The Michelin Guide has awarded Brookline Thai tapas restaurant Mahaniyom a coveted stamp of approval.
Known for its strict restaurant reviews, Michelin is one of the world’s most celebrated food guides. It revealed its picks for the Northeast Cities Guide Tuesday night in Philadelphia, where Boston restaurants received their first awards from the company since it started giving out its coveted stars in 1926. Boston’s 311 Omakese got the region’s only star, while Mahaniyom received a Bib Gourmand, a distinction reserved for restaurants that serve “hgih-quality food at a great value,” according to the Michelin Guide.
In the heart of Brookline Village, Mahaniyom specializes in small plates rooted in the casual “Ran-Lao” style of Thai dining, featuring dishes like Kang pu crabmeat curry and pomelo salad. The Michelin Guide also recognized the creativity of Mahaniyom’s drink menu, awarding one of the owners, Chompon “Boong” Boonnak, the Exceptional Cocktails Award.
“Everyone here puts themselves into their work,” Boonak said. “Our flavor is something we want to do best and not compromise.”
Boonnak and his childhood friend Smuch Saikamthorn opened the intimate, two-dozen-seat restaurant in 2020, just three weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. With the help of their team, the Brookline community and local publicity, Bonnak said, the restaurant thrived during quarantine by pivoting to takeout. They also opened a sister restaurant, a dive bar concept nearby on Harvard Street, last year.
Since the Michelin announcement, Mahaniyom has experienced an influx of reservations. Boonnak, who got back to Brookline Thursday afternoon after receiving the award in Philadelphia, said the restaurant expects to start having to book reservations a month out, whereas it used to book a week or two in advance. Still, he wants to keep walk-ins a viable option for the business, which is open for lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday.
“That’s the charm of the business,” Boonak said. “We want to keep having people come in, and we want to feed everybody, to seat everybody we can.”
Benjamin Kaye-Smith ate there Wednesday night after a co-worker told him about the Michelin honors.
“Everything was excellent,” said Kaye-Smith, a sous chef at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, who is currently working at TD Garden. He cited the pomelo salad and pork cheek as favorites, alongside the Eleven Tigers shot – a traditional Thai herbal-infused rum.
Jesse Choi and Kaitlinh Nguyen, Boston University seniors who live in the Brookline area, dined at Mahaniyom for the first time that same night but had not heard about the awards.
“It makes sense, because I think that was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while,” Choi said after hearing about the Michelin award.
Nguyen had seen the restaurant’s high rankings on the app Beli and had seen that Boonak is a BU alum.
Outside the restaurant, a woman walked by and backtracked, looking into the large front windows. She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the sign. Another couple passed by, and one said, “This is the place I told you about.”
Alyssa Zhang, 16, and her grandmother Alice Lee praised the restaurant after enjoying dishes that included the crab curry and pomelo salad. Zhang said she had seen the Michelin recognition, which inspired her to go. Lee said she hadn’t heard about the award but trusted that wherever her granddaughter took her to eat would be great.
“We will come back again,” Lee said. “It was delicious.”
Despite the increased recognition, Boonak said he wants to keep the space intimate.
“I want people to know this is a place they can come and hang out,” Boonak said. “I want to continue being a neighborhood space, and we want to be the best in service, best in hospitality.”
This story is part of a partnership between Brookline.News and the Boston University Department of Journalism.