooks on Saturday and Sunday for certain. Lad Nar and Pad See Euy are the best in Tucson. Som Tom (papaya salad) is to die for (just like Thailand).
(4)Katie G.
love love love their yellow curry!!! I highly recommend it!
(5)Tyne M.
I have wanted to try this restaurant for several years but always seemed to miss the opportunity. I finally made it in yesterday and ordered the pad thai and pad see yew. I tried to order the Tom Ka Gai but was told it only comes in the large portion and not a cup. Seemed fairly simple to scoop up half the amount for half the price but I let it go. The Pad Thai was ok. A bit heavy and nothing special. The Pad See Eww was the worst I've ever had. the noodles were mush and it was swimming in oils. The prices are good but in my opinion you get what you pay for in this case. At least for now I'll be sticking to the best Thai I've found in Tucson so far.. Bangkok.
(1)Kelly A.
Fast, cheap, efficient, and tasty. My introduction to Thai food, with a great selection. Passable decor - not a place to go for a date, just the source for great-tasting cheap food. Excellent for takeout!
(4)P B.
Average to not-that-good Thai food. Weird plastic plates. The women who ran it were nice but I'd say service was ok. I've eaten here a few times because I used to live near it so it was convenient, but after the first time I never really wanted to go back. Haven't been in a while, maybe over a year.
(3)Caitlin H.
I am never disappointed with Karuna's food. Everything that I have tried (the Green Curry Chicken is my favorite) has been delicious. Very authentic, home cooked feeling. Mostly because it is. Don't expect fine dining because you won't get it here. I usually carry out, which is usually ready in less than the 10 minutes it takes me to get there. The owners actually are quite nice, I believe, but sometimes social pleasantries can get lost in translation. The few times I have eaten here the service was fair, if not outstanding. The restaurant is small, and the furniture was probably used new in the 1970s. But again, the point is the food. Which is fantastic.
(4)Amanda L.
Karunas is always a great choice for good Thai food. I usually get tofu pad Thai, but their lunch buffet is really where it's at. 7 bucks, and a huge vegetarian selection!
(5)Ess Y.
Budget-friendly Thai food, close to my house. Sign me up. Their Pad Thai is usually bangin', but they often decide that my desire for "extra extra spicy" means that I don't realize the magnitude of my request and they give me a medium-spicy dish that I end up bathing in Sriracha and cayenne pepper when I get home. Their Tom Ka Gai is excellent and they always dutifully honor my request to ease up on the coconut milk. My internal neurotic germaphobe/bacillophobe is horrified at one small, star-deducting detail, though: they let people re-use their plates at the buffet, which I thought was a health department violation (your utensils have been in your mouth and have touched your used plate, which is now touching the buffet tongs, which will now go back in the steam table's food, which will now become MY FOOD AND GO INTO MY MOUTH, HOLY GOD). Never buffet again. Never.
(3)Brooke R.
$14 for two orders of Pad Kee Mao. Good deal. Or so I thought. The food was bland and I couldn't force myself to finish my plate. The half-eaten meal left me feeling nauseous and miserable. Why even bother with this place when there's a perfectly acceptable Thai place a couple blocks away (bangkok cafe)?
(1)Tyne M.
I have wanted to try this restaurant for several years but always seemed to miss the opportunity. I finally made it in yesterday and ordered the pad thai and pad see yew. I tried to order the Tom Ka Gai but was told it only comes in the large portion and not a cup. Seemed fairly simple to scoop up half the amount for half the price but I let it go. The Pad Thai was ok. A bit heavy and nothing special. The Pad See Eww was the worst I've ever had. the noodles were mush and it was swimming in oils. The prices are good but in my opinion you get what you pay for in this case. At least for now I'll be sticking to the best Thai I've found in Tucson so far.. Bangkok.
(1)Michael C.
This is what passes for Thai food in Tucson. Lacks flavor, has grease. Thai is my favorite cuisine when traveling. I have no evidence to support my hypothesis other than the flavor, but I think their curries come from the $0.99 cans of curry paste sold at grant stone market. I cook better at home for less. Review is based on a half dozen visits over six years. I hope not to return.
(1)NikO D.
This place is 5 Stars if you order take out, but 3 Stars when you dine in, so I averaged it out. Why you ask? The food and service are pretty good either way, but dining ambiance, damp smell, stained dishes, etc. make dining in a bit less appealing. ^__^ Great Pad Thai & veggie curry. The koo chi appetizer is delicious as well (kinda oily, but totally worth it!) The owners are really friendly. The buffet is really good when it first opens....don't go too late or sometimes it gets dried out. If you are not doing the buffet, always get take out! The ambiance is very hole-in-the-wall, and sometimes the restaurant has a damp smell to it. :/ Be wary of ordering the Thai iced tea or Thai iced coffee. I have been ordering them for the past decade or so. However today my friend ordered the iced coffee and it tasted rancid. I think the milk they used went bad. Also, my Thai iced tea had clumps of milk on the bottom of the cup, and there were tea grounds floating in my cup. :/ Maybe they just don't make those drinks very often anymore?? :(
(4)Sammy M.
