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Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Nava Thai definitely lived up to expectations.
I can't remember having better papaya salad or pad thai any place else. Floating market soup was really good too but man is that dish spicy. I usually drink every sip of broth in noodle soups. NOT the case here. I sweated more liquid than I took in from that soup.
Prices are excellent too. Most dishes fall at or under $10 and more expensive dishes are at or less than $14. I went for lunch but it didn't seem like a lunch menu.
Thai is to DC as Indian is to Atlanta.
There are no superlative Indian restaurants in Atlanta. But Atlanta has Surin's. Still my benchmark for Thai.
We were hoping that this place would live up to all the hype. It did not. The pad thai was fantastic, the beef and noodles was just OK, the fried pastry starters were late night chip shop specials, and the neur nam tok - our ultimate Thai benchmark - was just OK. I had crispy duck and I enjoyed it. It was certainly better than that new place in Spring Valley - but not worth the schlep to outer Mongolia for me.
One the plus side they had a $5 kabinett reisling and $7 cocktails - but none of thise cocktails are what I would consider drinkable.
Excellent! Been here only once, but once is enough for me to decide that this place is excellent!
Squid appetizer was really, really good and the lemongrass soup was probably the best I've had in any Thai restaurant I've been to. The duck entree tasted great, but overall was only okay because it had a few pieces that were fried way too long and made the duck meat very tough - not that it kept me from finishing the dish. I definitely needed to floss after eating that.
No surprise here - the servers are very polite and gracious.
I really like this place a lot and am anticipating going back and being a loyal regular customer.
Trust me on this review. I'm Thai, born and raised in Bangkok. I know what I'm talking about.
Nava Thai serves the most authentic Thai you can find in the DC-Baltimore area. Papaya salad, spicy noodle soup, curry, crispy mussels.....it tastes like home to me. Crispy mussels dish is even better than what I normally had in Bangkok. The batter is perfect and I love every bite of it.
Be adventurous. Nava Thai is real and 100% authentic, which, in a way, can be an acquired taste for those who're used to Americanized version of Thai food. This is a trip to Thailand without having to leave the country, so why don't we take an advantage from that?
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Final note: How can someone compare Nava Thai with Atlanta Surin's? Here's what you get from Surin's: runny curry, bland pad Thai, flavorless noodle soup, and load of MSG in salad dressing. Seriously? Definitely not a Thai place I recommend to anyone in ATL.
Thai food seems a dime a dozen in the metro area, but this place is worth the trip. The crispy duck was amazing, juts hot enough, not greasy or overcooked. The prices are more than reasonable; with a beer, small appetizer and an entree, I was out the door for $22 with tip! Check it out, it is very good.
Among the Thai restaurants in the DMV area, Nava Thai is on a level by itself. It offers a vast menu including dishes you never see on those generic Thai restaurant menus, the ingredients are super fresh, and the food is out of this world.
The broth in the Floating Market Noodle Soup is sweet, salty, spicy and has a hint of tartness from what I assume is tamarind. It's hard to believe that one single dish could have so many dimensions and everything goes so harmoniously together. It comes with pork or beef, you choose the type of noodles and the spicy level you want, wide rice noodles or egg noodles, and mild, medium, spicy or Thai spicy. We always go for Thai spicy and although it burns your stomach and makes you sweat, it also makes you deliriously happy and not want to stop eating.
The service is efficient and friendly and no entrée is over $15. It's a sign of an authentic Thai restaurant when there are Thai monks and groups of Thai people eating there on a regular basis.
Inexpensive, supremely tasty, and competent, friendly service. That's all I care about.
Nava Thai is now on my list of favorite restaurants in the area. I love everything about it from its little block of ethnic eateries to its homey interior to the friendly service (at least, they've been friendly from the times I've visited). And entrees average around $10 each, so you can easily get your fill.
The Floating Market soup is as good as everyone says. We ordered it with a medium level of spice, but that was too much for us, and we like spicy food! Next time, we're going for mild.
The Pad Thai was the best I've ever had. Creamy, nutty, with a tinge of sweetness and lime.
The sweet and sour squid salad was also excellent and bursted with citrus and thai flavors.
One dessert blew me away: the coconut custard. Interestingly, it was topped with fried onions, which PERFECTLY balanced the mild sweetness of the custard. An odd creation, but a great not-too-sweet ending.
When you order "salty fish" and the waitress says "have you had that before? Because we use this really fermented fish . . . ." you should take seriously the possibility of changing your mind. My wife thinks anchovies, smoked trout, and cured mackerel all make great finger food and it was too rotten even for her.
