Malai

4.8 ( 236 reviews )
$10–20
2900 Travis St Suite B, Houston, TX 77006, United States
+1 346-571-5145

Located in the heart of Houston, Malai is a cherished gem for Thai cuisine enthusiasts. Guests rave about the authenticity and freshness of the dishes, making it a must-visit for anyone craving robust flavors. Shelby Dennis celebrated her birthday here, highlighting the delicious pad Thai and commendable service, even for larger groups. Similarly, Top Shelf appreciated the intensity of the spices, noting that the cold Thai tea brought back fond memories of Thailand.

Riya Santra praised the eatery's aesthetic vibe while sampling an array of dishes, from coconut lime soup to mango sticky rice, all bursting with flavor. Kate Kim's experience mirrored this enthusiasm, declaring their Pad See Ew flavorful and complimentary to the crispy crab Rangoon, a surprising favorite. Blake P echoed the sentiment regarding the traditional fried rice, appreciating its authentic presentation and taste.

In summary, Malai combines an inviting atmosphere with a menu that caters to both traditional and adventurous palates, making it an ideal choice for casual eats or special celebrations.

Amenities and More

  • From the business
    • Identifies as Asian-owned
  • Service options
    • Kerbside pickup
    • No-contact delivery
    • Delivery
    • Takeaway
    • Dine-in
  • Highlights
    • Fast service
    • Great tea selection
  • Popular for
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Solo dining
  • Accessibility
    • Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • Wheelchair-accessible entrance
    • Wheelchair-accessible seating
    • Wheelchair-accessible toilet
  • Offerings
    • Alcohol
    • Coffee
    • Comfort food
    • Healthy options
    • Quick bite
    • Small plates
    • Vegan options
    • Vegetarian options
  • Dining options
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Seating
    • Table service
  • Amenities
    • Toilet
  • Atmosphere
    • Casual
    • Cosy
    • Quiet
    • Trendy
  • Crowd
    • Groups
    • Tourists
  • Payments
    • Credit cards
    • Debit cards
    • NFC mobile payments
    • Credit cards
  • Children
    • Good for kids
    • High chairs
  • Parking
    • Free of charge street parking
    • Free parking lot

Reviews For Malai

Shelby Dennis
Jun 30,2025
Got to eat here for my birthday lunch. The pad thai and thai tea were delicious and our waitress did an amazing job handing our admitedly pretty large group. Will definitely try to come back but only need one table:)
Top Shelf
Jun 26,2025
Excellent food and service! Definitely authentic. The pad Thai was amazing, to be careful when you say spicy. I got the one right before Thai spices and it was definitely hot, but delicious. The waitress which I would think is a manager or owner was super nice too. Also get the cold Thai tea! Made me feel like I was back in Thailand
Riya Santra
Jun 21,2025
Very beautiful and aesthetic eatery! We got the coconut lime soup, spicy dumplings, chicken satay, red curry, golly belly fried rice, pad see ew, and mango sticky rice. All the food had so much flavor, and the meat was all very well cooked. Service was fast. Beautiful place for casual eats
Kate Kim
Jun 19,2025
This was some of the best Thai around! The Pad See Ew was amazing!! Lots of Garlic flavor! The fried egg roll and crab Rangoon were actually amazing!! Normally I don’t like Crab Rangoon’s but I love this! The Mango Sticky Rice was out of this world!! We will definitely be stopping back here.
Blake P
Jun 19,2025
Malai has a cool atmosphere with great food! We tried the lunch specials to go and it’s a good sized serving with great flavor. The traditional fried rice is very close to traditionally what I would receive in Thailand. Some fish sauce on the side makes it better. The Pad See Ew was savory and great and the noodles were not over cooked. The spring rolls were the most authentic for me with the glass noodles. Everything was great!
Renee Rodriguez
Jun 2,2025
Came here Monday morning as soon as they opened, we were greeted and seated immediately. The ambiance is very cute. We ordered 3 apps. Spicy dumplings: delicious, 4 pieces. Takoyaki : delicious, 3 pieces And grilled chicken skewers (I forgot the menu name): good, 4 pieces. The appetizers came out quickly. For mains we got the pork belly & beef basil, so good. It comes with a little serving of eggroll and ragoon with sauce. They offered 4 levels of spicy for our main: not spicy, medium, spicy and Thai spicy. We stayed between medium and spicy. The server cleaned out plates and tended to us at appropriate times & said goodbye on our way out. I would recommend this place.
Ayesha Siddiqui
Apr 9,2025
Met some friends here for lunch and immediately upon entering we noticed the restaurant was very aesthetically pleasing. Instagram worthy with comfortable seating options. The staff were friendly and attentive, service was very fast. We ordered the crispy rolls with the chicken satay and thai tea. The food was flavorful, and authentic without being too spicy. We finished with the fresh mango with coconut rice for dessert, which complemented the thai tea very well. We were pleasantly surprised by the level of service, the waitress was helpful and offered recommendations. The menu has so many great options, with reasonable prices, you can’t go wrong! Definitely my go-to for thai in midtown now. Parking may be an issue so I recommend parking across the street.
Angelina Perez
Apr 6,2025
Stopped by Malai in Midtown for a weekday lunch and was seriously impressed. Portions are huge, prices are very reasonable, and the meal came with an eggroll and crab puff. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and true to Thai flavors.

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