This is THE BEST Thai cuisine in Arizona. The place is kind of a hole in the wall, and I've had my car broken into once in the parking lot a few years ago when I used to dine in. However, the food and service make up for it all and more-- such is the case usually with little gems like this! I live close now, and it's in my weekly rotation for take out.
(5)Bobby C.
Small establishment which can get crowed during busy hours. Came for dinner on a Sunday night; ordered fried wontons and Gang Ped Phed Yang. The wontons were not spectacular but not a disappointment, the curry on the otherhand was amazing! The roasted duck was done perfectly while the spice and flavors of the curry were well balanced and robust. The service from the waitress/hostess/busser/cashier was good, although she was busy she was attentive and very pleasant. Looking forward to returning!
(4)Megan B.
It's a shame there isn't better Thai in Tucson. I used to frequent the place often until I saw some their kitchen back door practices. Let's just say the parking lot is practically in the back door so you can see everything. Recently they were in the paper for prep violations, not surprising. Regardless of all of that I still order pad tai and chicken skewers. Some habits die hard.
(3)C B.
This place is delicious. Its one of those hole in the walls that only the die hards know about and its so small that you walk right by it without even realizing it was there. The staff leaves something to be desired but that is probably because English is not their first language. The food, its authentic and cheap and large portions. I love spring rolls with peanut sauce, and they did not disappoint. Their noodles were bouncy without being greasy. Definitely will be back.
(4)Zach W.
Not sure what all the fuss is about here. Service I received was lacking, and the food was bland, even for this price point. There are better options in Tucson.
(2)Nori G.
Delicious! My husband and I eat here often. I recommend the chicken satay, Karuna's Fried Rice and the Gang Garee with chicken. Service is slow so go when you have some time, but the wait is worth it.
(5)Jason P.
Food is delicious; service is non-existent. Simple meal took two hours to receive and eat. Appetizers took a good forty five minutes to arrive and main courses came out five minutes later. Maybe they were understaffed. Dining area is very dingy. Four stars for takeout, one for dine-in.
(3)Victoria C.
Karuna is a local favorite of mine. One of my creature comforts is pad thai without fish sauce, and the spring rolls with tofu. It's comfort food at its best. I can't speak on behalf of its authenticity, but I always have been pleased with the quality. Don't be afraid of the decor. This place is always busy and has a great hole-in-the-wall feel. Plus, the staff is super friendly. If you haven't already tried the pad thai, go for it!
(4)Erin P.
You must get the Tom Kha soup, it will change your life! Pad Thai and curries are also wonderful.
(5)Kavin T.
Situated in the quaint location of Grant and Campbell, Karuna's sure does deliver a punch. Having been to this place on multiple locations, i vastly underestimated its quality. Do not be fooled by it being nestled across the street from Bookman's and another pizza store. The service was fantastic, the location was nice, and the food was great. The first time I succumbed to my weakness, Pad Thai, and had to order it. Best pad thai I have EVER HAD. The peanuts were just the icing on the cake on a wonderful meal filled with flavor and medium spiciness, once again caving to my Indian roots. I appreciated the red curry as well. It was a nice complement to the vegetables and rice platters available. As for as Tucson goes, I will be returning to Karuna's as a starving Medical Student at any opportunity I get. Gotta stick to the best right!
(5)Wen-fai F.
I've been craving Thai food ever since I moved here seven months ago and was very excited to find Karuna's. A friend and I came here after a hike and ordered the pad see ewe and massaman curry, both with fried tofu. The curry was sweet and very coconut-heavy (a good thing in my book) and the pad see ewe was spicy, garlicky, full of complex flavor! The food reminded me of some of the best Thai food back in Boston. And each dish was only $8! We got there ~5pm just before the dinner rush on a Saturday night and still waited quite awhile for our food and our check. Only a few employees work the entire place, so as other reviews have said, service is really slow. But I was so happy with the food that I didn't care. We couldn't find a sign outside, but it's next to the Upper Crust pizza place. And I find the old ratty decor kind of endearing. Probably will be a good take-out joint in the future, or a place to come on off-hours!
(4)aracely l.