The other dishes we had were fine, and the duck salad appetizer was truly outstanding, but I haven't decided whether it's worth making another trip-- untainted by rotten fish. [It still gets three stars because they did what they could to warn us without being insulting.]
There are about four or five Thai restaurants within a block of this place. Yet Nava Thai seems to get the lion's share of the gringo customers. Perhaps it's the power of Tom Sietsema. Perhaps it's the power of yelp. Or perhaps Nava Thai is actually that much better than the others... (I don't know, because the only other place I've tried is Ruan Thai and I thought it was OK with equally slow service.)
So when Tom and 3+ of your yelp friends give a place high ratings, you may feel tempted to do the same. But I'm resisting the urge to inflate the stars and go simply by what I've experienced.
DaMmmRitE, I gotZ integrity and all that ...
But on the other hand, it's also sad that I seem to be in a rut of 3 stars lately. Boring. And it's not that I won't return to these places... I will... it's just that it's not all wow all the time.
Since this is becoming the review of tangents, I'm also going to note that I unsuccessfully attempted to celebrate my 21st birthday in this exact building back when it was the lame-o lounge known as Zyzyx. Thankfully, the decor has become a lot brighter and welcoming and cheery since then.
Speaking of decor.... For some reason, maybe it was because I remember reading that Nava Thai used to have some spartan digs in their old location, I thought the restaurant was supposed to be dull, ugly, linoleum and hospital lighting. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually warm and yellow, glossy wood and brick, pendant lights, arched entryways... a little reminiscent of Cafe Asia's modern take on your everyday Asian restaurant.
So. It's quite possible that this may be one of the best cheap-yet-nice sit-down restaurants in the area. A lot of entrees are priced at the uber cheapskate friendly price of $7.95 and the prices go from there to about $13 for the vast majority of the entrees. Thai iced tea is $2.50 and desserts are all about $3. (The most expensive is the $3.50 sticky rice with mango.) Love LOVE the prices.
And the dishes I've tried have -- for the most part -- been awesome, punchy, spicy (as in real spicy) when they should be, and pretty.
Among the appetizers:
-The satay is colorful and beautifully presented and comes with a tasty sweet peanut sauce.
-The steamed dumplings are like golf ball-sized shumai with crunchy peanuts on top.
-The crunchy beef salad is SPICAY, pretty plentiful with strips of flank steak "tossed in ground roasted rice, onion, cilantro, and scallions in chili lime sauce." The roasted rice adds an interesting texture. I found that I liked the dish more when i put some more fish sauce on it.
-The tom kha coconut soup is as sour and lovely as ever. But I love that stuff and I don't think I've ever met a tom kha I didn't like.
Among the entrees:
-The drunken noodles (pad kee mao) are reeeaally good. And spicy. The thick rice noodles, peppers and meathave a great slightly charred-from-stir-frying flavor with a tasty punchy kick.
-The panang curry is also reeaaaally good. Combining sweet with spicy, creamy and coconuty, I could lick the plate because the sauce is so good.
-The "Kao Moo Dang - Roast Pork Rice Plate" sucks. The description makes it sound like a lot: "Roast pork, crispy pork, Chinese sausage, and egg over rice w/ sweet red sauce." But in actuality, the portions are so small and the sauce is the kind of fire-engine-red sauce that you know is half food coloring and half sugar.
For dessert:
-The sticky rice with mango is delicious. Perfectly ripe mango + sticky rice topped with sweet coconut milk = some form of heaven. But the portion is tiny. I wouldn't share.
-The mango sorbet is ok. More icy than creamy.
I would love to give Nava Thai 4 stars... if it weren't for the service. Like someone else said, I don't think the slowness is due to servers' laziness or inattention. It's apparent that they are really working hard and trying to warn us about slowness at the same time. But I really think it just comes down to being short staffed and the kitchen not having the capacity to smoothly handle a full house. So I'd advise people to avoid weekend evenings for a more optimal experience with less waiting around.
Best Thai I've found in MoCo. I highly recommend the crispy pork krapow and tilapia with Ginger sauce. Add a side of steamed veggies to mix in for only $1. The wine is pretty cheap and the desserts are spectacular (try the mango & sticky rice or the coconut ice cream). I've had great and lackluster service, depending on how busy they are.
I wanted to try out this place as it was one of the very few Asian restaurants that made it to the Washington's Top 50 Restaurants 2008.
I tried not to let the reviews and ratings influence me - after all having predisposed expectations before trying out something is almost always a bad idea.
