Arunee Thai

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!

This was the first place I tasted the pineapple fried rice and may I say its the best Ive tasted! I have gone all around the city to try the pone apple fried rice but i always end up here. I come all the way from the bronx just to eat it here. :) their service is extraordinary and their thai ice tea is delicious as well.

Nice atmosphere and space. Duck dish was great, if you’re into the sweet side of things. The stuffed chicken wings was not good. Stuffing and chicken were under reasoned. Red snapper dish was also under reasoned and the sauce was overly sweet.

Great lunch specials, quick and attentive service.
Understated ambience. Great for a date! I especially love the smoky flavor in the tofu and the peanut sauce in the salad that comes with the lunch special.

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.

This place is worth visiting because of one dish, the Mussamun curry. The menu says Mussamun curry with coconut milk, avocado, onions, rosted peanuts and zucchini. Best thai curry combo! Whoever introduced the avocado and peanuts to the dish was a genius, a master mind to be remembered for his/​her great contribution to humanity haha.
Other dishes are not so special in my opinion, same for drinks.

A surprisingly nice Thai restaurant located in the Jackson Heights. If you’re new to the area (like me), you would have never discover this spot as it doesn’t locate anywhere close to the subway station (it will still take you another 10 — 15 minutes to get there) as the sole reason I visited was with a local friend or through the word of mouth.
The restaurant itself fits 3 of the restaurant 4Cs (A standard rating chart that I invented): Casual, Cozy and Chic. All tables and chairs are wood-​made and it gives such a modern rustic and chic feeling. It has a bar in the middle of the restaurant so you can grab a drink and chill. My friend and I arrived on a Friday evening around 6 PM and were seated promptly as the restaurant hasn’t gotten busy yet. We were seated in the corner near the entrance and you can look out to the streets while you dine.
Food and drink prices are very reasonable. My friend and I ordered the Thai fish cake to start off as appetizer, and some drinks. We ordered a Lycheetini and Drunk in love; both are relatively strong and if you drink empty stomached, you will get buzzed quickly! The fish cake is delicious and crispy on the outside. The sauce that goes with the fish cake intensify the flavor and it complements quite well.
I ordered the suki noodle soup (Thai style Shabu Shabu glass noodle soup with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, Chinese cabbage and scramble eggs) and my friend order pad thai for our entrée. I somehow regret not checking with our server regarding my entrée before ordering… It was quite spicy and while it tasted good, I had such a hard time finishing it!
Good food and good company really makes a difference for your dining experience. I am happy to say that it was achieved through this visit and I shall be back for more (less spicy entrees) for sure in the near future!

I just had a family dinner here tonight. The service was excellent, the food was so amazing, and the fresh coconut juice was fresh indeed!
My mother is Thai and is very particular about service and food, so much that she refuses to dine at many Thai restaurants, but she loved Arunee tonight.
We highly recommend the Hoi-​Tod which is a Thai oyster pancake, the pad woon sen with shrimp, and definitely get the pork neck appetizer or any of «Mama Ya’s recommendations»!
Overall, the dinner was absolutely delicious — and a special thanks to the waiters that took such great care of our table tonight, you guys are awesome. We’ll be back really soon! (:

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.

I’d seen this place on numerous ‘best thai food in queens’ lists so I was really hoping it would be a culinary experience to remember. Unfortunately, Arunee Thai, you have let me down :(
Let me qualify this by saying that I didn’t dine in but got my food to go and that may have altered the quality of the food. I asked for the L3 (flat rice noodles with spicy basil, egg and tomatoes) with tofu and decided to sample the thai iced tea while I waited for my food. Bad idea. The drink ended up being what I can best describe as sweetened sugar syrup. It was so ridiculously sweet that it could have embarrassed energy drinks in terms of sugar content. I hoped this was an aberration and that my meal would be better.
A quick 20 minute jaunt on the 7 train later, when I finally sat down to enjoy my L3, my anticipation proved to be sadly unfounded. The flat noodles had gone soggy and started sticking to each other, looking for tofu in there was like a treasure hunt and the taste was just strictly okay. Again, maybe the noodles don’t travel well and that’s what turned them into a sloppy mess but I ended up being utterly disappointed.
1 star for the ambience at the restaurant + 1 star becuase the staff were polite. But 2 stars is definitely me being generous. I may go back and give them another shot at a dine in experience but no more take out for sure.

I love the atmosphere than food it self. Very cozy with calm lighting and nice workers there. The service was good not too crowded during the weekday night. It’s very good for hanging out with small groups. Price was not really cheap but love this area and food tasted over average too.

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.