Had the lunch buffet, the food is excellent and so delicious!!!. Arrive closer to opening time so you can have all the food available. Their vegetarian dishes are great! I am not vegetarian, but I really enjoyed all the dishes!
(4)Matt T.
Consistently delicious food for take-out, usually a twenty to twenty-five minute wait after ordering, unless it's a holiday or something. I don't understand how there are so many negative reviews. This place is really good and I eat here regularly (usually take-out). I usually get the Pad Thai, which is excellent, but I've tried some of their other dishes and thoroughly enjoyed them as well. Unless they're slammed, the service is usually just fine, and the employees are accommodating and kind. Serving sizes are good and prices are fair. This place is kind of a hole in the wall - there's usually only one cook working and I wouldn't expect to be impressed by the atmosphere or the size of the place - but it's pleasant and the food is delicious. This restaurant is a solid four stars overall, but because I think the rating on here is completely undeserved for the quality of the food, I'm giving it five. Give this place a try if you haven't yet. A couple words of wisdom: they do a good job with the spiciness here, and I usually order one spice level down from what I think I want or else the spice is too much. If you like medium spicy at most places, do mild here. The medium is really hot. Also, the peanut sauce is a good extra for the noodle dishes.
(5)Rory B.
I have had quite a few people say they don't like this place. I don't know because I never stray from my staples and have never been disappointed. I will say that you need to set aside some time to eat here (or order takeout) because the service can be SLOOOOOOW. It's pleasant service, but they seem to move the speed of frozen molasses at times. Ok. Food. I went with my mom and brother to enjoy a little family meal. We decided to go with the spicy beef salad, chicken pad thai, and Karuna's fried rice. The spicy beef salad is always refreshing! Mint, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and thinly sliced beef. I was unsure of this the first time I ordered it some years ago, but have gotten it every single time since. It is a nice light start to the meal. The chicken pad thai is nothing monumental. It is pretty standard, but still delicious. Karuna's fried rice? My absolute favorite. I cannot speak to how traditionally Thai it is, but I don't think I care. It has bacon! Bacon! On top of that, it has chicken, pork, and shrimp to boot. It is a meat lover's dream. Try it (assuming you don't mind eating meat)!
(4)G T.
Went here with a group of friends after work because we had a craving for Thai food. This place is probably the best in Tucson (I know it doesn't mean much because Tucson doesn't have a lot of good thai foods). The pad thai was not bad. We also got the red curry and it was alright (a little too watery). I also like the papaya salad. Overall nothing too impressive but good for Tucson.
(3)Brittany W.
This was my go-to Thai restaurant when I lived in Tucson. You have to know it is more a hole-in-the-wall type of place rather than fine dining. The service may be pretty slow at times, and the decor and place settings are sub-par BUT the food is very yummy. I'm a Pad Thai fan so I always order their Chicken Pad Thai which has never disappointed. I do warn you on the spice level, make sure you tell them medium, hot, etc. Hot will literally make your eyes water and nose run, so be careful! I've had friends order the curry and fried rice and everything was enjoyed thoroughly, plus the prices are cheap.
(3)Dieu C.
Not the worst Thai food I have had in Tucson, and certainly not the best I have ever had. A classmate of mine took me here for dinner earlier this week. It's her favorite Thai restaurant. Pad Thai with shrimp - Definitely way better than Chinese Combo Express. Noodles are well cooked. Flavor was a good combination of sweet, salty, and tangy. However, there was something lacking. Tom yum kai - More on the tangy side. Could use more seasoning and kick. Fried banana dessert - It was pretty much a fried eggroll with plantain inside served with ice cream. The plantain needed to be more ripe. It tasted too bland. Service was very slow. There seems to only be one waitress. Chairs are rickety and interior is a bit run down. Verdict: Would come back for the pad Thai and nothing else. Listen to what everyone else says and get take out.
(3)Crystal P.
Amazing food and great flavor! Always cooked fresh, definitely worth the wait! By far my favorite Thai restaurant in Tucson!!
(5)Sarah N.
I have no idea why this place has such terrible reviews. The food is amazing. My favorite is the pineapple curry. I've always found the woman serving to be very kind and helpful. I always get the same thing and she remembered my order, which I can appreciate as a fellow server. Love this place!
(5)Jessica W.
Ooo. I so wanted to love the food! The best-rated Thai places are all the hell and gone out in distant Tucson neighborhoods, and I hate driving. The prospect of an excellent Thai place close to home sounded too good to be true. Sadly, it was. Our take-out orders--panang curry and pad kao mee with tofu--were just not very good. The curry was kind of watery and bland (seriously--bland curry!), and the noodle dish was dry and unexciting, with super thin rice noodles instead of the typical wide flat ones. We'll try again at some point, in the hopes that this was just an off night.
