Sala Thai,

2300 Washington Pl NE, Washington, DC 20018, United States

"Note: This review is based on a delivery / takeout order, so focused exclusively on the food and not the service / ambiance. Although I was a little hesitant about the less-than-stellar reviews, I was recently desperately craving some Thai food and UberEats had a 30% off deal for this place that was just too good to pass up. And, wow, am I glad I took the risk! I was SUPER happy with everything that I ordered, and it absolutely satisfied my need for a bit of spicy, holy basil-infused comfort in a bowl. I ordered their pad see ew with vegetables and shrimp, papaya salad, and mango sticky rice -- each dish was fantastic, and they had generous portions; this was plenty of food for 2-2.5 meals. I put everything at their "regular" spice level, which didn't seem to be super consistent across their dishes. The pad see ew was hardly spicy, while the papaya salad made me run for a glass of water. The pad see ew was nearly perfect -- it had a great balance of spicy, sweet, and savory flavor profiles, and the noodles were soft but still slightly chewy. The veggies were fresh and crisp, and the shrimp was juicy and plump with a great touch of char from the wok. The noodles were a bit more oily than I generally prefer, but it was still a great dish overall! And the noodles paired perfectly with the light, refreshing papaya salad (requested without peanuts because I'm allergic). The papaya, carrot, and green beans were all super fresh and had a great crunch. They went wonderfully with the salty, sweet, sour, and spicy dressing, and the tomatoes offered a great extra little pop of freshness! This dish takes its spice a bit more seriously than the other items on the menu, so either have a glass of water ready or order it slightly milder level. After a delicious (and slightly spicier than expected) meal, the mango sticky rice was the perfect way to wrap up this comforting dinner. The rice was perfectly sticky but not mushy, and it was sweet, but not overly so, from the coconut milk / sugar. This was all topped with a lovely sliced mango, which was at the perfect level of ripeness to offer a refreshing, natural sweetness as well as a slight sour kick to balance out the rest of the dessert. I also loved the way they arranged the two mango halves to look like a heart -- so cute! All in all, I was thoroughly impressed by Sala Thai! Every dish was delicious and super well-executed -- I can't wait to try out the rest of their menu in-person!"

"Food: The food was excellent. Served hot and fast. I had the crab fried rice and calamari. Both were outstanding, special mention for the calamari dipping sauce. Service: The service was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. They suggested the calamari and were very patience (too many good options). Atmosphere: The tables and floor were clean, light music in the background, lights appropriately dimmed. General disposition: Chilled, definitely go again. Rating: J 5 Star"

"Such a nice experience! Even though I was alone was able to sit where I wanted. The Dancing eel roll was so good! They also serve chilled glasses with your beer :) service was on point, enough said!"

"So good! I had been hesitant since a lot of the places in this area have mediocre reviews. Glad I tried it. Will def be returning often. I had the spicy basil fried rice with shrimp and a side of spring rolls. Loved it all. And the sweet and sour sauce was really good too."