Merai

We've heard lots of great things about this place, so our expectations were high and it did not disappoint! The food was delicious and flavorful, and the portions were surprisingly large. It is a bit loud inside, making it hard to carry a conversation with someone sitting directly across from you. What we ordered:Cold noodles ($17) - refreshing take on classic tom yum flavorsMussels ($18) - savory but not the most memorableHot dog ($18) - the sausage was so juicy and a unique flavor that we haven't had in hot dog form beforeFettuccini ($22) - one of our favorites. The noodles were cooked well and paired so well with the khao soi sauce

My partner and I got the yukhoe, hot dog, risotto, fettuccini, bori bori (for one), and flan -TASTE: 5/5 - star of the show was the yukhoe, hands down! So well balanced w all of the laab spices. Other highlights included the hot dog's savory krapow sausage, risotto's sweet coconut milk, and flan's strong Thai tea flavor TEXTURE: 5/5 - great contrasting elements throughout, like the yukhoe spread onto the bread and tender mushrooms in the risottoPRICE: 3/5 - knew it'd be higher price points, but the $133 total was still more expensive than expected SERVING SIZE: 4/5 - left dinner satisfied. The bori bori serving for one was still shareable between us twoSERVICE: 4/5 - made a reservation for Sunday at 5pm earlier that day, and there were a couple parties seated when we arrived. Our waiter was helpful and all the food came out within 20minATMOSPHERE: 5/5 - hip and modern Thai space w great music and a bathroom w awesome decor too too. Looking forward to coming back!PARKING: 4/5 - got a metered street spot on Harvard St

Tried this place for the first time one late dinner. It's pretty tiny so there's not a lot of seating but the vibe was pretty fun. Music was a teeny tiny bit too loud though.1/ Food: 7.5/10Their fusion dishes were pretty interesting. We tried a few dishes including the stuffed rice chicken wings, cold noodles, pork dumplings, risotto and got a flan dessert.Cold noodles and pork dumpling were our favorites, truly having a unique and well-seasoned flavor. Would 100% come back for those. Risotto was also good, and we thought the garlic rice stuffed inside the chicken wings was pretty cool.Flan dessert was great as well. 2/ Ambience, Location & ValueGood cozy place in a cute Brookline area. Prices are quite on par with local restaurants-- not on the low side, but reasonable.Our service was good as well!Overall, we will come back! There are certain things on the menu that we would love to try, and I would love to have the cold noodles again!

Merai really blew my mind. Creative cocktails, delicious food, and a great small bar vibe. What we ate:- Kale Salad: Must get- Cold Noodles: really good- Hot Dog: Must get- Taro Fries: Must get- Shrimp Tempura: ok- Fettuccine w/ Lobster: Must get if you like Lobster. Pretty much everything start to finish was amazing. We started with the Melon and Lucky Sunny cocktails. Melon was fruity and refreshing, while Lucky Sunny was a sweet slow sipper. Highly recommend both. The only dish we wouldn't get again was the Shrimp Tempura. It was good but nothing special. The Kale Salad and Taro Fries were surprisingly two of our favorite items.

We love Merai's sister restaurant so we definitely had to come try this place out. The space is trendy but still comfortable and intimate. The music never got too loud either. The two of us split the Taro Fries, Cold Noodles, Bao Bun, and the Hot Dog. Standouts were definitely the fries and hot dog. I loved the crispy textures of the fries and hot dog bun.Service was friendly and the food came out relatively quickly. I would definitely come back! Probably best for parties of two since the portions are meant to be shared.

This spot has become one of our favorites in the greater Boston area in the little time it's been open. From the house made sauces (I'm looking at you lemongrass ranch and sweet chili!!) to the perfect balance of flavors in each dish to the mirage of Thai inspired cocktails. Every bit of Merai shows care, care to Thai cuisine, care to Thai culture, and above all care to a great time.

There's just something about Merai & Mahoniyom (Meria's sister restaurant) that I just don't click with. I got to try about 85% of the menu here and was honestly not blown away by anything. Many of the dishes lacked salt. You got great spices like Tumeric, chili, curry, ginger but not salt.The shrimp tempura was my favorite dish, it was fried well and the sauce was good. The flan was a close second.All the other dishes had issues that made me not a fan like the fettuccine was overcooked, the risotto was too sweet, the chicken was stuffed with too much rice, the dumpling was very average, the taro fries while crispy and was under seasoned, the broth in the mussels was too bland, etc.

I was looking forward to Mahaniyom's sister restaurant, but this place is a little disappointing--or maybe I have higher expectations. The menu is an Asian fusion (Thai - Korean), and the food and drinks are neither hit nor miss. HOJICHA $15 - friend's favoriteSOBER OPERA $15 - delicious and uniqueWONKA'S TICKET $15 - pretty strong STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE $15 - wrong choice, the cheese form is not what I expected, I was hoping it taste like the cheese form in bubble tea Taro fries are $8. They are crispy on the outside and soft inside, and somehow, they taste better than French fries. Yukhoe $19 - the laab spices are too much, I prefer the Korean version, which has a lighter and sweeter taste.Onigiri $7 - the fillings taste like the sticky rice in dim sum restaurants. Cold noodles: $17 - my favorite, Tom Yum, is not too strong, and the noodles are chewy. It is refreshing and perfect for summer. (MUST ORDER)Hot dog $18 - overpriced, it is spicy, and the sausage was juicy, but I can't taste the salted yolk mayo.Chicken rice $17 - the wings are crispy, and they stuffed the garlic rice which was a little bland. Fettuccini $22 - the pasta is okay with khao soi (curry and coconut sauce) but the chicken thigh is on the drying side.Flan $9 - strong Thai tea flavor and not too sweet, but the coconut ice cream was not creamy.

Small and cozy bar with a gorgeous interior design perfect for a date night or drinks with friends. The portions here are perfect and the drinks are delicious. While I was here they were holding a small social featuring special drinks. The service was really amazing. They did have 2 mocktail options available while I was there for anyone staying sober. The food was delicious, my only complaint was that my risotto seemed a little undercooked but they were able to take care of that.Convenient location, tasty food and drinks; I'll definitely be back.

A must-try new restaurant in Boston! We made reservations a few days in advance and had an absolutely fantastic experience dining here.Drinks: The Kakagroni was a fun play on a classic Negroni. The Strawberry Cheesecake blew us away - it was so delicious, creative, and exactly reminiscent of a strawberry cheesecake but in a drink form.Food:-Yukhoe: High quality beef with plenty of crispy accompanying vegetables. -Cold noodles: Innovational take on cold noodles with a tom yum soup base. Very savory and tasty.-Chicken rice: The flavor and texture of the chicken was spot on and addictively crunchy. A great textural contrast as each chicken was stuffed generously with sticky garlic rice.-Fettuccini: One of our favorite foods is khao soi, and this dish did not disappoint!-Hot dog: Saving the best for last, the hot dog was unexpectedly amazing. I was thinking other reviewers might be hyping it up, but it was actually our favorite dish of the night! The sausage was so juicy and the bread was perfectly buttered. Combined with the salted yolk mayo - I would eat this again and again. For dessert we had the Thai tea flan. Delicious! It had incredible texture, was not too sweet, and was dreamily paired with some kind of coconut ice cream/sorbet on top. We can't wait to return. The wait staff are friendly, the decor and seating has great vibes, and their drink and food menus are so innovative and fun. 5/5 experience.