(3)Brad P.
Easily the worst restaurant I've been to in Tucson. Have they ever been inspected by the health department? I was in there for ten minutes and noticed at least 5 violations out in the open. The service was ATROCIOUS but the food was decent...probably saved by the fact that I was starving. I would never go back, even if I was literally dying of starvation.
(1)Aishan S.
I lived right across the street from Karuna's and didn't check it out until I almost left UA. I'm really glad I stopped by for a visit though. Their pineapple fried rice is really good: a lot of pineapple chunks and raisins just as I like it. However, part of what makes this dish so yummy is that it is also quite greasy. Fried rice is supposed to be cooked with oil under high heat, but I don't like fried rice soaking in oil. My boyfriend also ordered a curry for dinner. It tasted pretty good, but he felt a little funny later. Overall, it was a decent, affordable dinner, but for Thai food in Tuscon, I'd recommend other places.
(3)Brian Z.
Don't let the atmosphere fool you! Karuna's is a place where the appearance screams food poisoning. I'm serious, the moment you walk in, every ounce of your intuition will tell you to run for the hills... but this time, it is wrong...dead wrong. (puts on CSI glasses) Karuna's is a place where taste matters more than decor and owner is more than willing to prove it with her down to earth mom and pop Thai meals. Everything from the stay chicken, or the roasted duck gang ped phed yang is delicious and at a price that will not break the bank while also impressing those picky taste buds. P.S. BEWARE: if you have to ask how spicy "spicy" then prepare for a furry worse than anything you have ever felt in your life... this woman does not joke around! haha Overall: Great food for the price. this is no fine dining establishment, but what you see definitely isn't what you get, since the food is far better than the decor. My advise: get the 57,58,or 59. some satay chicken, and order to go so you can have a romantic at home eat while watching a movie.
(4)T A.
This is my go-to Thai place in Tucson. The lunch buffet leaves much to be desired as does the atmosphere, but for your money--this place will do. (I'd go here over Bai Thong.)
(4)Jerry F.
Last couple of take outs have been mediocre. That, coupled with the health inspection failures, has taken Karuna's off of my list of acceptable eateries.
(2)John M.
Decent food, but nothing spectacular. We got the Pad Thai and the Thai Fried Rice. Both were enjoyable but of only average quality compared with the other Thai restaurants we've been to. The steamed Spring Rolls are actually filled with raw vegetables (lettuce, etc.). They were okay, except that my wife got a bite with some vegetables that didn't taste quite right. However, the dessert we got (Fried Bananas) was wonderful. It consisted of pieces of banana inside folded wonton wrappers in a honey sauce. Prices are very affordable--most dinner entrees were in the $6-8 range. There's no atmosphere to speak of; it's really just one step above that of a take-out Chinese restaurant. Service was good. Bottom line: not bad, but Saing Thai is a thousand times better. Go there.
(3)Chris B.
ALWAYS GET TAKE OUT! This is important, Karuna's is a serious dive and you have no benefit to sit on their old rickety tables/chairs, just eat their great authentic thai. Must trys: Pad Thai with Tofu Poh Thak - my favorite (if your stomach can handle crazy looking seafood) Green Curry Pork Red Curry Chicken and Bamboo Beef Gang Penang Prices range $6-9, again well portioned and full of flavor, especially if its a spicy dish. Don't ask for extra spciy though unless your prepared, they use authentic thai chilli peppers!
(4)Joshua B.
Karuna's: when the hole in the wall fights back. Hole in the walls should be good, right? This place proves that theory horrendously wrong. Although the place needs some upkeep and the service is subpar, the worst offense is the bland, greasy food. Setting Actual location across from Bookman's isn't terrible, but the minute you walk in, you have a small nagging feeling telling you to walk out again (listen to it!). The interior is dirty, feels dim (though it's not actually), and slightly falling apart. But, I can live with bad interiors if I'm wowed with the food (which won't happen here). Service In one word: slow. Lagging to refill drinks, surprisingly not around when you want them. On top of that, they're not exactly unfriendly, but neither are there smiles or even much eye contact. Food Let's start with the appetizer. I was curious about the Mee Krob. It's described with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and onions on crispy noodles. The last thing I was expecting was a mound of crispy noodles (obviously from a package) soggifying in the worst prepackaged sweet and sour sauce. I hoped the add-ins would make me hate it less, but only found a few stray strands of spouts, the lightest possible sprinkling of onions, one small, solitary piece of pork and no shrimp (ground or otherwise)--I even poked around the middle. Already disappointed with the dish, the lack of shrimp was the last crispy straw. I politely asked them to take it away, pointing out that there was no shrimp. Not 5 minutes later, the server came back with the dish, pointing to a small shrimp on the side as if it had always been there. This was unacceptable to me, but my friend didn't want to make a scene and urged me to let it go. Perhaps it was my fault for venturing out on this appetizer, but it's Karuna's fault for making such a terrible appetizer. I should have taken my cues from what happened with the appetizer, but we'd already ordered our meal and my friend, at least, was still curious to try what we blindly hoped was good Thai food. Luckily (so we thought), we'd ordered in the safe range: a pad thai and red curry to share. Although I'll admit that the pad thai wasn't overly sweet, neither was it particularly flavorful or memorable and it left us with a heavy, greasy feeling afterwards. When the curry arrived, I was confused that I'd ordered some sort of curry soup. Curry should have a consistency, some thickness, not arrive as a sort of dull, watery soup. The last thing I'd expect curry to be is tasteless, but this was! All in all, a terrible experience that I wouldn't recommend to anyone else. Perhaps they have ups and downs as suggested by some of the other reviews. So, the next time I'm prepared to risk lackluster service and dull, watery food, I can try Karuna's again.