I loved the curry puffs, loved the crispy pork with chinese broccoli (actually I miss the chinese broccoli - also called kailan in cantonese - so much that I truly savoured the dish). The catfish fillet cooked ala Ka Prow style was a disappointment though. One would have expected that a staple in any Thai restaurant like the Ka Prow would at least be up to par. The Pad Thai too was nothing extraordinary. The rice was unfortunately overcooked and soggy.
It would have warranted probably 3.5 stars if not for the fact that the food were a little on the cold side. Service was mediocre. Thai Ice Tea was too sweet.
All that said, I think I am going to give them another try. Till then - 3 stars for some good and some not so good.
We were up in the Silver Spring area to catch a movie...in 3D.... and were looking for some place to eat. I had read about this Floating Market Soup and wanted to try it. A big bowl of soup comparable to pho? Hmm...
We went with the Floating Market Soup, Pad Thai, and sauteed eggplant with chicken. The Floating Market Soup was meh. It was a mixture of sweet and spicy with no sour, no prominent taste of lemongrass like Tom Yum. I guess it really depends on your taste. I didn't think it was that great. The Pad Thai was really good. It wasn't overly greasy. The sauteed eggplant with chicken was also really good. The eggplant was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just the way I like it. Everything had a nice spice level to it. We finished up dinner with sticky rice and mango. The sticky rice was delicious but the portion size was small. Another highlight was having your own spice tray at the table along with an entire bottle of fish sauce. I know people that drink the stuff, as gross as that sounds.
The only downside here was the service. My water was hardly refilled. I don't think it was due to the wait staff not caring. I think it was more along the lines of not enough staff. The service seems like it could be hit or miss and definitely worse the later you get there. Also, there was plenty of street parking and the meters end at 6 pm.
Overall, I'll be back to try some of the other dishes, especially since Silver Spring is one of the few places around with a 3-D theater.
Two review updates in a row~!! WOOOO!! Okay.. anyhow this second visit will only be a four star BECAUSE I wanted to try the Tom Kha, which stirred a keen interest to my eye. It is basically a coconut soup (and yes it was based solely on the fact that it was coconut) with mushrooms, galangal *w/e that is,* chili and chicken!!.. or you can have fish as an alternative lolz, but chicken sounded a lot better for me.
So still making up my mind, the waitress happens to come by and starts taking orders. I asked for her advice on whether she thought the Tom Kha was a good choice or not and she replied yes. Unfortunately, I was not satisfied because she works there and would not say it is horrible. So I asked her if it was a popular choice, and you might guess she said yes again. Here I was sitting enjoying a nice chat and entrusting in her to serve me this popular and delectable dish. Long and behold, I was incredibly happy when it came out because it looked fancy with a small candle to keep it heated while I eat! But everthing falls apart when I smell the soup and it instantaneously reminded me of Tomyum.. gahhhhhhhhhhhh.
I don't know what it is about that Tomyum but it is not MOST DEF not good as people claim it to be and it is something I would never ever recommend to someone when going to any Thai restaurant.. and many people do! I LOVE Thai food but that is like wth. It was not nearly as bad as the one I had from Siri's Chef Secret because that one smelled like feet, sweat, BO and anything else that could be mixed into such a horrible stench. But nonetheless, I have forgiven the waitress secretly and was quite happy because both my dear friends gave me their leftover Panang Curry and Pad Thai, which were both amazing A-mazing! Nava Thai Noodle and Grill, you have disappointed me and now owe me a coconut from Hawaii. I still love you though =D
I don't normally come down here but a friend was hungry and found this place. I think it is fairly… Read more »
hands down, the best thai restaurant that i've ever been to (although i haven't been to THAT many thai restaurants). there is a distinct aura of authenticity in these dishes and it definitely showed in the taste.
i made the drive down from baltimore with my girlfriend. we ordered many dishes, including duck, drunken noodles, tilapia, papaya salad, and more, and all of them tasted amazingly fresh and delicious. there is no doubt that i will make every effort to drop by here again before i ever leave the east coast, and order more and different dishes from their large menu.
After a much too long hiatus from our favorite place, the boyf and I returned to Nava Thai Thursday night. We had only ever been for lunch on the weekends and we were shocked at the huge crowd in there at 8:45pm on a weeknight. I am so happy their business is booming! We had to wait for a bit for a table but clearly Nava Thai is worth the wait.
Everything was just as delicious as I remembered and the wait for food was much shorter. I am also pleased that since our last visit they finally got their liquor license so I can much more easily combine my two loves: wine and Nava. They had a decent wine list with very reasonable prices, however, the white wine was a bit warm. While we didn't sample any of the exotic cocktail offerings, they all seemed pretty intriguing. They have everything from a standard Mai Tai to Mango Mojitos which I am eager to try.
