I absolutely love this place, I've been coming here for the past 2 years and it has yet to disappoint! Food just tastes really good, the massaman curry in particular is just jam packed with flavor and I make sure to scape the button of my bowl to get every last drop of it. If I'm being extremely nit picky, I wish they gave a smidgen more rice with the entry. I pretty much always run out with a decent amount of curry left and I promise I'm putting as much curry as I physically can on the rice. But that's easily fixed with an extra order of rice, so it's no big deal. Both the service and the atmosphere are great! Servers are always super polite and helpful. I remember super vididly on one of my first trips there I asked for extra rice and they let me know that it was going to be extra (it's only $2) which I greatly appreciated since I feel like most places wouldn't have given that kind of heads up. This will be my defacto favorite Thai spot for the foreseeable future and recommend checking it out at your earliest convenience! read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Massaman - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

We were for lunch and their lunch menu is quite cheap. Portion is adequate for the price. Nice ambiance and good service Food was nahhh.... Nothing to recommend read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The restaurant is so cute inside. I would've never guessed - I always come to the lounge next door at night so it's always dark from the outside in. I ordered the pad see ew with the fried chicken. Delicious. Very filling. I also got the hot ginger tea with lime and that was really good it hit the spot and I'm picky about how I like my tea. Customer service was great from the time I entered the restaurant until the time I left. I'd come back here & eat again for sure. read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Pad See Ew - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

Oh what a delight! After eyeing Malai Thai Street Eats for quite some time, we finally stopped in for dinner, and all I can say is what was I waiting for? The tom kha gai was a wonderfully smooth starter, which we paired with the irresistible spicy cheese puffs. The yellow curry with chicken was deeply satisfying, and yet I said "wow" out loud when I bit into the tofu of the hot basil with tofu. The fresh mango with coconut rice was the perfect sweet ending to a delicious meal. The prices were fair, the portions generous, the service attentive and enthusiastic, and the atmosphere cozy and romantic. We went on a Saturday night and parked easily using the metered parking on Travis Street just north of the restaurant (you will have to walk a few paces up the street to the pay station). We will definitely return! read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Fresh mango with coconut rice - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Yummy food!! Sweet staff and fast service!! Cute restaurant! The crispy egg rolls and pad Thai were really good! read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Beef Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Went for lunch service on a weekday upon looking at the reviews from local peers. It's next to Cali Sandwich in lower Midtown. Luckily, parking is available in front in the parking lot for the small plaza. The front and interior of the restaurant is quite unassuming. We ordered an order of the beef skewers for an appetizer, and Penang curry, pad Thai, and pad see ew for family style entrees as well as a Thai tea. Their Thai tea was most likely premade and extremely sweet; the flavor was good but just way too much sugar was used in their mix. The beef skewers had good flavor but were a bit tough to chew. In terms of the entrees, it looked like the presentation for lunch service looked a bit different than some of the other pictures. The pad Thai noodles were slightly on the verge of falling apart; the flavor was fine. The Penang curry sauce was done well but was just lacking content (almost no vegetables in there). The pad see ew was honestly a bit bland and missing the wok flavor. Overall, it's a Thai spot with dishes that are about to an average expectation; compared to others inside the loop, their dishes lacked that extra flavor to push it above the average tier. Everything that we ordered tastes like an expected Thai takeout spot; the dishes were missing a bit of quality, and follow through. read more

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Can I tell you about the single best customer service experience that I have had in ages? My dining party included my 11 yo son. He is still learning how to order for himself. Server comes, asks us if we were ready. 11yo says, yes. He was confident but the rest of us, not set. He orders fried rice. She looks at him and says "no vegetables in that, right?" He confidently responds "yes," to this stranger who is clearly an expert in 11 year olds. When I let her know the rest of us aren't ready, she says take your time, she insisted on putting his order in saying "this boy is hungry." That grandmother energy was the single sweetest thing I have EVER experienced in dining out with my kids. I ordered then anyway so everything would come out. The food? Wonderful. The ambience? I was there with my kids but there were a number of couples, so their is a nicely romantic air about the place. Smallish, almost finery with modern touches (the bench seating in the middle of the restaurant was cool) . In midtown, near my work, I will definitely be back. read more

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Great Thai grub for those looking for authentic taste and great value. Need to try more things from menu and expand my horizons.