(1)Zack J.
I had the gwaytio nuea nam (beef soup with noodles) this evening and it was definitely lackluster. The soup wasn't that hot, the broth wasn't that tasty, and the noodles were overcooked. Overall it was a poor experience. I recommend Char's Thai instead.
(2)Jennifer D.
Stopped by here on the way home from church today. I didn't feel like cooking so I thought "Thai food would hit the spot" The lady there calls everyone "Honey" Usually thats annoying to me, but I wasn't annoyed. I had ordered red curry and some tom soup. Both were really good but the soup was HOT as in spicy! Lots of good flavors too and "Cute little mushrooms" as my husband called them. Its not the best thai food in town, but its better than another review for another place I had wrote about.
(3)Molly H.
Yeah, well it's gross. The front wall of the building is crumbling away and the silverware/dishes would probably be re-run through the dishwasher in your own home. The food on the other hand is not bad. I think the salads are where it's at. They have my favorites larb and woon sen. That gets points already. My husband had a cod fish curry. It was really nice. We both requested 8 on the spicy scale but were served a step above bland. Authentic flavors, but definetely toned down for Americans who, according to the owner, are spice wimps. Why ask spice levels if you refuse to abide? I don't blame the owner for not improving. I am sure this whole shopping center, and almost everything on Grant, will be torn down when they do the widening. I hope she can find a new location.
(3)Jo T.
I love this place. It's one of those classic hole-in-the-wall-but-you-go-anyway-because-the-Âfood-is-fantastic restaurants that I return to every single time I get back into town. The atmosphere is a little dingy but well loved and the staff is very friendly and personable. Overall the restaurant is tiny with maybe 10 tables, but this lends a feeling of intimacy to the meal. The wait time for food is very fast as well which is a huge plus in my book, fresh food and fast service all for an insanely low price. The pad thai noodles are amazing, you can choose your topping too: chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu. Delectable flat noodles seasoned with peanuts, fresh green onions and a large serving of topping. The dish is large enough that diners can either split plates or elect to bring the leftovers home. The level of spiciness is customizable, which is wonderful when choosing a from their wide range of curries. By far my favorite item on the menu is the hot and sour soup, which can either come in a large bowl big enough for several people or in a personal sized bowl. Generous chunks of tofu mixed with slices of green onion, mushroom and bamboo in a delicious broth flavored with eye watering chili seeds makes for a soup unlike any I have found elsewhere.
(4)Jess S.
Not for the faint of heart, but a nice local thai shop. No bells and whistles (no music, no table service for lunch), but decent inexpensive lunch buffet with plenty of vegetarian options.
(3)Jasmine N.
This place is authentic! I haven't had Thai food this good since I since lived San Francisco. I had the yellow curry and it was amazing! Love the staff too!
(5)J W.
I work close to this place and have lunch there fairly regularly. The food is of good quality. While friendly, the service can be a bit slow. The atmosphere is in need of an update. I recommend the red curry, but the pad thai is also very good.
(3)Dylan R.
Consider this a 2.5 review rounded up. The food is fantastic especially the red curry.But the Ambiance Is sub par, and the service is horrible! Most of the people there don't speak English and the times they are open can be a pain! My me and my family were waiting outside and the people came and discreetly changed the time to an hour later without telling us! However if you can stand this, the Red curry and coconut soup are fantastic, most of the menu can be converted to vegetarian, and the take out system is efficient and probably easier than going. I would recommend the food, but not the restaurant.
(3)Saba B.