Another fabulous meal!
PS The owner is so adorable. She has remembered us ever since we first met her on the last day at their old location. When we had to wait for a table she sat us down at the bar and put the remote in our hands. Too cute for words.
My boyf and I have been debating about whether or not to yelp about Nava Thai because we wanted to… Read more »
This is by far one of the best Thai restaurants I've been eaten at. I've been there at least 3 times and each time I haven't been disappointed by what I ordered. From the appetizers to their entrees the food is done extremely well. And the best part is that the good eats is well within anyone's budget. I'm sure I'll be back at Nava Thai the next time I get an urge for Thai food.
This visit was much better than the first. I ordered the Tilapia and Tofu Hot Pot which was D-E-licious. It's a very hearty meal. I also ordered the fish cakes for an appetizer, which are pretty much flat fish balls. The sweet and sour cucumber relish that came with the fish cakes were very good and helped balance out the fishy taste. I am officially a fan.
This was our first time dining here and my bf had the Floating Market soup with beef, which he… Read more »
Am still full as I write this review. Gut busting, can't move full. I just couldnt stop eating until my bowl was empty. I had to ask for another mound of rice so I could sop up the juices and slurp it down. They offer veggie tofu curry here without coconut milk (Country Curry). YUM, almost blew my head off.
I came to this restaurant with great expectations as there were quite a few five star reviews on this restaurant from Yelp.
To start off, the restaurant itself has a nice atmosphere that has more of an italian restaurant "feel" than would a traditional Thai restaurant. My fiance and I started off by ordering Curry Puffs and Beef Lemongrass salad as appetizers. Both were were very good and met our expectations. We also ordered a Thai Iced Tea that was good.
What knocked off two stars in my review was the grilled chicken entree that we ordered. The chicken was too dry and the tamirand sauce that came with the meal was way too spicy. The sticky rice that accompanied the chicken was also very dry and lacked the "sticky" feel that fresh sticky rice has.
I believe this restaurant is a hit-or-miss - it all depends on the entree you order (I'm the grilled chicken dish is not their speciality). I still prefer Rabieng (better sticky rice/better grilled chicken) and Thai Square over this place.
wow, wow, wow. absolutely some of the best thai I've ever had. we had panang curry, fried mussels, curried hot peppers, and one of the fish house specials, and they were all phenomenal. absolutely worth the trip to wheaton - puts your average thai restaurant to shame
Revisited their new location, which is literally two stores up the street. Heard different things when they first open here. Since the place was larger than their older spot, their service wasn't up to par just yet, both on the floor and in the kitchen. We went during lunch, so the crowd wasn't as heavy as the weekend would be, but service was good and the food is awesome.
As mentioned in my last review, this is the only spot I really enjoy Thai food outside my folks' house. Truly authentic, comfort Thai foods you find off the street vendors in Bangkok, and with the new building, the decor and interior looks more like a restaurant vs their old "hole in the wall."
Got the Floating Market Soup again and this soup is just great. Tons of flavor and to enjoy it, ask for medium spicy. If you're up for the challenge you can ask for spicy, but their are spices at your table so just add more vinegar and crushed chilis. Also has the mussel pancakes with stir-fried bean sprouts, most excellent. Wifey had the roast pork, crispy pork, with rice and this was good too. The sauce on the rice is just right and gives it a sweet taste. Another friend ordered the duck curry, which had fun items in it. From pineapples, to grape tomatoes, and lychees made the curry have a sweet taste to it, which balanced the curry flavor just right. Duck meat chunks were just right and it's a huge bowl.
This family owned restaurant is excellent. My family and I do not typically eat Thai food outside… Read more »
So we heard about the fame of Nava Thai and had to go there as we just moved into the neighborhood. We had a 45 minute wait, which we usually don't mind for good food. The new place doesn't look or feel like a Thai place, but well, they just moved. The service is spotty at best. The servers were ultra busy, and slow. It took another half an hour for my dishes to arrive. Their prices are fair to higher side. We had the Thai boat soup which was way too spicy. Perhaps people like that, but we don't. My duck soup was better as it's sweet...unusually American until I realized that yes, the sweet flavor of MSG.
While we were there, the couple next table that got there before we did still hadn't gotten their dishes when we almost finished ours. They patiently asked the server for their dishes, and when we finished eating and waited another 20 minutes for the check to come, the folks were told that their orders were missed. What a joke. I have never seen people wait over an hour for their food, and the order still got missed. If I was the store owner, I'd immediately offer a free meal. But nothing offered....the couple walked out in disappointment. I would have walked out much earlier than that.