After a long day of work, I had plans to meet up with my friends to get some desserts, but unfortunately they were going to be late. Luckily, for me, tired and hungry, I found this spot right in front of me. It was pretty empty, so my brother and I decided to go there.
I ordered the Pad See Ew with chicken and my brother ordered the Pad Thai with chicken. Our total came out to be under $ 20 which was great!
Honestly, this place makes the best Pad See Ew. For once, the food had flavors of sweetness and a hint of saltiness which was balanced with the noodles and vegetables. Other places I have tried Pad See Ew, they tasted pretty bland to me especially when it is hot. However, this place, even though it came out steaming hot, had a melody of tastes. The texture of the noodles were perfect, not too soft to the point of mushiness, and not too hard to the point I would lose my appetite. The chicken was the perfect texture, and it did not taste dry. For around $ 8, the portion was pretty big and well I couldn’t finish it. However, I did have it for takeout and even when it was cold all the flavor was still in tact.
Food: delicious
Appearance: very wooden with a thai feel, casual ambiance, pretty dim (perfect for a romantic date)
Service: very friendly service (refilled our glasses of water multiple times without having to ask)
Price: average ($ 5-​$ 10), and definitely worth the portion
If you are ever in the Jackson Heights area (particularly around 82^nd Street), I highly recommend this place to go and eat. Whenever I pass by, it never seems to be crowded, but this place is definitely a Queens hidden gem.

This place is a like a hidden gem in this neighborhood! Décor and ambience is mellow and simple and sweet for a date. I’ve been rly indecisive on trying out anymore Thai restaurants bc ive experienced so many so-​so spots that just didnt satisfy my tongue.
So we tried the shrimp rolls, mussel pancake, fried red snapper (whole fish), panang curry with tofu, & the chicken pad thai. Yes, this was just for 2 hahaha.
The mussel pancake came highly recommended by our server much to our dismay. It was so thick bc of all the eggs in the batter. No mussel taste at all and when you did bite into a mussel, it was not fresh at all. Oh well. But the shrimp rolls were crisy and fresh when you bit into it.
The red snapper was absolutely delicious! I mean, I love red snapper fish in general but this was superb. Not overcooked in any way and the chili sauce wasnt too sweet or overpowering. & Oohhh my panang curry hit just the spot that was itching for curry. That spicy kick is exactly what I look for. –it’s not spicy in a way that no one can’t handle it though–
Then the chicken pad thai was very average… The sauce could definitely use some work.
I’d definitely come back to try other dishes~~

After a day of shopping, there were so many restaurants and eateries to select from that I had to search reviews for a place to sit down and have lunch.
Arunee Thai is a nice spacious restaurant. Did not feel like I was walking into a Thai restaurant. Tables were kind of small and for two. We had lots of clothes on and bags. Next time put two tables together much more roomier for all the plates and cups.
We ordered the Salmon Bento Box which came out in a big tray. The peanut sauce dressing was good with the salad. So use to the ginger dressing.
Really enjoyed the different pieces of appetizers that came with the bento box– my favorite is the Chive Dumpling. The fried shrimp wrapped in wonton skin was good too.
Salmon was nicely cooked and smothered in red/​green pepper, string beans, baby corn and onions with a dark sauce. Nice to pour sauce onto the scoop of rice.
There was a piece of pineapple for dessert.
Will definitely be back to try their other entrees.

First time visiting this place after a recommendation and I must say, I had no regret.
Interior had a very modern look to it but very spacious. Staff was friendly.
Both food and drinks were delicious.
If you’re looking for a cheap yet elegant Thai restaurant to dine in, this is the place for you!

My first time at this location after falling in love with the original years ago.
The lunch options are great! Shared 6 different ones at a table of 6. Love the lunch box concept. Portuons were great and the food delicious.
I am picky about Thai food tasting authentic and glad to say this place still has great flavors after all these years since I first tried it.

— Nice, modern restaurant that Jackson Heights desperately needs.
— Friendly, prompt service.
BUT the food here is just bad.
I really wanted to like this place because I only live a few blocks away, but after trying a variety of their dishes, I realized the food here is lazy and not at all special. (MUCH better Thai restaurants a few blocks up, FYI.)
— Meat here tastes old. Beef is always chewy and chicken is dry at the ends. Seafood isn’t cooked well.
— Vegetables served with your dish are always cold and sometimes look like they just came out of the freezer. Sad looking carrots and string beans.
— Appetizers are bland, entrees uninspiring. No special homemade sauces. No memorable flavor and appetizers are usually served with supermarket sweet chili sauce.
I assume the only reason why people are loving their food is because Jackson Heights is seriously lacking a hip restaurant, and Thai is never a horrible choice; but if they were to have Thai on the other side of town, I’m sure they’d think otherwise.

