BOONNOON Market - Thai restaurant in Arlington - 161 Massachusetts Ave, USA

A cozy and causal Thai spot in Arlington. After seeing their exquisite ratings, I recently took a visit. The layout of the restaurant was somewhat unique as they had a small section of Thai snacks and sauces on one side of the store. From their small plates, I had the chive cake, Limon chicken, and the Wings Zab. The chive cake stood out with its unique texture - a perfect balance of chewy inside and crispy exterior, akin to a fried rice cake. The other two chicken dishes were okay, and I especially enjoyed the Limon chicken, which was essentially a chicken cutlet with lemon-infused honey mustard sauce. The Kao Soi, while rich in ingredients, lacked a bit of depth in its flavors. The basil fried rice, on the other hand, was a flavorful dish with a good mix of chicken, egg, and vegetables, seasoned nicely with basil, garlic, and chili. While Boonnoon Market may not completely align with its top-tier ratings, it is still as a solid Thai option in Arlington. It's an especially great choice for those seeking a warm, family-owned atmosphere combined with good food at reasonable prices.

I am very picky about Thai restaurants in Boston, because the majority is Americanized in flavor, but this restaurant serves authentic and flavorful Thai food. Everything I’ve ordered is really FRESH and FLAVORFUL. I feel like I’m eating food in Thailand! Nothing is too sweet, salty, or spicy. It’s perfectly balanced. Also, you MUST try their desserts. It is sooo good! I hope they keep making more Thai desserts. I will keep returning and bringing friends! I highly recommend this place.

Khao Soi had amazing depth of flavor and the chicken was nice and tender, although noodles could have been a little firmer. Pad see ew flavor was also quite good but a tiny bit too salty. Would definitely come back again.

The BEST Thai restaurant in this area! We had a great experience at this market/restaurant on every aspect : ) First of, the lady at the restaurant was so friendly! The big welcome with an genuine smile really makes you feel like home. The ambience of this place is very cozy. It is small, nothing fancy, but very comfortable. While waiting for our food to arrive, we also enjoyed browsing the groceries on the shelf. Last and most importantly, the food is amazing!! We got Pad Thai, the fish balls and green curry with Tofu with a bunch of dessert. The coconut cupcake is absolutely DEVINE!! Overall, we had a really great dining experience there as a small family. We would definitely go back, and strongly recommend!

Our first visit so we ordered more food than we could finish because we wanted to try a variety of menu items. Pad see you can be made with flat rice noodles or egg noodles and our choice of flat rice noodles with shrimp was good. Noodles were a tad too over cooked for our preference but flavor was very good. Pad Thai was ok and was quite sweet with a syrupy glaze at the bottom of the plate. The noodles were more over cooked in this dish and we probably would not order it again. There was a fried mackerel special today (pla lui suan) which was excellent with a fresh chili sauce that complemented it perfectly. The Kao soi was delicious with velvety chicken, crispy wonton bits on top and these noodles were perfect texture in the curry based broth. Wings Zab is also a winner. We got the spicy version and it is salty, sour, sweet and spicy at the same time dressed with red onions and cilantro. Another great appetizer is the Karee puff. They have two options and we went with the curry potato filling (vs sweet taro). The pastry is flaky and light and they made it to order so it was hot and delicious. Overall this place is a great option and we will return to try the rest of the menu. The staff is helpful and friendly. Get the Thai iced tea. You’ll need it to cool off from the wings. Overall a 4.5.

Love the passion that the owner of the store has for sharing great authentic and creative Vietnamese food with others. Everyone that works there is very friendly and accommodating: if you have any food allergies, let them know about dishes you wish to try and they will suggest ways to switch out ingredients to make dishes gluten free/vegan/vegetarian (including paying attention to things like fish sauce, soy sauce, marinades, etc). The spicy noodles were wonderful- savory, crunchy, refreshing. Pad Thai a bit too sweet for my preference, could use more acidity even with extra limes, but still very good. Eggplant dish excellent but on spicier side (which I like). Spice/heat is typical of more authentic Asian food- a slow burn that builds but does not overwhelm flavor, but may be much for someone that is not used to spice. Dessert of the day stood out, especially the custard over rice: unique, comforting, not too sweet. The sweet potato with condensed milk was very unique and creative- sweetness highlighted by salt added to rich condensed milk. Hibiscus tea tangy and refreshing, Thai tea a bit sweet for my taste. Highly highly recommend, one of best Thai restaurants I’ve tried. Food prices very fair as well.

My family usually rotates among just a few favorite restaurants for takeout, and ever since we tried Boonnoon about a year ago, it has firmly been one of those few! We love the food here so much, and the people who work here are so kind as well. Our regular dishes are the khao soi, pad khing stir fry, pad see you, pad cha, and pla lui suan (we are not always the biggest fish people, but the way they prepare this mackerel and the sauce served alongside it is so delicious!). The satay starter with tofu is so yummy as well, and when ordered with extra toast you can eat it like a sandwich with the peanut sauce and pickled veggies:) Oh!! And the thai iced tea is amazing too 😊 All in all, everything we’ve tried here has been excellent. You really can’t go wrong!! 💖

Staff is super friendly. Great atmosphere. Food came quick. But a market it is not. There is a couple bookcases with some snacks and a couple of drink coolers with varies beverages but definitely not a market, which is why we stopped. But that said we grabbed a bite to eat there and the food was quite tasty. The portions are a bit smaller for the price but still filling. My grandson loved the mango sticky rice. Ate the whole thing. Not bad for a quick bite. Would stop again if I’m the neighborhood!!