When we got home, we couldn't think straight. We were thirsty and dizzy for the rest of the night from the "flavoring" called MSG that we were so familiar with growing up in Asia.
I don't know what the fanfare with this place is about. Perhaps the Americanization of the dishes, the MSG that people can't tell from natural flavors or the former low price in the old place. From the wait to the poor service and the inability to work for the rest of the evening with the MSG, I would not even consider going to the place again.
It was snowing last week, so of course I get it in my head that I want Thai food, since when I was in college in Connecticut, whenever it would snow we'd head off to one of the several amazing Thai restaurants in the city and gorge ourselves on drunken noodle, pad thai or green curry. Mmm.
So anyway, I check on Yelp and am immediately drawn to Nava Thai, which has been getting some rave reviews. So I go.
Perhaps it was the random timing of my visit (6 pm on a Wednesday), but the place was empty, as were the streets. I could almost hear crickets... except the snow had killed them all. Oh well.
Anyway, I go inside and am glad not to have to fight off others for a table (as the reviews had me believe would be necessary), which I would have done. I am seated and this old woman in the corner who is eating with her husband keeps giving me the evil eye. Weird.
Focusing on the menu, I delve in. Literally. Let me just start this story with a recommendation. First, do NOT get so excited about amazing Thai food that you order too much. Second, if you disregard that advice and do as I did and not as I say, do NOT try to eat all the aforementioned food that you order. It will not be good. Seriously.
Wanting to make a full meal of it, I order the Sweet Logan Juice [juice made from the adamantium from Wolverine's body? sweet! .... oh my god. I can't believe the association "Logan" from reading X-Men comic books is so strong that it's stuck this long]
ANYWAY (why am I so ADD today?!) The sweet logan juice is interesting. The little logan fruit looks like lychee but tastes a bit more syrupy and tangy. Unfortunately, it also has that nice aluminum undertone that indicates that this fruit has been in a can for slightly too long. Sad.
For my meal, I order the Twice Cooked Duck Salad and Panang Curry with Chicken. The duck salad was interesting, since the duck (so much of it!) comes crispy on top of a cabbage salad. It's pretty good, but I definitely don't see what the raving is all about.
The Panang Curry, however, was simply divine. Whereas every Thai restaurant I had tried this at until now had underwhelmed me, Nava Thai did it right. The rich peanut creaminess, biting chili overtones and moist chicken breast pieces were amazing, and worth the entire trip.
Needless to say, I took some of the Panang Curry home (I abandoned what remained of the duck salad- not worth keeping), and it was still solid even two days later.
All in all, worth the trip, but avoid angry granny, don't eat any X-Men, and stick to the basics. I hear they have great Pad Thai also...
The restaurant has moved since I wrote my last review, and I have found a new Nava Thai dish to obsess me: 'Floating Market Soup'. It's marked with 2 thunderbolts, so I asked them to take it down to 1 thunderbolt (so my face wouldn't burn off). It still numbed my taste buds for a good 10 minutes, and the broth registered as a very pleasant, savory soup. But when my taste buds regained consciousness, the soup was HOLY-GOD-AMAZING. I couldn't get enough. Their soups are huge, so I was almost full by the time I got the full flavor impact... but I just made room. I was so full of soup I was uncomfortable, but good lord, was it tasty.
This was the 2nd time I had ever had my mind blown by food. I thought about the soup regularly for the next two weeks before my boyfriend finally broke down and took me there again. I purposely got a more run-of-the-mill soup ('Ped Paloh') so that I wouldn't have my mind consumed with food lust after leaving.
Oh, and still 4 stars because of the aforementioned reasons, and because the service ain't the quickest.
I've been to Nava Thai twice now, and will keep going back; the flavors are too good to pass up.… Read more »
I've gone here twice for the Floating Market Soup. I definitely like this soup. Very spicy, distinct flavor. I like the pork rinds. Pick either pork or beef, they're both good. Appetizer we had the fish cakes which were ok, I suppose as good as fish cakes can get. My girlfriend had the Tilapia and Tofu Hot Pot, which she really liked. The next step is to try other things on the list although I already have a favorite dish. Could this become a 5 star? time will tell
i think it's the only restaurant in DMV that i've given 5 stars.
isn't that enough?
REOPENED- NEW LOCATION
This is my favorite all time Thai restaurant in the Silver Spring area. I have had my fair share of trying other Thai restaurants including Benjarong, Tara Thai, Thai Dusit, and Ruan Thai. They all do not measure up to the true Thai taste of Nava Thai.