The ambiance is lovely. So cute & floral with the decoration. The restaurant is clean. The service was excellent, they helped me right away & I had my food within 10-15 minutes. I had the green curry with medium spice! It was delicious. I had been craving Thai & this dish had me BEYOND satisfied. Love it! read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Green Curry - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

I ordered takeout from here often, but decided to dine in recently. Located in the heart of Midtown it's a small restaurant with some limited parking lot parking and street parking is available with the garage across the street as well. The decor is cute and the staff is always extremely friendly. We had chicken pad Thai, red curry chicken, crispy rolls, and the spicy dumplings. All were seasoned too perfection and just the right spice level. I also tried a mango tea. Definitely will dine in here more often. read more

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Casual ambiance with these flowers all over it's cute. Service is super fast, food comes within 10 minutes. Got the red curry, panang curry and pad see ew. Even their mild has a kick so beware. Pad see ew had this smokiness that I really enjoyed. Curries are super flavorful and again a little spicy. All over solid meal! read more

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Malai Thai reminds me so much of SE Asian eateries that I've tried in Latin America: substantial portions with the prices to match, warm customer service with next to no Asian languages spoken and most of the food skews on the sweeter side. It's a casual eatery with lots of floral decor and just enough IG worthy interior touches to keep young folks interested. WIth a tiny parking lot shared with other businesses and next to a well known Viet eatery (#1), this is a (mostly lunch) destination for Midtowners and. While the emphasis is on Thai cuisine, their recent expansion to Japanese izakaya items throws a bit of a curveball. Items such as with takoyaki, shrimp tempura, and karaage are now appetizer options and would pair even better if they served alcohol. My group and I still managed to order a decent array of items that included pad thai, pad see yu, tom yum soup, massaman curry, pork satay skewers, with a Thai iced coffee and iced tea. I appreciated the chunks of pork in the satay, which felt more like a kebab than just the average Thai meat skewers. The Thai iced coffee and tea were also nicely presented, in a large mug and plenty sweet. Everything else, from the pad see yu, pad thai to massaman felt like a sugar rush since they were all so sweet. The gyoza was the only exception but at $7, it's disappointing to receive 5 pieces that were likely frozen. Ultimately, the food falls to the ambiance, which is why vibe dining in Houston is such a thing. So many businesses are without working AC and Malai was no exception. They have a few have fans blowing all over the place. Spicier food would have been a less pleasant of an experience, but having some form of ventilation was better than none. ____________ (#1) https://www.yelp.com/biz/cali-sandwich-and-pho-houston read more

The owner of this establishment is very perishable and nice. Also, the waiter was nice as well. Great service. I really enjoyed their seating arrangement. A bunch of different, cool looking tables with benches and things of that nature. Back to the good part of the food. Food: the bad Thai was simply amazing. I was blown away by the flavor. Also, it's quite large. Their pad Thai can easily feed two people seriously it's a big meal. Opted for the beef and chicken. I'll admit the beef is OK, the chicken is really good. I really like the flavor of the chicken. Also everything is made to order. I'll definitely come by during the week to check out their lunch specials. I'm a big fan of this place. The food was great. read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

I ordered via Uber Eats so can only speak on the takeout experience. I ordered the takoyaki and tofu pad see ew. Both came packaged well. The takoyaki is an order of 3 relatively small balls but considering how dense takoyaki is, it was still a filling order. The pad see ew was also a good portion; I chose the mild spice level and it was the perfect level of spice for me to where I felt a kick but I wasn't overwhelmed. I was honestly very pleased with the whole meal which left me full. read more

The food was delicious but spicy. I used to love spice but as I got older I realized it does not love me and even the medium was too hot for me with the Red Curry and Pad Thai. The Pork Belly Fried Rice was mild and perfect for my taste buds. The steamed rice was cooked to perfection. The service was outstanding because of the server and his pleasant unassuming personality that made us feel comfortable and happy to be there. The decor was a bit calming and relaxing because of how it was set up. I'll be back soon to try something else. read more

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Amazing service, delicious food, and fair pricing. I love that you can pick from either lunch specials or from the main full menu. Services fast and quick for lunch. Everything I've had here has been delicious. read more

We had a great experience. The service was great and they were really nice. There was plenty of parking when I came during the day. The interior was pretty cute and it looked like they weren't done decorating. Lots of cute flowers and I liked the unique seating too. The food was really good except the Tom yum soup was superrrrrrr salty. We added in a lot of our water and it tasted better lol. We asked for really spicy for the Panang curry but it wasn't spicy at all. The Tom yum was spicier actually . It still tasted great. read more