Karuna's has been making the best phad thai in town since Grant Road was a cattle path, or so it seems. Their lunch buffet is a slamming deal under $10, and the only reason I sometimes forget they exist is because they are closed on Sundays. We called in last night as I had a hankerin for their unparalleled tom kha gha and couldn't help but wonder, could it survive the trip? They offer four spiciness options, and I chose "spicy." I abandon the playing field to those who can tackle theirs "hot." The thai toast is a tender-crisby melange of peanuts, eggs, and onion, and the curry here rivals Sher-i-Punjab's. Their egg rolls are nothing special, and the service is notoriously, if not hilariously slow, but the family is also attentive and thorough. A steaming cauldron of spicy coconut soup rich with tender little shittake mushrooms on a cold winter night makes me giddy with delight.
(4)John B.
Karuna's is good, not great, but good. I give them credit for fresh ingredients and adhering to 'hot' food being actually spicy. The thom kha soup is the best I've had from a lot of different places in a lot of different states. The curry, red, green...tasty as well. I've never had the buffet and don't now that I ever will as I generally avoid buffets. What with people poking their heads under sneeze guards, reusing plates and utensils. Sorry everybody, I love you all but am not ready to eat family style with all of Tucson. But I digress... Three stars for a ho-hum establishment and atmosphere. Great take-out place, though.
(3)Anna W.
I'm giving this place 5 stars due to the authentic thai food that they serve... Pretty run down thou but they do serve very yummy thai food... Only go there if u are looking for food... Atmosphere and decor can be disappointing...
(5)Melissa J.
Karuna's is not my favorite Thai restaurant, but it's really close to my house and the food is pretty good. I really like their Pad Thai and I recently tried some of the pineapple curry which was tasty. I would never eat in the restaurant, it smells a little strange and is pretty run down, but when we've gotten the food for take out we've never been disappointed.
(3)Conchita C.
I met friends there - they had already ordered the soup. It was amazing! The coconut came thru like a tropical breeze in my mouth. My friends ordered extra hot, so I ordered hot - both came x-HOT. the curry dishes were sooo good we had no leftovers, a first for me! The ceiling bespeaks the hole-in-the-wall, and the melamine plastic dishes really need to be replaced by some china worthy of the great food. Our service was very good. We'll be back. On my 3rd visit, I waited over 30 minutes just to place my order. For the entire meal, they 'forgot' my tea. The meal wa another 30 minutes waiting. No updates, no apologies, and still no tea. It felt very rude. It'll be a long time before I return.
(3)Coley W.
This place gets low grades for ambiance, but has delicious food and super affordable prices. I recommend the vegetarian versions of their fried rice, pad kee mao, pad see ew, and massaman curry.
(4)Chris R.
only been here once, the pad thai is pretty good. true hole in the wall, check it out!
(4)Janice M.
I can almost give this place a four star rating but I held back because the overall experience was just OK. The food here is just OK in my opinion, which is better than how other Thai restaurants in Tucson are doing in my book. I went to this restaurant with a couple Thai people as I was told that Karuna's serves the best Thai food in town. As we were making our decisions, the restaurant owner mention that they are known for their salad dishes. We ordered Tom-Kha-Gai, Garlic Pork, and Yum-Woon-Sen. Tom-Kha-Gai was very very soupy but tasted decent. The garlic pork was as expected, nothing special. Lastly, Yum-Won-Sen was just Okay. A couple months after, I decided to give Karuna's another chance. I went with my mom and we ordered Po-Tak, which is a seafood soup dish and it was good BUT I could taste MSG from every bite I took. Overpowering MSG. One thing I admire Karuna's over other Thai restaurants in Tucson is the fact that they still keep it traditional. Some dishes elsewhere, I could hardly recognize what I was eating. Sad but true. Karuna's has its own private lot right next to the restaurant, which is definitely nice and convenient. However, the restaurant is kinda a hole in the wall. It ain't pretty. In fact, I find their serving ware selections a little sketchy, and perhaps questionably dirty?
(3)Patricia O.
If this is the best AZ could do for Thai food, Thai people should feel disgraced. I'm from Seattle and this is the first place I went out to eat in Tucson. I'm disgusted that they had the nerve to call my dish "phad kee mao". I've never had pad kee Mao made with phad Thai noodles and included baby corn and mushrooms ( that looked hallucinogenic ). I also ordered my food extra spicy and it tasted like it had no spice at all. Dear people of Tucson, take a trip to the pacific northwest for the closest thing to real Thai. You are being ripped off.
(1)Barnabas L.