I have been going to Nava Thai for the past year. I would say the food is authentically Thai in terms of the dishes they serve here. it is packed on the weekends, but it is well worth the wait!!! They use to be located behind the Hung Phat grocery store, but they have MOVED NEXT DOOR to their old place. I have been to their NEW place and it is really big and nice. They have expanded their hours to 10:00 and 10:30 on the weekends. They have increase the price on their menu on certain items, BUT it is still worth the price for the taste!!
My Favorite at Nava Thai:
-Fish Cakes
-Hot & Sour Seafood Combo Salad
-Papaya Salad
-Mussel Hot Pot
-Floating Market Noodle Soup
-Tom Yum Pork Noodle Soup
-Bar Me Lard Na
-Lard Na
- All the Curry dishes
-Tilipia Chili sauce
My friend from Thailand, June, brought us here for dinner and told us they had the best Thai food near D.C.....and of course she was right. The only Thai food near Georgetown, Thai Bistro, is somewhat of a joke. (And grossly overpriced.)
We came and ordered like kings, with Thai iced teas to start and the following:
papaya salad
floating market noodles (in both pork and beef, dry and soup varieties)
seafood curry
duck (I dont know what kind it was because I didn't try any)
tilapia and tofu hot pot
fried mussels
sticky rice and mangoes for dessert
The papaya salad was my least favorite dish (not counting duck bc I don't eat duck) because it was a little too fishy and the papaya wasn't as crunchy as I would've liked. But the floating market noodles hit the spot like no other...it was a delightful explosion of flavors, with just the right amount of spicy to give it a nice kick!
The seafood curry and tilapia hot pot both went very well with rice, but I can see myself being satisfied with just the noodles. And their fried mussels is also a MUST try....my friend said even in Thailand it's hard to find a place that makes it as good as Nava....she gives it her seal of approval. Plus, service is very nice and the interior is spacious and elegant. Well worth the drive from D.C. to try! The prices were also very reasonable, the five of us spent just over $20 for a very fulfilling meal that had a lot of variety and great service to boot! WAY better than any restaurant I've tried in D.C.
I've been hearing about Nava Thai for over a year now. My brother, a fellow foodie, found out from some of his Thai friends that Nava Thai is the place to go for Thai in the MoCo area. Besides the overall tastiness of their dishes, there is something called the "Floating Market Soup" which was supposed to rival pho for the most delicious noodle soup ever to cross anyone's lips.
So we went - back in December of last year...only to find that Nava Thai had closed down, due to loss of their lease. Worried, my brother began scouring the internet and the foodie-underground to find out when and where Nava Thai would reopen. Fortunately, they reopened relatively quickly and only half a block away from where they were originally located. As it was my husband's birthday weekend, my brother decided that it was enough of an excuse to have dinner there...which meant dragging my dad (who doesn't like super spicy or super sour...which is basically the core of Thai cuisine) kicking and screaming the entire way.
We started off with the mussel pancakes (not on the menu), papaya salad, duck salad and the beef salad nam (I think that's what it's called). The mussel pancakes were delicious - more like mini mussel omelets (much like the Chinese oyster omelet) that were crispy on the outside and deliciously tender and flavorful on the inside. The papaya salad was crispy and crunchy, with lots of delicious fish saucy flavor. As my family is a huge fan of fish sauce, this was a selling feature for us - but for those who aren't, you may wish to avoid this dish. We were all disappointed in the duck salad - the duck was tough and overcooked, and completely bereft of any duck flavor, although the rest of the salad was seasoned well, and my dad adored the beef salad.
For our entrees, we had the famous Floating Market Soup, drunken noodle, whole grilled fish with basil spicy sauce (on the side), pad-thai, and the panang curry. The Floating Market Soup is everything everyone says it is - and more! The soup was meaty and with a complexity of layered flavors that enchanted and teased my tastebuds. The noodles were served al dente, which is unusual for Asian pasta, but when coupled with the other ingredients, it added the right amount of texture to make each bite perfect. The drunken noodle was tasty as always, with a nice piquant spice that melded nicely with the basil. The whole grilled fish was practically perfection. Perfectly cooked so that the fish was crispy on the outside, but flaky, juicy and cooked to the minute on the inside. The fish was cooked so perfectly that I barely used any of the sauce - I wanted to savor the sweet tenderness of each bite of fish without distraction. The pad-thai was a touch sweeter then I tend to like it, but it was still delicious as only pad-thai could be. The curry was a nice surprise. Although I am used to pineapple in my panang curry, there was also lychee - which added a marvelous note in the curry sauce. My father usually doesn't enjoy curries, and he took to ladling the sauce over his rice; I think if that he had a spoon, he would have skipped the rice and eaten the curry as a soup!