Arunee Thai is one of the more nicely/​modern decorated Thai places that I’ve been to. The restaurant is quite spacious considering it’s located on one of the main avenues in Jackson Heights. It’s very conveniently located. The restaurant is about a 10 minute walk from both train stations (74^th street and 82^nd street stops).
Arunee Thai offers 2 different lunch specials on their menus. The first is an $ 8 lunch special that includes an entrée dish & a choice of tom yum soup/​tofu soup/​salad. The second is an $ 8.50 bento box. The bento box comes with more food, so I stuck with the $ 8 lunch special (otherwise it would have been too much food).
My friend ordered the chicken pad see ew with the tom yum soup. The pad see ew is sweeter than most places that I have tried. I also tried some of her tom yum soup. I personally thought it was too acidic for me, but my friend enjoyed it because she really likes the combination of sweet and sour together.
I ordered the chicken Thai fried rice with salad. I asked the waitress to put the dressing on the side. But when she came out with the appetizers, there was still dressing on top of my salad. I didn’t think it was a big deal, so I didn’t say anything. But it wasn’t until they brought out our entrees, I realized the waitress misinterpreted my statement. The server brought out an extra small bowl of peanut (salad) dressing for me with my entrée… which I thought was a waste because I definitely wasn’t using the dressing on my rice.
The fried rice was good, but I found the taste to be bordering oily because of the amount of sesame oil they used in the dish. But this is just a matter of preference. Otherwise, I thought the portion was huge and I definitely had a lot of rice left over.
Overall, Arunee Thai is a decent Thai place in the area. It’ll satisfy your cravings but it didn’t personally blow me away.

Delivery is really quick, about 20 minutes after the call is made. Staff is friendly and professional. Prices are average, I spend about $ 10 – 15 each time I order lunch, which always includes a Thai iced tea. Pad seew is delicious, not too saucy and it has little pine nuts that make it really delicious compared to other similar dishes.
The restaurant itself has great décor that’s industrial and oriental. The bar is fully stocked and beautiful. I’ve been a repeat customer for two years.

I’ve been here plenty of times and have always enjoyed the ambiance.
I would even come in here by myself on a Friday night and still have a good time because the food was so good.
I love the chive dumplings for an appetizer!
The pineapple fried rice, the phat khing with shrimp, and the shrimp tempura are all really good.
Stay away from the lunch special with salmon — they are always drenched with a strange sauce.
DO order the thai iced tea and the bangkok whiskey drink if you’re feeling frisky.

I came here with a friend who lives in this area. She loves this place and we wanted an inexpensive dinner that was closeby so we decided to go here instead of some place in Manhattan.
THE CHIVE DUMPLINGS WERE AMAZING. They do look a little unappealing but they tasted so good that it made up for it.
I got the kee mao noodles (mild spicy, they adjusted the spicy level when I asked!) and the portions were actually really big. After eating about half of it, I sorta got sick of it so I just brought it home (they put it in a takeout food box).
My friend tried the Jan pad poo and although she asked for mild spiciness, it was pretty spicy. It was also on the sour side, which was a little weird. My friend also got the mango juice ($ 3.50) and it came in a skinny glass; she said it was really good but to me, $ 3.50 for a tiny glass is not worth.
tl;dr this place is a good choice if you crave chive dumplings and won’t easily get tired of Thai food

Beautiful restaurant in the heart of Jackson Heights. Sweet staff and delicious food. I started with spring rolls and they were excellent. I picked a dish (Pad Ma Muang, which is cashew nuts sauteed with assorted vegetables and mushrooms) and asked for it to be made vegetarian — hold the oyster sauce! They were happy to make a substitution. I ordered coconut rice on the side. It was perfect. Yummmmm! Finished a great meal with my husband and walked outside to an amazing sunset. You’ve got to love Jackson Heights! Can’t wait to go back.

We had a bad delivery experience with another place in the neighborhood and decided to try this place out but actually dine-​in for our date night. I really liked the décor and ambiance of the restaurant. Our waitress was so nice and accommodating; we have a 20-​month-​old son and sometimes can be a pain in the tush but she was patient and never showed annoyance.
The food was very good, in comparison to the other places we have eaten which I thought were pretty decent. Given it’s a Thai world now and restaurants are popping up like crazy.
We ordered the chive dumplings, spring rolls and beef satay for appetizers — all very good, especially the chive dumplings. For our entrees, we got the Pad Thai with Shrimp and the Kang Pah with the Green Curry and got Beef as the protein — that was really good and I ate most of it, even though it was supposed to be my husband’s dish.

