It was our first night in town and we wanted to get a quick dinner after settling in to our hotel. I found this place on Yelp, so we decided to check it out. It's not much to look at from outside, but don't let that discourage you. The menu was huge, but we stuck with some basics - veggie dumplings, friend rice and pad thai. The pad thai was particularly notable - unlike any pad thai I have had before and it had great flavor! read more

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Great lunch place. Will come back again! Quick service and lunch selections are very nice! read more

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Very nice service-- I was greeted when I came in and they sat me quickly. The older male server was kind and efficient, getting my food and drink orders quickly since I knew what I wanted. I got a Thai tea (always a safe option, and theirs was pretty good, 4.2/5). I only ordered appetisers because I had a reservation elsewhere-- the Thai skewers, the curry puff, and the Tom yum soup. Best thing was the skewers. Very nicely seasoned with fish sauce, soy sauce, maybe a bit of tamarind and other spices. It was juicy and tender. The curry puffs had a nice mix of potatoes, turmeric, peas, and chicken but I didn't like the puff shell. I was expecting more an empanada or samosa shell, but they used something with a bit of sugar, so it was a tad too sweet for me. Still good, but I'd prefer 100% savoury rather than 90% savoury and 10% sweet. My least favourite was the Tom yum soup. This is normally one of my favourites, but they used thick slices of chicken. I prefer mine with shrimp or tofu, so this deterred me. It was cheap at $6 so if you're looking for lots of chicken in a soup for a cheap price, this would be a good spot. But I found the broth to be a bit lacking compared to other tom yum. I think they use a powder or something, rather than use lots of kaffir lime, lemon grass, etc. to make the broth. Overall, the bill was $27.45 for a tea and three appetisers. I'd come back, but I'd stick to pure meat items. It was not a bad spot, just it wasn't as spicy as I wanted as someone who loves spicy food, and it didn't seem as homemade or authentic as other places. BUT, for the prices, it's good pregame spot or a good snack place. read more

It was very good they are very accommodating. You must get a side of rice with a spicy coconut broth.. read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - The Tom Ka Gai Soup Lunch was amazing i recommend asking for side of white rice in the spicy coconut broth. - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Close to where I got a spur-of-the-moment pedicure, my work colleague & I stopped here to catch the last 15 minutes of happy hour and dinner. It was surprising to have to walk upstairs to the dining area, but it was spacious and the small, portable ac unit made the indoor seating comfortable. We ordered an appetizer each (crispy wontons for my friend, veggie dumplings for me), a house salad each, and combo see ew with chicken & beef. We also ordered happy hour beverages. The food was delicious. The peanut sauce on the house salad was tasty but because the lettuce & toppings weren't cut to bite-sized pieces, I used them as dippers for the dressing until the dressing was gone. The veggie dumplings & crispy wontons were both good. I was pleased to have the combo of beef & chicken on the entree. The sauce was tasty and coated everything well without being greasy. My two points of contention were the wait for the check after asking directly and everyone else in the dining area being addressed before us and the bathroom situation. Before leaving the restaurant, my colleague & I both used the bathroom; I noticed feces smeared on the wall in one stall, chipped paint throughout the room, and watered down soap that made its cleansing capabilities questionable. That was a disappointing way to end my dining experience here. read more

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It was okay. I ordered tom kha gai, and panang curry, two stars. It was 1/2 star spicy, at the most. Service was fine.

Accidentally ordered from the wrong Thai place but I wasn't disappointed at all! I tried the Thai stick which were beef skewers. They came still hot and juicy. Very well seasoned and the sauce was good. I tried the red curry with duck. I was a little skeptical because it had pineapples in it and I don't like to mix my sweet with my heat. It surprisingly was very comforting. The duck was sliced a little thick. Although an accident, I was pleased! Also had the Thai iced tea. It was a little too sweet for my taste though. read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Thai Stick Lunch - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Ok, this isn't my neighborhood go-to but decided to revisit. I really enjoyed the red curry with chicken. They added grean beans. It was very good! Loved the spice level and multitude of fresh veggies. Love the space, location, and service has always been good. It was a beautiful night and enjoyed the balcony overlooking P St. Let me know what you think? read more

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This was a delivery order - it actually arrived a bit earlier than expected, which was great. I ordered a fried shrimp appetizer that arrived piping hot and still crispy. I also ordered See Ew with chicken. I asked for medium spice but it came with zero spice, which was disappointing. However, it was also very hot and the portion size was generous. I would order from this restaurant again. read more