While the food was good - only the Floating Market Soup and the fish was out of the ball-park sublime. However, for me, the service really pushed Nava Thai into a 5 star review. Our server was prompt and cheerful, but more importantly, he was also very attentive to our needs, graciously adding more juice to my mother's mai-tai (it was too strong for her), and bringing us more rice, napkins and beer without us even asking. Although the place wasn't packed, it was definitely busy, and our server always made a point to stop by our table to check up on everything. Fantastic service.
If nothing else, I would come back just for the Floating Market Soup. Is it better then pho? Well, that's like comparing a rib-eye to a filet mignon. It really all depends on your taste, but for me, I definitely wish that Floating Market Soup joints were as prevalent as pho places. However, even if the Floating Market Soup isn't your bag, the rest of the food is definitely worthy - and the great friendly and cheerful service definitely pushes it beyond the pale. I highly recommend Nava Thai for anyone with an adventurous spirit, or a love of Thai cuisine. This is also great for parties (the new space is huge!), group dinners, and like most Asian restaurants, very child friendly.
I usually come to this place for the Floating Market Soup. My taste buds or my stomach can not handle any sort of spicy food. But the floating market soup is something that I would be willing to take a sacrifice on. For the most part, the other noodle soups are great as well, especially if you are looking for something less spicy. You can always ask for it to be not as spicy, but that may take away from the authentic taste.
The rest of the food on the menu beyond the noodle soups are mediocre. I would say taht they had topped it off with the Soups, but the rest are meh.
I'm glad to see that Nava Thai is back. They moved just down the block from where they were. Their new location is big, possibly too big. Its very roomy and much less intimate than their previous hole-in-the-wall. On the up side they seem to have increased the wait staff to match the increase in the number of tables.
I had dinner there tonight. The Twice Cooked Duck Salad was awesome. The Tilapia in Creamy Curry Sauce wasn't quite as special as the salad but it was very good. The portions weren't huge, but they didn't need to be. I walked away satisfied and feeling like I got my money's worth.
Stopped by today only to find that the door was locked and the sign was gone. I'm not sure what this… Read more »
exelentttttttttttttttttttt i have taken a lot of my guests there everybody love it best thai food in wheaton most beautiful dinning and private room very reasonable prices we are lucky to have a place like this in wheaton god bless you all
this is the best thai restaurant in wheaton maryland and the most beautiful great atmosphere good… Read more »
I'll make this quick... it was outstanding. I have never had Thai food like that before and suspect that, outside of Thailand, it just might be the best there is.
We had the curry puffs, Duck Kaprow, and Penang Curry (I think those are the right names). Everything was fantastic; everything was deliciously spicy and unique.
I ate here last month and even though I didn't get anything other than appetizers, it was still a good experience.
I ordered the spring rolls, the Thai beef salad and the papaya salad.
The spring rolls were good and crunchy without being over cooked and chewy. The Thai Beef salad was great. It was perfectly hot and spicy with a hint of bitterness. If you do not like hot and spicy food stay away from the Thai Beef salad because that was really hot and spicy. The papaya salad was tasty. The dressing was refreshing and flavorful. I chose to wash all this down with a true Thai beer, Singha. If you don't want a Thai beer, they have a number of other beers as well as tea and sodas.
If you like Thai food, check this place out.
Wheaton, MD is one of the unacknowledged Asian food capitals of the United States, and Nava Thai is its crown jewel. Their whole fish (usually listed on the specials board in the vestibule, but not on the menu proper) is supreme: large, tender, deliciously deep-fried but not greasy, and bathed in a chili basil sauce that's both delicate and spicy. Their appetizers are also fantastic. All the apps are stellar; I've particularly enjoyed their cold fried duck salad (the duck is fried at a sufficiently high temperature so that it's crispy, not oily) and their delectably light curry puffs. Other highlights include the papaya salad, the tilapia hot pot and the green curry--but really, you can't go wrong here. If you're tired of generic Thai restaurants whose interchangeable, modular dishes leave you bored stiff, go to Nava Thai and rediscover Thai cuisine.
delicious thai food!
i traveled from Arlington to Wheaton (by metro, gasp!), on a friday night adventure, to obtain what the Washingtonian had declared was some of the best Pad Thai in the area.
i'll admit i'm no expert, but i had some GREAT thai food that night : ).
the panang chicken was other worldly and the pad thai was delicious!
prices are good and the decor is very fun!
just one word of warning: make sure you know exactly where the new location is. as a solitary female, it was a little sketchy walking block after block of darkened streets trying to find the place!