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Malai Thai is a delicious hole in the wall restaurant serving authentic Thai cuisine. It's nestled in a small plaza in Midtown, so it's not the best or most convenient location but the food and ambiance makes up for it! As you walk in, you'll notice it's a lot bigger than what it looks from the outside. It's super cozy inside with plenty of seating and warm lighting, which is perfect for either a date or a nice hangout with friends. There's fake plants and a fake cherry blossom tree in the middle which adds a nice homey vibe. While there are regular seats and tables, they have Asian style seats where you can sit on floor cushions! The waiters and waitresses are always super nice and accommodating. They welcome you with warm smiles and are super patient when ordering food or picking up your order. They're so kind and lovely! The food is so good. I always get their pad thai (medium) with their pineapple fried rice, and it's divine! Their pad thai has a perfect amount of heat, sweetness, tanginess, and chew to the noodle. I always get it in medium spice, and it does get a bit spicy when you're near the end of the dish, so keep that in mind when choosing the spice level! Their pineapple fried rice has a lovely smokey and garlicky flavor that matches well with the sweet and tangy pad thai. You can never go wrong with whatever you order, and the portions are massive! I think every dish is enough for two big meals! And even when you order to-go, the food stays hot and is always fresh when you pick it up! Overall, this is my favorite thai place in Houston that always hits my craving for good and authentic thai food. Parking is slightly limited due to valet of another restaurant, but it's doable. My final rating: 4.8/5! read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Pineapple fried rice - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

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We've dined here before and went back today! I was craving soup and the Tom Kha Gai was the perfect combination of sweet and savory. The staff is always so kind to us and the place is clean! read more

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I've been meaning to come here for awhile and today the stars aligned and it finally happened!! I ordered 2 lunch specials, pad Thai and See Ew, and spicy dumplings. The food came out fast and piping hot. I ordered to go and my food was still warm when I got home. Everything was full of flavor and delicious! I ate before I remembered to take pictures, but I will absolutely be a repeat customer! read more

Pleasantly surprised by this Thai spot in midtown! I cannot believe how empty it was on a weeknight. Tried a pork skewer dish as an appetizer, which was so flavorful and meat was tender. Shared a noodle dish and masaman curry, both fantastic. The curry was my favorite, it had a lot of cashews in it which made it very nutty and pleasant. Not too spicy and so yummy on top of rice. Reasonably priced for the location! The lot out front has very few spots and it's hard to get a spot. I ended up parking in the pho restaurant lot right behind the building which was fine. read more

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4.5 stars I've been looking for a new Thai place in town because my favorite Thai place had closed awhile back. I was in the UH area and searched "Thai food" and Malai Thai food showed up. We headed over to discover that it was in the same plaza as Cali's Vietnamese restaurant, right next door! The place was lively and full of couples on dates. Cute! We got seated right away and service was prompt. I ordered my Thai restaurant usuals: Massaman curry and pad kee mao. Seeing that they had chicken lettuce wraps (a favorite dish at my old Thai restaurant), I added that to our order as well. Food came out surprisingly fast. Chicken lettuce wrap was flavorful and delicious, and loved that the chicken breast was not dry. The lettuce cups were crisp and fresh. Also loved that there was extra lettuce tucked in the plate of chicken. Yum! Pad kee mao came out next and we all enjoyed it as well. I absolutely loved that they deep fried the basil so that it was crispy, and it was served like a garnish on top of the noodles. Another very tasty dish. Massaman curry promptly followed suite and it had good flavors. unfortunately I found the dish to be on the salty end (but does go well with rice), and there was an extremely strong coconut flavor, to the point of being a tad unpleasant. This was my least favorite dish. However, I did like how they julienned the carrots and there was a good amount of potato's and tofu in the dish. I thought the price was reasonable for the amount and quality of food they gave you, and with inflation on groceries and everything, it's understandable. Also, another bonus is they don't use MSG in their food. Woot! Overall a very good Thai joint in midtown. I definitely want to come back! read more

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The service was perfect! Our waitress was extremely kind & welcoming. It wasn't busy at all, however when you walk in there is a weird sewage smell. Once you're into the main dinning area, the smell leaves. We got a lemonade & mango tea. The lemonade is really limeade, but once you got use to the sour-ish, it was really good. The mango tea is thick & very sweet. We added a little water & it became perfectly balance. The food was made to order so very stove hot & fresh. The shrimp tempura was my favorite! It was so crispy & hot. I could've eaten an entire an entire box of them! Delicious! I ordered the spicy basil, chicken. My partner ordered the pepper shrimp. However, we did have to send both plates back. Their "medium" is "hot" at other Thai spots. They happily remade our dishes & we were very apologetic. We did try to eat them but it was like eating fire :/ Now when the mild came out, it lacked ZERO flavor. We debated if we should've suffered through the mild. If they can find a balance with flavor & spice it would be perfect. Overall 4/5 read more

