Last updated October 2026
Pad thai is the dish many New Zealanders order the first time they try Thai food, and plenty never stop. Sweet, sour, salty and nutty all at once, it is a plate of stir-fried rice noodles that manages to be comforting and fresh at the same time.
★View the Best Thai Restaurants in Napier→Here is what actually goes into pad thai, how it should taste, how to order it your way, and what to do with the leftovers.
What pad thai is
Pad thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish. The name simply means “Thai-style stir-fry”. It is cooked quickly in a hot wok, where the noodles are tossed with a tangy sauce, egg and a handful of other ingredients until they soak up the flavour.
It is a relatively modern dish. Pad thai was promoted in Thailand in the mid twentieth century as a national dish, and it has since become one of the best-known Thai foods in the world.
How it differs from other Thai noodles
Pad thai is often confused with two other favourites. Pad see ew uses wide, flat rice noodles stir-fried with dark soy sauce, egg and Chinese broccoli, so it is smoky and savoury rather than tangy. Drunken noodles (pad kee mao) also use wide noodles but bring chilli, garlic and holy basil, and are usually much hotter. If the menu offers all three, pad thai is the one with tamarind, peanuts and lime.
What goes into pad thai
The noodles
Pad thai uses flat dried rice noodles, a little narrower than linguine. They are soaked rather than boiled, then finished in the wok, so they stay chewy instead of turning soft. Rice noodles also mean most pad thai is made without wheat noodles, though the sauce and other ingredients still need checking if you avoid gluten.
The sauce
The flavour comes from a sauce that balances:
- Sour
- Tamarind
- Salty
- Fish sauce
- Sweet
- Palm sugar
- Heat
- Dried chilli, often on the side
Tamarind is the key. It gives pad thai its gentle, fruity sourness, and it is the main thing that separates a proper pad thai from a generic sweet noodle stir-fry.
The rest of the plate
A typical pad thai includes egg, bean sprouts, garlic chives or spring onion, and often firm tofu, with crushed roasted peanuts and a wedge of lime to finish. Prawns are the classic protein, with chicken, tofu and vegetables common alternatives.
How pad thai should taste
A good pad thai is balanced rather than sugary. You should be able to taste sour, salty and sweet together, with the peanuts adding crunch and the bean sprouts adding freshness. The noodles should be separate and slightly chewy, not clumped or soggy.
That balance is why pad thai is often served with extras on the side. Squeeze the lime over, add chilli if you like heat, and stir in the peanuts so every mouthful has a bit of everything.
Hot or cold?
Pad thai is meant to be eaten hot, straight from the wok, which is why it makes such an easy lunch if you work in central Napier and can collect it on the way. It does not suit being eaten cold the next day the way some noodle salads do, because the noodles firm up as they cool.
Ordering pad thai your way
- Choose your protein. Prawn is traditional, but chicken, tofu and vegetables are widely available.
- Ask about heat. Pad thai is usually mild, with chilli added at the table, but kitchens vary.
- Mention allergies. Pad thai commonly contains peanuts, egg, fish sauce and shellfish. NZ Food Safety’s advice on dining out with allergies notes that restaurants must be able to tell you about the allergens in their food when you ask.
- Order something alongside. Pad thai pairs well with a crisp starter such as spring rolls or satay, or a soup like tom yum, if you are sharing.
Pad thai leftovers: storing and reheating
People often ask how long leftover pad thai lasts and how to reheat it. NZ Food Safety’s leftovers guidance is the place to start:
- Refrigerate quickly. Put leftovers in the fridge, covered, as soon as possible and within 2 hours.
- Rice-based leftovers. Eat these within 2 days. Takeaway meals often come with rice, so keep that in mind.
- Reheat until steaming hot, over 75°C, and only reheat once.
- When in doubt, throw it out.
To bring noodles back to life, reheat them in a hot pan or wok with a splash of water, tossing until steaming hot all the way through. The microwave works too: add a little water, cover loosely and stir partway through so the noodles heat evenly.
Where Chaona Thai fits
Chaona Thai is a Thai restaurant on Emerson Street in central Napier, open for lunch and dinner seven days, with dine-in and online ordering for pickup and delivery. Its Chaona Phad Thai is made with rice noodles, tiger prawns, egg and bean sprouts, and sits on the main menu alongside curries and stir-fries, all served with jasmine rice.
If you are sharing, the starters include Thai spring rolls, chicken satay, curry puffs and a mixed entree. Check the restaurant’s allergy information before you order, then book a table, order online or call 06 835 3959.