So, I was walking through Wheaton with a good friend who is a denizen of the community.
Me: "What do you feel like tonight?"
Him: "I don't know, I'm bored with all of the places we normally eat..."
Me: "Hmm, let me try the local yelp application on my iphone!"
Him: "Oh, I'm _sure_ that I know all of the quality places in wheaton!"
Ha sucka! Much to his amazement, I located a wonderful hole-in-the wall Thai place (See pic) that served some of the best curry I've had to date. It's rather quaint, and gets pretty busy during weekend gustational periods; however, the proportions are plentiful and extremely tasty. I would heavily suggest the "Panag Curry" with your choice of protein (go tofu!).
As an added bonus, there is an Asian market located next door for you to saunter though while waiting for a table!
This hole in the wall joint was a great surprise. With everything else closed in Wheaton due to a water main break, I ended up tracking down this establishment through Yelp.
Since it seems to have some renown for authenticity, I didn't even consider the Pad Thai (which didn't get that great a review from my co-eaters anyway), choosing the Duck Kaprow and the Yum Woon Sen. The Yum Woon Sen was the more "authentic" of the two dishes, and it definitely had a unique taste. Cool, with lots of greens and lime, but extremely spicy as well. I'd imagine if it were heated it would lose much flavor, but that was a nice treat. I actually enjoyed the Duck Kaprow better...it was crispy, and yet oh-so-tender, and it made me sweat like Rush Limbaugh in rehab. I tend to judge food based on its intensity, so 5 stars for that!
Service was fine, the waitress was nice even though we came in close to closing time (I know I hated that as a waiter). Decor was fine, I didn't really notice, I was too busy sweating. This comes highly recommended from me, all in all! Just be careful if you can't handle spice!
4.5 stars
SWOON!!!!!!!
First things first. i ordered carry-out so can't fully comment on service. My order took a little longer than the 25 minutes they informed me of at the outset. But the food more than made up for the delay.
My lunch began with Som Tum Thai: a fiery, yet refreshingly cool and crunchy salad of shredded green papaya, tomatoes, crushed peanuts, long beans, chilies, dried shrimp, lime juice, and fish sauce. A fork-full of this released a tidal wave of contrasts. All that is good about Thai food was present in this simple salad. At once, sweet, sour, spicy, and salty. The heat tamed by the pleasant coolness , and the crisp crunch of the green papaya. This will be my go-to dish during the swampy heat of August in Washington. Next, I had the Drunken Noodles. This was one of the best renditions I've had of this dish. The noodles were perfectly tender. The chicken still carried the smokey flavor of the grill. The sauce was a perfect balance of spice from the chillies, and sweetness from the soy sauce, A heady perfume of basil brought the whole dish together.
I couldn't resist the temptation to try another one of the salads, so I also had the Yum Woon Sen. This was another masterpiece of balancing fiery heat with cool refreshment. The salad is made up of Glass noodles, shrimp, shrimp, chicken, cilantro, and tomato in a chili and lime sauce. The wonderful fresh zing from the lime juice really made this salad memorable. Nava Thai is now my new favorite Thai restaurant.
After the numerous (rave) reviews I've read about Nava, my bf & I finally decided to make the trek out to Wheaton for Nava, and Nava alone.
Don't get me wrong, it was good. But it wasn't metro-to-Wheaton-(from downtown area) and-walk-a-mile-in-the-mid-summer-humidity-good. We started with the curry puffs. These were excellent. Loved the accompanying sauce! And for the entrees, ordered our basic favorites: chicken pad thai and a red curry. Which, are the standard testament to a strong thai restaurant.
The curry was fabulous, great mix of sweetness and spice, actually a good amt. of spice as I love all things spicy and I was drinking my water frequently here. The chicken pad thai, well, came out as shrimp pad thai and admittingly tasted better than the chick. pad thai they brought us out after I mentioned this mild mistake. Small note: it only had 2-3 shrimps in it. But, the noodles were a tiny bit over-done on the chicken version and very spicy, so it was good but I found it difficult to get past the spice factor and appreciate the flavoring.
All in all, I'd like to return and try other dishes, but I'm not rushing back. Sorry.. I really wanted to fall in love with this place.
Silver Spring, MD
Category: Thai
Silver Spring, MD
Category: Thai
Silver Spring, MD
Category: Thai
Silver Spring, MD
Category: Grocery
Silver Spring, MD
Category: Mexican
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