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    Merai

    4.4 (79 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

    Order Merai Takeout or Delivery

    Merai Thai Restaurant Photos

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    Tom Klong Chazuke - $16 *MUST ORDER*
    Juliana T.

    What a spot! My cousin had told us about this place for years, and we finally had a chance to visit, and BOY are we glad we did! The food is phenomenal. It's modern Thai cuisine with punchy and complex flavors that all work together. Beyond that, the service is so friendly and prompt! To top it all off, they play old school hip hop that creates a fun and lively vibe!

    Special rigatoni dish
    Joy G.

    I was very excited to try Merai after hearing so many good things about Mahaniyum just around the corner but there were some parts that made the dining experience a little uneven. First, I usually love sitting by the bar but the bar seating here was way too tight (I was practically in the lap of the person sitting next to me) and uncomfortable (rickety, plastic high stools with such a tiny shelf for your back that may as well have been backless). The food was generally outstanding. We tried the kale salad, taro fries, crab croquettes, hot dog, and the special rigatoni. Of everything I ordered, the fries were the standout - super crisp, perfect for a snack to go with your drink. I don't know how they achieved the beautiful textured layering on the exterior, maybe by shaving the taro into tiny flecks first and coating each stick in it. Regardless, one of my favorite fry dishes in years. Hot dog was also delicious, truly an elevated take on the standard glizzy, with salted yolk mayo (hello!) and caramelized basil onions. The rigatoni was the only dish I thought we could do without; it was overwhelmingly spicy for me and the taste of the shrimp paste dominated everything else. Noodles could also have been left in the water for a few seconds longer. Also wasn't a fan of the only dessert on the menu, a toffee cake that was too dry. Portion sizes were small enough that I left feeling comfortable instead of stuffed. My "tomato" drink was delicious, I would want to come back and try the others on the cocktail menu.

    Magda C.

    Cool vibe but noisy here. Food was nicely presented, tasty, fresh ingredients. My favorite was crab croquettes. Portions are small so order several to share.

    Crab Croquette
    Erica C.

    Merai was a sleek, sexy, and intriguing restaurant. The dark walls and dim light set the tone for great conversations paired with delicious food. The food offerings were very unique and the flavors danced with my tastes buds. My partner and I ordered several dishes to share. We had the crab croquettes which were fried perfectly golden with delicate and fresh crab meat inside. The curry sauce was the best for the croquette to sop up! We ordered the risotto and I love that it was made with coconut milk. It was so creamy and light, not like a typical risotto. We had one of the specials of the night which was a tom yum bolognese. It was so flavorful and the pasta was cook perfectly. We also ordered the chicken wings which were stuffed with garlic fried rice. Wow, just wow. And we of course had the hotdog. We were blown away by the hotdog!! The caramel used basil onion was our favorite part. It was like a party in your mouth with a sweet kapraw sausage and salted yolk Mayo. This is what hot dog dreams are made of!! We loved all of the food and left no crumbs. We made a reservation for 6PM on a Tuesday and got seated with no problems. Plenty of street parking in the area with lots of shops nearby.

    Sober Opera - gin based with rose lychee honey film
    Monica C.

    Great dinner experience at Merai - ordered a variety of dishes but the standouts to me were the tom klung chazhuke (salmon over rice with Thai fish broth fresh pour), shishitos, and smoked duck bao. Drinks were outstanding as well - enjoyed the Sober Opera which is gin based with rose lychee honey foam. Music and vibes were great but there's a very strictly reinforced time limit on your table.

    Crab croquettes
    Lizzie Y.

    Merai is a Thai fusion "elevated" dive bar in Brookline, & if you're familiar with Mahaniyom, this is their sister restaurant! We came here after grabbing some small bites nearby & were not disappointed. Pretty small restaurant; had a couple 4-seat tables & some bar seating. We ordered a couple dishes to try: -taro fries -crab croquettes -chicken rice (chicken stuffed w/ rice!) -hot dog (krapow sausage w/ salted egg yolk mayo) Wow, all the dishes were a hit! Our favorite was definitely the taro fries. We've never tried taro fries before but OMG, they were sooo good. They had such a perfect crisp to them & paired well with the sweet chili sauce it came with. Chicken rice was very cool & such a unique dish... typically don't see chicken stuffed with rice! Crispy skin & chicken itself was juicy! The hot dog was amazing, as well! Loved the salted yolk mayo... very nice touch. It's made with krapow sausage, which had a slight kick from Thai chilis. The crab croquettes were quite tasty too, highly recommend if you enjoy crab curry! The sauce is coconut curry & went perfectly with the croquettes. We had a lovely & positive dining experience at Merai and look forward to coming here for more dinners or just for drinks (hours of operation: 5pm-1am daily, except for Mondays)!

