Kinnaree

Couldn’t find a parking, only street parkings are available. Went there today, Tuesday around 7 not too busy time. Waitress was very nice. We ordered a dish of Shrimp Pad Thai and Sea Phuket. It was very delicious. It was better than any average thai restaurant around NYC. The portions and prices were reasonable. Thai tea was the best I have ever had!

We ordered the fried calamari, the drunken noodles w/​shrimp and the phat si io (pad see ew) w/​chicken. The fried calamari wasn’t great and honestly tasted like it was fried in old oil. The drunken noodles were very visually appealing, but spicier than expected. The pad see ew was the winner of the night. It was absolutely delicious and had both great texture and flavor.

Excellent service, the Thai iced tea is soo good and the food is simply delicious. Can’t wait to go again!

Their Panang curry is tasty, but I think it is way toooo spicy. Even I ordered spicy level 2, it is still too spicy to me. To be honest, I can endure spicy a lot since I ate a lot of Chinese Sichuan food, but this is just too much for me.

Comforting, authentic food prepared with care. Can’t say enough about this Pan-​Asian restaurant. If you’re looking for a healthy, flavorful Thai, Korean or Japanese meal then you must come to Kinnaree. Delicious soup (the pot will feed 4 people easily, a great value!) — the Tom Kha is my favorite. Curries and rice dishes are fresh and so tasty. House specialties are a nice treat. There’s something for everyone on this menu — great for groups or a nice relaxing date night!

Very pleasantly surprised with this place! I’m from out of State and came here for a spur of the moment dinner. They actually had my favorite dish that my favorite local Thai place in NJ stopped serving. Only thing was I wished they had more sauce in the Pad Kee Mao. But I’ll definitely come back next time I’m in Albany!

I’ve resided in the Albany/​Schenectady area for almost a year now. I work in the Capital Region during the week and return to my home in the Syracuse area most weekends so I’ve made it my personal mission to find restaurants and eateries that can satiate my appetite during the week when I’m away from my family. After reading several reviews on Unilocal for Kinnaree, I was hoping that I discovered a potential benchmark restaurant for my Korean cuisine cravings.
The first thing to note is that Kinnaree is not primarily a Korean restaurant. It attempts to satisfy a few Asian cuisine cravings by offering Thai, Korean, Japanese and limited Chinese fare to their customers. While I have no problem with this concept it also needs to be executed well for all the fare offered or it leaves the experience lacking. I was delighted to see that the menu offered many of the Korean dishes that I grew up eating as a child and was very familiar with all of them. Based on a few reviews my initial intent was to try the Jjompong (Spicy seafood noodle soup) and Jjajangmyun (Noodles with black bean sauce).
When I arrived on a Wednesday evening, I was fortunate to find parking on the next block very close to the restaurant. I was gratified to see a very pleasant and comfortable dining area. At the time, I was only one of two customers dining in the restaurant although several customers did stop in to pick-​up take-​out orders.
Like several of the reviewers, my expectations of Kinnaree were tempered by my previous life experience with Korean cuisine. Admittedly, my expectations of what Korean food should taste like are high but, not unrealistic. I am Korean-​American and my parents raised me on Korean cuisine standards along with American fare so I grew up eating home-​cooked Korean meals. Additionally, I was stationed in Korea with the Air Force for two years on separate tours of duty so my standard of excellence is colored by what I experienced abroad. While these experiences broadened my palate and appreciation for my native cuisine it also makes it difficult to compare American equivalents. Nevertheless, I have found excellent Korean food in locations that boast a substantial Korean immigrant population; my birthplace of Los Angeles for one and New York City as another.
The waitress who served me was very friendly and attentive. I did not wait long for the Jjompong to be served along with the Banchan (traditional Korean side dishes of cabbage Kimchee, bean sprouts, fish cakes and seasoned potatoes). The serving size of the soup was reasonable although I was more accustomed to larger servings of this dish. The broth was spicy but was missing a component that detracted from what I would consider an authentic taste. Perhaps it was the lack of more fish sauce or sesame oil and the minimal amount of vegetables? Regardless, the broth was tasty but lacking in authenticity. The most glaring detraction of the dish was the use of Udon noodles instead of the more traditional Chinese type noodles that are normally used. Udon noodles are a much thicker noodle and used in Japanese fare. The Chinese noodles are much more akin to ramen noodles but have a chewiness that make it stand out in Jjompong. Having eaten the Udon noodles in this dish instantly likened it to a approximation of Jjompong but not a true facsimile of the recipe that I have grown-​up with and loved. This was truly disappointing as I’ve eaten Jjompong at other area restaurants (most notably, Seoul Korean) that pull it off accurately and quite well. I was also disappointed with the variety of Banchan that was offered. The Kimchee was mostly leafy portions of the cabbage and not as spicy or fragrant as I was accustomed to. Typically, Banchan offer an average of six side dishes consisting of additional dried or pickled items along with a bowl of white rice. White rice did not accompany the entrée.
Given the use of Udon noodles in the Jjompong I decided to forgo the selection of Jjajangmyun as my follow-​up entrée. Both dishes use the exact same type of Chinese noodles and I did not want to chance another underwhelming approximation of a Korean favorite.
Instead, I chose to select the Duck Basil which sounded and looked delicious. I ended up ordering this dish to take-​out. The portion was generous and the slight crispiness of the sliced duck breast was delectable. The sauce that topped the dish paired well with the white rice that accompanied the entrée. I was pleased with the taste and would definitely try it again on future visits.
My mission to discover my favorite Korean cuisine restaurant in the Capital Region continues. I imagine that the Thai cuisine at Kinnaree is its superior fare judging from my brief experience eating the Duck Basil entrée. I will certainly explore more of the noodle and curry dishes in future visits. For the time being, I will steer clear of the Korean portion of the menu until there is evidence from other reviewers that the authenticity has improved.