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I visited this quirky and cutesy Thai spot for lunch on a whim. The flowers, decorations, and seating are all very thoughtfully and interestingly placed. I was surprised at how well they were able to put their own touches all over the restaurant's footprint. Parking is limited outside, just be aware that you might have to look a little. The service was a bit awkward, but polite and eager to help. I think our server wasn't intimately familiar with the food/menu, but he did know what people liked. He was able to tell us what was popular for others and for him. I was initially concerned about the menu's lack of authenticity to Thai cuisine, as I saw many Japanese offerings like gyoza, tempura, takoyaki. We stuck with the more traditional Thai dishes and weren't disappointed. The Pad Thai was worth the trip, one of the most comforting dishes you can order imo. The Panang curry had good depth of flavor as well. Lots of fresh veggies and fried basil brought with every plate. Loved that they had Thai Green tea available too, the sweetness helps cut through the spice of the entrees. The spice level is variable upon request if you like to turn up the heat, or keep it mild. read more

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This place doesn't look like much from the outside. When you first roll up there's not a lot of parking, so that might be a challenge at times. I went closer to 1:00 p.m. and so I found a space right out front. The decor inside is quite nice. The service was quick and friendly. The food was delicious. I had the beef pad Thai lunch special which was like $12 and came with a little fried spring roll and cream cheese filled puff. While the meal is not huge, it's probably the size I should be eating. Everything was very tasty. I went with the lowest level of heat which turned out to be almost none at all. When I go back I would kick it up at least once level. read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Beef pad Thai lunch special - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

Simply can't emphasize enough how flavorful their dishes were! I ordered Kua Gai for the first time and shared a papaya salad with family and friends, and I would definitely recommend both if you'd like a comforting chicken and egg noodle dish with a light salad! I love that they don't add too much fish sauce to the salad and that they topped it with a decent amount of peanuts. I don't recall specifically what everyone else ordered but they seemed to enjoy their dishes as well! Service was amazing and the servers made sure to check on us from time to time! They also make sure to cater to your needs when you request specific adjustments to your order (as in the spice level: they have a pretty good range and you can ask for no spice if preferred). Food came out faster than what I was expecting, given that we went on a weekend night and many of the tables were occupied. The place itself is cozy and cute so I would recommend it for a casual but very satisfying meal with family and/or friends! read more

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My favorite Thai restaurant in HTX. Consistently great food and service. They also have an amazing lunch special. My go to Thai restaurant.

Malai Thai Street Eats is relatively new to the neighborhood, and a welcome addition after the closure of Nara. I have been curious about this Thai spot for a while, and placed a to go order recently to see if the culinary offerings would live up to the hype. I've had great experiences in the past with local Thai restaurants including: Nara, Rim Tanon, Kin Dee and Asia Market Thai Lao Food. No two restaurants are alike, so it helps to go with an open mind when approaching newer Thai establishments. Given this perspective, I think Malai Thai has potential, but in my view, it has yet to reach the upper echelon level of the aforementioned businesses. The chicken satay occupied the space between well done and tough, so not the desired texture, but it had a great flavor. The peanut sauce along with diced cucumber were both high quality. On a different note, I just couldn't get into the Tom Yam Goong soup. I would rate it a 3/5. The broth should have been brighter and developed more. It made me long for the broth at the long gone Thai Racha on Long Point. The soup had copious amounts of onion, which overpowered the flavor profile. The advertised cilantro never made it into the bowl, and I think this dish would have benefited from kaffir lime leaves, fresh lime and galangal. The three shrimp in the bowl were delicious, but 5-6 shrimp would have been more fair, in my opinion. I think the decor of Malai Thai is what makes the restaurant appealing. I would like to give this place another try in the future, but would probably order something different. read more