For the umpteenth time, I felt lazy and came home after work late and did not feel like cooking dinner, so I dropped by Arunee Thai for my go-​to dish: guay tiao kee mao. My dinner took less than 10 minutes to make on a Monday night and when I brought it home, it was absolutely delicious. I think prices for entrees have gone up $ 1 (now it’s about $ 10/​entrée give or take) — I still love you, Arunee!!!

I placed an order for shrimp tempura with my friends telling me the portions aren’t that big. For $ 11 I got multiple shrimp and a giant basket full of veggies. At least I was able to bring it back to their fridge because I couldn’t eat it all.
Huge portions for the price. Fast and friendly service.
They are very accomodating if you want a particular dish more or less spicy.

Checked in on 9÷26÷15 for Dinner.
The place smelled really funky when we walked in. It smelled like a wet pig that played in a pile of dirt, poop, and rain. It might have been the rotten fish smell? Either way, it’s definitely not acceptable to any standards by any means.
Thai Ice Tea — A little on the sweet side and too much ice.
Calamari — Not bad.
Beef Thai Fried Rice — Awful! The beef were overcooked and too chewy.
Drunken Noodle with chicken — Aside from the overwhelming sour flavor, it was decent but a little saucy.
Customer service was ok but they did not try to make the beef thai fried rice better when the overcooked chewy beef was brought to their attention. They said that’s how it should be. Really?! I think NOT!
Would not go back.

Great atmosphere and amazing food, the chive dumplings and basil fried rice never disappoints!

5 stars for quality and taste of food! Went here for the first time with my younger brother and 3 cousins. 1 of my cousins recommended it. They have a nice bar and modern feel to their restaurant.
Now let’s talk about service and food. I called to reserve a table for 8 which the lady said would be fine but I would have wait 15 minutes which was also fine. We kind of got there early for lunch and our table was not ready. Bar was empty so we asked to sit. Lady gave us a look, but after I said we’re gonna order drinks she was ok with it.
Food was soo good it deserves 5 stars itself. We all shared eachothers dishes. The soup was below ok, but the main dishes for lunch specials were amazingly tasty and had a element of freshness. We did not wait that long for our food either. Definitely will be back for more Arunee Thai food.

Awesome place! Came here on a weekday for an early dinner. It wasn’t crowded at all. Its decorated very cute with plenty of space. I ordered a Thai ice tea and a panang curry with chicken.
The thai ice tea was great, although a bit too sweet for my liking. It was served in a very cute mason jar. The curry was huge! Great flavor, a bit spicy, and lots of chicken. The only annoying thing is, it doesnt come with rice so you have to pay extra for it.
The show stopper, which I regret not getting a whole bowl for myself, is the tom yum gai soup! Outta this world good! I plan to go back just for this soup!
Really enjoyed this place, and highly recommend!

«Woohoo! As good as it gets!» is right.
I ordered ‘Thai Iced Tea’ and it was super refreshing, sweet, and cute served in a little mason jar!
Their ‘Pla Neung Manao’ (steamed fish with lime sauce) was out of this world. It was very sour but for some reasons, it only made me want it more and more! Topping it off with cilantro took the aroma of the dish to a whole other level.
‘Pineapple Fried Rice’ wasn’t only eye pleasing, but also stomach satisfying! I honestly didn’t expect it to taste so good, I only wanted to take some pictures at first. The pineapple fried rice was mildly sweet and savory with ingredients like chicken, onion, green pea, raisin, shrimp, pineapple chunk, and cashew nut!
I also got their ‘Hoy Taud with Mixed Seafood’ (basically a seafood pancake) although it wasn’t my intention to get it at first because I wanted their ‘Fish Cake’ but that wasn’t available. I was very skeptical but my waiter really recommended the Hoy Taud and it did not disappoint one bit! The complimentary sweet and chili sauce was the perfect match for the pancake.
The only dish that wasn’t superb but was still good was ‘Kee Mao with Shrimp’ (sauteed shrimp with basil, pepper, onions, and cashews.) My first impression of the dish was its size, but I know most Thai dishes come in small portions. My favorite part about this dish was the grilled onions! And my least favorite part was the saltiness.
When it comes to dining out, the ambiance really matters. And I think Arunee already deserves 4 stars just for its décor and vibe! The setting was super trendy and modern, and even the music choice choice was on point too! Definitely revisiting very soon!

Have this place a second chance, explored more of the menu and loved it! Great customer service. Great ambiance and delicious/​creative Thai food!
Highly recommend:
«Fish in Garden» — whole fried red snapper with spicy mango salad on top.
Basil fried rice — delicious! Choice of meat, we tried chicken.
Mango Sticky Rice — generous position and a perfect ending to a delicious meal!
Definitely check out this Thai spot!