Coconut Thai Eats (a sister restaurant to Mango Thai 2 Go in Garland) is a ghost kitchen, so dining in isn’t an option. They start taking orders at 2:30 p.m. on days they’re open — every day except Tuesday — and stay open through midnight, prioritizing the after-work and late-night crowds.
Appetizers include usual suspects like chicken wings (served with a sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce), edamame and egg rolls. They also offer steamed or fried dumplings and shrimp tempura.
Everything at Coconut Thai Eats, including the sauces, is made from scratch. And there are plenty of gluten-free and vegan dishes.
For our starter, we opted for an order of crab rolls, much like Rangoon but wrapped like egg rolls instead of pinched at the corners ($9.95 for five). Filled with cream cheese, imitation crab meat, carrot and onion, these deep-fried delights are addictive, and ours were gone in a hurry.
Any Thai joint worth its salt will be loaded with noodle dishes, and that's the case here. We counted 10 of them, from gluten-free pad Thai to glass drunken noodles to Thai lo mein, all priced at $13.95; add-ons like beef or shrimp not included. A handful of fried rice entrees are also on the menu. There’s pineapple, basil, yellow, Thai and Sriracha fried rice (speaking of which, it appears the great Sriracha shortage is finally relenting). All fried rice dishes start at $13.95.
We added a bowl of Tom Kha soup, steeped in fragrant Thai lemongrass and coconut broth. It's velvety smooth and marvelous. Add beef ($1.50) or shrimp ($3.00) into the mix for a bit extra.
Clockwise from top left: Panang curry, Tom Kha Soup and crab cream cheese rolls.
Nick Reynolds
For our main, we ordered the Panang curry ($14.95 minus add-ons), with a red curry, bell peppers, carrots, chicken, kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk. And like how you tell a kid not to touch something because it’s hot — and they touch it anyway to see what your definition of hot is, we just had to attempt the highest rung on Coconut Thai Eats’ spice ladder.
And, as we said earlier, they don’t play, which is just how we like it. But if you’re looking for a more approachable sweet spot on the Scoville scale, try level three or four instead of redlining it and going straight to the top.
Either way, the curry was stellar. Panang curry is what you’d expect from a red curry — but intensified. Rich and sweet with peanut notes on the finish. Other curry selections on the menu are green, pineapple, red and yellow curry (all starting at $14.95).
If you crave Thai for dinner but want it at home, consider Coconut Thai Eats. It's legit. And don’t forget Chinese classics like General Tso’s, orange and sesame chicken.
Coconut Thai Eats, 4321 Live Oak St. Monday, 2:30 p.m. – midnight; Wednesday – Sunday, 2:30 p.m. – midnight. Takeout and delivery only.
