Washington, DC Restaurants

  1. Bangkok 54 Restaurant & Bar

    From generic to exotic, this award-winning restaurant serves up Thai cuisine that's often fiery and always flavorful. And you don't have to compromise aesthetics for good food, Bangkok 54 looks as good as it tastes. The modern decor mixes granite with bright reds for a sleek finish.

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  2. Bangkok Bistro

    Locals love this joint on their birthdays - the birthday person eats free. Actually this modern Thai restaurant with a lively sidewalk café does a fast trade most nights of the week. Serving a long line-up of Thai favorites, it doesn't try anything too adventurous (true lovers of Thai cuisine might argue it's too Americanized) with its cooking, but dishes are consistently good and can be spiced accordingly. We always like the drunken noodles and green curry mains.

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  3. Nam Viet

    Serving consistently good Vietnamese food, this homely place features uncomplicated cooking including especially rich and tasty pho (beef noodle soup). Digs are a bit unimaginative, although a few creative pieces of art grace the walls. The quality of the food compensates for any lack of ambiance, however. This place has scored numerous awards for taste and bargain.

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  4. Pho 75

    For a no frills dining experiment offering only pho (a beef noodle soup), this place is amazingly successful. Hordes of tourists, locals and Vietnamese pack communal tables each slurping their own unique variation of the soup - some add brisket or tripe, meatballs or flank steaks; others douse it with lime, hot sauce and Asian basil. Whichever you choose, odds are it will be delicious.

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  5. Thaiphoon

    The quality of the food does not always match the sleek decor, which features a wall of windows, a colorful interior and a funky bar. But Thaiphoon's seafood and veggie dishes are good enough to draw crowds, giving the place a buzz to match the tingle of Thai spices.

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  6. Vietnam Georgetown

    A pioneer of Vietnamese cooking in the neighborhood, this restaurant serves steaming bowls of noodles and spicy and satisfying deep-fried crispy rolls. The lunch buffet offers especially good value. The setting and staff are charming, if somewhat frazzled. The light-bedecked garden out back is particularly attractive on summer evenings. Minus the garden, this place is nearly interchangeable with its next-door neighbor, the Saigon Inn.

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