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As the Boston area’s Thai food scene continues to grow and expand far beyond the ubiquitous version of Thai-American food that’s been prevalent for years, another new restaurant is poised to join the mix, offering something a little different.
Mahaniyom will open in Brookline Village this winter, taking over the former El Centro space at 236 Washington St. and joining a bustling dining neighborhood that includes cocktail destination and Sichuan restaurant Blossom Bar, the brand new Omori Izakaya, famed sandwich shop Cutty’s, and lots more.
Mahaniyom will be a tapas/family-style restaurant featuring “meticulously home-cooked-style, authentic Thai cuisine made from scratch and handcrafted cocktails,” according to Akira Sherman, the restaurant’s marketing representative. The restaurant will have an “unpretentious, feel-like-home atmosphere,” meant to be reminiscent of Thailand.
“Our dishes are inspired by our childhood when the whole house smelled tasty from mom’s cooking and the curry paste was made from scratch and most of the ingredients were picked fresh from the garden behind the house,” said Sherman. “Our dishes are also influenced by bars in Thailand where people hang out and enjoy those small plates that go along amazingly with drinks and great company.”
The menu will not be specific to any particular region in Thailand, said Sherman, but it will feature “familiar flavors like what Thai people always make at home.” In addition to a core menu, there will be a rotating seasonal menu. The green papaya pad thai that Mahaniyom previewed at a June 2019 pop-up at Tanám in Somerville will be on the opening menu.
Drinks won’t be an after-thought at Mahaniyom, which will have a full bar. Diners can expect to find natural wines, local beers, sake, and cocktails that are “inspired by Thai flavors and ingredients reminiscent of the good old times.”
The space is fairly intimate; there will be 20 seats (plus six at the bar). It will be decorated with “contemporary art along with our interpretation of Thailand’s everyday life,” said Sherman.
The team is currently keeping mum on who exactly is involved, but according to Sherman, it will be the first restaurant for the owner, who was been working in Boston’s restaurants for over a decade, and the overall team is made up of Boston restaurant industry alums from a variety of front-of-house and back-of-house positions.
In Thai, Mahaniyom means “very popular” and “beloved,” said Sherman. “It is usually related to spiritual and mystical beliefs. It is a powerful word that intertwines our beliefs and way of living.”
When Mahaniyom opens this winter, it will serve lunch and dinner daily.