I selected bulgogi and iced coffee. The meat was tender but swimming in a salty sauce. I didn’t feel that the meat had been grilled like traditional bulgolgi. My iced coffee did not taste like coffee with condensed milk, but watered down milk – neither coffee nor sweet. My meal cost over twenty dollars. Not impressed.

Kinnaree sets an example of Pan-​Asian done right. I always worry when I see restaurants claiming excellence in more than a single type of cuisine. However, this place lives up to its claim with Thai, Korean, & Japanese. I’ve only had the Korean and Thai here but ny dining companions have tried the Japanese.
A cozy, comfortable place for a small group of friends, we had a delicious evening enjoying our Pan-​Asian entrees. Our server was lovely, accommodating to our party’s needs and prompt to deliver service. The pineapple fried rice was fragrant and had moist chunks of pineapple, cashews, + shrimp throughout. The mandoo guk was comforting and broth was flavorful. The spicy pork rice came with multiple ban chan (Korean side dishes) that were complimentary and carried just the right amount of heat. But my favorite was the Dolsot Bibimbap (hot stone bowl mixed rice), as it’s sizzling and aroma had me at first sight/​sound/​smell. With gochujang (red pepper paste) in hand and a large spoon to mix it all up, it was a bowl of satisfaction. I love how the rice on the bottom of the hot stone bowl crisps up after awhile.
So if you are looking to enjoy some Pan Asian cuisine all in one establishment, Kinnaree is the place to be. Whether it is for date night, a casual outing with a friend or two, or a small group, it is a good setting.

Food is unexpected palpable and delicious, I would like to come here again and again.

Best place I’ve been to in last two days of visit. Korean spicy rice cakes, thai curry, pad thai… kimchee was all pretty darn good

Great service, very reasonable prices and food was fantastic! We had the rib eye teriyaki and the tamarind duck. We will make this a regular stop for sure

The food is amazing. I’ve ordered Seafood Phuket on special menu, it’s a little bit spicy but really tasted great with unique source. I also ordered fried dumpling with beef, the dumpling source is such an astonishment to me. Best dumpling source ever! Even better than some Korean /​Japanese restaurant in LA. I’m going to miss this place since I’m leaving tmr. Must try again if I come to Albany sometime in the future! Really recommended if you are couple road trip around cuz they have beautifully house music playing while you enjoy your dinner.

Excellent lunch experience here on a weekday. We showed up around 1 pm and were seated immediately. I ordered the Gaeng Karee which was a hot, spicy, delicious combination of chicken, yellow curry, pineapple, carrots and potato. My husband ordered the pad prik khing that was one of the best versions of this string bean and beef dish that I’ve had. It was a little salty, but not that it stopped me from enjoying the dish. Portions were great, service excellent, presentation professional. Absolutely worth stopping in to see for yourself!

Great and tasty food and service. Lovely atmosphere. Had the curry udon noodles and I love it. It was the right amount of spicy. A great place to bring a date or friends. A perfect place to enjoy awesome food and have a fun casual time. Highly recommend this Thai place.

One of the best asian fusion places in Albany, in my opinion. The Thai food is pretty good, the Japanese alright, and the Korean is meh. It’s not very spicy, so a lot of the dishes were a lot milder than I would have liked. The service is pretty fast, though the place is a little small, so it’s probably not great for huge crowds of people.

I went to for the first time to Kinnaree just a week ago. The setting was low-​key. It is very small and not many frills involved. Good Korean food which is very affordable.
The food was delicious and the prices were right. We got Thai spring rolls as our appetizer. For dinner, I ordered the Dried Emerald Curry which was $ 18.00. It was scrumptious. The base is green curry and it comes with coconut milk, string beans, shrimp, and scallops. The scallops were done perfectly. I loved everything about this meal.
She got the Bi Bim Bap entrée $ 12.00. Other than restaurants in NYC, she said it was amazing and some of the best Korean style food she has eaten.
We also ordered some warm Saki at the end which polished off the meal perfectly.

This review is purely based on the best ddukbokki I’ve ever had! I’m an Asian food lover therefore I’ve had a lot of thai, korean, Japanese, Chinese, etc. food. And the ddukbokki here beats most dishes I’ve had.
Came here while visiting Albany for the first time. I was staying just one day for work-​related business. Stop by here randomly and had one of the best meals.
The service was great. Food was spot on! Definitely try this place out
PS: be careful with the level of spice. I ordered my food at level 5 (the hottest) and it was HOT for sure. If I could I wish I did a 4 or maybe a 3… I usually can take spice but it was very intense here. So be careful with how you order your food!

One of the best thai food places i came across, loved the food, very good spice levels and great prices.
Fried ice cream was the best.
We have pre ordered our food, as it is busy during lunch time on a friday, and they served us right after we entered the restaurent.
We were only there to hog on food, not like any fancy pants sipping on soup and having hour long conversations.

Outstanding start to the meal. Fried tofu that was a tofu puff and a salad with grilled rib eye steak. Spicy and sour and amazing.
Soft tofu soup was a solid showing… Faux duck on glass noodles was a big pleaser.
This is my absolute fav thing in Albany.