This is a great thai food place for Tucson in my opinion. I say don't judge the book by the cover or else you won't probably eat here. I really love going here when I am craving some thai food! I usually go for the Pad Thai (yes so standard but its good), Pad Sew (i think there is another word im forgetting) or the Yellow Curry (i forget the name i know it when i see it though). These are a definite winner in my opinion to get if you are there. Their spring roll's and egg rolls are EH... nothing to rave about, but i definitely will support this Mom and Pop place. To be fair I am not comparing this to the places outside of tucson, but in my honest opinion this is the best in Tucson. You seat yourself when you go and pay upfront after the meal. I wouldn't bring a group over 5-6 people, but it's very easy to split check's there. when its normal meal times its crowded so get there early or really late. MMM now im craving some thai food. Oh yah, great price for us College Students! I hear they have a buffet type thing for lunch and my friend's say it is good, I have YET to try it but definitely want to.
(3)Alexis H.
This place is a diamond in the rough. I'll be the first to admit that it's a hole-in-wall; the furniture and decor are well past their prime, the lighting isn't great, and the overall impression of the place is that it's a bit run-down. Now ignore everything I just wrote. Karuna's may be dated and void of fancy furnishings, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste. I love their Pad Thai with chicken so much that I get it every time. The spring rolls are fantastic. As an added bonus, the portions are HUGE! My boyfriend and I split an order of Pad Thai and spring rolls for a whopping $10. To sum up Karuna's Thai Plate: great food, great prices. If you're looking for atmosphere, I recommend dining elsewhere, or better yet: carry-out. No matter when I call they have my order ready to go in about 10 minutes.
(4)Malachi A.
Tiny little joint, have not been there for lunch/buffet. I love to come here for dinner, sometimes it's hard to find a seat, since it is so small, but that appeals to me, the food must be good, right? In this case, yes, it is. The coconut soup and shredded papaya salad are to die for. I can't get enough of them! HUGE portions, at reasonable prices. Great for sharing! (Or take home leftovers if you're selfish)
(4)Justin R.
Food: A- Cleanliness: C Service: B Dank Rating : A This place is a perfect cheap sit down restaurant. It has good portions and authentic food. You definitely don't overpay here and its good for a low key dinner with friends. The noodles are really dank being extra thin and they are in a bomb sauce. I saw some other people eating this sick huge bowl of something that looked good with rice, so get that. The noodles and fried rice were both very good. Their service wasnt great but not a big deal....my water cup was always full so i was chillin.
(4)Ferdinand B.
thai food here is pretty bland: This thai food is pretty bland and awful, mostly filled with grease but that doesn't stop people from packing it in at night. It isnt at all a good restaurant & the service is hostile to take-out, I waited 45 minutes for one dish to go, & when I came back, it had been made 10 minutes earlier & was cold when I ate it. Most dishes run $8 but they have no taste. Pad Thai was greasy & prepped sloppily, mixing 'other' items from other people's orders in the mix.
(2)Stephen Z.
I come here often for lunch. They have a small buffet setup with pad thai, fried rice and a few different curries and soups. The pad thai is great and the prices are very reasonable.
(4)Anny C.
Some tips for the owners: PLEASE CHANGE YOUR MENUS!! My noodle soup did not come with fish balls (which is why I ordered the dish to begin with) because, as the server told me, Americans think that fish balls are weird. (?!?) Then, my friend got charged an extra $2 for duck and when we asked about that, the waiter pointed to a small handwritten sign posted across the room that said "Duck $8.99" Can you say SHADY?! At least tell us when we order that the duck is going to cost extra! Also, they were stingy with the shrimp in their spring rolls (and tell me, why does steamed cost MORE than fried??) And to top it off, service was excruciatingly slow. Sigh, this is enough for me to give up on trying to find good Asian food in Tucson...
(2)Kelly A.
Fast, cheap, efficient, and tasty. My introduction to Thai food, with a great selection. Passable decor - not a place to go for a date, just the source for great-tasting cheap food. Excellent for takeout!
(4)Matthew S.