AUTHENTIC THAI FOOD WHERE YOU CAN TRULY TASTE THE LOVE. Coming from Indonesia to America I have determined find authentic food that really just hits home. my partner and I were immediately greeted and quickly brought to our tables. We were brought upstairs where it was extremely cozy and I was one step into being home. The menu was absolutely immaculate, prices were affordable and there were an endless amount of options, perfect for everyone. We ordered the bua duck and the pad see ew with beef, my favorite thai dish ever. I am very snobby about my asian food so i was skeptical at first. LET ME TELL YOU. both dishes were brought to our table and under eight minutes, right off the stove. The aromas filled the room and they brought a tray of chili oils and flakes along with it. The duck was phenomenal, the texture was perfect. The sauce wasn't drowning out the taste of the duck, and every bite was phenomenal. finally, it was time to try the pad see ew. I turned my fork, grabbed the perfect amount of noodle versus beef. When I placed it on my tongue, I was transported back home. It was as if I was surrounded by the people I had grown up with. The same people who celebrate everything with food and food holds immense value in our culture. representation is so important and it is not talked about enough within food. Bua Thai has done stellar job at giving everyone the opportunity to experience the culture and beauty of these dishes. The texture of the noodles were perfectly cooked, not overdone, not undercooked the type that just melts in your mouth in the beef was cooked to perfection. they weren't stingey at all with the portions, in all honesty I am still dreaming about that bite, this pad see ew was magical. it was so flavorful, and was even more delicious with some of the chili flakes and white pepper. i genuinely had to stop and reflect. we initially were going to go to Astoria right nearby before we stumbled upon this absolute GEM. besides the beef noodles at Astoria are double the price and taste more on the Panda express side of asian food than authentic. GET THE PAD SEE EW HERE INSTEAD. Bua Thai, prepare to be sick of me, i'll be bringing everyone, I know and love, back here. read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Pad See Ew Dinner, Bua Duck - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place is crazy reliable, since I lived nearby I went all the time and it got me through some late evenings with delicious meals. The staff is great and it's cozy indoors with plenty of TVs at the bar. read more

Service- they took good care of us, waters filled and plates removed. Happy hour- they have happy hour 7 days a week from 4-7pm. That's an awesome flex. I repeat, if it says spicy. It's Thai spicy. Not gringo spicy. Hehe. Larb gai was super spicy and drunken noodles had quite the kick. We also got wontons, dumplings, pad see ew, drunken noodles, spring rolls, green curry, larb gai. All food was super flavorful and good portion sizes. Seating- they have a bar, tables upstairs and down, and outdoor seating. Love all the options. read more

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It was a great day the other week for an outdoor lunch. I visited Bua Thai and had the crab fried rice. It was very flavorful, and the presentation was more than I expected. Our service was great and it hit the spot for a nice work lunch. I'll be back! read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Crab fried rice with cucumber garnish - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Came to Bua Thai to eat after walking around to see the Cherry Blossoms. Overall the food was okay, but left me feeling full. I didn't know what I was getting myself into when ordering the Khao Soi, as the crispy noodles weren't what I was imagining and there wasn't much chicken in my dish. The curry puffs and the Thai iced tea made up for it, as they were both delicious. I would come back just for the Thai tea. We also got the mango sticky rice, fried bananas, and the 3 ice cream deal. Nothing special about any, just refreshing after all that spice. The service was good at the start, I felt our waiter was really attentive and would come back at a good amount of time. However towards the end of our meal, they came out to bring us the check but we told them that we wanted dessert, and their response made it seem like they just wanted us to leave. Note that there is an automatic gratuity added to the bill. read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Khao Soi - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Ordered delivery through Uber Eats. Food was good considering it was take out and had been sitting for a short time read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Pad See Ew - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Very good service. Old classic ambiance. Tasty typical food with sensible portion sizes. Host was also very honest and notified us that we might be ordering too much food for our party. We started with spring rolls that were pretty standard and not too oily. For the mains, we had a Tofu Kee Mao and Todu with basil and spicy sauce. It was comforting and typical Thai American fare. We washed it down with a creamy Thai iced tea. read more

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Bua Thai was fine, but since when are places making a vegetable curry that ends up being a majority of just cabbage? Cabbage is a useless vegetable (an insult to my ancestors, maybe) and it's used as a filler when you can't afford something else. In this case, Bua Thai for $15 CAN afford something else, but instead I just ended up with green curry that was mostly just cabbage. Come on, people-- at least get some more imagination? The som tum was fuego, though, and the pad see yew was also respectable. A "spicy" is indeed quite hot. read more

