Arunee Thai
“The service was excellent, the food was so amazing, and the fresh coconut juice was fresh indeed!”
“I took the left overs from my main course home since it was a big portion and I did over eat on the Chive dumplings.”
“The tasty food I had that night:
Guay Tieow Nuea, Namtok – Thai Beef Noodle soup with cow blood.”
Arunee Thai
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Arunee is my favorite Thai restaurant in the city ever since Breeze Thai closed. It's better than SriPraPhai down the road (food is definitely not as sweet but that's a good thing).
Thai Iced Tea ratio was perfect: not an overload of sugar and condensed milk.
Service is good.
Yum Saminpri appetizer was good. Everything's fresh. Coconut shreds weren't burnt. I never had tofu like it was in this dish before. It's not in blocks – it's shapeless; the batter for it reminds me of tempura.
Pad Thai is what you'd expect. Not too sweet like SriPraPhai and you add in the spiciness yourself. Huge portion for ten dollars. You definitely get your money's worth and it's shareable for two. Same with the beansprout dish – it had a slight tart flavor.
It's pretty good. Very clean. You definitely get your money's worth but I wouldn't make the trek from Manhattan just to eat here.
I preferred the old location because it was much cozier and I feel the staff was friendlier there. It's current state is very modern though and they must be getting more business, being that it is right next door to Starbucks.
The food: I love their LARGE TOM KLONG TILAPIA *SPICY soup.
I can't remember my selections here, but I know I have tried mostly vegetarian dishes and they are flavorful, filling.
The place itself is dim and you may be seated closely next to others, but you still feel like you have your personal space.
It is a cute modern place for a date or to catch up with a friend.
The meals here are tasty, affordable, and nicely portioned. The place offers plenty of seating. Just some things to mention. It can be dark in there and so if you sit closer to the window you can be reminded that there is a sun out there. Or you can sit in the darkness and eat. There is a lunch special that is a great option. I know they serve wine, beer, and some alcohol. They do have a bar. Not sure how much these drinks range in between. I will find out one day. I see all walks of life here from babies to old wise people. The waitstaff are really helpful and considerate. I like it here.
Arunee Thai is the kind of restaurant you take your visiting friends, family members, dates, etc. to when you want them to get the more gentrifying impression of Jackson Heights. In a neighborhood that is heavily populated with lots of down-to-earth, hole-in-the-wall, amazing cheap eats, I know this because this was one of the first places my friends here took me to when I was curious about what it would be like to live in JH about two years ago. So it was my surprise when they texted me "we're sitting by the bar," when I got off the train.
From what I've read and been told, Arunee Thai is one of the few local small businesses that relocated, expanded, and renovated to incorporate a gorgeous and expansive interior, and of course, mason jars for cups.
Lots of reviewers here comment about the space of Arunee Thai and it for sure has one of the most impressive, beautiful, non-cramped vibes in the area and decent music. The staff are nice and I've never had any issues or bad vibes save for a rare instance of feeling rushed (but during the dinner rush).
During the weekends, it can draw quite a crowd – even a line at times, especially when they reopened – with families enjoying what is essentially "adequate," yet unmemorable Thai food. I have been here for lunch and dinner several times and I hesitate to be critical because I keep returning (see first sentence) and I live near here among the newer gentrifiers myself. The food I've had and my guests have had isn't something we'd write home about, but that's okay, I don't get the sense that that's what their spending most of their energy on.
since my previous review, i've been back a few times to dine in and takeout. i usually get stir-fried spicy basil pork, fried rice, thai iced tea, and of course, the mango sticky rice. all of which are excellent, my favorite is definitely the mango sticky rice.
with everything being so good, the only downside is that the stir-fried entrees don't come with rice (places in the city don't even do that). i mean, it's fine if i get takeout, i can always cook my own rice at home. but shelling out $2 bucks more for rice at the restaurant is a bit excessive. either way, not a deal breaker, i'll still be back for the mango sticky rice. lol.
Arunee, you broke my heart a little bit today.
I've been going to Arunee since it was in the old shack on 79th and Roosevelt. Seriously, I practically grew up there. The food was always perfect: tasted great, presented well, and consistent.
After the move, I came here a couple times and had the basics (you know, pad se ew, pad thai). Not bad. The last time I visited, I ordered a lot: hoi jor (crabmeat dumplings- an old time favorite), som tum, kee mao, yum woon sen. I was hungry. And yes, I ordered in Thai.
Everything but the hoi jor and kee mao had some sort of issue with it. The som tum was completely imbalanced in flavors (too much salt, not enough sour, no sweetness at all), the yum woon sen tasted like someone spilled fish sauce in it and decided to let it get served. I was so disappointed… almost unforgivably disappointed.
One day, I'll come back.
I've only ever ordered delivery from Arunee but it is consistently delicious, fresh tasting, and delivered hot. It's great to have an affordable and authentic Thai food place only a few blocks away in Jackson Heights.
As a person who generally avoids Thai cuisine, I have to give my friend props for showing me what authentic Thai food really is. None of that disgusting overly sweet Americanized pad thai and curries. My friend, who has a Hainanese ancestry but a Thai background, did all the ordering. Thank you for showing me the food of your people. It was delicious!!!!
The tasty food I had that night:
Guay Tieow Nuea, Namtok – Thai Beef Noodle soup with cow blood. Get this dish with cow blood for an extra dollar for an even heartier soup. This was my favorite thing I had that night. The cow blood made the soup so incredibly rich and warming. It was chock full of tender pieces of beef and tendon. I like they use broad flat rice noodles. Dare I say it…I think I like this Thai version of beef noodle soup better than Taiwanese beef noodle soup. And this huge bowl was only $10.
Fish in the Garden (Fried whole red snapper topped w/ green mango, lemongrass, lime leaf, cashew nuts, scallions, and onions mixed w/ a lime and chili dressing) – I loved the tart mango slaw on top and cashews throughout. The whole dish was really flavorful from the lemongrass, lime leaf, and dressing. The fried fish really needed the dressing. I like how they fried even the bones so you can eat those too. Don't forget the large, tasty eyeballs.
Yum Sam Krob (Crispy pork and fish maw salad mixed w/ celery, cashew nuts, lime juice, and Thai herbs) – The fried pork belly and fish maw should be eaten together with the greens and nuts. Tasty salad with a lot of textures and tangy from the dressing.
Moo Ping (Pork skewers marinated in Thai herbs served w/ Jeaw sauce) – The pork skewers were the only thing I didn't love. They were tender, but kind of unmemorable. The meat definitely needed the spicy chili sauce that came with it.
This was also my first time having Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee. We ordered it less sweet but it was still incredibly sweet to me. Apparently those drinks are supposed to be sweet like that. I don't really like coffee, but the Thai iced coffee was so refreshing. The slight bitterness cut some of the sweetness.
Can't wait for round 2 of that beef noodle soup with cow blood! Thanks again to my friend for showing me what real Thai food is. Number of Thai restaurants I would willingly go to has now increased from 0 to 1!