I recently discovered that June 26 is National Coconut Day, a fact that spurred a completely reasonable and not-at-all obsessive urge to try and rank every coconut dessert in Dallas. Over 33 days, I tried 31 desserts, gained 4 pounds, and stuffed 26 friends and family. Why? I simply love coconut; the taste and the memories....

...Malai Kitchen takes the crown with a dessert that feels fully composed. The toasted coconut macaroon crust alone could carry it. Layered with rich custard, perfectly executed meringue, tamarind, and coconut gelato, it delivered the most complete bite of the entire journey. Replacing the usual mounds of whipped cream found on most cream pies, the meringue, which is made from egg whites, adds a lighter touch that brings everything into perfect balance. Bonus: The presentation was beautiful.

If there's an underlying theme to this year's nominees for the CultureMap Fort Worth Tastemaker Award for Restaurant of the Year, it's opulence. Fine dining destinations dominate the category, with lavish chophouses ruling the roster. Fort Worth loves its steak, but other candidates represent the city's desire for global flavors, including Southeast Asian, Italian, Hawaiian, and even Ethiopian....

Malai Kitchen - Husband-and-wife team Braden and Yasmin Wages started this modern Viet-Thai restaurant chain in Dallas in 2011, eventually expanding to four locations with two in Tarrant County: Clearfork and Southlake. With pretty interiors and creative dishes, Malai Kitchen is a go-to for a fresh and approachable take on Southeast Asian cuisine. Traditional Vietnamese pho is labeled “Vietnamese noodle soup.” Tom Kha soup is labeled “Thai coconut soup.” Curry dishes, wok-fried rice; entrée salads; and even specialties like branzino, sea bass, and trout round out the menu, along with beer from Malai’s nano-brewery in Southlake.

On Saturday, January 31, Malai Kitchen, one of Southlake's most beloved Southeast Asian restaurants, celebrates two milestones on the same day: 15 years in Uptown Dallas and 10 years in Southlake, marking a journey rooted in culture, community and people-first hospitality.

Founded in 2011 by husband-and-wife team Braden and Yasmin Wages, Malai Kitchen grew out of a shared passion for food and hospitality shaped by their studies at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration and years working together in Napa Valley and Dallas. From the beginning, their vision centered on scratch cooking, thoughtful service and a deep respect for Southeast Asian cuisine — values that carried seamlessly into the Southlake location when it opened in 2016.

Beyond the food, Malai Kitchen has become known for its rare commitment to its team. Many employees have been with the company for a decade or more, supported by a culture that rewards loyalty, including a fully paid trip to Southeast Asia for team members who reach three years with the company.

To celebrate the anniversary, Malai Kitchen will offer a one-day Legacy Menu at both locations, featuring 15 fan-favorite dishes priced at $15 each, alongside employee spotlights and a special gift card giveaway.

Fifteen years in Dallas and ten in Southlake later, Malai Kitchen remains a standout not just for what’s on the plate, but for the people behind it.

The owners of Malai Kitchen, the small DFW Asian chain, are debuting a new concept: Called Brya Zan Thai Noodle + Brew, it's a fast-casual restaurant that'll serve southeast Asian food with noodles and wok-fired dishes, opening at 1909 Preston Rd. in the former Chick Fil-A space.

According to a release, it'll open on September 16.

Malai Kitchen founders Braden and Yasmin Wages created Brya Zan as a way to provide food more easily and quickly.

Diners can order via a web-based ordering platform, self-service kiosks, or counter staff. The restaurant also features a pickup window. Every dish can be personalized to meet dietary restrictions and preferences.

“Our vision was to create a space that gives guests more time for the things they love, without having to sacrifice a quality, healthy meal,” said chef/owner Braden Wages. “We’re pairing a streamlined experience with the bold flavors and hospitality we’ve built our name on.”

The menu features Southeast Asian staples such as Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, and Pineapple Fried Rice, alongside a selection of Malai’s in-house brewed craft beers, iced coffee, tea, and frozen cocktails such as a frozen Mai Tai.

The interior design draws inspiration from the street markets of Southeast Asia, featuring indoor and outdoor dining, bar seating, and a lively yet relaxed environment.

The Wages met while studying at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, then honed their skills working at the Hillstone Restaurant Group before launching Malai Kitchen, specializing in Southeast Asian cuisine, in 2011. They opened their fourth and most recent location in Preston Center in 2021.

They also helped fine-tune the menu at Banh Shop, the chain dedicated to the banh mi Vietnamese sandwich.

Mornings for the Wages family start with preparing their kids for school before splitting off to one of four family-owned Malai Kitchen restaurants across North Texas, including one at Fort Worth’s The Shops at Clearfork. Yasmin Wages says one of the reasons the couple opened a restaurant was to spend more time together.

“We used to work for different restaurants,” she says, “and wouldn’t spend much time together. If we opened our own restaurant, we thought, we could work together. That was the plan. As we grew, we realized it didn’t make sense for us to be together. We have to divide and conquer most of the time.”

She says she works well with her husband Braden because they are willing to “give and take” when needed.

“We believe in getting to a solution without fighting,” she says. “Who wins is never something that we celebrate or even remember. We keep the focus on the guests.”

Having children has taught the couple to empathize with workers who call in with sick kiddos.

“Before, we didn’t know the struggle,” Yasmin says. “Now I totally get it. It changes how you manage your team a little bit. You have a lot more patience.”

Braden says working with his wife allows them to celebrate wins together. Reaching certain milestones becomes more of a family affair.

“There’s no way I could have gotten to where we are without Yasmin,” he says.

Malai Kitchen has launched their brewed in-house seasonal beers for the Oktoberfest Tap Takeover happening now through October 6 at all locations. The Thai and Vietnamese restaurant has been brewing their own beer at their nano-brewery within their Southlake location since 2014 and has three seasonal beers on tap including the Hefewiezen, Helles Lager and Oktoberfest beer...

Yasmin Wages, the co-owner of Thai and Vietnamese restaurant Malai Kitchen, which has four locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, told CNN that Malai Kitchen is seeing an increase in single reservations for lunch and late-afternoon meals.

“Previously, solo diners would prefer to sit at the bar,” she said. “Increasingly so, they’re preferring a more private table or booth.”

Wages’ newest restaurant, which opened three years ago, was designed with smaller, two-person booths. They’re proving perfect for single diners. Each dish on the menu is designed as an individually sized portion, which is also a draw for people eating alone.

“Solo diners have a little cubby. They really like the intimacy, the privacy,” Wages said.

Solo dining used to be looked down upon, she said. Now it “looks peaceful to me. You can disconnect from the world for 40 minutes and enjoy your food.”

Following your passion and doing it with loved ones is the recipe for success. Malai Kitchen co-founders and husband-and-wife team Braden and Yasmin Wages discovered that secret early in their careers...

...Their menu centers on Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, and they strive for authenticity in every recipe...Another distinctive feature they’ve added is making their rice noodles from scratch, which is “very rare in the world,” according to Braden. The process began with sourcing equipment from Vietnam in 2021. “We didn’t start actually serving the noodles from the machine until the end of 2022,” Yasmin says. “We thought it would be so easy. ‘Rice flour, check, water, check’ but it was not.”...

Malai Kitchen is back with its one-day Hanoi-style street food pop-up like one might find in Vietnam. They’ll have their own Vietnamese beer, Bia Hoi, for $1. And, as done in Vietnam, everyone will sit on small plastic stools at the tables. The menu includes shrimp ceviche, finger bread banh mi, crispy rice crackers, baked scallops, purple yam donuts and salted caramel fish sauce ice cream. You just gotta go.