Baan Siam

Jim G. and I started off our first night in DC at Baan Siam and I'm so glad we did!Everything took us so much more time than expected, so we were in a super rush. Nick at the bar understood the assignment and got us drinks and food on the double! I enjoyed some happy hour Singha and Jim G. enjoyed a martini. The food was flavorful and tasty, though not as spicy as I would have liked. Our favorite was the Southern Beef Curry and the Esaan (Northern Thai) Sausage.If you're in the city, it's worth checking out!

Arrived here on a rainy Wednesday night for a dinner with work colleagues. While the restaurant was bustling, we were seated in the back toward the kitchen out of the chaos which made for a quieter dining experience. Well, at least until the party of 10 was seated adjacent to us. But that isn't any slight to the restaurant. Our server was quite friendly and attentive and assisted us in navigating the menu. Unfortunately, she also was responsible for the larger group which split her attention so as the meal progressed our service suffered just a fraction. The food, however, was totally on point. Each dish we sampled was well flavored and solid representations of the style of Thai cooking. Nothing was overly spicy and the group, which had a couple of members who preferred milder fare, were all raving about the meal. While we sampled a variety of the options, the one standout was the ginger branzino. This was truly an elevated dish with a wonderful presentation. A definite "must try". Again, everything else was consistently good, so you really cannot go wrong with any choice. (Editor note: I just remembered that the evening special, fried dumplings, weren't all that special. I would suggest skipping those)Thai is one of my preferred Asian cuisines and finding a spot in downtown DC has always been somewhat tricky since Baan Thai closed. Not sure if Baan Siam is related, but the food is on parFor anyone in this part of DC, it's worth the stroll to Baan Siam. Only a short 10 minutes from the convention center hotels. Even though we were drenched after of walk back we all were quite please we had gone.

KenScale: 8.0/10Visit: December 2023As lovers of Thai food, my wife Jun and I are constantly in the quest for discovering awesome Thai restaurants. While we frequently ate at Thai Chef in Rockville nearby where we live, is there a go-to Thai restaurant in DC? A few months after we moved to the DC metro area in 2021, we visited Baan Siam in the Mt. Vernon Triangle area. It was a pretty solid meal but I think in retrospect we were pretty tired from a long drive to the restaurant on a Friday evening with huge rush-hour traffic so the restaurant somehow fell off our radar. Last month, I wanted to visit the restaurant again as we were due for some Thai food. Our second visit to Baan Siam in early Saturday evening on a more relaxed schedule following our trip to National Gallery of Art was more memorable.The food from the female chef Jeeraporn "P'Boom" Poksupthong is not afraid to showcase the Northern Thai region's culinary tradition. Many of the dishes may look somewhat familiar in concept at other Thai joints, but you wouldn't find the high level of execution from Baan Siam. For a successful meal at the restaurant, I would recommend looking over seasonal specials where we picked two of the four dishes we shared together. Jun was very appreciative of the spicy-sweet calamari with its wonderful mix of spicy and sweet chili sauce flavor that was quite appetizing, which also applies to the description of crispy lotus root and grilled shrimp salad. One dish that we frequently order at a Thai restaurant to determine its quality is the beloved khao soi with egg noodles and chicken. While we wished Baan Siam had a bit more chili paste-based broth, it was nevertheless delicious with deceptively spicy kick. From the seasonal specials section, we also picked basil fried rice with smoked duck which turned out to be a wise choice as we really enjoyed the way fried rice worked together with duck in chili garlic sauce to reveal an addictively rich dish. If this dish is still on the menu on your visit, I highly recommend you order it.Getting a reservation at Baan Siam wouldn't be too difficult given the sizable dining room, but you would still be wise to book in advance for prime-time reservations (the restaurant's dining area was nearly packed during our early evening visit). There is a full bar with a diverse menu of beers, cocktails (many of them using Southeast Asian ingredients) and wines that you can order to complement the meal. After our revisit, we both agreed that we wished the restaurant were a little closer to our home (the restaurant also offers pick-ups and delivery but our home is outside the delivery zone) so we could visit more often and try other dishes from its expansive menu. In any event, now we know where to get our fix for Thai food when we are in DC. Baan Siam is one of those restaurants where it is extremely difficult to get a bad meal and we look forward to visiting it again in the near future.

The experience at this Thai restaurant wasn't the worst, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me either. I tried the spicy and sour soup, but unfortunately, it wasn't my taste--I couldn't get past the first bite. The spicy lemongrass chicken was decent, but I've had better elsewhere, and despite being advertised as very spicy, it was milder than I expected.On the positive side, the ambiance of the restaurant is beautiful, and the staff was friendly and attentive. Overall, it just wasn't my cup of tea, but that's just my personal opinion--others may love it!

Extremely underrated restaurant in Chinatown. Ran into this place by accident while looking for a place to eat for lunch. The service is very good and our server gave awesome recommendations. Also the inside is extremely clean and the decorations and lighting made it very cozy and relaxing. The food was very good. The fried rice was some of the best fried rice I've had in awhile. The Tom yum noodles were my favorite!!

Cusual restaurant; not much of ambience, but went to lunch, maybe it's better at night. Got the garlic shrimp rice, and the spicy fried rice shrimp. Great portion, delicious flavor. 19 or 20 dollars each. Service was quick. Will definitely go back and try new dishes.

Khao Soi. That's what I got. It was the best version of this dish I can recall getting (and note that I really can't get it many places). It's just such a specialty. and just wow. Loved it so much. The chicken was tender. The soup was not too thick or sweet. The vegetables were unique and fresh. Service was friendly and prompt; the dish came out quickly and hot. And the interior is modern too.A great place.

We were in a bit of a rush and Nick at the bar did a fantastic job getting us our drinks and food quickly. On top of the great service, we really enjoyed the authentic Thai dishes. My favorites were the southern beef curry and beef salad.

The restaurant is clean and the food is flavorful. Continue reading for my honest review. STARTERS: Grilled pork skewers- 10/10 tastes like chicken. Great for sharing! $12Baan siam roll- 6/10 the rice paper wrap was very gooey and different from your typical spring rolls. You get 4 but they are on the smaller side. I wouldn't get again. $12ENTREES:Thai Vermicelli in Chili Peanut Sauce- 10/10. This dish was warm, rich in flavor and I loved the tempura vegetable in it. Next time I'd ask for a spice rack to add some heat. $20Chicken yellow curry- 7/10. My friend really enjoyed this dish but to me it tasted more like Indian curry than Thai curry which isn't what I would have wanted given this is a Thai restaurant. It was also extremely hot. $20

Service was quick and attentive. Food was quite good and spicy and prices well at spurned $20 per dish. Cocktails were a bit pricey at $16.