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Merai, a critically-acclaimed Thai-inspired restaurant and dive bar, does not disappoint. With its flavorful food and creative drinks, Merai adds an exciting twist to classic bar food.

Located in an inconspicuous neighborhood in Brookline, Merai is operated by the same team behind the award-winning Thai restaurant Mahaniyom just next door. With only a handful of tables and a few bar seats, Merai offers an intimate dining experience with attentive service that allows for detailed recommendations and short turnaround for dishes. However, instead of rushing their patrons to finish their meal, Merai’s cozy ambience encourages people to savor the burst of flavors in each drink and dish.

Recently nominated as a finalist for Best New Bar by the prestigious James Beard Foundation, Merai offers a series of unique and innovative cocktails, along with a curated list of wine, sake, and beers. Some are more refreshing highballs like the Hojicha and the Melon, while others are more rich in flavors, such as the Strawberry Cheesecake and the Wonka’s Ticket. To help patrons make their decisions, Merai describes the taste of each drink with a few words, such as “herbal,” “fresh,” and “long” for the Melon and “rich,” “complex,” and “short” for the Strawberry Cheesecake. Still, with such a creative list completely void of traditional cocktails, it would certainly take a few rounds for adventurous patrons to fulfill all their curiosity.

Named after the Thai word for “alcohol,” Merai lives up to its name with its drinks layered with myriad flavors. The Melon is particularly crisp and tropical. Made of tequila, honeydew galangal, lime, and soda, the drink tastes like a lemon soda at first. Then, the spiciness of the tequila and galangal briefly kicks in before leaving an aftertaste of sweetness from the cazadores tequila blanco. On the other hand, the Wonka’s Ticket tastes more dry and rich, almost like an Irish old fashioned whiskey at first. Infused with brown butter coconut, coffee, and pandan, the Wonka’s Ticket has a piquant aftertaste of dark chocolate — echoing its name.

While its alcohol menu is impressively innovative, Merai’s food menu approaches creativity in a different way, offering mostly classic bar staples such as the hot dog, buffalo wings, mussels, and nachos. Unlike other Asian-inspired restaurants that blend non-Asian flavors into cultural dishes, Merai does the opposite, infusing familiar dishes with spices reminiscent of Asian cuisine. Chicken pot pie is rebranded as the curry pot pie. Tiramisu is renamed “Kopimisu,” made with O-liang and Thai tea. However, the flavors of these dishes aren’t always bold enough. The curry lacks the richness that stronger coconut milk could provide, while the cocoa powder in the “Kopimisu” overpowers the subtle tea flavors.

Upon savoring, however, one can certainly tell that there is a distinct taste to many of Merai’s dishes. The hamachi crudo from their special menu is made with fresh yellowtail fish, mango chili sauce, mint, and lime, further adding a tropical burst of flavors that melts along with the tender fish. The hot dog, one of Merai’s most popular dishes per waiter’s recommendation, is made with home-made krapaw sausage and caramelized basil onion, coupled with a perfectly toasted bun. Inconspicuous as it may seem, the dish draws its inspiration from the popular Thai stir-fried dish phat kaphrao, combining the aroma of basil with the familiar taste of a typical New England hot dog bun.

Similar to its sister restaurant Mahaniyom, Merai also sits at the pricier end at around $15 per dish and drink. Each dish is fairly small in portion size, making it easy for the bill to add up. However, its drinks and their sheer creativity are certainly worth the price tag. Unfortunately, Merai does not currently offer non-alcoholic beverages on its menu. Yet its dishes are still interesting to explore for those not looking to drink, although they are not as impressive as the drinks.

As a restaurant that aspires to create a dive bar ambiance, Merai exceeds one’s expectations with its one-of-the-kind cocktails and staple bar food with its own pan-Asian twists. For any adventurous patron looking to enjoy an upscale experience while surprising their taste buds, Merai will not disappoint.

—Staff writer Xinran (Olivia) Ma can be reached at xinran.ma@thecrimson.com.