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Stopped by Malai for a quick lunch special before my pre-night shift afternoon nap! This new Thai spot is the rebrand/renovation of 511 Thai on Holcombe, of which I was a big fan prior to their closure a few months ago. Business was a little slow so service was extremely prompt and attentive - we ordered from the extensive lunch menu and had our food served piping hot in under 10 minutes. My spicy pork kra pao was generously portioned and hit all the right notes for a midday pick-me-up - zingy, spicy, and savory! Mom's tofu pad thai was perfectly dry-fried with that street food style char that makes Thai food so irresistible. We split a non-alcoholic "Pina Shalala" that tempered the heat from our mains with a sweet, tropical vibe. Both lunches were served with a cream cheese rangoon and egg roll on the side, which I thought was a nice touch. :) Do take note that the parking lot is quite tight, so you might have to cross your fingers hoping that you'll get a spot. (You can also park on the street for fairly cheap, but who wants to do that?) I'll be back soon for takeout or to try more from the lunch menu - here's hoping Malai and Cali succeed together as the standout Southeast Asian spots in Midtown! read more

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Very friendly family owned restaurant. The food was excellent. Tom kha gai soup is my favorite thai comfort food and theirs is perfect. My husband who loves spicy food gave his seal of approval on their pad thai at the maximum level. The only thing that threw me off was the vibe of the music and the bathroomy smell of the restaurant itself. However, we will be return customers!! read more

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The staff is so attentive and sweet. There's a nice floral photo opp right when you enter. There was plenty of food for the price. I ordered the green curry with tofu which comes with white rice, egg roll and a crab puff. I tasted my first Thai iced coffee. It was good but I didn't think it was strong enough for my taste. I'll bring my friends again. read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Green curry with tofu - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

The atmosphere was pleasant and clean. Staff were friendly. Food was hot, well-seasoned and servings were of average size. Would definitely recommend. read more

Delicious food, great place for a casual weeknight dinner. Our server was great, he answered our questions (I am vegetarian & don't eat fish sauce), they were accommodating of dietary restrictions. Soup was delicious (large portion size!) and the papaya salad was fresh read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Papaya salad - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Authentic thai food in midtown that's family owned. Came by on a Saturday and got the panang curry and pad woon sen. The dishes came out quickly and were presented well with good portions. The curry tasted a bit more like red curry and lacked the panang flavor, but was still tasty. Not sure if I'd come back, but worth trying once especially for portion and price. read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

The Thai food is very good. The service is excellent. They were were attentive to make sure we had enough water and checked in on the meal quite often, asking if there are any issues. read more

I finally visited this place after having it on my radar for a while. It's in an unassuming strip center with several other businesses, many Asian, and there is limited parking. Once inside, the main thing you notice is the center of the room, which looks almost like a stage for a fashion show or something, but is actually seating. Nice use of this space to be somewhat unique. I definitely enjoyed the music playlist in the background. It was a mix of poppy dance music and EDM. They have an average size menu, but I noticed they had one dish which stood out, the Hamachi kama, but thai style. Here, they call it kama sugoi. And one dish they didn't have, beef salad. Since I wanted a light meal before an event, I ordered the kama sugoi and spicy dumplings. The dumplings are just your garden variety and nothing special. In fact, they taste pretty similar to any you would find at most Chinese restaurants. The kama was pretty good though. It is the best part of the fish, after all. I wouldn't mind coming back to try other dishes if I was in the area again. read more

Came here for a quick bite before a concert at the Toyota Center. I highly appreciated the private lot parking! The interior of the store is very Japanese inspired which was interesting. My party tried the papaya salad, pad see ew with beef, and massaman curry with tofu. Everything was ordered at medium spice (I did not find anything spicy). The papaya salad was very limey. I think I would've preferred it to be a bit more garlicky with extra fish sauce. There was a good amount of peanuts, green beans, and tomatoes. Nevertheless, it was a refreshing side. The pad see ew was what you'd expect it to taste like. The noodles weren't overcooked and the beef wasn't chewy either. The massaman curry was pretty flavorful and it had a quite a bit of cashews in it. Our server was attentive, checking in on us very frequently. She packed up our curry for us and offered extra rice which I greatly appreciated! Nothing mind blowing delicious here, but good enough for the area that it is in. read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Papaya Salad - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Very nice spot, with some cool sitting options and great service. The food was excellent, with a spice that actually packs a punch and great flavors read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Basil Chicken - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

Excellent food, warm service n excellent ambitious. Love all their fresh dishes. One must try. Reasonable prices.

Doesn't look like much from the outside but it's beautifully decorated inside with florals and plants. Service is great and attentive. The food is a variety between Thai and Japanese. The flavor profile is good but they've added sugar to everything including the soups and curries. Everything tasted like dessert. We had the tom ka ga (coconut milk), pad Thai and massamun curry. The soup was incredibly sweet and a preview of what was to come. read more

Malai Thai Street Eats - Massaman curry - Thai Near Me - Houston, Texas

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