Just off DuPont Circle is this friendly and Thai place with excellent food. Started with a bowl of salad with peanut dressing. Salad was crisp and dressing peanuts enough. The crispy duck Panang curry was special! Duck was crispy with meat and skin on every slice. Cooked so that it was still juicy. And the curry was thick and plentiful. I will be coming back for this dish!!! read more

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I ordered the pad see ew here and it was watery and sour. It tasted vinegary and I think it was going bad. Probably the worst pad see ew I've ever had. The inside of the restaurant isn't nice either. I guess not all food in the city is better than outside of it. read more

TL;DR: Service was very friendly. Food was eh. I hate to write a not so great review about a place that had very good and friendly service. But the food just did not satisfy. We came here with a party of 8 around 7pm on a Saturday night. The place was relatively empty, so we got a table immediately. They do have good happy hour appetizer and drink specials. And the wait staff was very accommodating and friendly, especially since we only had 10 minutes left to order happy hour items. Drinks: White russians, pomegranate mule, margaritas: were all good and the happy hour items were $5. Food: Curry puffs: I did not try one, but everyone else at the table seemed to enjoy it Golden triangles: fried tofu. Actually not too bad. And they give you A LOT Kanom Jeeb: steamed dumplings. Just. No. The texture was hard and stale, and the flavor was bland. Pad thai: I got it spicy. It was decent. 3/5 Pad see ew: The noodles in this dish were a little overcooked, but the worst part was the meat. It was very dry and tough, almost like cardboard. Curry: the people in our party seemed pretty happy with the flavor. But the portion was rather small. Overall, service was so nice, and they were attentive at refilling our drinks/clearing our plates. But the food just wasn't that great. read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Kanom jeeb - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Worst place ever, $8 up charge for Makers Mark bourbon. The Old Fashion was made with pineapple!!!!!! Wife had to ask for her drink twice. Food was cold. Asked for fried wontons, waiter brought a mixed drink. To top it off they added ANOTHER request for gratuity after tacking on 18% gratuity to the original bill. The service was poor as well. Just don't do it! Go elsewhere! read more

This restaurant is quite the disappointment. I came here because they serve Khao Soi for $9.50 during lunch time, which is much cheaper than other Thai restaurants in the area for this specific dish. It's a small restaurant with an outside patio, but the style is old as is the building. The good: The Thai Ice Tea is good and refreshing. Servers are nice and welcoming. The bad: The Khao Soi, which lists on their menu as a Traditional Northern Thai red curry egg noodles soup with chicken, topping with pickled cabbage, red onions, crispy noodles, and scallions, was the worst Khao Soi I've had. The egg noodle texture was the same as eating ramen from a cup noodle, and the crispy noodles were basically fried wonton strips. There is hardly any chicken, and it is thinly sliced pieces of white meat chicken instead of chunks of dark meat chicken or a whole chicken leg. Overall, I was highly disappointed in this restaurant, and the only highlight of the meal is the Thai Ice Tea. Perhaps their other dishes may taste better, but they should remove Khao Soi off their menu if they aren't going to serve it right. read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Khao Soi - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Yummy food and strong drinks. The mains went so fast we couldn't even take a pic The service was excellent, fast. Extra bonus point for the naked man butt drawing next to the bathroom. read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Fried banana and coconut ice cream - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This review is based solely off of the pad Thai (decided to compare pad Thai from 4 places on a Friday) - I don't typically like to review places after having one dish, but I don't see myself coming back to Bua. The pad Thai didn't have much flavor, was served with a lemon (?), tasted like it was burnt somehow, and the pieces of pork weren't the best - not dry, but just not juicy. Pricepoint is a little lower than others which helps, but it's just not a dish I want to order again. The restaurant itself was a small shop on the ground floor - there were a few people inside and the staff seemed friendly. read more

The intoxicating aroma of lemongrass and spices greeted me, promising an unforgettable culinary adventure. Very delicious and good prices. The staff is nice. The Strongly recommend read more

It's pretty good! Prices are reasonable, good lunch specials. The food is solid. Not absolutely stand out, but pretty good. The place is in what seems to have been an old two story house, it has a fireplace on the second floor which adds a lot of history and charm to the experience! read more

Food and service was awesome , thank you for the delicious Thai fried rice !!!!!!!Jasmine Rice read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Discovered within walking distance of The Darcy. The service was friendly and quick. The food was flavorful and very satisfying read more