Let me start by saying I love food. I really love Thai food. I recently moved to Tucson and this place is one of the closest places available so I figured I would give it a try. It took me about fifteen minutes to drive there and when I went to look for the restaurant I walked past it the first time. Maybe it was because it was dark out but I saw no sign anywhere that said "Karuna's Thai Plate" I just happened to see the name by chance on a menu sitting on a table. When I walked inside I was far from impressed it was very dark in the restaurant and seemed dirty. The seating was limited and I felt almost unwanted. The only lights on in the place were some overhead halogen lights that looked very dull, almost as if they were going to burn out. The other lights I saw were some spot-light like lamps, the bottom half of the lamp heads were white and the top halfs were black with dust and grease. I could see some debris on the floor and the walls looked like they could do with some cleaning or a new paint job. After looking over the menu I decided on my old stand-by, Tom Kha Gai soup and chicken panang curry. The soup took forever to get to me, where as with most restaurants it usually comes out very shortly after you order it. Now, I understand every restaurant has a different way of making things but this soup tasted revolting. The taste of the coconut milk was almost overwhelming. Other tom kha soups I have had, had a nice mix of sweet and sour flavor. The lime juice usually added cuts the strong flavor the coconut milk just enough to provide a symphony of flavors on your tongue. This soup just did not live up to the soups i have had from countless other thai restaurants. When my panang curry arrived I was very excited it smelled absolutely wonderful and It actually did taste very excuisite but where I feel the dish fell flat was everything else. The carrots and the peppers in the curry tasted overcooked and partially like they had been left in the fridge too long. The rice was very dry and the curry itself was more of a soup than a curry. Every other curry I have had at every other restaurant was thick and creamy; this curry was neither. While I did love the flavor of the curry the other aspects of my meal at Karuna's left me feeling dissapointed. The limited lighting usually set aside for fine dining establishments left me feeling isolated, even in the small compact space. The fact that I almost didn't even realize this restaurant was Karuna's left me wondering how they do buisness, no signs anywhere. I most certainly will not be going back for Thai food there anytime soon. I should have just gone to the pizza joint next door.
(1)S. M.
I am obsessed with their coconut soup! OBSESSED! It's incredible. I've tried a few other things (some noodle dishes, spring rolls, etc.) and they were all okay, but nothing that I'd really like to get again. But the soup... Oh how I love the soup! I could eat it literally every day. You must give it a try. They can customize it to your tastes, too, which I really like since I'm quite picky. So, I feel as though I must warn newcomers: the restaurant's appearance is a littttttlllle sketchy... It's really run down and quite crappy. It's appearance would've caused me to never order from there had I not already been introduced to their soup by a friend without having seen the restaurant. Okay, enough of the bad- just give it a try, you will love it!!
(4)Tony F.
Total hole in the walk place, but that's usually a good sign. Great location and quick service! They even have a buffet. The Pad Thai was yummie!
(4)Rachel W.
This place was absolutely vile. From the moment you walk in the door you could detect the hint of a not so friendly odor. I was told that due to their poor attention to cleanliness, the food would probably be really good because that's what they were focused on. That was quite far from the truth. We ordered the Red Curry and some sort of noodle with tofu. Both were quite terrible. The red curry was a little soupier that I thought it should be and upon entering my mouth had a striking taste of cleaning product, which soon heated up to the spice level we requested. The only way I could describe it to my friend was to say it tasted how the dollar store smelled. The noodle tofu concoction was a tiny bit better, but hardly palatable. The broccoli was really the only part worth eating, however, even then it was covered in the greasy sauce. The tofu was soggy and gross and I started imagining at the ingredients for my entire meal came from the Asian market on Grant and Stone. That was enough for me to completely stop eating despite how starving I was.
(2)Lauren L.
I'm always looking for a good Thai place. The one at Tucson/Speedway (Bangkok) used to be hellsa good but now it just sucks. So I needed a new Thai joint to waste my dinner money on. I'm going to keep searching.
(1)Jen W.
Karuna's is the epitome of hole in the wall; in fact, waiting near the cash register will make you cringe. The silverware seems ancient too. The first time I went to Karuna's, I had some green curry that smelled like cat pee. Not sure how that happened, but it took a year for me to eat Karuna's again. I had Karuna's at a catered lunch and it was not bad. Not great, but definitely not bad at all. I tried pad thai, drunken noodles, and fried rice. The fried rice is more like short brown rice fried up. The pad thai is not overly sweet or sour; it is more like comfort food pad thai mush. The vegetarian drunken noodles were better. They were not like any pad kee mao I have ever tried - more like a milder version of pad thai, but the fried tofu and the enoki mushrooms were excellent inside it. Overall, I will pass on Karuna's though - sorry.
(3)Grace T.
Service is extremely poor. Environment is poor. Would not recommend.
(1)Yogi B.
Karuna's Thai Plate is a very good place to get cheap Thai food. While the service isn't "cheery" per-se, the food is plentiful and tasty. I've been here a number of times (most recently in early September, 2007) and everyone in my party has always enjoyed their food. I agree that the owner could be more friendly. She's mostly matter-of-fact. But I've always had fairly prompt and accurate service.
(4)atchi k.
The owner cooks on Saturday and Sunday for certain. Lad Nar and Pad See Euy are the best in Tucson. Som Tom (papaya salad) is to die for (just like Thailand).
(4)Katie G.
love love love their yellow curry!!! I highly recommend it!
(5)