Aroi Mak Mak — Restaurant in Redlands

WOW! Excellent Thai food in a very nice space, bar program is outstanding as well. They have a lot of interesting dishes that I personally was unfamiliar with, which is always exciting. Pro tip: if you like spice, ask for a side of their hot sauces. I’m not sure if they make any of them in-house, but they’re damn tasty, so who cares?

I had the Khao Soi - a bowl of egg noodles in a creamy, mild curry broth that seems to be a signature item. Really excellent dish and not something you see on a ton of menus; it was my own first time eating it. Noodles were nice and springy, and I enjoyed the textural variety the crispy fried noodle garnish brought to the table. The pickled mustard greens were a delicious hit of acid and funk that complimented the rich, warm flavors of the curry broth. I added pork belly for my protein and it was similarly delicious, though I think I’ll go with chicken next time; the dish has plenty of flavor already and the pork belly got a bit lost in the mix. I could see the crab or shrimp being quite good with this. Great flavors overall, I think they make their curry paste in-house, but that’s just a guess.

My friend had the chicken pad Thai (mild, of course) because he’s flabbergastingly white, but the bite I had was admittedly really tasty.

For drinks I had the Golden Triangle (pictured), and the Tom Kha Tonic. Both were excellent, particularly the former, which brought the most complex flavor I’ve gotten from a cocktail in quite some time. The five spice really elevated it.

The decor was gorgeous but casual and homey, and the restaurant was clean. I sat at the bar, I’d recommend reservations for a table (at least on the weekend).

Staff was super friendly and helpful but not mindblowing. Nothing wrong with that.

Overall an excellent spot for a dinner, whether it’s solo, with friends, or on a date. I think I’ll be returning soon to test their late...

This is not your typical thai restaurant. It is mostly drinking food that you would typically see at food stalls in Bangkok. The prices are kind of expensive but it is understandable after talking to one of the servers. They said that everything is made in house and they get fresh local deliveries on their meats and veggies every other day. With that being said, you can taste the quality of the ingredients in the food. The pork belly and chicken wings was delicious. It comes with sticky rice and a side of a sauce made of fish sauce, ginger and garlic. They are usually on happy hour which is from 4 - 6 pm and 10 - close. As of our entrees we got this egg omelet over garlic rice. When eating this you can tell this is drinking food. The omelet had been sprouts and green onion inside. Also it was light and fluffy. It comes with this hit tamird sauce which is actually on the spicy spicy side but it taste good. We also got the ginger chicken which tasted just like ginger and the shredded chicken was moist. The atmosphere of this place is really nice. It kind of makes me feel like I am at Bangkok. I have never been but from movies and stuff. The only thing I wish I would of got to try is their cocktails. I would highly recommend coming to this place. The only reason why I did not give it 5 stars is that a place can always improve on things. I just...

Aroi Mak Mak is an awesome little restaurant that serves authentic Thai street food and great drinks! I can't wait for the ability to dine in to return because the ambiance and decor in this restaurant are great!

As for the food, take out is almost as good as dining in.

For small dishes/appetizers the fried chicken wings have great spice and flavor. The fried pork belly is also delicious especially with the sauce.

If you stop by on the weekend, you have to get the Garlic Fried Fish, it is only served Friday-Sunday. It is a whole fried fish that is nice and crispy on the outside, but the meat inside is till tender and moist. The green sauce it comes with is a bit spicy but really is delicious.

You really can't go wrong with any of the main dishes. The curries are all wonderful. The ginger chicken is well seasoned and the ginger sauce gives it a little kick. The crab fried rice is flavorful. The string beans and pork dish is great. I just wanted to try everything on the menu.

Most Thai restaurants serve the standard pad thai or pad see ew with some curries or soup, but none that I have been to can match the flavors and style of Aroi Mak Mak with their Thai street food.

Definitely will be coming back to try everything else and can't wait til the pandemic goes away so I can dine-in and enjoy some of their awesome specialty drinks...