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Pad kee mao and crispy spring roll was good. I would have given 4 stars but they didn't provide utensils (when I specifically requested it) on a takeout. I needed utensils too. read more

We dropped by for happy hour since we had an hour to spare before our dinner reservation at Sushi Taro near by. Happy hour (5-7pm everyday) -- why don't we have more places like this in Chicago?! $5 cocktails $3 wine $2.5 beer $4 apps Since we were headed to a Michelin star restaurant, we were good and just had 1 drink each (mango martini for me) and no apps...but otherwise, we would have sampled more things! read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Happy hour menu - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Ordered the yummy Crispy Soft Shell Crab Dinner Special for $24 - not sure if this is a seasonal menu item. It was very good! Didn't love the chili and garlic sauce on the side, maybe the yellow curry sauce would have been a better choice. Classic Thai iced tea on the side :) read more

Bua Thai Restaurant & Bar - Crispy Soft Shell Crab Dinner Special - Thai Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

How is no one talking about this spot!?! The food is GOOD. Period. They hit them spices just right!! And then I like to leave with a cool creamy and refreshing Thai Ice Tea. Perfection. No lie, I eat lunch here once a week! read more

This review is mostly based on the one dish I got, which, by the way, I would totally go back for: kao soi, a traditional Northern Thai curry egg noodle. They described it on the menu as a curry soup, but it's really more of a saucy noodle dish. Either way, the noodles and chicken were married in a deep and rich curry sauce, topped with pickled cabbage, red onions, crispy noodles, and scallions, and it was spectacular. I love curries and noodles, and this dish is the best of both worlds! The S.O. ordered a tom yum gai (chicken and lemongrass soup) and a special entree, seafood prik king, which came with battered and fried shrimp, calamari, and scallop, stir fried in a spicy sauce. I tried both, and definitely preferred my kao soi. The soup was slightly too sour, and the prik king was a tad bit heavy for my liking. The staff were really friendly as well. Would definitely recommend and come back! read more

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If this was 1995, I'd have this place on my speed dial, and seeing my phone number in their really cool, brand new caller ID, they'd be answering with, "hi Elena, we've got your usual cooking, 10 minutes and it's ready!" But it's 2020, and all I have to do is press two buttons in my phone to reorder my family's top faves every two weeks. So unromantic. I have not had a bad experience here yet, neither with food and beverages, nor with customer service. This is a very satisfying, wholesome, inexpensive thai cooking. Our regular go-tos: Yum Nua Salad, perfectly acidic Tom Ka Gai and Tom Yum Gai soups, we order both, delicious Pad Thai, very generous serving Thai iced tea is perfect, not watery and not too sweet. Their patio is open for dine in, they have a full bar, so it's worth checking out in person as well. read more

We came here on a Wednesday night after a Barry's bootcamp class. Brenna got pad see ew, which she enjoyed. Justin got the spicy soup, which was neither spicy nor flavorful. The restaurant was empty so we had the upstairs terrace to ourselves. We would pay just to sit upstairs on the terrace, especially with nice weather. I bet we will order out from here at some point but doubt we will return unless it is to take advantage of the terrace. read more

I want to support my neighborhoods family owned businesses but this restaurant disappointed me every time I tried. Their ingredients were not fresh and I had to throw away the food I ordered the last time after the first bite. read more

While going for a walk in Washington DC, decided to go into this restaurant. It was happy hour and to me, that's good, can order food and drinks. Their happy hour menu was decent. Order all the happy hour food item and all the food came out in order fashion and everything was good and fresh. Great to eat and dine even if you have time to stop by. read more

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I have been going to Bua's for over 20 years but not a "regular" as parking is very hard to find in this location. But the food is always FRESH, and very well-prepared. Delicious. My mother-in-law is a fantastic Japanese cook and caters Japanese food in NJ. She always insisted on going to Bua's for the best cooked Thai food. read more

Great food! Lovely and Kind staff! Felt like home when eating here. Real authentic Thai cuisine. read more

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Be aware, the bill has included 20% gratuity, no need to add more tips unless you want to. The portion of rice is way too small, $1.5 for a tiny plate of rice, what a joke for me as an Asian grew up in Asia. If a restaurant includes a 20% gratuity why would you tip. In my opinion they took away my ability to tip appropriately based on the level of service I received. There no longer exists an incentive for the server to offer me outstanding service because they get tipped regardless of how they perform their job. In the case where only large groups are charged a 20% tip the service can be even less because the servers are going to concentrate their efforts to other tables where they need to earn their tip. read more