    Shishito peppers
    Sean Y.

    I'm visiting from Chicago, and I wish we had a restaurant like Merai. All drinks and food items we ordered here were fantastic- particularly the taro fries and my drink, the sober opera. I personally think the hot dog (which they recommend to all customers) was not stand out and would not order it again. All in all great ambiance and would come back. Good value for the money and great service.

    Hot dog
    Rebecca X.

    From the same team as Mahaniyom comes Merai. You can really tell they're part of the same family. Merai has the same Asian fusion-y small plate idea with a fun drink menu. I would say Merai leans more into the fusion side of things, whereas Mahaniyom stays more Asian. I tried two drinks which were delightful, as well as the chazuke, hot dog, pork ribs, and mussels. It seems like the hot dog is one of their most popular dishes, and for good reason! It was fresh, juicy, flavorful, and the bread was buttery and crispy. Everything else was tasty as well. I think Merai would be a great place to grab a drink with a friend or go on a date. Low key, fun, and yummy.

    Strawberry Cheesecake
    Connie L.

    Absolutely loved Merai. Would give it a 4.5. Their food & drinks are innovative, beautiful and delicious. We ended up trying the selection of items below: 1. Taro Fries: 5/5! They were incredibly crispy & flavorful. My favorite dish of the night. Also, the chili sauce they're paired with was the perfect balance of spicy & sweet. Would honestly buy the sauce alone because it was so good. 2. Mussels: 4/5 - would've been a 5 based off seasoning, but they were so sandy it was a bit off putting. Sand aside, the sauce, toast & mussels would've been perfect. 3. Chicken Rice: 5/5 - never seen a restaurant put rice inside of a fried chicken, but it was so good. They made the chicken skin very crispy and coated them in a delicious fish sauce glaze. Salty & sweet. 4. Kopimisu: 5/5 - the second you take that first bite, you instantly taste all the Thai Tea. They're generous with the soak and cocoa. I couldn't help but keep taking bites because it was so yummy. Overall, amazing experience. We didn't have too long of a wait and the service was great. I would consider Merai to be one of the best bars in Boston (if they only improved upon the mussels) & would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a nice dive bar.

    Aheli P.

    What a great find. We needed some late night (11pm) eats after a concert and we discovered Merai. Instead of settling for a slice of pizza, we ended up with one of the best meals. We had grilled hamachi collar with a lovely spicy tamarind/garlic dusting, the chicken rice (chicken wings stuffed with garlic fried rice and double fried), a kale salad with a spicy sweet pistachio dressing and roasted pumpkin, and their hot dog - decadently served on a brioche bun, salted yolk topping. We could have easily eaten our way through the whole menu. The cocktail menu was beyond. If you want an incredibly tasty and innovative Thai meal, come here.

    Hot dog
    Felicia M.

    Went here with my husband on a Tuesday night to celebrate. I was surprised just how busy they were. We were sat at the bar, which I tend to like as you can chat with others and watch the concoctions being made. My one complaint was that the barstools were so close together I couldn't even get in and out. However the drinks and food made up for that. I had a very refreshing drink made with tequila. We had the fries which were to die for, I ate more than my share. We shared the delicious kale salad and the risotto. My husband topped off his experience with the hotdog. I topped off mine with the strawberry cheesecake drink. I highly recommend this place even if you're just going for drinks.

    Christine W.

    Merai has been a restaurant I've been wanting to try for a while and it didn't disappoint! I was fortunate that I got a reservation for the next day, but they're usually booked. The restaurant itself is very fun. It's dark and cozy and the service was great. There is always someone checking in to make sure that the table is taken care of. My table ordered a couple different items and they were all really good. The drinks are also unique and really well done as well. I think my favorite item was surprisingly the kale salad. I don't normally like kale, but the texture was soft and the dressing was very good too. The mussels were also very flavorful as well. Overall all the food was great and I can't wait to go back.

    Birthday shots
    Kristen K.

    Small little Thai-inspired tapas restaurant known for their drinks. Walk in seating available at the bar. The dishes we chose were all tasty, our favorite was probably the salmon and rice in soup. Worth getting an extra side of bread for the mussels to really soak up all the sauce. I had marked that it was for a birthday in the original reservation and we did not order any dessert, but they were kind to surprise us with complimentary birthday shots of tequila. Hojicha inspired cocktail did not taste very strongly of hojicha, which was our only criticism for the meal.

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    Ask the Community - Merai

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    Merai - thai - Updated May 2026

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