Mai Thai—best new Thai restaurant in Dupont

Where do you go in the Dupont circle area to get some decent pad thai as a farewell lunch for a colleague? We had ruled out the Sala Thai on P street with miserable ambience in the dingy basement. Thaiphoon seemed a bit too far and so we decided to head for Singapore Bistro on 19^th and M street. Singapore Bistro again doesn’t have great décor either but we had heard they had recently redone the place and their food was worth the trip. On the way, we passed the newly opened Mai Thai restaurant on 19^th street (located where Georgetown Seafood and then subsequently Fin used to be). We were mildly dissapointed that Mai Thai didn’t have the tables set up on their outdoor patio given it was a lovely day . However, in retrospect it was probably a good thing as it allowed us a chance to check out the restaurant's beautiful interiors (the owner supposedly spend about $1million on the décor).Inspite of being up and running for no more than a month, Mai Thai seemed to be doing excellent business. I later learnt that its a chain and the original restaurant in the greater DC area is located on King street in Old Town Alexandria, VA.

The lime green and yellow colours on the warm give the restaurant a cheerful feel. The bar area is beautifully lit and and the bar has a great selection of alchohol. There are elaborate wood carvings on the walls. The restaurant is large and spacious with the option of open tables and booths set up along the wall separated by solid wood panels giving a give a cozy feel. The walls of the booth have wooden framed mirrors hanging. In the middle of the restaurant there are fresh orchids in the vases on each table and lovely orchid arrangements high up on platforms.

The menu has a number of interesting items specific to the restaurant as well as the usual fare you would expect at a thai restaurant. For instance I had “pad woon sen” a tasty dish of thin vermicelli noodles with vegetables and a light soy sauce. Vicky was pleased with the pad thai which was the main reason we picked a thai restaurant. Angelica was happy with her pinapple red curry (chicken) and said it was a good mix of sweet and the right amount of spice. Firestone was a little disappointed that his ka pow pork was not spicy enough, given it had 3 chilies next to the menu listing but admitted it was good. The dishes all cost $7.95 each for lunch and the bill along with a thai iced tea (no appetizers or dessert) came a reasonable $38.23 before tip. I believe they add about $2 to each item on the dinner menu.

Mai Thai dupont circle is my new favourite thai restaurant—go check it out for the gorgeous interior as well as the good food.